December 2009 Archives

On December 16th, I watched a segment on the Fox Business channel with Laura Kofoid, one of the co-founders of a new website called Laudi Vidni ("individual" spelled backwards) that allows consumers to design their own handbags, working with eight basic shapes and forty different colors of leathers/fabrics that can be combined for a seemingly endless array of original designs.

The entire process is done online, the manufacturing takes place in Chicago, the handbags range in price from an $85.00 wristlet to a $495.00 tote, the bags are shipped within three to four weeks of ordering and the company guarantees customer satisfaction -- if you receive the bag and aren't happy with the quality or design, you can send it back for a refund or a credit.

Below is the video clip of the segment that appeared on Fox Business:

I published a link under my "Other Shops & Sites" heading several months ago for the Laudi Vidni site, as I think it's a great idea (especially now, when consumers are more demanding about value for the dollar spent) and an excellent way of allowing the consumer to be in charge of getting what she wants rather than wasting time browsing through piles of look-a-like bags on chain store shelves that are all the wrong color, wrong size, wrong style, wrong price, wrong everything.

But there's more on the web than just designing your own handbags. I stumbled across this site just yesterday: Shoes of Prey, a company founded by former Google employees that takes the same idea behind Laudi Vidni and applies it to women's shoes.

They start with six basic shoe types, but the customization options are near dizzying, with varying heel (flats to wedges to 4.5" stilettos), toe and back designs, a wide variety of buckles, bows and straps for decoration, and numerous materials (leather, suede, fish skin, pony hair and snake skin) in a surprising number of colors and finishes. The prices start at about $175.00 (U.S.) and top out around $280.00 (U.S.), which is startlingly affordable for custom women's shoes.

The site states that all shoes are hand made (though they don't say in which country they're hand made . . . Vietnam? Indonesia?), it takes six weeks to ship from the date of order, they ship worldwide and they, too, boast a customer satisfaction guarantee, even promising to remake/repair shoes for free so that they'll fit just right if that's what you'd prefer rather than getting your money back.

The two sites above are probably the most visible of the recent DIY wave on the net (which takes the 'Just in Time' business strategy and completely democratizes it), but there are a lot more:

1.) Design your own lipstick and lip gloss: Lilie Customized Cosmetics -- the prices are higher than your average drugstore line of cosmetics, but how cool is it that you can create your very own colors for your very own look!

2.) Design your own perfume (men & women): My Parfuem -- I guess "My Perfume" was already taken? The bottle styles are fairly lame, and I have no idea as to the quality of the fragrance you'll receive, but it's an interesting exercise to sort through their available ingredient options and think about how you might design a fragrance that's just exactly what you want.

3.) Design your own dress: Style Shake -- contemporary styles, lots of fabric and color choices, great prices.

4.) Design your own jeans (men & women): IndiDenim -- a very easy to use interface that gives you a good number of options for creating a pair of easily affordable jeans that fit the way you want them to.

5.) Design your own dress shirts (men): IndiTailored Custom Dress Shirts -- hey guys, now that dress shirts are in in in (and they are are are), we're all going to need a lot more of them. This site lets you fit them to your personal measurements without paying a fortune.

6.) Design your own Swiss watch: 121 Time -- I mean, Your Taste + Swiss Technology = Envious Style, right? Who would argue with that?

These are some of the better ones I've run across that deal with fashion, fragrance and accessories, and they should get you launched, nicely and affordably, down the road to creating exactly the kind of wardrobe that *you* want . . . you know, once you get tired of pawing vainly through the racks of discounted, post-Christmas sale merchandise to find something you desperately like, want or need.

Japanese consumers are changing their buying habits, ditching the Louis Vuitton for the Gap:

"Many fashion experts say the rise of what are often termed 'recession brands' reflects a longer-term shift in fashion preferences among the Japanese . . . And nowhere is that change more apparent than in Tokyo's Ginza district, once a magnet for luxury stores . . . long snaking lines formed in the posh shopping district when Sweden's H&M ... opened its first store in 2008 and Japan's Fast Retailing Co. expanded its Uniqlo store by occupying the space left by U.S. retailer Brooks Brothers. Speculation is rife that Los Angeles-based Forever 21 will open its first store in Ginza in a space formerly occupied by Gucci, while Gap Inc., headquartered in San Francisco, is also scheduled to move in where Louis Vuitton withdrew."

When I visited Tokyo in 2006, Ginza was still a high-end shopping mecca, though it was starting to lose its cachet to the newer, and tonier, Omotesando district where shoppers lined up for hours for the privilege of browsing through Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada and Hermes boutiques. Now, it looks like Ginza has dropped its high-end ambitions entirely and traded down for more affordable, yet still style-conscious, brands.

I think I blame Karl Lagerfeld: "The concept of the affluent shopping only for high end items has been undermined by high/low offerings that have linked star designers with main-street brands. Karl Lagerfeld's 2004 collection for H&M opened the floodgates to designer collaborations that have led consumers to believe they have a right to buy high fashion at low prices."

Lagerfeld for H&M -- 2004

In other Trading-Down in Japan news, Abercrombie & Fitch Reports a Record Opening Day in Ginza -- Abercrombie & Fitch opened its first Asian flagship store on December 15th in the Ginza district of Tokyo, drawing a huge crowd of eager consumers, as well as a police presence to keep everything under control: "'Ginza is a great place to broadcast to the rest of Asia,' said David Marx, a freelance writer and fashion market analyst in Tokyo. 'A&F could use the store as a way to tell Chinese customers and other Asian customers about the brand in the luxury context.'"

A video clip below of the Tokyo A&F scene, with shirtless male models to entice the female Japanese shopper:

A&F is at the higher-end of the fast fashion price range

In even pricier Trading-Down news, American sportswear brand Tory Burch expands to Japan, opening a flagship boutique in, you guessed it, Ginza! -- "Tory Burch has just opened her first free-standing boutique in Japan this week, located in the Ginza district of Tokyo. The flagship store ... (features) the entire collection of Tory Burch goods including complete collections of ready-to-wear, shoes, handbags, small leather goods and accessories. The boutique will have its official grand opening celebration later this month, but right now the store is open to shoppers."

And yes, the Burch collections will run you more than an afternoon spree at Banana Republic, but the Tory Burch brand is decidely less spendy, and definitely less glitzy, than, say, Gucci or Yves St. Laurent, so the opening of a Tory Burch boutique in Ginza seems to underscore the rise of fashion's new breed of understated hip.

With consumer tastes shifting toward more classic, affordable and easily wearable brands/designs, it's no surprise, then, that been-around-forever Pendleton Mills finds itself at the forefront of the new fashion wave with their "American heritage" prints: Pendleton Woolen Mills blanketing the runways -- "Pendleton, one of the nation's oldest operating mills, has partnered in recent years with Nike ACG, Adidas and Vans. Yet in 2009, much smaller and more upscale fashion brands came calling, including Opening Ceremony and Comme des Garçons, a Japanese label that snips and sews patches of corduroy, canvas or leather onto Pendleton shirts that sell in Paris for $1,600. "

The Wall Street Journal published an article in October of this year regarding the resurgence of American Heritage in the fashion industry: "The "varsity, preppy, geek" look" is "the one bright spot in men's clothing today," says Christian Boehm, director of merchandise for custom clothier Tom James Co., noting that "with the young kids, ties are cool again." He cites the Jonas Brothers, Zac Efron, and Robert Pattinson, star of the movie "Twilight," as major influencers. "Now the dads are picking up on it," Mr. Boehm adds."

No kidding -- you can't swing a cat these days without hitting someone dressed in at least one item of plaid, thanks to the styling vampire clans of Twilight, yet considering the hundreds of millions of dollars the Twilight movies have generated worldwide, the havoc this less than sophisticated teen-lit series has wreaked upon the entire industry is one of fashion's biggest untold stories of the last two years.

Re: Pendleton, a video clip below of the Pendleton + Opening Ceremony collaboration, incorporating the navajo and plaid prints for which Pendleton was famous (and now famous again):

"Plaid . . . it's not just for vampires!"

Oh, and let's not forget the current mania for the peacoat. It's so everywhere that I get a good dose of retro-80's whiplash every twenty paces. We can thank Twilight for that, too.

Robert Pattinson in the peacoat heard 'round the world

Admittedly, the influence of the Twilight series on the fashion industry isn't as much an untold story as it is unspoken agreement: Twilight will pull in gobs of money, and for its part, the fashion industry will flog everything about that bandwagon (and its stars) that it can: Twilight's Fashion Invasion Reaches Calvin Klein, Vogue -- "The power of Twilight did not escape the notice of the fashion media, which also fell on incredibly hard times in 2009. Desperate to recover and, like too many of us, unable to ignore the psychodom of the Twilight empire any longer, fashion editors let loose their fangs and sank them into the vulnerable horde of teens and their parents."

***Note: Taylor Lautner, another Twilight cast member, is being considered as the new face for Armani Exchange, the teen (and wallet) friendly lineup in the Armani family. Expect more to come, with female star Kristen Stewart likely to follow Harry Potter star Emma Watson into the cool glare of high-fashion fame (Watson has been photographed by Karl Lagerfeld and is Brit luxury brand Burberry's latest face).

But I can't fully equate the Twilight plaids with the rising popularity of American Heritage style in Japan, as the original Twilight movie grossed only a paltry $2.5 million in Japanese theaters (compared to the $86 million raked in by the second Matrix film) -- so I think we'll just have to call them "converging" trends. You know, like when a movie just happens to tap into an existing cultural zietgeist rather than instigating the zeitgeist in the first place.

Because I think I can safely say that the global recession is the existing cultural zeitgeist behind Japan's present love affair with Trading Down.

And along those recessionary, zeitgeist lines, high and heritage brands are seeking out associations beyond just Pendleton and its Parisian fans, such as Vivienne Westwood and Lee Jeans, not to mention Hermes head designer Jean Paul Gaultier's embrace of the formerly blue-collar Levi's denim for his namesake brand's Spring/Summer 2010 collection for men: "The French designer, a loyal Levi's jeans wearer, interpreted the signature Levi's denim styles with his free and iconoclastic touch for Paris Fashion Week. 'Levi's is the American Dream, it's a myth, it is the original jeans. It was a joy to work on my versions of the 501,' said Jean-Paul Gaultier."

Levi's just might possibly be the one brand that doesn't need Twilight to keep it afloat.

***Last words: in light of the success of the Twilight franchise, I'm wondering if the Nina Ricci people (plus Puig) are reconsidering their animosity regarding the alleged perfume bottle rip-off -- after all, Twilight is currently far more famous worldwide than the Ricci name, which might only help sales of the Ricci perfume rather than harm it . . . ?

I can't find any further information about this particular lawsuit, so I don't know if it's still continuing or if the companies settled already. Usually, a lack of continuing information means one of two things: 1.) the original complainant dropped the suit because it wasn't worth the expense of further litigation, or 2) the companies involved settled the matter with the mutual agreement not to speak about it again.

Call me crazy, but I'm guessing it's option #2.

God bless Bertrand Duchaufour for finally making a fragrance that I like. I've been whimpering out in the cold these past 21 months, scratching at the door of the Duchaufour Appreciation Club to no avail, but with the introduction of Al Oudh for L'Artisan Parfumeur, I'm no longer the wretched Duchie outcast I once was -- I can now proudly present my own personal key to the big Bertie City and fall to the ground in a long overdue fit of writhing, cultish ecstasy as the great perfumed gates swing open wide.

Or something like that.

Al Oudh is Mr. Duchaufour's horse in the trendy oud-fragrance derby. It seems like every niche brand is scrambling to produce its own variation on the oud genre, and when I first heard that Duchaufour was getting in on the act over at L'Artisan (where he's now the resident in-house perfumer), I experienced 50% high hopes and 50% dread -- high hopes for a masterfully produced oud fragrance, and dread that it was going to be yet another Duchaufour that I just didn't "get".

But with its arid cumin intro, warm rose and patchouli heart (lightly sweetened), and drop-your-jaw oud-smoke finish (i.e. the smell of aromatic wood chips burning in a brazier), Al Oudh is an expertly blended scent that's a showcase for the Duchaufour touch, his trademark restraint resulting in an oud that's rich and full without running you over or knocking you flat.

And with its list of scent notes, I was fully expecting Al Oudh to run me over or knock me flat. Or both! Cumin, cardamom, pink pepper, date, rose, neroli, incense, saffron, leather accord, oud, Atlas cedar, castoreum, civet, sandalwood, patchouli, myrrh, vanilla and tonka bean . . . I had 911 ready on speed-dial as I pumped the first spray from the bottle.

There's a healthy dash of spices in the getting-to-know-you phase of Al Oudh, especially cumin and saffron -- cumin is native to Syria, which makes it a logical choice as a lead-off to an Arabian oud, while saffron's aroma is described as "reminiscent of metallic honey with grassy or hay-like notes". Spicy cumin is traditionally used in cooking to draw out the sweetness in a dish, and it's the sweetness of roses, dates and vanilla that the cumin coaxes to life at the heart of Al Oudh, mingling with the grassy-honied saffron, dry leather accord and fuzzy-wuzzy musks (castoreum and civet) before sliding down the scale into a base of woods (oud, cedar, sandalwood and patchouli), myrrh and the golden, carmelized tonka bean that appears to be the new go-to ingredient for the niche fragrance base.

In her explication of Al Oudh, fragrance and culture analyst Denyse Beaulieu writes: "Yet for all its feral aromas, Al Oudh manages to be both distinctly recognizable as an oud . . . and sufficiently subtle for Western noses . . . if you love to roll around in animalic leather and spices, if a hint of pong sends a thrill through your spine, my how you'll love Bertrand Duchaufour's neo-oriental gem."

She also mentions that Al Oudh elicited a surprisingly enthusiastic reception during her recent perfume seminar at the London College of Fashion: "The two men of the course, a Thai and a Frenchman, both said they'd get it for themselves; three young women, two Chinese and one Vietnamese, said they'd get it for their boyfriends . . . and there we were, thinking the Asian market was all about fruity florals! They got positively frisky about the dirty notes."

And the indefatigable Robin at Now Smell This writes: "Al Oudh is a bold, very enjoyable outing. The opening is a highly spiced citrus, only slightly medicinal . . . That's followed by a mellow, rather soft rose laid over a lively and rather skanky blend of oud and animalic notes, lightly sweetened with vanillic notes and with faint undertones of stewed dried fruits."

Personally, I don't find Al Oudh particularly skanky or feral -- but I appear to enjoy cumin as a spice note more than the average sniffer. It doesn't smell sweaty or dirty to my nose, but instead, comes across as full, deep and exotic. And since genuine animal musks are rarely used in contemporary perfumery, especially in perfumery created for the Western market, the civet and castoreum notes in Al Oudh aren't overly funky -- so I encounter a sublimated threat of darkness and flesh, but not the real deal.

And really, how funky and skanky can a fragrance be when it's frosted with a decidedly sweet and luscious vanilla, not to mention all gussied up in the balsamic tones of tonka bean? But, and admittedly, there have been several studies regarding the superior sniffing abilities of females vs. males (just ask Avery Gilbert), so while I'm assuming that I'm striding through the lobby of my neighborhood bank in a warm, pleasing whirligig of leathery spices, sugared dates and incense smoke, I might actually be felling all poor, innocent females in the vicinity with my hot solar flares of Al Oudh funk.

Go figure.

The bottle is a special edition for L'Artisan, decorated with an Arabian motif and featuring metallic gold lettering, topped by a gleaming heptagon cap etched with a heraldic crest -- a new direction for L'Artisan for a wide release, but one which immediately signals Al Oudh as a breed apart since this particular bottle style has been previously used only for the L'Artisan special harvest series.

The longevity of Al Oudh is terrific, and this is where the EDP formulation shines -- eight to ten hours after application, and it's still clinging tenaciously to my skin, with a sillage that's not monstrous but certainly noticeable. For example: when I picked up the mail at the concierge desk in our downstairs lobby this evening, the desk guy said, "What's that cologne you're wearing? I really like it -- it's different!" . . . and there was a large desk between us, so the Al Oudh was making its presence known while not gassing out the entire lobby space in the process.

But my favorite experience while wearing Al Oudh was what I call "the epiphany on the treadmill" -- after a full day of Al Oudh, and long after I thought it had retired for the evening, I climbed aboard the treadmill at the gym and started huffing and puffing my way through an hour (okay, okay -- forty-five minutes!) of cardiovascular trauma. After thirty minutes, with my body temperature rising and heart-rate racing, I was hit with a glorious face-full of pure oud smoke, unlike anything I've smelled from any other fragrance house: charred wood and a sweetly resinous smoke.

I'd read from numerous sources how the agarwood tree is not only harvested for its oils to be used in perfumery, but the wood is also burned as an incense. I've always wondered how it smelled as burned wood -- well, the finish-line of Al Oudh, jump-started with the body heat from excercise, gave me exactly that.

With such a delicate and beautifully smoky note tucked away at the tail end of Al Oudh, apparently activated by an elevated body temperature (because I only smell this particular rendition during strenuous activity), I'm thinking that it has the potential to be one hell of a high-summer fragrance, skanky cumin and all.

1.) In Case You Were Wondering Why Scarves Are Suddenly Everywhere (Again):
"For many Muslims the question isn't 'Should I veil?' It's 'How should I veil today to match my outfit?' . . . Women from New Jersey to Jakarta are trying new ways of wearing wraps taught on YouTube or showcased on runways. They're wearing silk print scarves and scarves from The Gap, sheer scarves with sequins and hot-pink frilly scarves, scarves awash with the Fendi logo. Whatever the look, hijabistas share one style principle: This is not their mother's head scarf."

As per usual, when you see a fashion trend surface, you just need to follow the money to find out the where and why.

Scarves have certainly experienced a style resurgence due to the renewed focus on layering (Note: I now have two sure-thing gift giving options: handbags and scarves), but it takes a broad cultural movement -- such as Muslim women adopting Western designer scarves to satisfy religious requirements -- to rocket-launch an accessory trend from "mild blip on the Vogue radar" to "cash-register shaking on the Richter scale".

Nothing inspires designers to jump on a bandwagon and get busy like a sudden uptick in demand -- now we don't just have scarves, we have a wide variety of brand identities stamped onto strips of high-(and low)-end fabrics. Never let a brand promotional opportunity pass you by!

A video clip below of Western designers introducing veils and headcoverings in their Fall 2009 collections:

Hmmm, offering items that consumers actually want turns out to be a successful way of producing accessories in a recession, who would have thought?

Speaking of getting all new-fangled and oh-so-cutting-edge about product design, big design houses are taking the next, radical, near inconceivable step of asking what the customer wants (*GASP!*) -- "Increasingly desperate to sell things in the recession, luxury labels are trying to give consumers exactly what they want through a groundbreaking, technologically advanced method known as asking them."

Concetta Lanciaux, head of Switzerland-based Strategy Luxury Advisors, is quoted by Women's Wear Daily as saying, "'We've never really asked, 'What does the customer need?'.... In fashion we've not paid much attention to size and fit. These things that seemed minor before will become central for people,' she said."

To which the Guardian U.K. responded: "Since when has size and fit not been central for the customer? What world do these people live in? Ah, we give up."

Maybe even luxury Spa chains could use a little more customer feedback: "Spa Chakra, the luxury spa company that provides comprehensive health and wellness care in such posh locations as the Ritz-Carlton in Marina del Rey and the Grand Hotel Park in Gstaad, Switzerland, has filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection. The company filed the voluntary petition for bankruptcy protection with the Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of New York on December 10. The downturn in the economy is credited with being a major factor to the company's difficulties."

Spa Chakra also owns and operate Guerlain Spa, which should prick up the ears of many a perfume fanatic.

2.) Carolina Herrera Bets on Russia for Business:
"The 70-year-old designer is betting -- just like Armani, who descended on the Russian capital in October -- that Russian fashion followers, once known for their exuberant spending, will help expand her business. Other designers remain uncertain about the country's recovery from a recession that wiped out a tenth of its economy in gross domestic product terms in the first half of the year."

Is it China, India, Russia, Dubai? Who are the consumers that will kick in the spending and save the struggling luxury houses? It's like watching a game of tug-of-war between optimism and reality as fashion houses rush from region to region in search of that elusive quarry knows as "The Big Spender".

Though some designers retreat as hastily as they parachute in -- both Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney closed their Russian boutiqes only a year and a half after opening (the McQueen and McCartney brands are part of the Gucci Group, which is a subsidiary of global luxury corporation PPR).

For a look at what Herrera believes she can offer the Russian market, take a gander at the video clip of her Spring/Summer 2010 collection below:

In related news, designer and branded gold jewelry is finding a welcoming market among India's young, emerging middle-class: "Nowadays, young Indians are opting for brightly lit showrooms with marble floors, glass display cases and professional salespeople -- preferably at a company whose brand name implies social status and wealth . . . The precious metal is traditionally given to brides at the time of marriage as a store of wealth providing financial security, (but) 'There is a shift in consumer tastes: working women in the 20 to 32 age group regard jewellery as an accessory and not just as an investment,' Amit Bumb told AFP. 'It is in this market that the brand names work.'"

Which is what the big luxury brands have been hoping for -- an influx of newly middle-class consumers with a desire to flaunt economic status via brand names and logos. But while the jewerly industry is hopeful for a recovery, there's talk that levels of global spending on jewelry will only recover to pre-new millenium levels: "high-end retailers will make a slower comeback than lower-priced jewelers. And when they do recover, they'll return to levels comparable to 10 years ago, before credit conditions got out of hand . . . 'What we just went through from [2002 to 2007], that was an abnormal period of unencumbered wealth,' (Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst at NPD Group research firm) said. 'That was just ridiculous.'"

On the subject of sparkle, big jewelry chain Zales is performing abysmally, having closed 200 stores already this year yet still seeing plummeting sales: "Zale's November same-store sales dropped 18.6 percent (compared to last year) in the crucial November month, well below CL King & Associates analyst William Armstrong's forecast of no change."

And on the subject of less than sparkly retail, Saks Fifth Avenue has announced that it will cut 116 jobs at its New York flagship store (after already announcing earlier this year that it would cut 9% of its entire workforce across the board): "Saks Inc has informed about 116 workers at its flagship Fifth Avenue store that they would lose their jobs by the end of January . . . The job cuts, which are in the cosmetics and fragrance department of the Manhattan store, are part of Saks' move to let brands like Chanel, Lancome and Clinique fully staff the counters themselves."

Hey, whatever happened to the lipstick effect?

3.) Louis Vuitton Drops Minstrel Sneaker Over Claims of Design Infringement:
"The luxury label has had to discontinue its 'Minstrel' sneaker design as part of its settlement with New Balance, who had filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against them . . . New Balance claimed in September that the all-gray 'Minstrel' (priced at $590) was a rip-off of its longtime "574" model ($75) . . . 'Louis Vuitton's superior marketing ability and fame is likely to lead to reverse confusion because some relevant consumers will come to associate the 574 design with Louis Vuitton, not New Balance,' the company's lawyers said at the time."

And if you look at the photo comparison at the link, you'll see that New Balance wasn't kidding -- the Louis Vuitton Minstrel sneaker was a near carbon copy of the New Balance 574, just more refined. Which is ironic, considering that Louise Vuitton has a reputation for aggressively suing over issues of what it considers instances of trademark and copyright infringement.

4.) Ungaro CEO Resigns After Lindsay Lohan Disaster:
"Hot on the heels of his decision to keep Lindsay Lohan on as Artistic Advisor after her critically panned debut collection, the label's CEO Mounir Moufarrige has resigned from the company . . . Moufarrige was the man behind the decision to recruit Lilo in the first place, after initially considering several showbiz personalities for the role including Madonna and Paris Hilton."

Just a few weeks ago, there were reports that the collection was selling better than expected and the CEO was defending the appointment of Lohan as artistic advisor to the brand, but those "better than expected" sales numbers seem to have turned out to be false, with the only two big retailers carrying the brand dropping it for Spring in protest of Lohan's involvement: "Both Neiman Marcus and Net-a-Porter, two of the only big shopping destinations where Ungaro can currently be bought outside of the brand's own boutiques, have dropped the line for Spring 2010, according to representatives for the stores."

Moufarrige claimed at the time that the involvement of Lohan was bringing the Ungaro brand more press coverage than it had experienced in years, but sometimes, negative attention isn't better than no attention at all. But besides all that -- Lindsay Lohan? What in the world did he think she was going to bring to the table? That decision is so bad and wrong all on its own that it will overshadow his previous good decisions (Stella McCartney for Chloe) and haunt him for the rest of his life.

In other WTF? fashion moments, Vivienne Westwood has just announced a partnership with Lee Jeans: "The Vivienne Westwood Anglomania and Lee collection will be available to buy from Vivienne Westwood showrooms ... and will comprise of 4 styles of jeans for men and 5 styles for women. The capsule collection will be complemented by denim shirts and printed tee-shirts. The line takes as it's main inspiration the Vivienne Westwood archive with references to her seminal punk and pirate collections of the 1970's and 80's but also to the dynamic cuts she has since developed throughout her career."

I can see how this benefits the profile of Lee Jeans, but I don't see the benefit, beyond financial, for Westwood. It makes about as much sense to me as Alexander McQueen designing for Target, but perhaps this is all about the democratization of good design -- just because a pair of jeans is inexpensive doesn't mean they have to be ugly, which is why it makes good business sense for Lee to bring someone like Vivienne Westwood on board.

Below is a photo of Louise in a Vivienne Westwood shirt dress -- the design is so simple and wearable that it looks almost effortless, but when you look more closely, you can see that there are curves, tucks and ruching elements to the item that create a more flattering visual than if the dress had been a more traditionally straight box-type of cut:

This is what separates a good designer from the ranks of the merely mediocre, and why I have to admit that Lee Jeans is smart to have signed Westwood to a deal.

A great quote about design is from Douglas Martin: "Questions about whether design is necessary or affordable are quite beside the point: design is inevitable. The alternative to good design is bad design, not no design at all." And while I'm concerned that Lee Jeans will ultimately undercut Westwood's designs by underfunding their production, I'd much rather see Lee Jeans designed by Vivienne Westwood than Lee Jeans not designed by Vivienne Westwood.

Dear lord, does this mean that I'm coming around to the idea of credentialed luxury designers working for low-market retailers? Resistance is truly futile.

5.) The Gap Uses Shoes from Barney's in their Holiday Ad:
"The high-heel hiking-meets-construction boots (with the sassy red laces) worn by the models in that infamous cheering holiday commercial have become the subject of much speculation -- were they perhaps part of that Pierre Hardy collection we'd heard so much about? -- and Booth Moore from the LA Times finally got someone from Gap to reveal the truth: They're Barneys Co-Op private label and they're available for $395, though in tan only."

Which is one of the dumbest recent moves I have ever heard of a company making. How could you be a full-service clothing retailer and feature another chain's items in your holiday advertisements?

The author of the article speculates that maybe Gap was hoping that featuring shoes from Barney's would bring style conscious women into Gap stores looking for them, and then Gap employees could sell them something from their own brand, but this could be considered a type of "bait and switch" which is, quite generally, frowned upon in advertising: "Excuse me? Oh, those shoes in the ads? We don't actually carry them, but we do have some nice jeans and sweaters!"

The bait-n-switch ad is below, and the boots do look great with their clothing. It's a shame that Gap doesn't have talented enough design staff to come up with anything like them -- which is, of course, why the boots are at Barney's for $395.00 instead of at the Gap for $70.00:

My favorite observation: "They didn't think people might watch the spot and want to, we don't know, buy some of the clothing featured in it? Frankly, with that kind of logic, we'd advise the brand to just start outfitting the models in their print advertisements in Alexander Wang dresses and Christian Louboutin heels -- we bet they'd get some serious foot traffic in the stores."

It's genius!

6.) Industry Quick Hits:

A.) Gray hair is stylish and trendy: "This is not only about silver foxettes going au naturel. This is a youth movement: from east London's cool set to models on the Paris catwalks, women are throwing the tonsorial rulebook out of the window and going with the grey. Even Victoria Beckham and Karen O of Yeah Yeah Yeahs are getting in on the act by letting their own silver strands peep through."

Well, you know, if the only people left with money are the old fogies, perhaps it makes sense to cater to them just a bit? Me? I'm enjoying the hilarious idea that my graying hair is now all the rage. Baby Boomers, rejoice!

Along those same lines: Tough to let go for 70-something fashion designers -- "The passing of the artistic torch is one of the most discussed subjects in the fashion world as it can make or break the survival of the brand - but no fashion house is willing to talk about it officially. Aside from Mr. Armani, the clock is ticking for a number of other fashion companies headed by 70-something designers including Ralph Lauren and Oscar de la Renta in the United States and Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel in France."

Well, hell -- no WONDER gray hair is stylish. I'm just surprised it's not a required part of the Fashion-Forward's uniform, which is just about the most perfect transition I could have hoped for my next tidbit:

B.) Christian Lacroix goes from designing haute couture to designing public sector work uniforms: "Starting next month, some 20,000 (French railway) employees will find going to work significantly more stylish in the new Lacroix gray and purple outfits. Women can change up their daily designer look with the selection of blouses, skirts and jackets, while men have pants, striped shirts and jackets to choose from, says the source."

Somehow, the idea of polyester Lacroix doesn't appeal. But hey, if Westwood can work her punk-ish Brit magic for staid Lee Jeans, then perhaps Lacroix can bring his special flourish to the daily work lives of French railway employees . . . ?

C.) Paris court rules against the little guy: Paris Court Throws Out Forgery Claim Against Chanel -- "French fashion house Chanel prevailed in a forgery lawsuit brought against it four years ago by one of its small suppliers (World Tricot), in a case that grappled with who can take credit for the creation of expensive garments . . . World Tricot accused Chanel of copying its design of a white crocheted patch. World Tricot founder Carmen Colle said her company had proposed the design to Chanel in 2004, but the fashion house rejected it. Then, several months later, she said she spotted the same motif in the window of a Chanel boutique in Tokyo."

I'm not surprised that the forgery claim was tossed out. Should World Tricot have prevailed in their claims against Chanel, it would have upended the couture business as we know it, and there are far too many powerful entities with vested interests in keeping things running just the way they are.

While Chanel was ordered to pay World Tricot for breach of contract (Chanel withdrew all work orders from World Tricot once the allegations of forgery were first aired), the ourt also fined World Tricot a substantial sum for what it called a "smear" campaign against Chanel -- which is absurd, really, because World Tricot was only talking to the press about its claims against Chanel.

In other words, World Tricot was fined for speaking out publicly against what it considered to be Chanel's bad-faith actions, which is obviously a message aimed at any other small firm with ideas in its head about complaining over the actions of any of the large luxury companies.

I understand Chanel's position, that the complaints of World Tricot may have brought harm to Chanel's reputation, but that's why two parties go to court in the first place -- to settle a dispute. For the court to award Chanel monetary damages essentially for being sued in the first place smacks of corporate favoritism.

D.) Advertising, where the worlds of fashion and cars can safely collide:

Mercedes Benz, meet Gareth Pugh.

E.) And last but not least, fragrance news: Clive Christian is concocting a new scent, his first in ten years (and he won't tell anyone what it is!); Katie Puckrik encounters 80's powerhouse Kouros and thinks it smells perfectly new-millenium (i.e. everything old is new again); and Kim Kardashian is "this close" to releasing her new fragrance, but she made news by consulting her fans over the direction of the overall scent ("vanilla? musk? fruity? floral? other?") and preferred design elements for the bottle.

Hmmmm, weren't we just talking earlier about design houses consulting their customers? How long do you think it will take before a giant like Chanel breaks down and starts polling the public over what it wants for a new Chanel perfume, and how the bottle should look?

Call me crazy, but what if Ms. Kardashian turns out to be on the cutting-edge of a full-blown industry trend?

I'd like to post every intriguing news items regarding the luxury industry in my weekly roundups, but the posts would become overly long and unwieldy and what's luxurious about that?

Right. That's what I thought.

But here are a few items from last week that I think are worth mentioning, and I hope you'll forgive me for putting you through even more news influx (though I have a sneaking suspicion that the Christmas season is going to be one long, extended headline for the retail industry).

1.) Thieves Steal Victoria Beckham Dress Collection for Neiman Marcus:
"In a heist executed last Thursday in London, two armed thieves hijacked between 50 to 75 dresses from Victoria Beckham's Spring/Summer 2010 collection from a van. The shipment of designer duds was bound for Nieman Marcus in New York. The dresses are estimated to be worth over $575,000 . . . A spokesperson for the former Spice Girl said that she hopes the collection can be remade in time for delivery to Nieman's."

The thieves broke into the delivery van as it was on a stop before the dresses were to be flown from Heathrow airport to the New York Neiman Marcus. London police are investigating, and it's rumored that the theft was an inside job as the thieves went straight to the boxes containing the Beckham collection and took only those.

What surprises me most about the story, however, is the valuation of the goods: 50-75 dresses at a total value of $575,000.00 (a Seattle news article put the valuation at almost $630,000.00). But using the $575,000.00 number, that would mean the dresses were scheduled to be sold at prices ranging from $7600.00 to $11,500.00, which seems uncharacteristically high for a fledgling celebrity fashion label, especially one being launched during a global recession.

Which leads me to believe that either #1) the numbers reported are wrong; #2) someone's trying to pad their insurance claim; or #3) those are some ridiculously fine duds turned out by a fashion label that's so far only notable for $300-$500 dollar jeans and sunglasses.

Below is a video clip of an interview with Victoria Beckham about her upcoming fashion collection. Several of the items are displayed during the interview, and while they're beautiful and nicely designed (and look just like pretty much everything else that trots down the runways from YSL to Narciso Rodriguez to Versace to you name it), I didn't see anything that justified a $7K-$11K price tag, so I'm having my own personal doubts about explanation #3:

And speaking of criminals: Dooney & Bourke co-founder sentenced to one year in prison for bribery in an Eastern European oil scheme -- "Frederic Bourke, the co-founder of handbag maker Dooney & Bourke, was sentenced to one year and a day in prison and a $1 million fine for conspiring to pay bribes to leaders in Azerbaijan in what U.S. prosecutors called one of the most corrupt investment schemes in the former Soviet Union . . . Assistant U.S. Attorney Harry Chernoff called the scheme 'one of the most audacious and most corrupt' ever attempted in the former Soviet Union. In court, he said Bourke actively promoted an investment he knew was corrupt in an effort to help (Czech expatriate Viktor) Kozeny 'purchase the entire oil wealth of a sovereign nation.'"

Oh for crying out loud -- why didn't he just hold a $10,000.00 a plate fundraiser? That's how civilized people get things done!

2.) Bottega Veneta Will Soon Have Its First Fragrance:
"Bottega Veneta and Coty Inc., a leader in the global beauty industry, announced today the formation of an exclusive partnership to create, develop, and distribute a line of fragrances under the Bottega Veneta name. This will be Bottega Veneta's first fragrance collection."

And no, it's not a coincidence that Bottega Veneta is hopping on the fragrance bandwagon just as sales of their handbags and leather goods are succumbing to the cruel trick of gravity.

But I don't doubt that it's a smart move -- BV has managed to establish a reputation for high-end, high-quality, logo-free leather products (a contemporary Hermes, so to speak) at prices so high that hardly anyone can afford them. They have a clothing line, as well, but the handbags, wallets and other leather goods are the bread and butter of the BV line. Introducing a fragrance collection, if it's done properly, is the best way for the company to bring in extra revenue without resorting to the production of cheaper leather goods that would tarnish their reputation.

It certainly works for Hermes.

A video clip below of the Bottega Veneta Spring/Summer 2010 collection -- you'll notice that the bags are the true stars of the show:

Re: clothing collections not really being the bread and butter of a fashion house, I was reading an article about the rise of designer Alexander Wang when I ran across this surprising tidbit: "Retailers say that more than 50% of (Wang's) clothing sells at full price, impressive compared with less than 20% for some more established brands."

Less than 20% of collections from established designer brands sell for full price! It's no wonder that luxury brands grasp at accessories and fragrances to get them through the day. Side note: is this saying something notable about the collections that most designers produce?

But as long as we're talking about spending, Forbes published an analysis piece last week on the Saks Fifth Avenue retail chain. The overall prognosis was not good (count how many times they say "Saks is f***ed" without actually saying "Saks is f***ed"), but here, in my opinion, is the money quote: "'There is no question that aspirational consumers are out of the market now -- they're gone,' said (Milton Pedraza, chief executive of the Luxury Institute, a New York-based consulting company)."

Considering that the aspirational consumer (the consumer that spends more than he/she can afford in order to possess the accoutrements of a lifestyle that's technically beyond his/her reach) was *the* backbone of the contemporary luxury trade, that particular statement is the equivalent of a doomsday event for the global fashion industry. Just sayin'.

In other fragrance news: Jennifer Lopez has announcing another Glow flanker, and it will be a fruity floral (*snore*), but the more interesting news is that the fragrance company is being upfront about it containing a synthesized aromachemical called "florymoss" -- "Florymoss is a molecule developed by fragrance manufacturer Givaudan, which - with its mossy scent - enhances floral perfumes."

Here's a link to a 2008 NYTimes article (written by Chandler Burr) about the production and use of patented aromachemicals in perfumes and perfumed products: Ahhh, the Seductive Fragrance of Molecules Under Patent -- "Scent makers ... spend billions on research to find new smell molecules, patent them and sell them. The innovative scents of these 'captives', as the patented molecules are known, are crucial to enticing consumers to buy the 600 or so new perfumes introduced every year and appealing to buyers of other fragrant products like soaps and air fresheners."

Speaking of fragrances and soaps: Limited Brands Inc. Smells Success at Bath & Body Works -- "Limited Brands Inc. is known for its high-profile lingerie chain Victoria's Secret, but its fortunes are increasingly dependent on its soap-and-fragrance chain Bath & Body Works, which is expected to produce slightly more than 40% of its parent's operating profits this year . . . This year, Bath & Body Works' product line of high-margin shower gels and lotions are expected to contribute $313 million, or 41%, of Limited's operating profit. That is up from 30% the previous year."

You see? It's become increasingly clear that the big story for the fashion industry is not the fashion, but all the little accessories that a high-profile "fashion" image can help sell. I mean, who knew that the wind beneath the wings of Victoria's Secret smelled like Bath & Body Works?

3.) Valentino Fashion Group more than $2 Billion in Debt:
"Permira and other shareholders of Valentino Fashion Group plan to invest up to 300 million euros ($452 million) to reduce the Italian fashion house's debt of about 2.2 billion euros by about a third, the sources told Reuters on Friday 4 December. The deal to buy back the debt at a steep discount to face value will close in the next couple of days and will see Citigroup exit the fashion group's lender pool, leaving UniCredit and Mediobanca."

I watched the documentary "Valentino: The Last Emperor" this past weekend, and it's a fascinating film, not because Valentino is fascinating (the documentary doesn't pull any punches in portraying him as breathtakingly narcissistic) but because it shows the enormous shift in the direction of the luxury industry, from the artistry and craftsmanship in the 1960's when Valeninto got his start (and went bankrupt once before), to the "Just the bottom line, ma'am" attitude of fashion houses run by investment groups today.

But $2.2 billion of debt? How does a bunch of bankers let that happen? Oh, wait, why am I even surprised . . .

Clip below of the trailer for Valentino: The Last Emperor:

Watch it if you get the chance. Just be prepared to grit your teeth a bit whenever Valentino's on-screen (which is a lot).

1.) Men's Fragrance & Skincare Take a Dive:
"From April to September (of 2009), sales of the men's fragrance category declined 13% ... compared with the same period last year. Dollar volume generated by new launches during the third quarter was down 30% compared with the third quarter of 2008 . . . sales of the overall men's skin care market were off by 8% in the second and third quarters."

Industry analysts blame the declines on the lack of new product launches from big names, but the big names aren't doing new product launches in the men's grooming category because of the weakness of the market -- it's a Catch-22. You can't have heat without someone throwing another log on the fire, but with fewer consumers huddled around the cash registers for warmth, there's less incentive on the part of the manufacturers.

Here's some breakdown of the men's market: face care - down 6%; face moisturizers - down 5%; shaving products - down 7%; body care - down 7%; hair care - down 30%; and mass market men's fragrances are expected to end 6.4% down for the year. But wow! Hair care -- what happened to you?! Men seem to be ditching the creams, conditioners, coloring treatments and gels in droves.

Will we see the resurgence of low-cost neighborhood barbershops as men seek ways to keep groomed without paying beauty spa prices? And with military recruitment on the rise in the U.S., will the no-fuss buzzcut become the style of choice?

And since I mentioned fragrance sales, the trendy new scent-note of the moment is officially the Middle Eastern oud (aka "aoud" and "oudh"): "Intense, exotic and earthy are among the characteristics of this byproduct of agarwood, the dark resinous heartwood that forms when Aquilaria trees become infected. Oud (pronounced ood) smells expensive and it is. What it perhaps has going for it most is its obscurity and ineffability. There really is nothing quite like it. Hence its appeal."

But chocolate will always give oud a run for its money:

Wait! What? Independent San Francisco perfumer Yosh Han created a line of chocolate perfumes? Yes! But they're only available from Temper Chocolates in Boston. The website is bare bones (to put it mildly) and there's no option for purchasing the fragrances online, so you'll have to call Temper Chocolates directly if you want a piece of the Yosh Han chocolate action (617-375-2255).

And just to add to our independent perfumer action, +Q Perfume blog has an interview with one of my favorite triple threats (artist, author, perfumer), Della Chuang: Della Chuang, Kyoto and fragrances - Interview

When one more link is never enough: Now Smell This, and See Its Maker -- "Some industry observers think showcasing the perfumer could help the broader fragrance market. Ms. Grant sees parallels with the cosmetics industry, where in-house technicians have successfully morphed into marketers. 'Makeup did it with the makeup artist,' she said. 'Skin care did it with doctors. What's happening is the fragrance industry is realizing the perfumer is the ultimate celebrity of fragrance.'"

There's a thread over at the Perfume of Life forum (POL) where members are debating the merits of focusing on the perfumer over the brand name. Some think it's a desperate, hail-mary pass from an industry that doesn't know how to stop the bleeding, yet I tend to look at it as a positive. We know that Karl Lagerfeld designs for the house of Coco Chanel, that Galliano designs for the house of Christian Dior -- and knowing this hasn't caused a drop in interest in both those brands, so why shouldn't we know that Maurice Roucel created a perfume for Gucci, or that Christophe Laudamiel worked on a perfume for Ralph Lauren? It could possibly jumpstart a much more involved consumer interest in perfumery, while also creating opportunities for individual perfumers to branch off and establish their own brands.

2.) David Lynch Is Set to Direct Next Dior Commercial:
"French fashion house Dior has confirmed ... that filmmaker David Lynch will follow in Oliver Dahan's footsteps, directing the label's next 'Lady Dior' ad . . . Lynch, the maker of US TV series Twin Peaks and movies such as Mulholland Drive, is no rookie to the fashion world: he previously collaborated with shoe designer Christian Louboutin on a photo exhibition and directed the ad for Gucci's signature fragrance."

The filmed commercial will be set in Shanghai (of course) -- where else but China would a luxury brand even think to film an advertisement these days? Earlier this week, even contemporary fashion's senior lion, Karl Lagerfeld, bowed to economic reality and produced a Shanghai collection for Chanel that debuted on a barge "moored on the edge of the Huangpu river, overlooking the extraordinary skyline of high-rises across the water in the booming financial district of Pudong."

Oh, and look -- they have a movie, too!

But no David Lynch to direct because Chanel doesn't need David Lynch, n'est-ce pas? And below is a video clip of the actual runway show from Shanghai:

But is all this attention on China too much? Tyler Brule, the editor for Monocle Magazine (responsible for one of my least favorite fragrances of all time, but let's ignore that, shall we?) thinks the "Shanghai this, Shanghai that, Shanghai all the time" is destroying the demand for luxury items in Western countries: European Luxury Goods Risk Cachet With China Focus: "European luxury brands are risking their cachet and alienating Western shoppers by changing designs to appeal to the Chinese market . . . Many brands 'added a little bit of jingle-jangle to their bags and a few shiny zippers and buckles to their shoes, which was not core to their aesthetic before,' during the past seven years, Brule said by phone from London. 'Some of these companies now are putting out products that Europeans wouldn't touch' . . . He said he's seen many 'upper to mid-market brands who've been really stung in China. How are they doing? This is always the interesting, uncomfortable question.'"

Brule mentions that the traditional focus on craftsmanship has declined while brands have upped the flash and bling -- essentially turning away from their former clients to woo the Asian market. He cites the example of French luxury leather house Goyard as a brand that has comfortably stepped into the void left by the likes of Chanel and Louis Vuitton when both those companies abandoned the Japanese market for China: "'Japanese customers are buying bags, they're just not buying them from the companies which report their figures publicly,' Brule said. 'The sheer amount of Goyard in Tokyo now is staggering . . . It's probably where Louis Vuitton was' 15 years ago, 'in that same kind of infancy when just everyone had to have it.'"

So which came first, the chicken or the egg? Did the recession cause Western clients to abandon the luxury brands, or did the luxury brands abandon the Western consumer first, hastening their own financial problems in the Western markets when the recession hit? Mr. Brule believes it's the latter.

As long as we're on the subject of luxury companies turning their faces toward Asia: Hermes to Open First Store in the Philippines -- "The boutique, which opens to the public Dec. 20, has a retail space of about 1,300 feet. It is located in the upscale Greenbelt 3 Mall, which also houses a recently opened Tory Burch store. The mall is located in Makati, the capital city's financial district. Hermès is planning to commemorate the store with an opening event January 14."

Et tu, Hermes?

Plus: perfumer and cosmetics wunderkind Serge Lutens opens a stand alone boutique -- in Marrakech. Granted, this is where Mr. Lutens lists his main residence, so there is a certain sense to the equation.

Bonus round: Best window display EVER:

Don't break up with Japan, oh great and mighty luxury brands, when Japan so clearly still loves you.

3.) Believe It Or Not: Botswana Has to Bail Out Diamond Giant De Beers:
"The Minister of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources, Pontashego Kedikilwe says Botswana is compelled to rescue De Beers from its debt because the failure of the world's biggest diamond producer will have devastating consequences on the economy of this country . . . Botswana, however, is itself cash-strapped after diamond exports plummeted to the point where the country had to seek a bailout from the African Development Bank, will finance $150 million for its part of the De Beers 'stimulus' package."

I did a double take when I first read that -- De Beers has to be bailed out . . . by Botswana! Talk about the cart pulling the horse.

But De Beers has been having a rough time of it lately: where they once controlled 85-90% of the world's diamond trade, they now only supply 40%, with mines in Russia having overtaken them as the world's largest diamond supplier; plus they were just recently socked with a big settlement payout related to their policy of stockpiling diamonds (in conjunction with Russia's Alrosa diamond company) in order to keep consumer prices high (much like what the American alligator farmers are now accusing Hermes of doing).

Yet Botswana's economy relies on the mining of diamonds, and when diamonds aren't selling, Botswana suffers. The Alrosa diamond company formed an agreement with the Angolan government where Angola would purchase 30% of the production from Angola's diamond mines to keep them off the market -- this creates an artificial scarcity of diamonds, which helps keep prices higher than they ordinarily would be if all these diamonds were released to consumers.

So consider these things when you're next shopping for diamonds: 1.) there are so many diamonds that companies are stockpiling them and/or deliberately removing them from the market to keep them from seeming too common; 2.) entire African economies are dependent on the mining of glittering, decorative stones; 3.) you're paying way too much for the privilege.

A video clip below on how synthetic diamonds are manufactured (and how vastly improved the technology is for doing such a thing) I'm a fan of synthetic diamonds, and believe that lab-created diamonds can be a preferred alternative to the political and social problems associated with the natural diamond trade:

Add on: a brief but good read on the subject of Botswana, diamonds and De Beers: Botswana Needs Drivers Beyond Diamonds -- the non-diamond related Botswana economy is growing (8-10% this year alone), but the country is still too reliant on diamond exportation for revenue -- 80% of foreign earnings presently come from diamonds, and that source of revenue is drying up.

4.) And Now You Know:
"Turquoise was selected as the color of 2010 by Pantone, a company that supplies and tracks color for fashion and home decor, among other industries. Fashion insiders agreed the color is on the rise . . . Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, says there was no runner-up to turquoise in her mind because people crave escapism and freshness after a tough year. The shade is on the cusp of blue and green, which makes it both inviting and serene -- characteristics associated with blues -- and invigorating and luminous, which comes from green, she says."

And you know what I think the biggest appeal the color turquoise holds for the fashion and home furnishings industries? The fact that it's been out of vogue for so long that hardly anyone is likely to have a stitch of it, and now it's *THE* color of 2010. Ka Ching!

I hear screaming hordes of teenage girls heading to the mall as I type this.

Speaking of being out of vogue:

5.) Is Lady Gaga More Influential than Anna Wintour?:
"Forbes Magazine recently declared that 'Lady Gaga isn't the music industry's new Madonna. She's its new business model.' However, what the Forbes article failed to note is that Lady Gaga may very well be revolutionising the fashion business as well . . . Lady Gaga's stylist Nicola Formichetti ... has dressed Ms. Gaga in clothes by young designers from around the world, including London-based milliner Nasir Mazhar and American designer Benjamin Cho, providing these new talents with a powerful PR platform that brings fashion into the digital age. In this way, Ms. Gaga may now be the single most powerful editorial machine for fashion designers looking for mass exposure."

Lady Gaga shown below in 'Bad Romance':

The article notes that Lady Gaga's latest video, in which she flounces about the screen in Alexander McQueen couture (among others, and I'm sure Smirnoff is delighted with the product placement, as well), has been viewed 30 million times in just over a month (it was released November 10th), whereas Vogue magazine sells maybe 1.2 million magazines a month. You do the math.

Still, though, it's not like Gaga discovers and nurtures the careers of up and coming designers -- you know, the way Wintour does. So I wouldn't say that Gaga is more influential or powerful than Wintour, she's presently just a more effective marketing platform than Vogue magazine. Back when the likes of Madonna and Michael Jackson were burning up the video charts, we didn't have the internet to give us such easy access to the designers they were wearing and the products featured in their videos. Now, however . . .

6.) INDUSTRY QUICK HITS:

A.) Christian Louboutin Barbie Doll Sells Out In One Day: "Now shoe fiends coveting the limited edition 'Cat Burglar' doll will have to add it to their Net-A-Porter 'wish list' in order to be notified when they're back in stock. Or buy the doll over at BarbieCollector.com, where it's on back order until December 11."

It's always better to sell out in one day than go on sale after two months.

B.) Paris Haute Couture Needs Jewels to Survive:
"What to do when €35,000 (£31,670) dresses just aren't getting your industry enough attention? Adding some mind-blowingly expensive jewels into the mix could be one solution . . . The 140-year-old Chambre Syndicale, French fashion's governing body, has invited seven major jewellers - including Boucheron, Cartier, Chanel Joaillerie, Dior Joaillerie and Van Cleef & Arpels - to present their creations during haute couture week in Paris next month. It said the marriage of haute couture and high jewellery would provide 'a unique window of exclusivity' and was 'the absolute unification of technical know-how'."

Those are going to be some high-flying haute couture shows, and god knows they need a bit of a jumpstart, too -- they lost Christian Lacroix, and it's not like there were that many haute couture designers left to begin with. So bring on the sparklies! And, uhm, maybe some extra security . . . ?

C.) Photoshopped Ads Turn Ralph Lauren Corp. Into a Hot Boycott Mess: "Roberts, creator of the documentary 'America the Beautiful,' said in an open letter that he started the (boycott) campaign in response to several recent Ralph Lauren ads with extremely distorted images of women. After a media flurry of criticism, the designer publicly apologized for one of the ads, but then published two similar ads featuring equally, if not more severely, distorted images."

The boycott has generated the support of over 60 organizations so far, including the National Association of Anorexia Nervousa and Associated Eating Disorders, and the YWCA. Of course, it's not bad PR for the guy's documentary, either. I mean, every single article about the boycott mentions the name of the documentary and the film's website address: "Booooo! to Ralph Lauren's distorted images of women -- oh, and go see my documentary. Kthnx!"

Video clip of the trailer for 'America the Beautiful' below:

You see? Even I did it!

D.) It's Not the Bag That's Fake, It's the Person Carrying It:
"People are more likely to identify a designer handbag as authentic if the individual carrying it wears expensive clothes or has a certain aura that says rich person, the research found. The study, by Renee Richardson Gosline, an assistant professor of marketing at MIT's Sloan School of Management, showed that shoppers can more accurately distinguish between real designer bags and fakes if given social cues."

So the study pretty much came to the conclusion that the only people who can get away with carrying a fake designer handbag are the people who have the money to buy the real thing in the first place.

Moral of the story: if you're buying your shoes and jewelry from discounters, there's no point in wasting hard-earned money on a fake Chanel bag. Instead, buy the best bag you can get at Macy's for the same price -- it'll probably last longer, the materials will likely be better/more durable, and you'll be supporting a legitimate business and legitimate, tax-paying business owners in the process.

In related news, New York gets tough on counterfeiters: " Just as vendors are surely hitting a busy time of year with fake designer handbags being purchased as holiday gifts. 1010Wins reports that "police raided a block of Canal Street off Broadway including 10 buildings and 30 stalls. During the raid, police said they also found secret rooms inside the buildings where dealers allegedly conducted business." Everything from knock-off Chanel bags to Tiffany-esque jewelry was confiscated."

The end quote is the kicker: "But what about the broke brand-whores? One woman declared, 'I can't afford an $1800 Louis Vuitton bag. When I get it for $60 it's good.'"

There are so many things wrong with that statement, I don't even know where to begin.

Video clip below of a private investigator who talks about Canal Street and his work investigating the counterfeit brand trade:

Katie Puckrik succinctly describes Le Labo Poivre 23 as "peppermill overkill" while Lee from Perfume Posse shifts into imagery voice hyperdrive and writes that Poivre 23 is "a pepper of wonder; the sort of pepper the first traders must've sniffed and felt the wingstrokes of angels in the rhythm of their fast-beating hearts."

Okay, well, admittedly, Poivre 23 is very nice, and yes, it's certainly dry and nose-ticklingly peppery -- which, unlike the vid-friendly Ms. Puckrik, I happen to like quite a bit -- but "pepper of wonder" and "wingstrokes of angels" might just be pushing the ol' metaphor cart down the hyperbole highway at speeds that will frighten the children.

Under a full moon, and maybe surrounded by a thousand flickering candles, I can see where someone might lose his/her head and fall truly, madly, deeply for Poivre 23. It's got all the right notes, tones and gestures: a bold come-on, a spicy-smooth follow-through, a warm embrace before it departs, but this is a Le Labo, after all, and as with any Le Labo, the artistry is as much a focus as the cash register.

Part of the City Exclusive series (you know, the series of fragrances that the Le Labo guys thought would be sooooo coooool if they near thoroughly restricted consumer access to -- yeah, THAT series), Poivre 23 was originally created to sell at Liberty of London and Liberty of London only, but a funny thing happened on the way to the recession and The Little French Perfumery That Could suddenly found themselves with a sh**load of "exclusive" product and scarcely a soul left to buy it.

What happened next was entirely predictable: Voila! A full month of access to the entire City Exclusive fragrance series, online and in every Le Labo location -- hence, my hot and happy little paws on a bottle of peppery Poivre 23.

Now, it's entirely possible that my flipping of the 'tude here could leave one with the impression that the whole Le Labo arts-n-farts thing is not my bag, but au contraire, mon frère! I'm a fan of their deliberately left of center fragrance choices, their oh so industrial leave the bells and ribbons to the children packaging style, the manufactured (i.e. smoke and mirrors) exclusivity of their product -- it sends a tickled thrill right up my leg.

Out of their permanently available lineup, I very much approve of Labdanum 18 (a boozey, incense delight), Rose 31 (one of the best masculine roses around) and Patchouli 24 (the charred heart of everyone's favorite tar baby), and when Poivre 23 was first released, I was initially irritated that it had been whisked away to the VIP City Exclusive area, safe from clutches as common as mine, but I also knew that these things have a way of working themselves out and that I would either find my way to Poivre 23, or Poivre 23 would find its way to me.

Thanks to wiser, financially-savvy heads in the Le Labo boardroom, plus the great deal-makers at Lucky Scent, Poivre 23 found its way to me (and I couldn't be happier).

I wrote this about Poivre 23 after first testing it in April of 2009: "Poivre 23 begins life with a unique exhale like dried habanero pepper dust, then matures into a smokey, spicy take on vanilla, as if the perfumers in the lab blended a number of resinish, woodsy ingredients that exhibit vanillic tendencies (i.e. labdanum, benzoin, tonka, etc.) and said, "Voila! C'est vanille!" And since imitation vanilla is manufactured from clove oil (eugenol) or as a breakdown product of lignin from conifer trees, I have to wonder if that faint, spruce-goose and spice choir singing in the background is a vague nod to the origins of contemporary vanillin production."

And while Poivre 23 is sprucy, spicy and slightly gourmand, there's also a quirky burnt note buried in the middle, as if someone doused a pan of sugar in kerosene, lit a match and then bottled the smoke. Strange and yet strangely attractive -- the qualities I like best about Le Labo.

Officially listed scent notes: cistus, patchouli, bourbon pepper, sandalwood, gaiac wood, incense, vanilla and styrax -- talk about building the perfect beast. The perfumer behind the curtain is Nathalie Lorson.

Re: burnt notes -- I emailed a friend of mine a few days ago and remarked that Poivre 23 appears to be straightforward at first glance, but after repeated wearings reveals its surprise inside:

"Just yesterday, after wearing Le Labo's Poivre 23 for several weeks, I caught the most fascinating burnt aroma coming off of my skin. I had been smelling freshly ground black pepper and benzoin previously, but yesterday it was all about this burnt wood, burnt sugar combo. I loved it -- it made the fragrance definitely more artsy and complex. I'm not certain that I would call it "easily wearable" as it's not the type of scent that says "hold me love me", but it's definitely singular and unusual."

So when I'm feeling particularly singular and unusual (like, every other day?), Poivre 23 is the juice for moi. It has amazing longevity, as well -- lasting a good 8-10 hours, if not more. But, as I've mentioned numerous times before on this site, I apply with a (very) generous hand. If you're timid about application, you'll likely experience a shorter hang time on the skin.

The packaging for the Le Labo brand is resolutely industrial -- laboratory bottles of thick glass; heavy, gray metal caps; a brown cardboard box and brown packing paper that seems more suited to encasing machinery parts than perfume; a font that mimics the look of an old typewriter.

The image is deliberate and carefully constructed, from top to bottom and front to back, and it goes along with their "each bottle is freshly blended to order" concept -- underscored by their urban-chic schtick of printing the name of the recipient (or whatever name you choose to have printed) on the bottle's label.

Amusing aside: there's even a sort of "expiration date" on the label: Fresh Until 11/12/2010 -- I have one year to use this bottle up, y'all!

Gentlemen, start your atomizers.

***Note: the limited-time deal availability of the City Exclusive fragrances appears to have run its course. Neither Poivre 23, nor any of the other City Exclusive scents, are listed any longer on the Lucky Scent website, though they're still carrying the rest of the Le Labo lineup. The card that was included with my order states that the bottle is refillable at their New York and Los Angeles stores, so I guess this means I now have access to a continued supply of Poivre 23 as long as I still have my bottle . . . ?

I do a lot of still-product photography and so don't get much of an opportunity to show off how beautifully my camera photographs human beings, but we hosted Louise's annual holiday party this past weekend (Louise's husband has set up a temporary office space in their dining room, so a social shindig at their pad was out of the question), which gave me some opportunity to capture people in motion.

One of my favorite things about the Canon 5D Mark II is the way it focuses on what's right in front of it while softly diffusing the background. Here, Louise is captured in full dance-party vibe, and you can even see the soft folds of her dress (Nicole Miller, she said), yet the entire background is a wash of blurrred sparkle and color:

That's her Christmas present that's sitting on the small table in back of her (I gave it to her early): a gorgeous silk-flower and purple patent leather Valentino bag that I found on sale for just over 40% off. Louise doesn't care that it was on sale, only that it's a Valentino -- and it's hers!

Sudden realization: perhaps that's why she was dancing with such joyous abandon?

And below (again), another photo of dancing. I love the depth, with the twinkling lights of the city blurred out in the back. The energy of the female dancer the furthest from focus is captured, her hair flying, while retaining a sense of mystery ("Who is she? Do I know her?" -- that kind of thing), yet the woman in the foreground is clear and sharp (without being too much so).

The reflective glow from the wood floors is also nice, and certainly doesn't look quite so lovingly burnished in real nonphotographic life:

Below is my preferred way of photographing humans -- creating a slightly abstracted look; of course we know what it is, but the angles and lines are the feature rather than the whole recognizable face:

But even with a standard posed photo, the lines are soft, the colors are warm, the fabrics are appealingly shadowed, the facial angles are flattered -- and all in just average indoor light levels:

And what party would be complete without the obligatory "we've had a couple of glasses of wine and we are the BEST friends EVER!" moment? What makes it even better is the softly blurred backdrop of party goers in the kitchen, going on about their own business, engaged in their own separate conversations, unaware of the fireworks of best friendship popping, sparking and exploding only ten feet away -- but as if worlds apart:

Btw: that little white Apple iPod "boombox" on the counter? It can kick out some serious volume. I had no idea it could fill up a room like that until the girls decided they wanted to dance; unfortunately, I don't think they make it anymore, since it doesn't allow for docking upgrading and the iPhone/iTouch models aren't fully compatible.

I checked the Apple website (from where I'd purchased it), and it's no longer shown as available.

You can find more people photographs from the party at the following Flickr link: Christmas Party Photos 2009

I think I might start looking for more opportunities to do people photography.

1.) Feds Warn Holiday Shoppers to be Cautious Against Fakes:
"'If the price is too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true,' said Claude Arnold, special agent in charge of investigations for immigration and customs enforcement in a five-state area including Minnesota . . . The troubled economy combined with consumers' growing demand for brand names at bargain prices has fueled the trend, officials say. Last week, Arnold's agency busted 21 Twin Cities businesses, seizing 17,000 counterfeit items with an estimated street value of $643,000 . . . Such fraudulent merchandizing is bigger than most people imagine, said Officer Brad Wick, a Duluth police spokesman."

A video clip below with some consumer opinions regarding counterfeit goods:

2.) The House of Lacroix Reduced to Licensing Operation:
"Christian Lacroix, the company behind the designer known for his baroque and embroidered dresses, was once part of French luxury giant LVMH and now belongs to the Falic family, owners of U.S. retail group Duty Free Americas . . . The Falic group's turnaround plan consists of halting Lacroix's haute couture and pret-a-porter activities, with the aim of licensing them out to a third party in the event of a takeover. Out of a staff of 120, only between 15 and 20 workers would be retained to maintain the licensing contracts for accessories and perfume."

For a while there, it looked like there were several suitors for the hand of Lacroix, but they all backed out by the time the French court was due to make its ruling regarding the restructuring of the company. Several analysts have noted that a buyer could still step up to the plate, but as it stands right now, retail operations for the brand have ceased activities and the only movement forward is licensing the name out.

So instead of seeing more Lacroix haute couture in the upcoming seasons, we might instead see new Lacroix perfumes, sunglasses and housewares hitting the retail shelves as licensing/manufacturing companies purchase the rights to exploit the Lacroix name.

In related Lacroix news: Paris's Christian Lacroix Sells Apartment After Price Cut -- "Fashion designer Christian Lacroix has sold a Paris apartment for €1.2 million, or about $1.8 million. Mr. Lacroix originally listed the apartment in January for €2 million (or just over $3 million U.S.)."

It hasn't been a good year for Lacroix, and the Telegraph U.K. thinks they know why: "Although Lacroix was adored by fashion editors and celebrity A-list customers for his extravagant, fairytale clothes, couture is a notoriously loss-making activity . . . To survive, haute couture must be built on a pyramid model: haute couture at the top, followed by ready-to-wear, perfumes and accessories ... It is a 'shop window', an advertising investment. But if there is nothing to back it up, it doesn't work."

The Lacroix brand's attempts at mass market fragrance and accessories were rejected by the mainstream consumer, giving the fashion house nothing to fall back on as their extravagant haute couture and ready to wear lines continued to lose money for them season after season.

Below is an advertisement for a Lacroix fragrance released earlier this year in collaboration with Avon -- Absynthe. The fragrance didn't create much of a stir (despite its arguably gorgeous advertising clip), while the conjunction of high-end, extravagant French Lacroix design with a perceived low-end direct sales marketing company doesn't really seem to fit either brand's image:

3.) Alligator Farmers are Pointing the Finger of Blame at Hermes:
"Some farmers insist that the newfound frugality of the Gucci set cannot by itself explain the absolute washout of the alligator business. More than a few are beginning to blame the practices of executives in the European fashion business . . . In the mid 1990s, Hermès began buying tanneries and, as of a couple of years ago, became the largest player in the exotic tannery business. Hermès bought aggressively from the farmers, and is still buying, though recently at prices far lower than in the past and lower even than the price of raising an alligator ... While the tanneries are offering farmers little for their raw product, citing the recession, fashion houses are complaining about the astronomical prices for tanned hides. Many labels are giving up and moving away from alligator altogether, and well-known luxury brands like Manolo Blahnik say it is increasingly difficult to make a profit on such an expensive product."

So the farmers are saying that yes, the recession has hit the industry hard, but then how is it that they're being paid less and less for their skins as the fashion houses claim they're being charged more and more for the finished, tanned hides?

If demand truly is down (which it is), necessitating paying the farmers less for the skins, then the prices for the finished hides should be down as well . . . but that's not happening, raising suspicions that Hermes is using the current recession as a means of reducing the glut of alligator farmers, weaning other fashion companies off of the idea of cheap alligator skins and restoring the once prized (but now increasingly ubiquitous) alligator to its former exclusive glory.

Forcing the majority of indpendent farmers out of business will result in scarcity and so drive the prices of the skins back up to sky-high luxury brand levels. It's a brutal, though effective, way of doing business, and no, Hermes is not required to support a large alligator industry if it doesn't wish to -- though the company doesn't win itself any admirers from the farming labor force in the process. Fortunately for Hermes, the farming labor force is not their target market.

As long as we're on the subject of driving companies out of business: Liz Claiborne Smacked With $20 Million Lawsuit -- " Selective Beauty - a former distributor of Juicy Couture and Usher fragrances in Europe - has smacked Liz Claiborne with a $20.2 million lawsuit that claims Claiborne caused the French firm to go bankrupt when it licensed its fragrance portfolio to Elizabeth Arden."

Selective Beauty was the exclusive European distributor for Liz Clairborne fragrances (which include Juicy Couture and Usher) until Claiborne signed a deal with Elizabeth Arden and cut Selective Beauty out of the picture altogether. There was no breach of contract on the part of the Claiborne company as there was no formalized agreement between the two companies, but Selective Beauty is angry at having spent years building up a market for the Claiborne products only to be swatted away like an annoying little fly once their efforts proved fruitful.

Moral of the story: get everything in writing! Claiborne could not have done what they did if Selective Beauty had a contract with them, but they didn't, and now the Selective Beauty company is screwed. But hey, that's what lawsuits are for, right?

4.) Survey Says That Smelling Good Might Make You More Attractive:
"Research underlines that to the majority of women the right fragrance can make or break their evening out . . . A quarter of women say a man they don't know has asked them out after commenting on their perfume, and 82% think wearing perfume is essential when going out on a date . . . The survey also revealed that that 57% of women are sure fragrances help them attract men when they're out on the town, and 22% have perfumes they only wear when they go out looking for a date."

Chanel No. 5 was listed as the most popular of the "romantic" fragrances, with one out of ten women claiming that they were wearing No. 5 when they met "the man of their dreams" . . . of course, there's no information listed as to whether that dream stayed particularly rosy. But if 50% of marriages now end in divorce, does that mean that Chanel No. 5 is potentially responsible for 10% of all divorces?

I think that's a question we're not supposed to ask.

In similar news, Dr. Avery Gilbert over at First Nerve calls attention to a study titled, Effect of a perfume on prosocial behavior of pedestrians -- "When the young woman who dropped a glove was wearing perfume, the target person called it to her attention 95% of the time compared to only 70% of the time when she was wore no perfume. The difference--the perfume effect--was statistically significant."

There's much more about the study and its results at Gilbert's site. Interestingly enough, the fragrance that the researchers used in their test? Coco Chanel. What is it with Chanel, anyway? Are they, like, the Dr. Feelgood of fragrance houses?

Now I feel like helping someone find a lost glove . . .

Yet since we're talking (and apparently won't shut up) about perfume: Golden age of perfume in the air? -- "Niche fragrances from small independent players, such as the Morocco-based Frenchman Serge Lutens, account for less than 10% of the market but are pushing the envelope of creativity, appealing to a small, fanatical and growing clientele. Niche fragrances have experienced double-digit growth this year, according to Grant of the NPD group. 'They're really small in their overall penetration in the marketplace, but they seem to be an area where consumers are gravitating,' Grant said."

In the same article, perfume critic Luca Turin mentions that Ormonde Jayne's new Tiare fragrance is "the best scent he has smelled recently."

Nice props for Ormonde Jayne -- one of my own favorite independent perfumeries. Go Jayne!

5.) High Fashion Houses Hit the Internet:
"Italian fashion houses including Giorgio Armani SpA and Valentino Fashion Group SpA, which have traditionally spurned the Internet, are testing Web stores this holiday season in a quest for new sources of revenue . . . Web sales of Italian luxury goods are expected to soar 42% to 335 million euros ($500 million) this year, according to a study by Politecnico. That beats a 6% decline to 3.48 billion euros for the overall industry in a survey by fashion consultant Carlo Pambianco."

So yeah, it's great to welcome Armani, Valentino, Oscar de la Renta, Alexander McQueen, Roberto Cavalli, Salvatore Ferragamo and Proenza Schouler to the web, but the shocking part of the equation is just how long it's taken them to get there . . . well, except for Proenza Schouler, which hasn't been around that long.

And while web sales for luxury brands are expected to increase by over 40%, the percentage of sales via the web is still quite small compared to the overall revenue generated ($500 million vs. $5.25 billion). Still, in these make or break days, every dollar gained is precious. If Lacroix and Yohji Yamamoto had established e-commerce shops years ago, would their brands have fared better? Would their fragrances and accessories have connected with a broader public? Would they still have gone bankrupt?

6.) INDUSTRY QUICK HITS:

A.) Facebook is changing the rules of online retail: "The business model for online retailers is being turned on its head. It used to be that consumers would visit individual company websites to shop. But now companies are seeking out consumers where they spend most of their time: on Facebook."

Okay, I spend some small portion of each day checking Facebook, messaging friends and catching up with what people I know are doing, but "most of my time" . . . ? Hardly.

B.) Men are eager to show you their cleavage: "Man cleavage -- plunging necklines slit open to reveal chest hair, pectoral muscles, maybe more -- is back . . . Helping to pave the way were magazines like Men's Journal and Men's Health, which objectified the male torso on their covers. Marketers such as Abercrombie & Fitch attracted droves of fans with their buff, waxed male models. For those who don't have the goods naturally, cosmetic surgery offers an increasingly popular solution. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons reports that pectoral implants more than tripled in 2008, to 1,335 procedures up from 440 in 2007."

You know, I've been wondering what's up with all those really low v-neck t-shirts I've been seeing lately . . . in 40-50% off sales. In summary: just because Tom Ford likes to wear his shirt unbuttoned to his abs doesn't mean it works for the other 99.9% of the population. It doesn't necessarily work for Ford, either, but it's a free country and he thinks it's sexy, so we humor him.

C.) Why the Luxury 'Rebound' May Be Premature: "Data on actual sales, rather than hopeful predictions, suggest shoppers-even wealthy ones-are still in a discount mood. Sales of luxury goods fell 9.2% in the first two weeks of November from the same period a year ago, according to MasterCard Advisors' SpendingPulse report, and that is on top of steep year-earlier declines. That makes this October, when luxury sales rose 6.6%, look more like a false dawn."

Financial analysts have been doing the touchdown dance for the last month over what they're jubilantly describing as a "recovery" in the retail sector, the economy, the jobs numbers, you name it -- but the facts are slippery, and it's best not to let a sense of determined hope get in the way of what could turn out to be an entirely different reality.

Here's what we know: 1.) nearly half of all U.S. states are borrowing money to hand out unemployment benefits, which means that half our states are broke while unemployment is continuing to rise (17.2% when counting total unemployment); 2.) November same-store sales numbers (a much more thorough indicator of the long-term economic condition) fell 0.3%, missing the 3.4% projected increase; 3.) the Middle East financial situation appears to be worsening, and the Middle East was a hoped source of recovery/growth for both the luxury fashion and luxury beauty industries; 4.) many analysts believe the Chinese economy is overheating in exactly the same way the U.S. economy overheated running up to our present recession/collapse, yet the luxury industry has placed nearly all its eggs into China's government-stimulus-money basket.

Based on the above, 'premature rebound' seems like an accurate a definition as any.