Barbie Turns 50 — Designers Cash In:
“Teaming up with fashion designers Jeremy Scott and Vera Wang, as well as The Council of Fashion Designers of America (headed by Diane Von Furstenberg), Barbie is to be transformed into a bona fide fashion brand complete with cosmetics collection and runway show . . . A full list of designers has not been revealed yet, but headed by the CFDA they will create life sized outfits that reflect the world of Barbie, for a spectacular catwalk show at February’s new York fashion week.”
Uh . . . I had no idea the world was clamoring for a Mattel Barbie Doll fashion and cosmetics line, but I can’t say I’m surprised. I’m sure it won’t be long before a Barbie fragrance hits the shelves, too. Mmmm, the smell of pink plastic!
Video clip below of Barbie in all her commercial glory:
Luxury Brands Cut Prices in the Face of Global Recession:
“For the first time in recent memory, luxury-goods makers are cutting prices on designer apparel, shoes and handbags in the U.S. market … luxury companies from Chanel to Versace, Christian Louboutin and Chloé are reversing the industry’s maxim that luxury prices only move up. The cuts range from 8% to 10% on most products sold in the U.S. . . . ‘Never before have we done this,’ says Ralph Toledano, chief executive of Chloé … ‘This is an unusual time. You have to be creative at this moment.’”
There was just a report last month that Chanel was going to up the prices on their classic handbags by 20%. The United States and Western Europe are 80% of the luxury brands’ market, so with sales deteriorating in the U.S., the bottom line must be looking fairly grim at the moment.
In similar news, retailers are also talking about an increase in returns of merchandise: “The percentage of sales that are returned are expected to rise in 2008 to 8.7 percent, or $219.1 billion, from 7.3 percent a year earlier, said the National Retail Federation, which polled 82 retailers for its return fraud survey.”
Get Your Hands Off My Comme Des Garcons H&M:
“After the frenzied debut last weekend in Tokyo of its Comme des Garçons guest designer collection, H&M on Thursday gave the rest of the world a chance to see what all the fuss was about. Large crowds queued up for the launch in Paris, London, Milan, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Manhattan. Shoppers stampeded into stores . . . The Comme des Garçons collection bowed on Thursday in 200 stores worldwide, including eight overall in the U.S. and three units alone in Manhattan . . . An H&M spokeswoman estimated that about 200 consumers were lined up outside the Fifth Avenue flagship at 9 a.m., when the doors flung open. Some had been waiting since 11:30 p.m. Wednesday. “
Store reps noted that the crowd, while excited, was much better behaved than the rowdy mob turnout for the Roberto Cavalli collaboration.
Video clip of the collection:
Making a Buck Off the Back of Obama:
“When he launches a new men’s fragrance next month, Sean “Diddy” Combs, the hip hop impresario turned marketing mogul, hopes his sales pitch will resonate with the same consumers who voted for Barack Obama. Mr. Combs said the campaign for the $57 fragrance called “I am King,” which is licensed by his Sean John fashion label to Estee Lauder Cos., will telegraph black success. ‘When you see Barack Obama, you see a strong, elegant black man and when people see my ad, it’s almost like that’s the trend,’ he said in an interview.”
So this is what the results of the last two bruising years of an election campaign translate into — a marketing opportunity for P. Diddy’s new cologne? You stay classy, Mr. Combs.
Limited Edition Dior Fragrances Arrive at Saks:
“To celebrate its 60th anniversary, the House of Christian Dior released La Collection Particuliere last year, a trio of limited-edition perfumes . . . The three fragrances–Passage No. 4, a rose scent; Passage No. 8, with hints of violet and iris; and Passage No. 9, which is billed as a “dazzling tuberose”–were launched exclusively at the Dior Couture ready-to-wear boutique, and have remained somewhat elusive, until now. Starting (November 13th), the line will be available at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York.”
Unfortunately, they don’t seem to be available (yet?) for online purchase from the Saks website.
And just in case you haven’t yet seen the video clip of Luca Turin’s talk at TED regarding the science behind the sense of smell:
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I confess to being a part of the frenzied CdG mob! Did you get yourself a bottle?
You were there for the event? Cool! I only get to read about the crowds and mayhem — it must have been a lot of fun to actually storm the store and battle for items.
Or, were you just talking about scoring a bottle of the CdG H&M?
I tried yesterday, but alas, here in the backwater of San Diego, we apparently do not rate the CdG perfume – need to sniff it in San Francisco next time I’m there, if it’s still available.