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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Aftelier Secret Garden: Knowing the Unknowable

November 15, 2011

From “The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett: “That night Colin slept without once awakening and when he opened his eyes in the morning he lay still and smiled without knowing it—smiled because he felt so curiously comfortable. It was actually nice to be awake, and he turned over and stretched his limbs luxuriously. He [...]

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Luxury & Fashion Biz News: November 11th, 2011 (Designer Lipstick, Lagerfeld = Snooki, and the Dior search goes on)

November 12, 2011

1.) Pricy Designer Lipsticks are the New Lower-Cost Luxury Indulgence: “A decade ago, Leonard Lauder (of Estée Lauder) said that in a recession women flocked to buy cosmetics. He told The Wall Street Journal that ‘when lipstick sales go up, people don’t want to buy dresses.’ But these days, they might well find dresses more [...]

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