1.) Sex is the Trend that Paris Designers Hope Will Sell:
“There have been plenty of beautiful clothes at Paris fashion week, but the trendy looks reveal how hard the industry is struggling to grab shoppers’ attention: micro miniskirts, transparent blouses, pointy “Mad Men” bras, and panties worn as shorts . . . But they risk turning off many professional or mature women, who can only imagine how embarrassing it would be to wear such things . . . New York digital-marketing firm Zeta Interactive measured the response to the Paris fashion shows this week on more than 100 million blogs, message boards and social-media posts. It said the volume of postings rose 14% from a year ago (the depths of the financial crash), and 85% of this year’s postings reflected positive reactions.”
It was only six months ago that designers were pulling back, reassessing the consumer as well as the brand, and offering classic, easily wearable designs that flattered a wide range of body types, yet while these collections satisfied retailers starving for product that wouldn’t eventually wind up on a 50% off sale rack, the designers themselves were chomping at the bit to get back to creating the wild, heady, daring designs of the pre-crash world.
Hence, the Paris Spring/Summer 2010 collections, with micro miniskirts, see-through blouses and lingerie everywhere, with most designers raiding the past for cues to what might sell in the present. The emperor of all this frivolous, retro-glam sexuality in fashion design is arguably Galliano for Dior.
Dior is one of the biggest names in luxury fashion, with booming cosmetics and fragrance lines that contribute mightily to the brand’s overall continued success. In 2005, an article titled “Who Adores Dior?” was printed in the UK’s Sunday Times and allegedly rocked Bernard Arnault back on his heels for its no-holds-barred “Dior was once great, but is now only fit for Russian Prostitutes” theme. The design house went through a major rethink and has done some serious growing up since then, though it’s still the most over the top of the major fashion players:
Dior — not just for Russian Prostitutes anymore
But not every designer fled to the safety of sex as a selling tool — one of the most strikingly forward-thinking of the Spring 2010 collections was the Alexander McQueen show, with McQueen embracing computer technology to craft sharp silhouettes that played out a tense balance between synthetic and organic, alien and human, emblazoned with stunning graphic prints in saturated colors that drew from the palettes of earth and water.
The towering platform heels look like they’d be impossible to wear in real life, but they’re pieces of sculptural, Gigerian beauty:
Just passing through on the way to the next star system
***Note: NY Mag writes that the heels were “ten inches high” — yikes! I mean, fantastic, but still . . . yikes! When I Google Chatted Marin a photo of the shoes, she immediately replied: “Mermaids!”
Who in the world can wear this collection is another question altogether, but McQueen has always produced hyper-dramatic, mind-spinning pieces for his runway shows that bear only a passing resemblance to what actually shows up in the stores. I expect the blazing colors and conceptual patterns to stay, but with longer hemlines and even a slight relaxing of fit. Just a thought.
The Gucci Group (which owns the Alexander McQueen brand) is in business to make money, after all, and while McQueen’s shows are good for eliciting breathless reviews (see my own above), the pieces have to ultimately sell. A luxury conglomerate cannot survive on reviews alone.
Speaking of reviews (and we’re talking really, really BAD reviews), there’s the new Emanuel Ungaro collection, co-designed by . . . *drumroll* . . . Lindsay Lohan? Yes, I know! My brain suffered a bit of whiplash at the news, too. Using Lohan got the brand a lot of needed publicity, but critics savaged the collection, calling it “a bad joke of a fashion show“, “cheesy and dated” and “a deadly collision of celebrity culture and fashion culture“:
An epic fail with the critics
Plus, the headline howler of the week: Marc Jacobs celebrates individualism at Louis Vuitton — right, because nothing shouts “I’m an individual!” like a handbag from a massive, corporately-owned retail brand that hasn’t met an accessory it won’t stamp its logo across. Who writes this stuff, anyway? PR flacks?
Wait! Don’t answer that. I really don’t want to know.
2.) Levi’s Profit Plunges 41% as Consumer Spending Hits the Brakes:
“‘There’s no question, we’re in tough times,’ Chief Executive John Anderson told analysts on a call . . . ‘There’s no early indication that the holiday is going to be a booming period,’ Anderson told Reuters. ‘We think everyone is going to be cautious’ . . . In the Americas region, which includes the home market of the United States, sales fell 5%. They fell 13% in Europe (but) rose 2 percent in the Asia Pacific region.”
Just-Style published an article about the Levi’s report that states: “One bright spot in a quarter characterised by a slowdown in spending by both consumers and its retail customers was higher
global sales of the Levi’s brand, particularly in the US. . . . In the Americas region, which includes the home market of the United States, sales fell 5 percent” — but that seems just a tad contradictory, don’t you think?
Which is why it’s important to ignore the spin and focus instead on the numbers. Speaking of spin without numbers: Louis Vuitton very optimistic on Christmas sales — “‘We are very optimistic on the Christmas season,’ Louis Vuitton communications director Antoine Arnault said, adding 2009 would be another strong year for the brand” (see: ‘Who Writes This Stuff?’ above). But 2009 has not been a “strong year” for Louis Vuitton so far (unless you count canceling expansion plans in Tokyo as solid evidence of a “strong year”), so this kind of chatter is pretty much useless for any purpose but blowing smoke up your own retail a**.
Video clip below of Louis Vuitton’s Fall 2009 collection below, which Antoine Arnault is very optimistic that you’re going to rush out and buy:
And even more spin without numbers: Bulgari CEO Says Sales Improved, Led by Asia, Bags, yet he offers no backing figures and produces no concrete numbers to support his claims that Bulgari is doing any better. What I can’t figure out is why anyone is even bothering to report this kind of thing as if it’s news. A business journalist posting an article like this becomes indistinguishable from a company’s PR department.
FWIW: I didn’t even know that Bulgari made handbags! I can’t speak for what that ultimately says about Bulgari, but I’d infer that it doesn’t say much.
3.) French Connection Exits Japan’s Troubled Retail Scene:
“French Connection is to close its stores in Japan and intends to hand the operation over to a licensee in a bid to stem haemorrhaging losses at the division. In the next six to nine months the retailer intends to close all 21 shops in Japan . . . The decision to shut the Japanese stores follows the news last month that French Connection would close its Northern European business.”
Other support for the idea of Japan as a bad retail market at present: Versace closes its last three shops in Japan” — “The fashion house Gianni Versace is to close its last three Japanese stores, after demand for its luxury goods slumped in the world’s second-biggest economy . . . Japan was long seen as a key market for luxury brands, but for some it is losing its lustre compared to Hong Kong and Singapore.”
And even more bad news from Japan for logo-filled luxury brands: Japan Dresses Down — “Not so long ago, Hong Kong merchants boasted that the Japanese possessed so little confidence that ‘if you can sell one Japanese a ceramic elephant, you can sell 400 Japanese a ceramic elephant’ . . . (but) Japanese women today are no longer slaves to the status badges accorded by fashion labels, and have much more confidence in expressing their individuality through their own taste.”
Japan was *the* driving force behind the success and expansion of many global luxury brands, so to see brands shuttering their Japan stores and beating a hasty retreat is a somewhat distressing mile marker for anyone following the retail industry. Yes, there’s the much vaunted and ballyhooed Chinese market, but while Chinese consumers love their designer logos, they also don’t much care about trademark law, which leaves luxury houses in the difficult position of cultivating a region that’s knocking off their new designs even before they hit the store shelves.
For a more thorough examination of the trouble the luxury industry faces in and with China, read Dana Thomas’ Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster. Video clip below of Dana Thomas on her book tour in Barcelona:
“We no longer buy the products for what they are, but what they represent.”
Though it’s not difficult to see why China has luxury execs breathless with anticipation: What crisis? Luxury still in fashion in China — “‘The one-child policy has spawned a generation of more self-centered individuals whose primary goal is to differentiate themselves from their peers,’ the (New York-based market research firm Pao Principle) said in a statement. ‘No longer content to be one of the crowd, this group looks to luxury goods to help achieve this goal.’”
4.) Fragrance Sales Still Fading:
“Swiss flavours and fragrances maker Givaudan’s sales fell 4% … in the first nine months of 2009 . . . Givaudan … makes ingredients for designer perfumes such as Calvin Klein and Burberry … (and) also makes ingredients for soaps, confectionery and soft drinks.”
Flavor and Fragrance giant Firmenich also posted its results, noting a 4.3% drop in sales for the year. Their fragrance sales have consistently weakened while flavor sales continued to post growth, but both flavor and fragrance departments reported losses this time, with fine fragrance sales particularly in decline.
And while we’re on the topic of fragrance, Patty at Perfume Posse posted a lively discussion of the fine fragrance market, what a fragrance is meant to be (art? commerce?) and whether perfumers and fragrance producers have any responsibility to please the critics: Serge (Lutens) is Not Your Bitch — “I don’t find perfumery to be any different from any other commercial market – shoes, makeup, skin care, clothing, books, paintings, music . . . the minute you do find yourself lamenting the lack of anything great or new out on the horizon for months at a time, the problem is likely in yourself, and it’s not really a problem.”
5.) Industry Quick Hits:
A.) Luxury Group PPR, owner of Gucci Group, Spins Off African Distribution Company to Raise Cash: “PPR said it hopes to complete the share listing of its CFAO unit by the end of the year if market conditions allow. CFAO, which sells cars, technology and pharmaceutical products in Africa, is one of PPR’s most profitable and fast-growing divisions, but does not fit into its strategy of owning branded businesses . . . In recent years, (CEO) Pinault sold Printemps, a French department store chain, and Yves Saint Laurent Beaute, its high-end beauty division. He has made one significant acquisition–German sportswear brand Puma in 2007.”
PPR also raised the profile of Puma by getting high-end designers to create specialized collections for the sportswear brand, much like the Adidas + Yohji Yamamoto collaboration (Y3). Promotional clip below for the Alexander McQueen PUMA Fall 2009 collaboration:
B.) Desinger Phoebe Philo Returns to the Runway with Her First Collection for LVMH’s Celine: “‘Purposeful and positive,’ the designer Phoebe Philo said about her first Paris runway show since her break with Chloé three years ago.” Style.com’s Sarah Mower writes: “As the audience exited, a general cry of, ‘Oh, I just want to be like that,’ was ricocheting through the crowd.”
“A brisk mission to make classy utilitarianism sexy”
Favorite headline for a Celine review: Phoebe Philo Sends Women Down the Runway in Clothes Instead of Underwear, Critics Swoon: “We were relieved to see opaque clothes and pants on every girl . . . In a season where it seems nearly every designer is sending women down the runway in their underwear, that is so refreshing and so necessary.”
Srsly.
C.) Neiman Marcus Feels Your Pain: “With even super affluent shoppers tightening their Gucci belts, luxury retailer Neiman Marcus Group unveiled its Christmas Book Tuesday with a nod to this new frugality. More than 40% of the gifts in the catalog’s 83rd edition cost less than $250 . . . ‘Tokens of affection don’t have to be extravagant to be brilliantly received,’ the book’s introduction imparts.”
See, they’ve made it easy for you — now get out there and spend, you dullards!
D.) Chanel Requests that Fashion Press Not Tweet During Runway Show — Fashion Press Tweets Anyway.
E.) Fashion Designers Take a Shot at Google Chrome: “For those who love Google Chrome, or for fashionistas who want their internet software to be as cool as their couture, Google has lured several top British designers to produce themes for its browser.”
Design houses involved include: Vivienne Westwood, Mulberry, Matthew Williamson, Donna Karan, Dolce & Gabbana, Kate Spade, Oscar de la Renta and Anna Sui, among others.
F.) Alexander McQueen Sues Steve Madden Over Design Infringement: “In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan on Oct. 1, McQueen’s Autumnpaper Ltd. alleges that Steven Madden’s Seryna bootie is a knockoff of the Faithful design . . . ‘In fact, the only design element of the ‘Faithful Bootie’ that Madden did not deliberately copy is the zipper pull that contains the ‘Alexander McQueen’ trademark,’ the designer’s lawyers wrote.”
Designers are notorious for using one another’s work as “influence” — but they rarely stoop to just outright copying note for note. The McQueen company is claiming that Madden did just that.
6.) Sign of the Times — Yohji Yamamoto Files for Bankruptcy:
“Yohji Yamamoto, the haute couture house that thrust the minimalist style on to an unsuspecting fashion scene in the 1980s, has become the latest victim of a seismic shift among Japanese shoppers and their new-found respect for “cheap and cheerful” . . . Yamamoto has not been the only big Japanese name hit by the change in attitudes. Miki, the country’s biggest chain of jewellery shops once known as the Tiffany’s of Tokyo, declared bankruptcy this year in a collapse seen as signalling the end of Japan’s long love affair with expense.”
Karl Lagerfeld famously wore Yamamoto designs for years when he was overweight and wanted to hide that fact in Yamamoto’s loose, flowing designs, and perhaps that’s the whole issue with the Yamamoto ethos in today’s world — the runways are trippingly full of skintight dresses, day-glo miniskirts and lingerie wear, yet Yamamoto is designing along the same somber themes that brought him to fame in the 1980′s.
I don’t begrudge the man his principles, and personally I love his designs, but without the Japanese consumer at his back, Yamamoto’s often exceedingly experimental looks were bound to have a tough time of it. And he doesn’t have a successful fragrance series to buoy his bottom line, a la Comme des Garcons.
Clip of Yamamoto’s Spring/Summer 2010 show that debuted only about a week ago in Paris. His company filed for bankruptcy protection days later:
Et tu, Yamamoto?
