March 29th, 2008

It's Your Fault Those Shoes Cost So Damn Much:
'"Footwear is having its runway moment,' says Marshal Cohen, chief analyst for New York market research firm NPD Group. Designers are 'raising the cachet of the brand by having one extravagant style, and that one makes the other pairs seem more reasonable' . . . the going price for a luxury designer pump has climbed from $350 in 2004 to $500 in the last year. Mary Janes, an "it" style for spring, range in price this season from $575 for a sleek patent leather pair by Gucci to $690 for suede ones with zaftig curves by Prada . . . (but) don't fault Lanvin or the retailers for your financial blisters. 'This is a free market,' says Milton Pedraza, chief executive of the Luxury Institute, a retail research firm in New York. 'The consumers are to blame for paying these prices.'"

Oprah introduces Christian Louboutin to her, uhm, less than wealthy audience:

Zac Posen Designs Amazing Collection for Target Australia:
"Having been so unimpressed with the latest Target GO International designers (we had such high hopes for Alice Temperley, and Erin Featherston was just plain disappointing), the new Zac Posen pieces for Target Australia are a breath of fresh air. Zac Posen has a bigger brand than many of the previous GO designers...so why isn't his collection being sold in the United States as well?" -- Why, indeed? This collection looks amazing -- and it's for frickin' Target! It beats the H&M Roberto Cavalli collection with a great big stick.

Indian Consumers Rank Third on the List of Luxury Brand Awareness:
"According to the latest Nielsen Global Luxury Brands study, nearly 35 per cent of Indians, who participated in the survey, confirmed buying luxury brands. This is the third highest percentage globally. Greece leads the pack with 46 per cent, followed by Hong Kong at 38 per cent . . . India has also made it to the top ten markets for some of the brands. India is the third highest purchaser of Gucci products. It is ranked at the sixth position for Calvin Klein, ninth for Diesel and tenth for Fendi."