Carolina Herrera Spring/Summer 2012 | Source: Style Carrot

Family, fashion dominate the days of Carolina Herrera (Reuters)
“Designer Carolina Herrera didn’t grow up dreaming of a fashion career. Born in Caracas, Venezuela, she spent her childhood riding horses and pursuing favorite pastimes on the family estate. But fashion became her calling and after a lifetime of design, winning awards and providing red carpet looks for stars ranging from Oscar winner Renee Zellweger to Grammy winner Lady Gaga.”

Why Fashion Trends are Still Relevant (Huffington Post)
“Money may well be tight for the consumer but this doesn’t mean to say they’ve stopped caring what they wear. Quite the contrary, they are becoming far more specific in what they buy and are looking for pieces that hit the nail squarely on the head. The scattergun approach to shopping is dead in the water; people don’t want five Breton striped tees any more, they want one ultimate Breton striped tee and are prepared to pay the cumulative cost.”

Fashion Week’s Latest Digital Moves (WWD)
“New York Fashion Week kicks off today — and with nearly every major player live-streaming their runway show this season, tweeting up a storm and hosting interactive Facebook chats, brands are looking to raise the digital bar even higher. Key initiatives this season range from shoppable runways to digital fashion shows to ‘social service.’”

Moving Past ‘Fierce’ (NY Times)
“Though it made him famous, Christian Siriano hardly ever uses the word ‘fierce’ anymore. He is more likely to say something is ‘fine,’ as in ‘Sometimes I think the critics don’t like me personally, which is fine.’ Or ‘Fashion is subjective, which is fine.’ Or ‘There are people in the business who will never support me in the way they would a Wang or a Wu or any of those boys, which is fine.’”

The Man Who Says No (NY Times)
“Though few people outside fashion know his name, Mr. Rougier, 50, is unquestionably one of that world’s most influential — and controversial — characters. With Sylvie Picquet Damesme, his New York partner in PR Consulting, Mr. Rougier has collected an enviable client list that includes Jil Sander, L’Wren Scott, Versace and Rag & Bone.”

Mount Street | Photo: Nick Ingram

LONDON, United Kingdom — For years, London’s Bond Street and Sloane Street have been the destinations of choice for luxury brands looking to set up shop in the British capital to serve the wealthy Arabs, Russians, Indians and Asians who call the city home, and more recently, the hundreds of thousands of luxury shoppers that have been descending on London, bolstered by a weaker pound and the depth of riches on offer from every luxury brand imaginable.

But a stone’s throw away on Mount Street, a former backwater of gentlemen’s collector shops and art galleries, a remarkable transformation has been taking place that is giving Bond Street a run for London’s luxury retail supremacy. Following last year’s multi-million pound privately-funded street restoration by Grosvenor, taking a walk down the newly-restored Mount Street is not only visually and aesthetically inspiring, it’s also a testament to the confidence in the ongoing luxury growth wave that paused for only a short while after the economic crisis of 2008.

The list of new brands that have arrived is staggering. Christian Louboutin, Lanvin, Azzaro, Goyard, CH Carolina Herrera, Stephen Webster, Aesop, Wunderkind, Balenciaga and Rick Owens are amongst those who have moved into the Mount Street area in recent years, creating a luxury land-grab unlike anything seen in any major fashion capital around the w0rld. In the last few weeks alone, both Mackintosh and Nicholas Kirkwood have officially opened their shops on Mount Street, with further openings expected soon, including LVMH-owned Loewe’s first London outpost and Roland Mouret, around the corner on Carlos Place.

… Continue Reading

Hedi Slimane | Source: Limite

The Future Of Fashion, Part Three: Hedi Slimane (Style.com)
“[Slimane] has been both an insider (as, among other things, the highly influential designer of Dior Homme from 2000 to 2007) and an outsider… Here, he discusses today’s ‘costly and overwhelming fashion avalanche’.”

House of Fraser eyes Middle East expansion (FT)
“House of Fraser is set to announce plans to expand into the Middle East, as the department store chain aims to expand its customer base by taking advantage of demand for designer brands in the region.”

Designers embrace power of fashion’s blogging crowd (Reuters)
“Designers are embracing a growing crowd of internet-savvy fashion followers taking catwalk glamour beyond the coveted front row, with many young creators welcoming a trend they say brings them closer to consumers.”

Carolina Herrera opens new store in London (Telegraph)
“‘This is our fourth CH boutique,’ explains Herrera of the brand’s first London shop, ‘and we have another 18 opening around the world this year. We’re going global.’”

Gucci to launch heritage ad campaign (Drapers)
“The advertisements play on the brand’s heritage with images of workers in Gucci’s Florentine factory in the 1950s. The pictures, taken from Gucci’s archive, emphasise the history of the brand.”

Tara Pearls Jewelry on Gilt Groupe | Source: Gilt Groupe

What’s a Dress Worth? (NY Magazine)
“The online retailer Gilt Groupe offers a great deal: Buy designer clothes at deep discounts. But is it good or bad for fashion?”

Chanel to sell goods online (Marketing)
“Chanel is to begin selling products directly through its website later this year in a landmark decision likely to be followed by rival luxury brands.”

Carolina Herrera Sees Signs of Life in Luxury (WSJ)
“Fashion designer Carolina Herrera says she was “shocked” a few months ago when she noticed her $7,990 gray sequined tulle gowns were “selling like hotcakes,” relatively speaking.”

World’s top fashion prize increased to 220,000 euros (AFP)
“The coveted Andam fashion prize for emerging talent on Monday announced a more than 25-percent increase in its endowment, to 220,000 euros (307,000 dollars).”

London Fashion Week Preview (Fashion156)
Fashion156 launches the London Fashion Week preview issue, including coverage on womenswear, menswear, accessories, beauty and grooming.

Barneys' "Have a Witty Holiday" Catalogue: Source: Barneys New York

Luxury retailer look to stage Christmas comeback (Market Watch)
“A year after the luxury sector reported the worst holiday season in the already-battered retail industry, high-end retailers are hoping a variety of gambits, from increased exclusives to emphasis on telling why an item is special, can cast that holiday magic.”

Record ecommerce sales number reached (Biz Report)
“They predicted it and it has now happened: more than $900 million has now been spent in a single day of online shopping. According to the latest comScore information Green Tuesday (December 15) ecommerce sales reach $913 million.”

Coach’s 7 Secrets to Selling Luxury (The Motley Fool)
“Saving face in tough times is a particularly dicey exercise for luxury retailers. When brand prestige is your currency, an ill-conceived, short-term, budget-minded makeover can lead to long-term brand destruction.”

Ben Sherman to Drop Women’s Wear in 2010 (NBC)
“It’s not secret that the British-based clothing company has had a very difficult year, but a move as massive as dropping womenwear altogether hints at big changes afoot for the retailer to make ends meet for 2010.”

Herrera lures Russians with boutique show (Reuters)
“American fashion designer Carolina Herrera followed in the footsteps of her sartorial colleague Giorgio Armani this week by vying for a piece of Russia’s recovering luxury good market — the world’s fourth largest.”