Gucci Autumn/Winter 2011 details | Source: Style.com

Sleek and Luxe (IHT)
“‘I wanted to play with color, a little of the 1970s and a lot of irony,’ said Ms. Giannini backstage, after the parade of fabulous Ms. Fox furs in turquoise, purple, rust and lilac wrapped around the shoulders above slim leather dresses or those sporty jackets with pleated culotte skirts that looked a lot like Yves Saint Laurent archives updated.”

The Kiddie Couturiers (NY Times)
““Kiddie couturiers” are perhaps the ultimate, inevitable result of a fashion culture that is obsessed with youth… and a youth culture that is obsessed with fashion…But the fact that fashion has become a field that is so easy for a tween to crack says a lot about how much the perception of a designer has changed. The allure of fashion is no longer the craft, but the flash.”

Saks turns a profit, sees higher sales this year (Reuters)
“Saks reported a quarterly profit as it sold more items at full price and forecast continued sales growth at its established luxury department stores, sending its shares up nearly 5 percent… sales at stores open at least a year rose 8.4 percent in the holiday quarter as shoppers resumed spending on expensive dresses, handbags and shoes.”

A Conversation With Tod’s Owner Diego Della Valle (Huffington Post)
“As the fashion flock moves to Milan for the fall/winter 2011 collections, Tod’s chairman Diego Della Valle, fondly called the Italian Ralph Lauren, talks about his life-long pursuit of Italian excellence, the reason why he bought shares at Saks and his part in keeping the Kennedy legacy alive.”

8 Must Know Fashion Show Producers (Luxury Society)
“[As] blogger’s, stylists and PR teams move across to Milan, we bring you a round up of the must-know event producers behind the catwalks… We investigated major fashion show producers and present a selection from around the globe.”

Tom Ford's Spring/Summer 2011 presentation | Source: Nitrolicious

‘Less Is More’ Is Mattering Most (NY Times)
“‘Why would you want to spend hundreds of thousands on a show when everybody’s on their BlackBerry and the clothes seem secondary… Intimacy, exclusivity and a chance to see the clothes: those are our priorities. We like exposure, but we want a more controlled exposure.’”

Mulberry designer Emma Hill has men’s accessories in the bag (The Australian)
“After a decade-long obsession with women’s ‘it’ bags, could men’s bags become the next powerhouse sellers for luxury brands? The likes of Brioni, Tom Ford and Zegna have recognised… an emerging market for men’s accessories.”

Leading China’s voguish revolution (Telegraph)
“China is shaping commerce, but Asia as a whole is inspiring aesthetics. There has been an ongoing East/West dialogue in fashion since Poiret in the Twenties, but it is again taking hold of the imagination in a manner not seen since the late Eighties.”

Supergroup’s rapid expansion boosts sales (FT)
“The ever-growing popularity of Superdry branded T-shirts, hooded sweatshirts and jackets helped Supergroup nearly double its retail sales in the third quarter. Supergroup, which owns the Superdry… said sales at its retail division grew by 92 per cent to £61.4m.”

Anya Hindmarch announces record year (Telegraph)
“Anya Hindmarch, Britain’s ‘handbag queen’ and one of the Prime Minister’s business ambassadors, has announced record 2010 results for her luxury own name brand, and further growth and expansion in 2011.”

TOKYO, Japan – Just before the fashion world turned its laser focus on New York, a lesser known semi-annual week of fashion shows in Tokyo failed to garner much attention.

Not surprisingly then, a key activity during Japan Fashion Week is listening to other people grumble about Japan Fashion Week. Although Tokyo is one of the world’s most important fashion cities, overflowing with amazing daily dressers, avant-garde masters, and street fashion innovation, the organized collection week has yet to muster up a global impact on par with Paris, Milan, or New York.

And the problem is not just international reception: most of the cooler domestic Japanese brands aren’t even on board.

… Continue Reading

NEW YORK, United States – While the rest of New York Fashion Week was caught up in its regular Bryant Park frenzy today, designer Marc Bouwer was busy blazing his own fashion trail, exclusively showing his S/S 2009 collection on his website, thereby giving everyone a front row view.

Of course, we have seen other designers, notably Stefano Pilati for YSL (first with menswear, and most recently women’s resort) and Husein Chalayan, create videos to showcase their collections. And, Giorgio Armani made history when he streamed his Armani Prive couture collection for Spring 2007 online, gaining kudos for democratising the storied world of haute couture. Net-a-Porter also innovated by putting up Roland Mouret’s RM19 collection in an online video and commerce site mere hours after showing during Paris Couture.

But Bouwer’s approach is a first for an independent designer without the clout of a YSL or Armani, nor the support of a major online retailer. So, how well did his experiment work?

… Continue Reading

Last night I witnessed the intricate ballet of savvy PR and event-planning that has helped build Marc Jacobs into one of the only truly successful, global luxury brands that has been launched in the past 20 years.

It was evidence of the basic human psychological desire to be part of the cool crowd. You know those nightclubs that intentionally keep people waiting outside to give off the impression of being the hot spot of the moment? This was not all that different, except Marc Jacobs has been doing this for almost 20 years, and he has it down to a fine art. Plus, this is not just hype. He has a reputation for delivering collections that will inspire designers and consumers the world over as they adopt his take on of-the-moment coolness. Nobody wants to miss it. It is the hottest ticket in town

Here’s how the night unfolded.

9:00pm – Crowds of guests and press have formed outside the Armory, but nobody is getting in. People are pretty calm, given the show was supposed to  start at this time, except for a French woman who insists she must urgently get in now. She is promptly rebuffed.

… Continue Reading