WHY Wally Hermès Yacht | Source: Twistedsifter.com

What’s Next: Luxury Products (WSJ)
“Pierre-Alexis Dumas embraces innovation. But as the sixth-generation member of his family to lead, in his case, the creative end of the French luxury house Hermès, he must uphold tradition, as well.”

John Lewis Adds to Evidence Of February Sales Bounce (NY Times)
“Bellwether retailer John Lewis posted another double-digit percentage rise in weekly sales as wet weather drove customers to its stores, adding to evidence consumer spending bounced back in February.”

Balmain produces this year’s template for the high street (Independent)
“High-street bosses will be on the look out for inspiration for their autumn/winter 2010 designs, and the Balmain show will have been the focus for much of their attention. The French label… has been heavily copied by mass-market brands over the last year.”

Creating the World of Tomorrow? (IHT)
“A definitive exhibition of the work of Yves Saint Laurent, whose masculine/feminine vision dominated the wardrobe of the 20th-century woman, and a book celebrating 60 years of Pierre Cardin, fashion’s eternal futurist, gives pause for thought.”

Gianni Versace, a life lived as a 90s fashion icon (Reuters)
“‘House of Versace: The Untold Story of Genius, Murder, and Survival,’ by Deborah Ball tells the story of how Gianni, with his flamboyant sister Donatella as muse, not only became the cutting edge of 90s fashion but symbolized the era.”

Dunhill Shoes

LONDON, United Kingdom — There’s been quite a lot of talk about value lately. But what does value really mean, and how are different consumers evaluating their purchases?

Dunhill recently held a private sale in a discrete space in a Mayfair alley with some deeply discounted prices. It’s something many luxury companies have been doing to help shift stockpiles of their products in a way that doesn’t damage the brand. It’s easy to tell why most of the products are on sale at such low prices. There are flaws of some sort in the knitwear or the trousers are poorly cut or the print is ghastly. You tend to find these kinds of overstock products in available many replicates, in all sizes, proving they were of no interest to anyone at full price.

But sometimes, you come across something that seems one of a kind, special, and only available in one size: yours.

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Sara Ferrero, CEO of Joseph Group

LONDON, United Kingdom — Sara Ferrero is one of those once rare but increasingly common fashion executives who spent the early part of their careers outside the fashion industry. After six years at McKinsey & Company, the management consultancy, she entered the fashion business at Furla, the Italian accessories brand. Under her leadership, Furla’s retail sales tripled to over 360 million euros in less than five years.

Last year, Joseph, the London-based fashion retailer, tapped Ferrero as its new CEO, and since then she has been executing on a plan to revive the once-hip chain to its former glory. With more than 120 stores scattered across several countries, and a turnover of over £85 million, the Joseph Group is an important player on the global fashion scene. But in recent years, Joseph had somewhat lost the original excitement that drew the fashion hordes under the brand’s charismatic founder and namesake, Joseph Ettedgui back in the 1970s.

I spoke to Sara at the Joseph showroom to get the inside scoop on her strategy to take Joseph back its roots, starting with its store in London’s Westbourne Grove, which celebrated its official launch during London Fashion Week.

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Balmain A/W 2009, courtesy of Style.com

PARIS, France — I’m in Paris for the collections, after sitting last season out. It’s funny the way everything looks different when you’re actually here.

Take Balmain, for instance. I assumed, from what I read in the press after last season’s showing by designer Christophe Decarnin, that it was the collection du jour; the one that everyone adored, adored, adored. It turns out that well, this is not really the case.

The talk amongst the fashion intelligentsia before and after the show centered around one key point – and that point was not: “Isn’t Decarnin a genius?”, but rather “Who can actually buy this stuff?” … Continue Reading

Balmain S/S 09 ad campaign, courtesy of Balmain

LONDON, United Kingdom — If one wanted an indication that nothing is ever going to be the way it was in luxury, this was the week to watch.

Forget about Karl Lagerfeld’s paper accessories at the Chanel haute couture show (a gimmick if there ever were one.) Consider instead the dichotomy of two of the most interesting items in this week’s fashion news.

First, that Tom Ford is bringing out jeans with a $990 price tag in the midst of the credit crunch. Why so expensive? Well, they’re made from Japanese selvage denim, which means they won’t fade or shrink. And they have an 18-carat gold button. (Note to anyone tempted: Dior Homme has Japanese selvage jeans for $777, if you can live without the gold button).

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