2011

Holiday Cookies (and have a Merry Christmas)

December 24, 2011

I’m not much good with the whole shaped and decorated cookie thing, but I still get into the holiday spirit in a roundabout way. My concession to Christmas cookies this year was to make Chocolate Cherry cookies from a recipe by “Mr. Chocolate” himself (Jacques Torres) that I found in the book, ‘One Sweet Cookie‘ [...]

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Playing Hooky: White Rabbit Cacao, Muffins and Saul Bass

December 17, 2011

Instead of working on a Luxury & Fashion News post today, I instead took some time away from the news front to sample some New Zealand artisan bean to bar chocolate, bake some muffins, and read the Saul Bass book I bought myself for Christmas. 1.) White Rabbit Cacao: One thing I miss about not [...]

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Luxury & Fashion Biz News: December 9th, 2011 (Art & Artisan, Dior vs. the star designer system, and What is luxury anyway?)

December 10, 2011

1.) The Artisan Craft Revival Influences the World of Fine Art: “Artisanal techniques, once deemed the opposite of cool, are making their way back into art fairs and galleries, particularly in Europe. Dedicated spaces and university programs are contributing to the renewed recognition of these trades — albeit with modern twists and messages — while [...]

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Here Comes Santa Claus: The 2011 Edition (Pt 3)

December 6, 2011

In Part 1 we covered ideas for Food gifts, in Part 2 it was all about the Sparklies, and now for Part 3, it’s time to do a run-down of some hopefully intriguing small brand, artisan crafted, upcycled, repurposed or maybe just plain left-of-center stuff that might be *perfectly* perfect for the person on your [...]

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Here Comes Santa Claus: The 2011 Edition (Pt 2)

December 2, 2011

So now that Part 1: Food Fight! is dispatched and out of the way, we can concentrate on the meat and potatoes of holiday gift giving guides — Sparklies! *NOTE 1: You know how I mentioned in Part 1 that I can’t see a pot of jam on a store shelf without thinking of “Six [...]

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Here Comes Santa Claus: The 2011 Edition (Pt 1)

November 29, 2011

There’s been a lot of chatter this year about the position in which global luxury brands find themselves — eager to rapidly expand and gain more customers, yet somehow retain their reputation for quality and painstaking craftsmanship in the process. For example: Exclusivity for Top Customers — “It’s a luxury brand’s growing dilemma: how to [...]

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Luxury & Fashion Biz News: A Return to Something Special?

November 26, 2011

While the news media is covering the slugfests and pepper-spray frenzies of Black Friday shopping at the big box retail chains, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at how some brands are attempting to repair the damage inflicted on the chain of supply and demand through too much bling, too many [...]

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Midweek Quick Hits: Pierre Cardin’s Castle, Black Friday, Barneys and Blogging

November 23, 2011

1.) If you’re as wealthy and accomplished as Pierre Cardin, what do you do for amusement in your spare time? Why, purchase a small French village and turn it into a showcase for modern art, of course! Pierre Cardin feud tears village apart: “It was in 2001 that the veteran couturier acquired (the Marquis) De [...]

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Luxury & Fashion Biz News: Versace for H&M (plus transparency, provenance and the future of luxury brands)

November 19, 2011

Another Fast-Fashion + Designer Collaboration Hits eBay in Minutes Flat: “Hordes of shoppers besieged H&M stores across the globe as Versace’s collection for the high street shop went on sale today . . . In Dubai and Beijing where 9am had come and gone, shoppers reported H&M stores selling out of the entire collection in [...]

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“Damage Control” by Denise Hamilton: A Mystery Wrapped Inside a Perfume Bottle

November 17, 2011

When I first started taking photographs of perfume packaging and writing a weekly analysis of the business end of the fragrance and fashion industries, I certainly didn’t suspect that I’d begin receiving mystery novels in the mail for review. Yet here I am, the novel “Damage Control” sitting beside my laptop, with a whole host [...]

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