Victoria Beckham...Not Just Another Celebrity Designer

Victoria Beckham is here to stay. The celebrity designer is about to launch her fourth season of dresses, denim and sunglasses. This line is averaged to bring in a whopping $7.5 million next year. Along with her new collection, which will debut Wednesday, Dec 8th, Beckham has put together two videos for her release. These videos as well as her new collection will debut on Net-a-Porter and select stores. In addition, Beckham totally redesigned her website.

The designer is heading into a bright but busy future. She is planning on making more personal appearances at Bergdorf Goodmans as well as be a guest judge on American Idol. Despite her busy schedule, Beckham is determined to remain a hands on mom. She and husband professional soccer player David Beckham have three sons. Although David Beckham is one of th highest paid athletes of today, she is still ready to earn her share.

I have never really paid much attention to Victoria Beckham, but I am actually quite impressed with her. I respect the fact that she is not just about designing for the money or fame but simply because she loves fashion. I also respect the fact that she puts her family first. I am excited to see her new line!

Dior Spring 2010

My favorite show from the Spring 2010 runway shows was definitely Dior. I loved the feminine look of the collection, yet the vibe was still that of a strong working woman. I really feel like Dior's collection has captured the spririt of the modern day woman. John Galliano has done a wonderful job of continuing on this tradition. I really like the lingerie inspired aspects of this collection, yet they are not as ready to wear as some other garments/ensembles are.

Overall, the show was a bit to flashy for me. As a matter of fact, most of the shows were a bit too flashy for me. I don't like all the extra "hoopla" that goes into the actual runway shows. Don't get me wrong, I realize why they go to such extremes (they have to catch our attention somehow) but I just feel like it takes away from the actual clothes. Why can't designers go back to the classic old days, where it really was just the models walking down the runway?

I feel like Dior's collection is more wearable than others. I loved the ruffles, the metallic trench coat and especially loved the long gowns. I am very pleased with the spring line and look forward to see what is in store for the fall.

Fashion's Night Out will Return in 2010

On the night of September 10, New York’s streets were filled with thousands of models, designers and consumers for the first ever Fashion’s Night Out. Simply speaking, Fashion’s Night Out was one huge shopping trip with thousands of consumers, including their favorite designers. This night was a global shopping event that gave retailers the much-needed jump due to the hard economic times. The night was definitely deemed a success, as over 700 stores remained open until 11 p.m.

According to an independent survey, foot traffic throughout the participating stores increased by 50%. 75% of those shoppers bought something that night. Since the event, top retailers have been meeting with city officials to try and come up with strategies to increase the shopping and spending in the retail industry year round. Fashion’s Night Out 2010, is already in the makings, with the hopes of making it even bigger and better.

I think this is a fantastic way to spur on the retail industry. I can’t even imagine shopping and running into Anna Wintour or Sarah Jessica Parker. The team who came up with this idea was very creative and resourceful. Consumers like to feel as though they are valued customers, and it is through events like these that help build customer loyalty. Besides advertising and putting a name to the event, the only real difference was that all the stores decided to stay open until 11 p.m. This was such a cost effective event in the sense that they invited people out to spend money!

There is talk of hoping to get next years Fashion’s Night Out tax free, but it does not sound like government officials are too fond of that idea, and I can’t say I blame them. But then again if the goal is to increase revenue, that might be just the incentive people need.

Gap: Ready for Holiday Cheer

I absolutely love Gap’s advertising, especially during the holidays. This season is no different. Gap’s ads are fun, cheerful and colorful. This year the print ads are all about making snowflakes and peace signs out of people dressed in head to toe Gap clothing. The colorsconsist of reds, blacks, creams, grays, and blues and greens.

I think the print ads really capture the holiday spirit because they consist of a wide variety of people, featuring babies, kids, teens and adults. Through the span of people represented in these ads, Gap is reaching all of its brand extensions through one advertisement. It is smart way to reach their target market while saving the company money by focusing on the company as a whole. These advertisements are a very affective form of advertising and are hopefully attracting new customers as well as keeping the old ones.

The only advertisement I love more than Gap’s print advertisement is their television commercial. The whole commercial is a cheer with tons of energetic dancing and chanting. The dancers used are quite exceptional and the commercial exudes energy. By having the commercial and the print ad, Gap is reaching more people and is heightening their brand awareness. The consistent reinforcement of seeing these advertisements will help push Gap to top-of-mind awareness.

I think Gap has really gone above and beyond in their advertising and communications and think it will pay off this holiday season. I mean, who doesn’t want to go buy all of their clothes after seeing the commercial?

Brangelina Designs Jewelry for Asprey

Once again, another actor/actress has turned designer. In this case it is the dynamic couple, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. The couple is partnering up with the high-end jewelry design company, Asprey. Their new collection consists of gold and silver accessories. This collection was named, The Protector, inspired by the snake, which according to Jolie is a protector of her family.

Pieces for this limited edition collection include, silver baby spoons, tooth boxes, and picture frames. For adults, pendants and rings are available in the form of curving snakes. Pitt and Jolie’s collection is part of Asprey’s goal to refocus the brand and bring in more revenue during the hard times of the recession.

The point of this entry is more so to discuss the “celebrity designer” than Brangelina’s new collection. Typically I am not a fan of celebrity designers. Although I do like Pitt and Jolie, I don’t think they should design jewelry just because they can. It bothers me that people are going to buy the collection just because of their name slapped on the designs.

In retail, I understand that money matters and companies are always trying to refresh their image and stay on top of the current trends. However, I do not think the skill of design, be it in fashion or jewelry, should be so easily dismissed.

Burberry: Art of the Trench

Burberry recently created a website celebrating the history and heritage of the classic trench coat. The main focus of the website is to interact the customers with the company by allowing them to submit photographs of themselves wearing the trench coats. Burberry features the best photographs on the website, for the world to see. The website acts as a living document of the trench.

Art of the Trench gives the history of the company and more specifically the trench coat. Thomas Burberry founded Burberry in 1891. The first store was located in London. Most of the trench coats were and are to this day made out of the textile Gabardine. This material is what allows the coats to be great in the wet weather. The website walks through the entire history of the trench coat starting in the 1900s and ending in the 2000s.

Scott Schuman, photographer and creator of the blog The Sartorialist, is the most recent photographer to collaborate with Burberry. His job was to travel around the world, including cities such as London, Milan, New York, Paris, Berlin, San Paulo, Venice, and photograph anyone he saw wearing a Burberry trench coat. The point was to capture real people in their everyday world, featuring the Burberry trench.

I first heard of Art of the Trench from The Sartorialist (Schuman’s blog) and immediately checked it out. I think it is a fantastic way to involve the customers and fans. It really shows how fashion can be a form of art. It provides many examples of how to wear the trench coat for people who already own one and for people who don’t own one; it encourages them to buy one. The website is very interactive, allowing browsers to narrow their search according to gender, color, weather and styling.

I think Burberry will see a lot of success from this website, and am thrilled to see the combination of fashion and art through an online source.

http://artofthetrench.com/#

Ivanka

Once again Ivanka Trump broke the mold by wearing a wedding dress with sleeves. I was thrilled to see that she chose a different style gown. I am so tired of the typical strapless wedding dresses accompanied by the "prom" up-do's. Ivanka glowed in this dress and looked very glamorous yet still like a classic bride. The couple wed at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

Vera Wang designed this dress for Ms. Trump and only had a about one month to sew it. I can't imagine making this intricate of a gown in one month. Three different kinds of lace were used in the making of the dress, including Chantilly and Lyon. The bottom layer of the gown was embroidered and pieced together by hand. Ivanka was inspired by the famous actress Grace Kelly's wedding dress when she married Prince Rainer of Monaco back in 1956. Helen Rose, MGM's costume designer, was responsible for the design of Kelly's dress.

According to Ms. Wang, Ivanka was drawn to the lace as well as the royal factor of the gown. Ironically enough, Ivanka is considered "royalty" status in the states. She has a famous father, Donald Trump, she is the VP of a multi-million dollar company, she has her own jewelry line, is host of a reality t.v. show, attended an ivy league school (University of Pennsylvania) and has a stunning look about her. It only makes sense that when she married Jared Kushner, it would be in a gorgeous one-of-a-kind gown.

Ivanka recently converted to Judaism, Kushner's religion, so I am not surprised to see her in a gown that is more conservative. Personally, I think the wedding dress is exquisite. I don't have anything against strapless dresses, but I hate having to constantly pull them up (for us smaller chested girls!) and for that reason it is almost impossible to dance in them. Ms. Wang said it was freeing to finally create a dress that wasn't strapless because that is all she has been making for the past 15 years. I think it is refreshing to see a celebrity wear something tasteful and classy, especially on her wedding day.

I agree with Ms. Wang, I hope this style is here to stay.

Live From New York it's...The Holiday Windows at Barneys?

This holiday season the Barneys flagship store, on Madison Avenue in New York City, will feature memorable scenes from over three decades on Saturday Night Live. Barneys is hoping that partnering with SNL will give them the extra boost the company needs during the holiday season. The holiday season during a recession that is.

For the past two years Barneys' windows had themes tied to the socially conscious green movement. This year the tag line for the campaign is, "Have a Witty Holiday."

Barneys creative director Simon Doonan said that this year the focus is more on fun as opposed to flagrant luxury. Barneys is also lowering some of their price points to make their merchandise more affordable. While I think this is exciting, I am hesitant to be all for it. When I think of Barneys I think of good quality, and very nice things. "Fun" isn't exactly the word I would match with the store.

Windows will feature icons such as Tina Fey, Steve Martin, John Belushi, Amy Poehler and Molly Shannon. A photograph of the current SNL cast will also be featured. The windows will be displayed November 16th with SNL producer Lorne Michaels and cast members in attendance.

While I love Saturday Night Live as much as the next American, I was so surprised to hear about this. Barneys is pretty up there in the retail world and while SNL is popular I just always put them in different categories. Despite my surprise and slight hesitation, I am excited to see how these windows turn out!

Anthropologie Meets London

Anthropologie, a pricier branch of Urban Outfitters, will open its first European flagship store in London on Friday, October 23, 2009. Located on Regent Street, the 10,000 square foot store will stay true to its roots by offering unique apparel, accesories and homeware. The reason I am so excited about this, besides the fact that it is my favorite store, is that the store is building relationships with local designors to feature in the store.

Obviously this is not realistic for every retail store to partake it, but I love that Anthropologie is encouraging local designors. People take pride in their city and culture, so why would they not take pride in their local designors? I wish more stores around the Washigton D.C. area did provide local designors with a chance to showcase their lines and help get their names out to the public. I am curious to see how well the local designors' lines sell in the London store.

The only reason I am surprised to hear that Anthropologie is opening a flagship store right now is becuase of the recession. Anthropologie tends to offer more luxurious items. I may need a new dress, but I do not need the new Corey Lynn Calter dress for say, $300. However, just because I am a poor college student and can't afford it right now does not mean that plenty of other working individuals can't. Anthropologie is in it for the long haul. The store will push through the bad economy and appeal to its target market, which consists of well-off middle to upper class incomes. The goal is for the company as a whole to have over 100 stores located throughout Europe, and I for one am excited.

West Coast to East Coast

I recently moved from Arizona to the greater Washington D.C. area and can't help but notice how different the fashion is between the coasts.

Arizona is all about jeans, t-shirts, flip-flops and more flip-flops. Throw in a sweatshirt when it gets cold and you are good to go. I'm still trying to figure D.C. out. So far I have seen the super preppies in Georgetown, the hipsters in Chinatown, the professionals downtown and the granolas in Dupont.

Ultimately it comes down to what people consider formal. I went to a wedding back home last weekend and my brother pulls out his nice black suit and then a pair of bright yellow vans to accompany it. Needless to say, that would not fly out here. Similarly, my friend from California came to visit and we were going out to a nice restaurant. He put on a nice pair of jeans, some surfer-brand t-shirt, and brown, leather flip flops (note: any flip flops that are not rubber are considered nice out west). The other guys we met up with had on a nice pair of dress pants, a button down shirt and loafers.

This leads me to the Button Down Bros. Out west we have guys that we like to call Dude Bros, because they go to class with their board shorts and a beachy t-shirt on, with one pencil tucked behind and one notebook. That is all they need for the whole day, and they start every sentence with, "Dude, bro..." I swear they exist. Saturday night I was out in the Foggy Bottom area and as I looked around I noticed every guy was wearing nice jeans with a button down shirt, most likely pin-striped, and loafers. Seriously.

I am curious to see what coast I end up liking more, fashion wise that is. I am already sick of the Button Down Bros., but, hey, at least they put a little more effort into their ensembles than the Dude Bros.