February 26th, 2008

2008 Oscars Lowest Rated Ever, Red Carpet Parade a Snore:
As a friend of mine said, "I slept through the Oscars but I watched some of the after-shows." That seems about right:

Alessandra Facchinetti Prepares for First Valentino Show:
"Facchinetti is showing nerves of steel ahead of her debut this Thursday at Paris Fashion Week. When Valentino retired, after 45 years in the business, he bowed out with a highly acclaimed show and a standing ovation from the fashion world. Facchinetti knows she has a lot to live up to. 'It's a dream and an honour to follow in Valentino's footsteps,' she says. 'I have enormous admiration for his grand style. The first time I went to meet him in Rome it was the most exciting day of my life.'"

JCPenney Panics, Slashes Prices on Newly Launched Ralph Lauren Line:
"One day after J.C. Penney launched the advertising campaign for its newest brand, (Ralph Lauren's) American Living, the mid-tier department store operator has slashed prices for the upscale line by roughly 25 to 40 percent on its Web site . . . Kate Parkhouse, a Penney spokeswoman, said the price cuts were in line with Penney's typical strategy for introducing a new brand. While the American Living prices were marked down, she said they are still among Penney's most expensive."

Luxury Consumers Shun China, Prefer Goods from US and Europe:
"'Luxury consumers show a definite preference for luxury goods manufactured in certain countries,' says Pam Danziger, president of Unity Marketing. 'Overwhelmingly, they associate countries like the US, Italy, France, and Germany with better quality luxury goods. On the other hand, China emerged as the country most associated with poorer quality luxury goods' . . . The results of the survey are seen as a warning to luxury goods makers considering a cost-cutting move at a time of financial turmoil in the US and the dollar weakening against international currencies."

Paris Dior Show Offers Ostentatious Luxury for Beginners:
"As for Galliano, instead of plundering the history books and referencing couture-inspired, Forties and Fifties silhouettes, the show proved to be a serious play for the emerging markets . . . one fashion editor summed up the obvious, ostentatious luxury that sauntered down the catwalk as "luxury for beginners". As everyone knows, Dior is not a house that is known for its stealth-wealth approach: why add a smattering of rhinestones to a jacket when you could add a bucketload?"

"We know you all have money now, so cough it up!"

Westwood Receives Both Applause and Boos in Paris:
"Westwood called her collection "Chaos point" and that was a shared sentiment at the end of the show, both applauded and booed . . . Westwood's eco-warriors still wore their tattered army uniforms, camouflage gear and peaked caps, but customised with primitively hand-painted butterflies, snakes and magic flowers, and fake fur pelts slung round their shoulders. Urban pin stripes, tartans and taffeta were jumbled in."