WWD WHAT’S HOT GIRL POWER REED KRAKOFF FASHION WATCHES ALTERNATIVE SNAKE SENSIBLE SHOES BRAZIL CHIC AND SIZZLING
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From left: Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci’s stamped calf-leather clutch; Celine’s python clutch; Smythson’s printed calf-leather clutch; Ralph Lauren’s python and metal clutch.
DEPARTMENTS FEATURES 8 WHWHAT’S SELLING NOW 16 SOCIAL CIRCLE 20 GIRL POWER 35 EASY CHAIR Top performers at key stores Top designers reveal their Women designers are making For the creator of and sites around the globe. personalities through rising strides with glamorous, luxe labels. China’s first homegrown social-media Web sites designer eyewear brand, 10 F FLYING HIGH Instagram and Pinterest. 26 FACE VALUE CE VALUE slow and steady does Luxury retail at international For the designer-watch boom, the job. 18 ITIT’S A KEEPER it’s all about how you look. airports is, ahem, taking off. Lanvin’s Alber Elbaz 36 REED ALL ABOUT IT informs fashion with 28 BRAZIL AZIL Just two years in and the 12 BRIAN’S BIG DRAWIAN’S The home of Corcovado, Brian Atwood gets set function. Reed Krakoff label is one Bossa Nova and Gisele is hot accessories ticket. to open a store on emerging as a luxury force. Madison Avenue. 40 FLAT!OUT CHIC 32 TIPPING THE SCALES 14 ROMANCING THE PITCH Designers take the Python is not the only comfort trail for resort. Advertisers finesse the art snake in the game. of enticement. 42 IN BLOOM 34 THE QUEEN’S BAGS Fabulous florals abound. A venerable house has a spotlight COVER on its pocketbooks. From top: Jay Carlile’s brooch made with black opal, tsavorite garnets, diamonds, sapphires and amethysts in 18-karat white gold; Jimmy Choo’s water-snake sandal; Judith Leiber’s Swarovski Elements clutch. PHOTO BY DAVID SAWYER; STYLED BY ROXANNE ROBINSON-ESCRIOUT; PROP STYLIST: DEREK ELLIS FOR LINKNYLA.COM TABLE OF CONTENTS PHOTO BY FRANCK MURA; STYLED BY LAURENT FOLCHER
WWD AND WWDACCESSORY ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OF ADVANCE MAGAZINE PUBLISHERS INC. COPYRIGHT ©2012 FAIRCHILD FASHION MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. VOLUME 204, NO. 31. SUNDAY, AUGUST 12, 2012. WWD (ISSN 0149–5380) is published daily (except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, with one additional issue in May, June, October and December, and two additional issues in February, March, April, August, September and November) by Fairchild Fashion Media, which is a division of Advance Magazine Publishers Inc. PRINCIPAL OFFICE: 750 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017. Shared Services provided by Condé Nast: S.I. Newhouse, Jr., Chairman; Charles H. Townsend, Chief Executive Officer; Robert A. Sauerberg Jr., President; John W. Bellando, Chief Operating Officer & Chief Financial Officer; Jill Bright, Chief Administrative Officer. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and at additional mailing offices. Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40644503. Canadian Goods and Services Tax Registration No. 886549096-RT0001. Canada Post: return undeliver- able Canadian addresses to P.O. Box 503, RPO West Beaver Cre, Rich-Hill, ON L4B 4R6. POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY, P.O. Box 15008, North Hollywood, CA 91615 5008. FOR SUBSCRIPTIONS, ADDRESS CHANGES, ADJUSTMENTS, OR BACK ISSUE INQUIRIES: Please write to WWD, P.O. Box 15008, North Hollywood, CA 91615-5008, call 800-289-0273, or visit www.subnow.com/wd. Please give both new and old addresses as printed on most recent label. For New York Hand Delivery Service address changes or inquiries, please contact Mitchell’s NY at 1-800-662-2275, option 7. Subscribers: If the Post Office alerts us that your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address within one year. If during your subscription term or up to one year after the magazine becomes undeliverable, you are ever dissatisfied with your subscription, let us know. You will receive a full refund on all unmailed issues. First copy of new subscription will be mailed within four weeks after receipt of order. Address all editorial, business, and production correspondence to WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY, 750 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017. For permissions requests, please call 212-630-5656 or fax the request to 212-630-5883. For all request for reprints of articles please contact The YGS Group at [email protected], or call 800-501-9571. Visit us online at www.wwd. com. To subscribe to other Fairchild Fashion Media magazines on the World Wide Web, visit www.fairchildpub.com. Occasionally, we make our subscriber list available to carefully screened companies that offer products and services that we believe would interest our readers. If you do not want to receive these offers and/or information, please advise us at P.O. Box 15008, North Hollywood, CA 91615-5008 or call 800-289-0273. WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RETURN OR LOSS OF, OR FOR DAMAGE OR ANY OTHER INJURY TO, UNSOLICITED MANUSCRIPTS, UNSOLICITED ART WORK (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, DRAWINGS, PHOTOGRAPHS, AND TRANSPARENCIES), OR ANY OTHER UNSOLICITED MATERIALS. THOSE SUBMITTING MANUSCRIPTS, PHOTOGRAPHS, ART WORK, OR OTHER MATERIALS FOR CONSIDERATION SHOULD NOT SEND ORIGINALS, UNLESS SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED TO DO SO BY WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY IN WRITING. MANUSCRIPTS, PHOTOGRAPHS, AND OTHER MATERIALS SUBMITTED MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY A SELF-ADDRESSED STAMPED ENVELOPE.
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ADVERTISING Paul Jowdy, VICE PRESIDENT, PUBLISHER EDITOR IN CHIEF Pamela Firestone, ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER; Jennifer Marder, ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Edward Nardoza Pamela Daniels, PUBLISHER, BEAUTY INC; Joel Fertel, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, INNERWEAR/LEGWEAR/TEXTILE Brett Mitchell, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MEN’S INTERNATIONAL FASHION EXECUTIVE EDITOR Ellie Ghadimi, LUXURY DIRECTOR, FINE JEWELRY & WATCHES Bridget Foley Nancy Gutman, FASHION & RETAIL MANAGER; Holland Casey, JUNIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER
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Delfina Chan Delettrez’s and m SELLING silver, gold- (Berg plated silver, pearl and enamel ear- rings, $975 NOW (Yoox.com). Top performers at key stores and sites around the globe.
Ippolita’s Riviera BY TAYLOR HARRIS 18-karat gold, turquoise, lapis, IT’S A TOPIC THAT always matters. WWD polled 18 top multi- Avec Moderation’s mother-of-pearl, brand retailers for their current bestsellers across accessory catego- leather and pony- chrysoprase and ries. As expected, function proved paramount. hair loafer, 225 agate earrings, $4,250 euros (Banner). (Neiman Marcus). Comfort and sensibility continue to be a draw for shoe shoppers. Flats dominated the footwear results, with Alexander McQueen’s Leather Skull Charm flats and Sequin Skull smoking slippers going Bottega Veneta’s strong at Lane Crawford, and Sam Edelman’s Aster loafer perform- Intrecciato leather ing at Bloomingdale’s. Moto boots also remain a fall staple, with shoulder bag, $1,530 Jimmy Choo’s Biker boots making both Net-a-porter’s and Tokyo’s Sveva C (Net-a-porter.com). Isetan’s lists. Chic sneakers, like Balenciaga’s Resille Low Trainers Elemen and Isabel Marant’s Bekket high-tops, are also gaining traction.
“Every season there’s a piece that defines how we want to dress. There’s no doubt that Isabel Marant’s high-tops are the chosen ones for this summer,” says Helen Attwood, buying manager for shoes at Selfridges. “High street is awash with replicas. Women can’t get enough of them.” Handbags also veered pragmatic, with satchels, including Proenza Schouler’s PS1, and totes, such as Mulberry’s Del Rey, taking the lead for day. For evening: assorted styles of Alexander McQueen’s minaudières, which made the ranks on Neiman Marcus’, Lane Crawford’s and Saks’ lists. Proenza Schouler’s PS1 Isabel Marant’s suede handbag, leather and 14,500 Hong suede high-top, Kong dollars 400 pounds (Lane Crawford). (Selfridges). MARKET ASSISTANT: VINCE LARUBINA ASSISTANT: MARKET
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Be&D’s canvas, leather and grosgrain sneakers, 120 pounds (Harvey Nichols).
Chanel’s Boy patent calfskin and metal handbag, $6,900 (Bergdorf Goodman).
Simone Rocha’s cotton collar, $216 (Thecorner .com).
Shamballa’s 18-karat yellow gold, peach Pomellato’s 18- moonstone karat rose gold, and brown faceted amethyst, diamond Madera quartz, prasiolite, bracelet, London blue topaz and 5,700 euros lemon quartz rings, 2,000 Sveva Collection’s Sinfonia brass and Swarovski (Montaigne pounds (Liberty). Elements necklace, 340 euros (Biffi). Market).
Miu Miu’s suede shoes, $595 Alexander McQueen’s Giuseppe Zanotti Design’s velvet and (Bloomingdale’s). leather and brass Swarovski-crystal slipper, clutch, $1,995 7,490 Hong Kong dollars (Saks Fifth Avenue). (Lane Crawford).
Gucci’s Soho leather handbag, 185,000 yen (Isetan). Balenciaga by Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghes- Nicolas Ghesquière’s quière’s Giant 12 City Arena calfskin and water- lambskin handbag, $1,895 snake sneaker, $595 (La Rinascente). (Barneys New York).
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Airport and Heathrow outperform Big designer business at airports isn’t just pie-in-the-sky. the company average. The brands tend to carry a mix of the current season’s merchandise as well as classic items and bestsellers. At Mulberry, about 55 percent of the merchandise is seasonless and 45 percent is from the current season. The Bayswater bag, a hero product for Mulberry, is also a bestseller at the MAGES
I airport. Harrods’ shops at Heathrow carry current-season merchandise, ETTY ETTY G including cruise collections from brands such as Ralph Lauren, Roberto Cavalli, Jimmy Choo and Salvatore Ferragamo,
ARTNER-IMAGES/ and the store also creates capsule P collections for specific destinations. “This season, sun-seekers heading to Saint-Tropez have sought out caftans PHOTO BY ART BY PHOTO and bikinis from Pucci, Missoni Swim the future this will be all the more and Melissa Odabash, yet we still so—terrific international windows offer cashmere jumpers, luxurious for boosting brands’ awareness scarves and leather gloves to keep Flying High worldwide,” says Sabine Fagan, warm and stylish in Aspen,” said a Luxury retail at international airports is, ahem, taking off. executive vice president of purchasing spokeswoman for the store, adding for Aelia, the central buying unit for that other customers use Harrods’ By BY SAMANTHA CONTI the duty-free activities of Lagardère Appointment personal shopping service Services Travel Retail, which operates at the store’s Terminal 5 boutique. nyone who’s ever been stuck airport retail,” says Nick Roberts, airport retail in more than 20 And while the actual merchandise in a small European airport retail director of Mulberry, which has countries worldwide, including Paris- is similar to what customers would with nothing on offer but operated multiple stores at Heathrow Charles de Gaulle. find in town, brands will often tweak sticksA of Toblerone, souvenir key for the past 15 years. “We’ll open a Roberts says the Mulberry stores the mix to suit the needs of consumers chains, cheap sunglasses and dusty unit in Frankfurt in October, and in the four Heathrow terminals see in certain terminals. “We have to jars of the local olive pâté must, at we’re looking at airports in Munich, a total of 4,000 people each day adapt the offer and sizes to passenger some point, have felt the pain of a Zurich, Amsterdam and L.A., which walking through their doors—which profiles,” says Fagan of Lagardère. The pent-up desire to shop—properly. are all aiming to bring in luxury outstrips footfall at the brand’s Bond offer between two terminals in Paris Magazines, gum and a box of choco- names. All of them are looking at Street flagship. The average spend per can be radically different.” lates don’t often cut it when a traveler the growth in luxury spending and customer is the same as Bond Street, L.K. Bennett is a case in point: It has time, money and the feeling of reviewing their retail portfolios.” although the prices are 20 percent says that suits and closed court shoes exhilaration and endless possibility This year, Hudson Group kicked off lower. BAA, the airport operator perform best at Heathrow Terminal that departure areas often impart. a new retail project at JFK Terminal 1, that runs Heathrow, asks its retailers 1, which caters to the international But the sleepy airport retail floor opening stores including Michael Kors, to shave at least 15 percent off the business traveler, while fashion could soon be headed the way of Juicy Couture and Victoria’s Secret, current retail price of its merchandise pieces and four-inch-plus heels are the twin-prop engine and the in- all of which have a heavy accessories as a perk for airport shoppers. In tops at Terminal 4, which caters to a flight smoking section. While some focus. In July, Lagardère Services Travel some cases, prices are 40 percent less broader passenger base. of the world’s biggest airports— Retail, a division of Lagardère Services than they would be on high street. According to Muriel Zingraff, including London’s Heathrow, Group, unveiled the final additions Mulberry’s shops at Terminals retail concession director for Dubai International, Hong Kong to its 24,000-square-foot, high-end 3 and 5 are among the brand’s top Heathrow, Prada’s shop at Terminal International and Singapore’s retail space at Paris-Charles de Gaulle. five stores worldwide in terms of 5 is the brand’s second-biggest U.K. Changi—might already be famous for It includes a department store, a gross sales. “We treat the stores like concession after Harrods. “Ten years their luxury retail offer, other airports, multi-brand fashion concept store and flagships, and we consider them our ago, it wasn’t even the case that large and small, are rapidly upping L’Avenue, a “street” of more than 15 windows on the world,” says Roberts Prada, Miu Miu and Burberry were their game in order to captivate luxury boutiques, including Hermès, of the Mulberry units, which have an in airports,” says Zingraff. “Today, it’s what is already a captive audience: Bottega Veneta, Tod’s and Burberry. average size of 600 square feet. part of a brand’s strategy to be there.” They’re out to exploit the boom in Heathrow, meanwhile, is building a new Mulberry isn’t alone in striking A study issued in July by Generation luxury accessories sales, to cater to the and expanded Terminal 2, which will gold on the airport shop floor. For Research, which tracks the travel-retail 1. RALPH LAUREN COLLECTION suede boot, $650, at ralphlauren.com / 2. ANNA SUI leather and metal bag, $770, at Anna Sui, New York (212.941.8406)/ 3. VIA SPIGA leather and metal Andes boot, $275, at select Nordstrom stores (888.628.6060) and nordstrom. com / 4. RALPH LAUREN COLLECTION suede boot, $650, at ralphlauren.com / 5. ANNA SUI leather and metal bag, $770, at diverse needs of travelers, especially have a heavy focus on fashion brands. the past five years, Bally has notched market, revealed that global luxury Anna Sui, New York (212.941.8406)/ 6. VIA SPIGA leather and metal Andes boot, $275, at select Nordstrom stores (888.628.6060) and nordstrom. com / 7. RALPH LAUREN COLLECTION suede the Chinese tourist, and to fulfill—and That opening is set to begin in the double-digit growth from its 120 sales in airport duty-free outlets will boot, $650, at ralphlauren.com / 8. ANNA SUI leather and metal bag, $770, at Anna Sui, New York (212.941.8406)/ 9. VIA SPIGA leather and metal Andes boot, $275, at select Nordstrom stores create—the desire to shop. second half of 2013 and finish in 2019. airport shops worldwide, while L.K. grow 25 percent in the next two years (888.628.6060) and nordstrom. com / 10. RALPH LAUREN COLLECTION suede boot, $650, at ralphlauren.com / 11. ANNA SUI leather and metal bag, $770, at Anna Sui, New York (212.941.8406) “Gone are the days of grubby “Airports are already—and in Bennett says its shops at Dublin to reach $44.5 billion. In March,
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Heathrow saw overall luxury-goods who would be shopping downtown, Gabbana is making its first foray into and gifting. As a result, they are sales increase 8.8 percent to 1.7 billion while Bally notes that its consumers airport retail this summer, with a more demanding, and they expect a pounds, or $2.67 billion at current are generally Asians, who typically shop at Heathrow’s Terminal 5. genuine shopping experience.” exchange, year-on-year. spend an average of $500 to $1,000 To further its retail proposition, Zingraff would agree: “Leisure Zingraff says a major driver behind on large leather goods with the Heathrow plans to launch a personal- passengers and families sometimes the sales boom is—not surprisingly— brand’s signature red-and-white shopping service for its VIP clients plan to make purchases at the airport, the Chinese customer. “Their level of stripe. Bally’s retail sites within by 2014. Clients can phone ahead or they impulse buy, which is why we spending dwarfs everyone else’s. They Asian airports including China, to book an appointment and make want to create areas that surprise and represent 1.7 percent of all passenger Hong Kong, Macau and Singapore the most of what Zingraff refers to delight. The business passenger tends numbers at Heathrow, and are are top performers. The brand plans as “dwell time” before the flight. to make planned purchases, especially responsible for 8 percent of turnover.” to continue expanding its retail Heathrow already offers multilingual in jewelry.” And the discounts at She notes that some brands, such presence in airports in Southeast personal assistants to shoppers Heathrow would also be an incentive as Bulgari, have developed special Asia, and to open sites in South uncomfortable with English. “Our for big-ticket items. products aimed at Far Eastern America and Russia. main objective as retailers is to create The Heathrow exec adds that the customers in particular, such as Over the past few years, the bigger a passenger experience,” says Zingraff. lack of doors in the shops is also watches with a cherry-blossom airports have become increasingly “We encourage the brands to be enticing. “The fact that there are no design on the dial, which she said aggressive in building spaces to creative, and we want the customers doors has a huge impact on impulse “regularly sell out” at Terminals 3 lure the luxury brands—and their to plan to come to Heathrow early so buying,” she says. “People feel freer.” and 5. These terminals serve flights customers. “We’re behaving much they can experience the brands.” She Another type of airport consumer to and from the Middle East, Russia, more like retailers than landlords notes that Heathrow regularly quizzes is the cash-rich, time-poor, hyper- Nigeria and the Far East. today,” says Heathrow’s Zingraff. “It’s its passengers about their thoughts on organized sort who orders his or her Fagan says growth at airports is a concession model—much like what shopping and brands: “We have an items in advance. “We have people being driven by “new high-spending you would see at Selfridges—and we amazing passenger profile, and there calling up and asking us to put products customers from Asia, Russia and share the revenue with the brands.” is so much information that has not on hold, and they pick it up when Brazil. The highest spend per head in Zingraff adds that Heathrow been leveraged.” they arrive,” says Mulberry’s Roberts. fashion accessories is by the Chinese, thinks more like a brand partner Fagan of Lagardère believes the “Other passengers—even if they have the Japanese and, depending on the than, say, a shopping-mall operator. airport customer is a different animal 45 minutes to spare—will use the time brand, Koreans, and people from the To wit, Heathrow and Mulberry from the downtown one, and needs in the airport to treat themselves.” Middle East.” collaborated an exclusive, bright pink to be treated as such. “Aside from Harrods is witnessing a similar trend. She adds that beauty—especially limited-edition shoulder bag last the clear price advantage when “Particularly at Terminals 3 and 5, fragrances—remains by far the year that customers were able to buy buying duty free, many customers we see returning customers set aside number-one-selling category at and set aside before they arrived at find it much less intimidating to time before their flights to enjoy the the airports with which she works. the airport. “People are looking for buy at the airport than on the high shopping experience. We offer a reserve- “Fashion is number two, with things that are different, something street, because most shops have and-collect service that is particularly watches and leather goods being they can’t find elsewhere, and the an open front and offer easy access popular for fine jewelry items and the biggest sellers, especially among bag was unique to Heathrow,” she to products. According to all our watch brands such as Cartier,” said the Chinese customers.” notes. Going forward, “We want to be passenger surveys, customers are Harrods spokeswoman, adding that Roberts says Mulberry tends to considered a place to launch limited- often in a different mind-set when those particular customers might not see a broad-based international edition, special and new products.” they travel; more open to discovery have had time to visit the Knightsbridge clientele, similar to the customers Speaking of launches, Dolce & and more open to self-indulgence store during their trip to London. Brian’s Big Draw
“IT’S A HUGE STEP,” says Brian Atwood. “When you have your own store, people can experience every detail of your vision—what it looks like, what it smells like, what people in the store are dressed like.” Atwood, who launched his brand in 2001 and sold the company to The Jones Group this summer, will open a 1,500-square-foot space, strategically A rendering of Brian Atwood’s located across the street from Barneys New York, Madison Avenue shop. in September, just in time for New York Fashion Week. The boutique will house about 30 exclusive tine marble on the floor and entrance archway, displays to flank the front door. 1. RALPH LAUREN COLLECTION suede boot, $650, at ralphlauren.com / 2. ANNA SUI leather and metal bag, $770, at Anna Sui, New York (212.941.8406)/ 3. VIA SPIGA leather and metal Andes boot, $275, at select Nordstrom stores (888.628.6060) and nordstrom. com / 4. RALPH LAUREN COLLECTION suede boot, $650, at ralphlauren.com / 5. ANNA SUI leather and metal bag, $770, at styles from the designer’s main collection, as well as silk upholstered walls and other elements, like “I wanted the store to be the chicest luxury haven, Anna Sui, New York (212.941.8406)/ 6. VIA SPIGA leather and metal Andes boot, $275, at select Nordstrom stores (888.628.6060) and nordstrom. com / 7. RALPH LAUREN COLLECTION suede the contemporary B Brian Atwood line. His newest starburst and palm-motif plaster torchiere light where beauty encompasses you from the moment boot, $650, at ralphlauren.com / 8. ANNA SUI leather and metal bag, $770, at Anna Sui, New York (212.941.8406)/ 9. VIA SPIGA leather and metal Andes boot, $275, at select Nordstrom stores category, handbags, will also get major play. columns. Architect and interior designer William you walk in,” says Atwood, “like a Fabergé egg.” (888.628.6060) and nordstrom. com / 10. RALPH LAUREN COLLECTION suede boot, $650, at ralphlauren.com / 11. ANNA SUI leather and metal bag, $770, at Anna Sui, New York (212.941.8406) The store will radiate luxury, featuring Floren- Sofield even created stiletto-shaped window —KATIE ABEL
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ROMANCING THE PITCH Advertisers finesse the art of enticement. BY LUISA ZARGANI
A still from Dior’s “Lady Dior, A Web Documentary” series starring Marion Cotillard.
very picture—and ad International fashion brands have vie to capitalize on this hot category. Armando Branchini, executive campaign—tells a story. increasingly been experimenting According to a study by Bain & Co. director of Fondazione Altagamma, Gone are the days when with new media and investing in and Italy’s luxury goods association said that hard luxury and Ea close-up of a luxe handbag on a dedicated campaigns to highlight and Fondazione Altagamma, presented accessories are expected to grow white background sufficed to make promote their accessories collections, in May in Milan, sales of luxury 10 percent in 2012, and apparel is a campaign interesting enough to aimed at fashion-savvy consumers goods are expected to rise between forecast to gain 6.5 percent. whet dreamers’ appetites. who are also accustomed to all things 7 and 9 percent from 2011 to 2014, A pioneer in innovative Storytelling has become a priority, digital. Highly visual imagery and reaching between 235 billion and communication, Prada launched whether via tantalizing videos, finely tuned creativity are tools that 240 billion euros ($290.6 billion and the Yo-Yo Bag project for fall 2010, employing Hollywood stars or using help a campaign stand out in an $297 billion), driven by accessories asking eight Japanese film students fictional characters. overcrowded market as companies and hard luxury. to interpret the brand’s accessory in
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off into a magical world of swirling alphabet blocks, backpack snap hooks, crocodile mini-bags, saffiano trolleys and spinning parchment suitcases, dodging obstacles as they approach the figurative princess: a curvy pair of white shades for women. For the first time, Prada drew inspiration from the world of video games for a movie. Dior continues its love affair with the moving image as a major communications strategy for accessories, with a new series of seven online Lady Dior movies—this time falling into the documentary genre—set to launch this fall. Rachel Weisz in Bulgari’s campaign. From 2009 to 2010, the house tapped a run of bigwig directors, including Olivier Dahan and David hammering and stitching the hides. Lynch, to direct chapters of its mini- But Della Valle has also been movie saga dedicated to its iconic tapping into Hollywood to highlight Lady Dior handbag, each starring the launch of the brand’s Signature brand ambassador Marion Cotillard. Collection—a line of accessories with Next up, starting Sept. 3, the distinctive reliefs, a diamond-and- house plans to launch its “Lady Dior, circle motif reminiscent of the brand’s a Web Documentary” series on its classic gommino, or pebble sole of site, diormag.com, geared to depict the driving shoes. The entrepreneur Cotillard’s adventures with the house asked Oscar-nominated actress Anne over the years. The actress can be Hathaway to front the campaign, first seen getting ready for the Met Ball, for fall 2011 and then for spring 2012. signing autographs at the Cannes It was photographed by Mert Alas Stella Tennant in Givenchy’s International Film Festival and and Marcus Piggott. “making of” visiting the house’s couture atelier to For fall 2011, Della Valle turned video for fall. watch a dress commission being made. to actor Stephen Dorff for the Other recent initiatives by Dior Hogan brand, also under the Tod’s goddess,” according to the firm. include the 3-D-animated short umbrella. For the campaign, Dorff The ads focus on the latest Bulgari film, “Mise en Dior,” which Camille channeled Steve McQueen and was Serpenti collection of wraparound Miceli, the house’s creative director photographed in Rome’s storied bracelets, rings and watches in of accessories, released on dior.com Cinecittà Studios. single, double or triple coils— last October. The film depicted a Bulgari tapped into Hollywood reminiscent of the snake—in white, Dior pearl pinging around a virtual royalty, with Isabella Rossellini yellow or pink gold glittering with ultramodern pinball machine to an fronting its ads for the first time, diamonds, or mixed with precious electro remix of Mozart, zipping into promoting the house’s new Isabella stones and colored gemstones. signature pieces from the brand, Rossellini bags for fall and spring. British brands love a bit of fanfare including the Bar jacket, Lady Dior, Photographed by Annie Leibovitz, the when it comes to showcasing their J’adore and Rouge Addict. images are inspired by the work of accessories. Brands such as Jimmy the form of a short film. The result is a To underscore Tod’s British painter Meredith Frampton, Choo, Mulberry and L.K. Bennett powerful mix of animation, narrative craftsmanship, chairman and chief known for his neorealist and slightly use their accessories as props in and abstract short films, whether executive officer Diego Della Valle surrealist portraits and still lifes. larger narratives, treating their surreal, humorous or symbolic. joined forces with storied theater Bulgari also worked with Leibovitz campaigns as a tightly controlled Marking the arrival of Prada’s first La Scala in 2010 for the production for its Serpenti campaign, due to bow exercise in product placement. folding glasses this year, the company of a short film called “An Italian in September, starring Rachel Weisz as Mulberry’s fall effort is a cross launched a project called “Folding in Dream,” which traveled globally. In a latter-day Cleopatra. Serpenti, which between the Muppets and Grimm’s Love,” a video directed by Giuliano the film, 13 La Scala ballet dancers means “snakes” in Italian, are seen as Fairy Tales. It stars two big white furry Federico and Marco Braga from the reinterpret some of the steps that symbols of power and mystery, and beasts hamming it up alongside model Milan-based studio Modecracy. It’s go into making a Tod’s pebble- Weisz as the iconic Queen of Egypt Lindsey Wixson, who wears looks a fantasy feast, as the glasses blast soled moccasin, such as cutting, is “personified as a modern living from the fall collection and carries—at
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Z$&DD $'B62&,$/ LQGG 30 S fo d a W 16 | Marketing/Media la o fo w action eventually leads to an increase An Instagram Alejandro Dannijo jewelry shot of Rebecca Ingelmo on Instagram. in both Web site traffic and pur- Minkoff shoes chases, according to brand cofounder and bag. and creative director Danielle Snyder. “Pinterest provides a place for users to experience our brand on their own terms,” she said. “It allows users to connect with the content we’re put- ting out there and take control of it for inspiration in their daily lives.” Rebecca Minkoff also views Pinter- est as a way to expand her business, specifically with the click-through rate on product. “Pinterest allows us for our product, and we’re really into to tell a story through product and that as a brand,” added Bendet. inspirational images, which allows Alejandro Ingelmo approaches his our consumers to understand more Social Circle Instagram account in a similar fashion, about who we are as a brand,” says A new window to designers’ souls. on a personal level. Through the site, he Minkoff. She notes that when she showcases the design process and even posted a photo of her Bettina sandal BY KRISTEN HENNING the CrossFit workout events he’s been on Instagram, the product sold out attending. No wonder, then, that by online in less than two weeks. SHOW-AND-TELL used to be just positive feedback, decided to stick revealing his personality and product, Overall, the photography focus on for kids. Now it’s in fashion. Top de- with that style. sales have risen. Bruno Alves, store both sites is key. signers are revealing their personali- For Alice + Olivia designer Stacey manager at Ingelmo’s New York loca- The sites “provide constant visual ties through rising social-media Web Bendet, Instagram provides a strong tion, has received requests for specific stimulation, which is something we’re sites Instagram and Pinterest. opportunity to showcase her voice shoes that consumers saw posted on noticing users demand right now,” “Instagram allows our fans of the and favorite sources of inspiration. “I Instagram. The company estimates says Snyder. “And despite being so label to see the casual and spontane- think of Instagram as a true extension about a 10 percent sales increase be- content-driven, they actually take the ous side of the designer’s life,” says of my eyes and what we’re seeing and cause of the site. “We Instagram a lot of pressure off the user to be so active.” footwear designer Jerome Rousseau, being inspired by,” says Bendet, who pictures in the store, showing new ar- Snyder illustrates that although who let consumers into his life by recently cracked the 60,000-follow- rivals and customers wearing the shoes many users do comment on Insta- posting a recent photo of himself at ers mark on the site and posts several in different ways,” said Ingelmo. “We’ve gram, they don’t have to. Users enjoy a concert in Los Angeles. “It’s very times throughout the day. “It lets our had customers come in to buy a shoe that they can just search through the new and exciting, and it has really customers and the world see things they saw on Instagram and told us they photos and get a better feel for the captured the excitement that Face- through my eyes.” Bendet notes that in were planning to replicate the entire designers’ personal lives. book used to have.” Rousseau posts addition to street photography, she also look. It’s a very interesting way to sell.” So how big of a business can both on Instagram about six times a week, posts product shots to test consumer Designers are fans of Pinterest, sites become for fashion? The op- and recently turned to it for con- reaction. For example, the designer too, particularly its position as a portunities are endless, designers sumer opinion on stiletto heights for recently revealed a photo of a footwear shopping platform. maintain. “The sites have a great spring. For instance, Jerome posted look and received more than 1,000 For Dannijo, the site acts as a way future,” says Rousseau. “They have a photo of just one heel height—115 likes, confirming she was on trend. “We to keep track of consumers who fre- definitely made my consumers pay millimeters—and after receiving always notice a huge amount of interest quently pin brand product. The inter- attention, which is priceless.”
by Terry Richardson and inspired follow-up sunglasses campaign— Romancing the Pitch by late-Sixties incarnations of Mick featuring Gisele Bündchen—will be Jagger and Marianne Faithfull. The released for next spring. various points during her trek through interpretation of dreams and fears,” campaign, featuring models Querelle Another first: Givenchy included the forest—the Del Rey, Maisie and says Ronnie Cooke Newhouse, the Jansen and Jonas Kessler, was shot accessories in the “making of” the new embellished Alexa bags. campaign’s art director. Walker adds, in the plush, butterscotch-colored video for fall 2012, which is the Shot by Tim Walker in Blackheath “Ever since I was a little boy, I hoped backseat of the luxury motorcar, first video to screen on the house’s Forest in Surrey, England, the to see a monster in the woods. Now, from the perspective of an outsider— newly launched YouTube channel. campaign was inspired by creative we all get to.” or paparazzo—looking in. Givenchy’s videos typically focus on director Emma Hill’s themes of dark Meanwhile, Jimmy Choo has For the first time, Givenchy the casting and the clothes. fairy tales and fantasy travels. House slipped into the backseat of an created a separate campaign for —WITH CONTRIBUTIONS + Holme provided the art direction. antique Rolls-Royce Phantom V for fall specifically dedicated to optical FROM SAMANTHA CONTI, LONDON, “The campaign is an its latest campaign, which was shot frames; it stars Stella Tennant. A AND KATYA FOREMAN, PARIS
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Z$&DD $'B62&,$/ LQGG 30 JEWELRY
Jewelry Showroom 29 West 35th Street, 4th Floor 212.868.2770 BCBGENERATION.COM Alber Elbaz takes a crash course
in creating new bags. By 18 | Design Katya Fore- It’s a Keeper man Lanvin’s Elbaz informs fashion with function. BY KATYA FOREMAN
FOR ALBER ELBAZ, it was an Key to that approach: intense focus impromptu focus group. Waiting in on existing designs. “What I’ve tried line for two hours to service his dead to do is look at things I’ve done for a cell phone at French mobile giant long time and perfect them. I wanted SFR’s Champs-Elysées flagship gave to update them, to say maybe now we Lanvin’s creative director what he need a bit more volume on that bag, calls a “master class in enlightening or a washed leather, or a lighter fab- my vision of the bag.” ric,” says Elbaz. “After so many years, I Elbaz and Lanvin are heightening thought I would go back to it, look at their focus on accessories, studiously it from a different perspective.” polishing their range to better mir- Lanvin’s pre-spring handbag col- ror the clothing line. lection includes a new take on the Recalling his day at the phone Partition bag, with a vintage-style store, “I think [service] was at tourniquet clasp, a deep pocket at the number 121, and my number was, back and a long mirror tag backed like, 216, so I knew I had hours to with Lanvin’s mother-daughter logo. kill. [Typically] you just go from the There’s also a fresh version of the office to the studio, from the studio Happy bag, interpreted in a range The Lucite and wood Piano clutches; embroidered Sea Breeze clutches. to vacation, from vacation back to of sorbet and neutral shades, with a a fitting. I went to SFR and, for two new flat base sitting and additional hours, I just looked at people,” says interior compartments. the Happy bag in different sizes, handbags and shoes took a leap at its Elbaz, noting he observed a parade of Two leather handles replace keeping the DNA but working on Paris flagship once those categories people of all types and ages sporting the old chains, and there’s a long different weights of quilted fabrics were given more prominent exposure: all variety of bags, carried in myriad detachable shoulder strap. The to be a bit lighter. Then I wanted a the former on the main floor and the ways. “I think that is the essence of updated Happy Plenty day bag has a small style just big enough to hold latter on the second floor. design—to go from the emotional to single short handle and a wide bowl- a mobile phone, all these kind of Elbaz has just finished working the rational, and to mix them both.” ing-bag-style shape. “We worked things,” notes Elbaz. on his spring bag collection, which While clothes remain his first he promises will be well-represented love, the designer—along with on the runway. The new run of arm The new Partition Lanvin’s top brass—is conscious of candy will enjoy a strong presence on and Mini Pop bags. the importance of bags and other the runway. As for Lanvin’s current accessories as a vital and growing fall ad campaign, it is loaded with business. Hence, explains Thierry bags and shoes—reality about the Andretta, the house’s executive vice designer, a fashion purist at heart, president, there’s a drive to “make is clearly conflicted. “I don’t think all accessories as recognizable as I could have put more bags in the Elbaz’s inimitable fashions.” Acces- campaign. Every photo had between sories already account for about half eight and 14 bags,” Elbaz he says, re- of the women’s business at whole- peating his concern that fashion “is sale. Andretta stresses that ready- turning into a bag industry. “I’m not to-wear is to remain the core and saying it’s good. I’m not saying it’s biggest individual category, at 40 bad. But there is much more to fash- percent of sales, for the Paris-based ion than a strap and a pocket. There fashion house. Handbags will be ap- is a dream that I want to maintain. proximately 25 to 30 percent, shows There is story, there is luxury, about 20 to 25 percent, and other “I love doing clothes and touching accessory product about 10 percent. women, and loving them with two, OYADJIAN To that end, Lanvin is heightening three or 10 meters of silk—and,” Elbaz B the visibility of accessories in its com- adds, “the accessories go with that.” munications and in-store presenta- —WITH CONTRIBUTIONS tion. Andretta notes that sales of FROM MILES SOCHA PHOTOS BY FREDERIC BY PHOTOS
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Z$&DD /$19,1 LQGG 30 CRIMZON ROSE ANNOUNCES THE LAUNCH OF THE
JEWELRY COLLECTION SPRING 2013
Jessie L. Rosa | [email protected] | 401.262.9805 WHAT’S
HOTAccessories, of course. Among the factors fueling the fire: Brazil fever, fashion watches and a new generation of shoe designers—women who strut their own stuff.
girl powerBy Regina Smith Popp WOMEN DESIGNERS ARE MAKING STRIDES WITH GLAMOROUS, LUXE LABELS.
PHOTOS BY DAVID SAWYER; STYLED BY ROXANNE ROBINSON"ESCRIOUT; PROP STYLIST: DEREK ELLIS FOR LINKNYLA.COM
Z$&DD *32:(5 LQGG 30 Clockwise from bottom: Aperlai’s patent leather, linen and wood shoe. Laurence Dacade’s napa-leather heel. Aperlai’s python, patent leather and suede stiletto. Tabitha Simmons’ leather heel. Charlotte Olympia’s metallic calfskin heel.
Z$&DD *32:(5 LQGG 30 Ch!rlott" Ol#mpi! $"ll!l girl power Ch!rlott" Ol#mpi! DEBUT: Fall 2009 PRICE: $595 to $1,795 LOOK: “The 1940s and ’50s are a bygone era that I am nostalgic for.” SIGNATURES: Gold spider web on the soles; Dolly, a pump with gold island platform; Kitty, a flat smoking slipper. INSPIRATION: “I am inspired by Old Hollywood glamour. For [resort], I returned to my Brazilian roots to create the spirit of Bahia.” ON SPRING: “Expect a lot of pink.” BACKGROUND: The half-English, half- Brazilian designer graduated from Cordwainers College (at the London College of Fashion) and interned at Giambattista Valli before setting up her company. She began producing a bridal collection following her wedding to Maxim Crewe. BASE: London RUNWAY: Collaborations with Matthew Williamson and Temperley London, fall 2012. WHERE SOLD: Neiman Marcus; Bergdorf Goodman; On Pedder, Hong Kong; Net-a-porter; Harrods, London; Printemps, Paris; Beymen, Istanbul; Charlotte Olympia, London and New York.
Charlotte Olympia’s suede and calfskin pump.
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Z$&DD *32:(5 LQGG 30 !l"##$ndr$ L$nvin !p"rl#i DEBUT: Spring 2011 PRICE: $600 to $1,000 LOOK: “A mix of graphic and pure lines with strong design. Feminine, with an eye for technical detail and comfort.” SIGNATURES: Geisha, a platform pump with resin heel; Gatsby, a ladylike loafer. INSPIRATION: “The exotic world of nature and the Amerindian culture. The Geisha style was inspired by ancient Japanese tradition and the geisha’s elegance. Its graphic resin heel is an ode to Picasso’s Cubism.” ON SPRING: “Spring is about fresh, light shades and a splash of color with silver lining and new tech materials on organic shapes.” BACKGROUND: The half-Italian, half-Turkish Lanvin studied art history and worked as a luxury-sector headhunter before launching Aperlai. The label takes its name from an ancient Lycian city located in southern Turkey. BASE: Paris RUNWAY: Collaboration with Peter Som, fall 2012. WHERE SOLD: Harvey Nichols, U.K.; Luisa Via Roma, Italy; Saks Fifth Avenue; L’Eclaireur, Paris; Opening Ceremony, Tokyo; Quartier 206, Berlin; Sanahunt, Kiev. Aperlai’s python and leather heel.
Z$&DD *32:(5 LQGG 30 Laurence Dacade’s suede boot with girl power metal studs.
L!ur"nc" #!c!d"
DEBUT: Spring 2003 PRICE: $695 to $1,900 LOOK: “My approach is often to counterbalance extremes—pairing girly with forceful details, androgyny with glitter, red carpet with rocker chic.” SIGNATURES: A “beauty mark” on the right heel; the Merli, a studded biker boot. INSPIRATION: “I am inspired by all women. Their style and their attitude.” ON SPRING: “I was inspired by organic elements. Lots of patchwork and distressed materials, such as canvas and leather, as well as lace oxfords, beautiful colored suedes and a continuation of the classics that we do so well with. It is a collection of bold contrasts!” BACKGROUND: Dacade attended AFPIC School of Shoe Design in Paris and worked in apparel design before focusing on footwear. She has worked for Givenchy and Chanel. BASE: Paris RUNWAY: Collaboration with Thakoon, fall 2012. WHERE SOLD: Bergdorf Goodman; Neiman Marcus; Browns, London; Montaigne Market, Paris; Hirshleifers, Manhasset, N.Y.; Isetan, Tokyo.
Tabitha Simmons’ suede heel.
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Z$&DD *32:(5 LQGG 30 !"bith" Simmon#
DEBUT: Fall 2009 PRICE: $495 to $2,295 LOOK: “I try to create beautiful shoes that are timeless and will last for a very long time. I understand the demands of everyday life and hope that my shoes bring a balance of whimsy to the person wearing them.” SIGNATURES: Bailey, a multibuckle sandal; Sally, a lace-up ankle boot with kiltie; Dolly, an espadrille flat with a tie. INSPIRATION: “I always draw inspiration from my English roots. Bunting flags inspired me for the resort 2012 collection, and the Pearly King and Queens were a big inspiration for fall 2012.” ON SPRING: “My spring line includes lots of color and mixed exotics.” BACKGROUND: Simmons has worked as a stylist for Vogue, Alexander McQueen and Dolce & Gabbana, and continues to work as a stylist. She won the BFA’s Emerging Talent in Accessories award in 2011 and the CFDA’s 2012 Swarovski Award for Accessory Design. She is currently a finalist for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund. BASE: New York RUNWAY: Collaborations with Honor and Creatures of the Wind, fall 2012. WHERE SOLD: Barneys New York; Bergdorf Goodman; Neiman Marcus; Nordstrom; Lane Crawford; Saks Fifth Avenue (starting this fall).
Tabitha Simmons’ suede heel.
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Z$&DD *32:(5 LQGG 30 face value
Coach’s rose-gold- plated stainless- steel watch with faceFor the designer-watch boom,value it’s all about how you look rubber strap.
ith the digital age came the obsolescence of the primary function of a watch—no one has to look at her wrist to tell time anymore. WYet lest anyone presume that a decline in sales was inevitable, the fashion-watch sector has been booming for designer houses. From Michael Kors to Calvin Klein to Coach, practically every major label is represented in the category. Those who aren’t are making plans to get in on the action. Tory Burch is reportedly looking into watches, and Karl Lagerfeld will launch them in a licensing deal with Fossil next spring. Defined by materials and price, most fashion watches are Michael Kors’ made from plated metal, with no real gemstones. Some feature stainless-steel Swiss movements, which can increase the price, but typically watch. these retail below $500, with some going up to $900. There’s an aspirational aspect to the category. “The watches are a universal entry point to the brand and help round out our complete lifestyle offering,” says Ulrich Grimm, creative director of Calvin Klein’s men’s and women’s shoes and accessories, which has produced watches under a license with Swatch since 1997. Coach first entered the market in 2010 via a license with Movado and, according to Javan Bunch, Coach’s senior vice president of licensed businesses, there continues to be major opportunity in this arena. “This is a category with great momentum behind it,” says Bunch, noting that Coach’s watches retail from $158 to $398. “In our view, this has been triggered by a shift in perception of watches from timepieces to fashion accessories and jewelry.” For Michael Kors, timepieces are one of his company’s largest licensees. “Watches are a fashion statement these days,” he says. “It’s Marc by Marc Jacobs’ not crazy for someone to own six or seven different styles.” silicone-wrapped rose- Since late 2008, the category has taken off for Kors, which gold-plated stainless- counts 250 stockkeeping units in the collection and sells it in steel watch. 3,000 doors worldwide. The oversize Runway style, in gold and silver, has been a breakout hit for men and women since it launched in fall 2007. “It can be sporty, sexy or elegant, but it’s always a statement piece,” says the designer. Increasingly, customers are buying watches to layer with other bracelets and jewelry—an “arm party,” in the parlance of style blogs. Tom Kennedy, executive vice president of Fossil Brand, reports that the stacked-bracelet trend took off about 18 months ago, and since then watch trends in this price range have turned toward rose gold, yellow gold, leather straps and mixed materials. “If we’d had this conversation two years ago, white watches were driving the market,” says Kennedy. “Now women are using watches to individualize their look.” Still, it’s important for designer labels to stay true to their own aesthetic. “There was a time when if you put out a good watch, the customer was generally accepting of that,” says Steve Woodward, senior vice president of licensed brands and jewelry for Fossil, which produces watches for Burberry, Michael Kors, Emporio Armani and Armani Exchange, Marc by Marc Jacobs and DKNY. “Now, customers really want what they’re buying to tell the story of the brand. “There have been comments about whether people needed to tell time on their wrists, because they have it on their phones, PHOTOS BY DAVID SAWYER; but it’s more about the fashion,” Woodward adds. “With these STYLED BY ROXANNE ROBINSON!ESCRIOUT; watches, it’s the best value in the world, because it’s almost more PROP STYLIST: DEREK ELLIS FOR LINKNYLA.COM
FASHION ASSISTANT: AMANDA ETKIND AMANDA ASSISTANT: FASHION expensive to go out and buy yourself groceries.” —JESSICA IREDALE
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Z$&DD )$6+:$7&+ LQGG 30 Coach’s rose-gold- WHAT’S HOT plated stainless- steel watch with rubber strap.
Burberry’s rose-gold- plated stainless- steel watch.
Armani Exchange’s rose-gold-plated stainless-steel watch with leather strap.
Gucci’s leather Calvin Klein’s and stainless- stainless-steel watch. steel watch.
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Z$&DD )$6+:$7&+ LQGG 30 Diane von Furstenberg’s canvas iPad case; Alexandre Birman’s suede and patent leather shoes.
THE HOME OF CORCOVADO,# BOSSA NOVA AND GISELE IS $EMERGING AS A LUXURY FORCE. BY MARC KARIMZADEH DURING THE OLYMPICS’ OPENING CEREMONY, Case in point, her resort collection. Called “Glamazon,” it Charlotte Olympia shoe designer Charlotte Dellal tweeted includes ankle-strap shoes decorated with metallic swirls !a TV screen shot of Team Brazil just as it was" entering the that mimic the CopacabanaI sidewalk, as wellL as platform stadium. That she is such a fan of the country is no surprise: sandals flaunting flamboyant heels—mini birdcages encasing Her mother, the well-known model Andrea Dellal, is a Rio painted metal parrots. “It’s such a vast country that you can de Janeiro native, and, as a child, the younger Dellal lived in get inspired from so many different things,” Dellal says. “The Brazil’s second-largest city for a few years. people are very inspiring. The music is fantastic, and Carnival These days, Dellal, now based in London, frequently turns is one of my favorite times of the year.” to her “home from home,” as she puts it, for design cues. Dellal is not alone in her love for all things Brazil. If the FASHION ASSISTANT: KELSEY HENSLEY KELSEY ASSISTANT: FASHION
Z$&D%5$=,/ LQGG 30 WHAT’S HOT
From left: Judith Leiber’s Swarovski- crystal parrot clutch; Charlotte Olympia’s suede shoe with Swarovski crystals; Mawi’s acrylic bracelet with glass beads.
PHOTOS BY PASCAL AULAGNER; STYLED BY ROXANNE ROBINSON!ESCRIOUT; PROP STYLIST: ROBERT SUMRELL FASHION ASSISTANT: KELSEY HENSLEY KELSEY ASSISTANT: FASHION
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Z$&D%5$=,/ LQGG 30 country is best known for says. “Our recovery was the Corcovado, “Girl From From top: Alexander fastest in the world, and Ipanema” (cue the “tall and Wang’s leather sandal; that drove the attention of tan and young and lovely”) Rafé’s mother-of-pearl many investors to Brazil, and resin clutch; Diane and Gisele Bündchen, a von Furstenberg’s who, consequently, brought different kind of Brazil is leather clutch; Jimmy money here, allowing now emerging. Fueled by a Choo’s metal and [local] companies to gain boom of both the financial acetate clutch; Dannijo’s in scale and to have the and creative kinds, the stingray necklace. possibility to invest more country is making a real overseas.” impact on the fashion Birman notes that and accessories worlds Southern Brazil’s Vale dos at multiple levels—from Sinos region is the third- serving as a leading design largest shoe-manufacturing and retail inspiration area in the world, with a (even Macy’s held a spring cluster of 20 cities that promotion called “Brasil: boast such centers, from A Magical Journey”) to tanneries to sole producers. becoming an emerging “It was an area colonized market for luxury brands. by Italians and Germans “Brazil is enjoying an and their families after the incredible GDP growth war, and they brought a lot rate,” says Patrizio di Marco, of people that knew about global president and chief shoe manufacturing to the executive officer of Gucci, area,” he says. which has plans to open Shoemaking aside, five stores there by the Birman cites three other end of the year. “You have main reasons why Brazil is a number of high-net- having such a moment: the worth individuals—similar contemporary art scene, to Russia and more than which is thriving with artists India—which says a lot like Adriana Varejão, Beatriz about how important the Milhazes and Vik Muniz; market is. I think we’ll have the 2014 FIFA World Cup more opportunities there.” to be held across multiple Gucci is among the luxury Brazilian cities, and the 2016 brands with outposts in the Summer Olympics in Rio. new JK Iguatemi mall in “Brazil is a buzzword and São Paulo, which opened in buzz place,” says designer July; it unveiled a dedicated Monica Botkier, whose men’s store there, while the resort lineup was inspired brand has two more stores by the idea of chic, exotic offering men’s and women’s travel, and, naturally, Brazil. product in São Paulo, as well “There was always the as one in Brasilia, with a Rio notion of Brazil. Now the opening slated for later this country is catching up to its year. Other brands at the JK own reputation,” she says. Iguatemi include Van Cleef Judith Leiber’s creative & Arpels, Lanvin, Miu Miu, director, Jana Matheson, Bulgari, Prada and Chanel. also looked to the country for resort, most notably with her minaudières, some Robert Burke, of consultancy Robert Burke & Associates, cites the in the shapes of parrots and frogs, and others crystal-embellished to resemble explosion of creativity as a significant reason why the industry is taking palm trees. “We design holiday and resort in the middle of winter, and as I was notice. “Brazil represents a lot of sophistication, which people had working on the collection, I thought, If I were to go out of town, where would underestimated in the U.S. before,” he says. “What fundamentally changed I go?” says Matheson. “If I were to hit a beach, I thought I’d be very happy to there is that it was a country dominated by local brands because of trade be in Brazil, and so I thought about hardware development and beach glass in tariffs, but with Brazil’s economy, the number of ultrarich has grown. They these watery liquid tones.” travel internationally, and their appetite for international brands also grew— Rafé designer Rafé Totengco, meanwhile, was dreaming of a trip to the and so has their ability to buy these brands locally.” Copacabana. His structured mother-of-pearl, resin and stainless-steel Just as international labels are hitting cities like Rio and São Paulo, Brazilian minaudières loosely reference the designs of Brazilian architect Oscar fashion brands, including Melissa, Schutz and Jack Vartanian, are making Niemeyer, while totes are worked in vibrant graphic motifs. “It’s this inroads in the U.S. São Paulo-based shoe designer Alexandre Birman, whose celebration of color, more than anything else,” Totengco says. And, he adds, family owns Arezzo & Co., one of Brazil’s leading women’s shoe companies who can’t use a little Brazil in their lives? “The girls from Ipanema, the boys (as well as the Schutz division), isn’t surprised by the new momentum. “Brazil on the beach, the Fasano [design hotel chain]…how could you not want to be was the first country to really get out of the financial crisis of 2008,” Birman there?” Totengco says. “It’s got rhythm.”
Z$&D%5$=,/ LQGG 30 Charlotte Olympia’s crepe de chine, linen and wood shoe; Gucci’s leather and studded-cork wedge.
Z$&D%5$=,/ LQGG 30 Narciso Rodriguez’s leather, linen WHAT’S HOT and Whipsnake wedge. tipping the scales Python is not the only snake in the game. BY JESSICA IREDALE
FOR YEARS, python has reigned as the snake with all the charm in the accessories world. It’s been a selling point synonymous with luxury, much the same way that fox and mink are for furriers. But in recent seasons, other lesser-known snakes Fendi’s Elaphe snake- have been appearing on credit sheets for skin and canvas bag. high-end labels such as Manolo Blahnik, Christian Louboutin, Jimmy Choo, Pierre Hardy and Narciso Rodriguez. They’re crafting their most fanciful wares from water snake—as well as Whipsnake, Ayers and Elaphe, the latter belonging to the rat-snake family. One such theory for this proliferation of python alternatives is a law that bans the sales of the skin in California, which has been on the books in that m- oe state since 1970. While designers note ki that Whipsnake and water snake don’t th have the same seductive come-hither s- hiss as python, they say it’s just as pretty, h; and even more pliable. Rodriguez, who ic ed used Whipsnake to launch his first shoe s. collection for fall, says that snakeskin other than python has “opened up the availability of the shoes,” alluding to the California market, but says that his decision to use Whipsnake is “purely aesthetic. There are so many beautiful techniques and treatments and laminates that are possible.” Likewise, Hardy, who has been designing with water snake, in addition to python, for the past five seasons, likes it for its pattern and texture. “It has to be quite strong for a shoe,” he says. “But it’s also very soft and thin, so when it’s on the shoe, it’s very flat and the design remains sharp and sleek.” As Hardy sees it, in many ways water snake is actually preferable to python: “The scale of python is big. It can be a little bit too
FASHION ASSISTANT: MARA BERG MARA ASSISTANT: FASHION big for the shoe.”
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Z$&DD 1213<7+21 LQGG 30 Valentino's water-snake bag. Pierre Hardy’s water-snake pump.
Derek Lam’s sea-snake pump.
Nina Ricci’s water-snake bag.
Salvatore Ferragamo’s studded Ayers snakeskin sandal.
PHOTOS BY DAVID SAWYER; STYLED BY ROXANNE ROBINSON! ESCRIOUT; PROP STYLIST: DEREK ELLIS FOR LINKNYLA.COM
Z$&DD 1213<7+21 LQGG 30 Queen Elizabeth II at last year’s OLD ANDwedding of the Duke NEW and Duchess of Cambridge, with her handbag of choice.
the Aqueen’s venerable house has a spotlight bags on its pocketbooks. BY NINA JONES WEDDING PHOTO BY CHRIS JACKSON/GETTY IMAGES EUROPE; HANDBAG BY AC COOPER AC BY HANDBAG EUROPE; IMAGES JACKSON/GETTY CHRIS BY WEDDING PHOTO
randmothers aren’t general- 25 percent during 2012. “I think it from black to vibrant yellow and brisk business via its Web site, with ly known as style icons, but started with the bag the Queen was apple green, to its London store customers in Japan and the U.S. G judging by the structured, carrying at Kate Middleton’s mar- this summer, when it opened its Launer’s bags are all structured, prim and proper handbags that are riage….And it was suddenly decided Big British Shop to celebrate the crafted from materials including soft popping up in a number of labels’ she’s not unfashionable,” says Gerald Diamond Jubilee. Sebastian Manes, calf leather and patent leather and collections, a more mature aesthetic Bodmer, the firm’s managing direc- the retailer’s director of women’s lined with suede. is having a moment. tor, who acquired Launer in 1981. wear, says that sales “have exceeded “Everything we do has a level of Indeed, the British handbag label At the wedding, watched by bil- our expectations. Both domestic and structure….And that [involves] a lot Launer has seen its profits surge, lions around the world, the Queen international customers—many of of labor,” says Bodmer of the manu- thanks to the patronage of one carried a beige Launer bag. “It’s very whom had never come across the facturing process. All the handbags octogenarian fashion plate—Queen nice, because we’ve been going a label before and were delighted to are made to order at the firm’s fac- Elizabeth II. The 60-year-old firm long time, we make everything in the learn about its royal connotations— tory in England’s West Midlands, has been fashioning structured, la- U.K. at our own factory and people seem to love the style,” says Manes. and it can take up to two weeks to dylike handbags for members of the are talking about [the brand] again,” “[Particularly] the Traviata shape, make a single style. royal household since 1968, and was says Bodmer. which is so easy to associate with Prices range from $665 for a awarded a royal warrant a year later. The label’s appeal to a younger au- the Queen.” He adds that the label clutch through to $1,714 for the Now, with the fashion world’s re- dience was sealed when Selfridges— fits into a demand for an “elegant Royale leather handbag. And while newed appetite for the Queen’s style known for buying into the cutting aesthetic in luxury accessories.” they’re not a steal, the handbags are following last year’s royal wedding edge in British design—introduced The handbags are also carried at crafted to last—a point that likely and this year’s Diamond Jubilee, Launer’s boxy Traviata handbags, Fortnum & Mason in London. Bod- appeals to the notoriously thrifty Launer has seen its profits jump by the style the Queen carries, in shades mer notes, too, that the firm does Queen Elizabeth.
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Z$&DD 2/'1(:LQGG 30 WHAT’S HOT
Defined by materials and price, most fashion watches are made from ER P plated metal, with no real gemstones.
C COO Some feature Swiss movements, A which can increase the price, but typically these retail below $500, with some going up to $900. E; HANDBAG BY BY E; HANDBAG P URO E HAIR YUAN TAKES a lan- frame construction, and the unisex guid approach to fashion. designs are known for being simulta- MAGES MAGES I So much so that the neously quirky, fun and wearable.
ETTY ETTY C G 26-year-old former stylist named ChairEyes is sold in hip, multi- his eyewear company after that brand stores in China’s largest cities KSON/ C most basic symbol of relaxation, the for between $200 and $300 a pair. chair. To further the point, he even Yuan’s glasses, which boast a distinc- changed his own name (in English), tive retro style, have also found favor though his Chinese name is still with the Chinese fashion press and Yuan Zhou. For ChairEyes, launched celebrities, with the chunky, oversize, in 2008, Yuan wanted to drive home black-framed Hunk model—which WEDDING PHOTO BY CHRIS JA CHRIS BY WEDDING PHOTO the importance of taking the time to sell out frequently—spotted on many savor good design. “I think the fash- famous faces, including Hong Kong- ion industry all has to go too fast, based actress and Cantopop star Ce- too soon,” he says, explaining that cilia Cheung. The current collection it is better enjoyed as if “[sitting] includes round-frame glasses with
down slowly in a chair.” ON colored lenses called Warhol, and the C A The Shanghai native, who styled T oversize Kyle model, featuring white AVE AVE for Channel V in China, is taking on Chair Yuan. D or black-and-white shell frames. Each major European and American play- Above: A look from model is produced in lots of 500 at a ers in designer eyewear and making his new collection. time, and the bestsellers have sold out a mark with what is considered the BY PHOTOS multiple lots. country’s first homegrown designer Though Yuan is looking at the pos- eyewear brand: ChairEyes, designed sibility of selling internationally at and sold in China. some point, for now he seems happy For the easycreator of China’s first chairhomegrown designer eyewear “I’d started collecting eyeglasses with success at home. in 2003 and over the years built up brand, slow and steady does the job. BY CASEY HALL “Everything is going pretty well, a collection of interesting designs. and we are starting to work with And just by chance, in 2008 I began in November 2008, with a run of Yuan says he believes his products more high-quality fashion shops,” to collaborate with The Gloss, a local 100 pairs sold just at the boutique. feed into the Chinese consumer’s Yuan says. “Celebrities are also boutique [in Shanghai’s upmarket We didn’t expect many people to buy desire for artisanal products. The interested in our products, as well Xintiandi district],” Yuan explains. them, but they did, and we kept handmade glasses are assembled in as fashion bloggers and fashionable “Our original glasses were produced moving ahead.” Japan using a traditional method of young people.”
Z$&DD 2/'1(:LQGG 30 WHAT’S HOT
REED ALLJust two yearsABOUT in and the Reed Krakoff label is one IT hot accessories ticket. BY MARC KARIMZADEH
REED KRAKOFF’S OFFICE FOR THE BRAND that bears his name is strictly modernist—much like that of an architect. Gray felt chairs with a Bauhaus touch line a white central table that’s topped with bowls filled with markers and drawing pens. Design books are stacked on industrial shelves, while an eclectic mix of art—a Basquiat painting, a Patti Smith drawing, a Frank Stella sculpture—is on display in the space. “They’re all pretty disparate, but something holds them together,” From left: Reed Krakoff’s alligator and metal-trim bag, leather tote Krakoff says, pointing to the artwork. “I think it’s that mix that makes and leather slingback pump. it interesting and unique.” That mix is a philosophy he brings to his designs as well. Two years since launching the Reed Krakoff brand of clothes, fragrance and accessories, the latter has emerged as the top category, now accounting for the lion’s share of sales. If the ready-to-wear had some early growing pains, Krakoff’s accessories displayed a healthy momentum since the get-go. Shortly after the label’s debut, Michelle Obama was spotted carrying Krakoff’s blue leather Ribbon tote. Retailers such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Net-a-porter.com have embraced the line, and, along the way, Krakoff has become increasingly recognized as a go-to designer for bags in exotic skins like crocodile and python. This past June, the Council of Fashion Designers of America honored Krakoff with the prestigious 2012 Accessory Designer of the Year award. That the category is gaining such traction over a rela- tively short period of time is hardly a surprise. If anyone knows leather goods, it’s Krakoff. While his early career was focused on ready-to-wear—after graduating from Parsons The New School For Design, he worked at Anne Klein with Narciso Rodriguez, then at Polo Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger—he made his real mark at Coach, playing an instrumental role in turning
PHOTOS BY DAVID SAWYER; STYLED BY ROXANNE ROBINSON"ESCRIOUT PROP STYLIST; DEREK ELLIS FOR LINKNYLA.COM
Z$&DD 5((' LQGG 30 ALLJust two yearsABOUT in and the Reed Krakoff label is one IT hot accessories ticket. BY MARC KARIMZADEH
REED KRAKOFF’S OFFICE FOR THE BRAND that bears his name is strictly modernist—much like that of an architect. Gray felt chairs with a Bauhaus touch line a white central table that’s topped with bowls filled with markers and drawing pens. Design books are stacked on industrial shelves, while an eclectic mix of art—a Basquiat painting, a Patti Smith drawing, a Frank Stella sculpture—is on display in the space. “They’re all pretty disparate, but something holds them together,” Krakoff says, pointing to the artwork. “I think it’s that mix that makes it interesting and unique.” That mix is a philosophy he brings to his designs as well. Two years since launching the Reed Krakoff brand of clothes, fragrance and accessories, the latter has emerged as the top category, now accounting for the lion’s share of sales. If the ready-to-wear had some early growing pains, Krakoff’s accessories displayed a healthy momentum since the get-go. Shortly after the label’s debut, Michelle Obama was spotted carrying Krakoff’s blue leather Ribbon tote. Retailers such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Net-a-porter.com have embraced the line, and, along the way, Krakoff has become increasingly recognized as a go-to designer for bags in exotic skins like crocodile and python. This past June, the Council of Fashion Designers of America honored Krakoff with the prestigious 2012 Accessory Designer of the Year award. That the category is gaining such traction over a rela- tively short period of time is hardly a surprise. If anyone knows leather goods, it’s Krakoff. While his early career was focused on ready-to-wear—after graduating from Parsons The New School For Design, he worked at Anne Klein with Narciso Rodriguez, then at Polo Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger—he made his real mark at Coach, playing an instrumental role in turning From left: Sterling-silver bracelet with 18-karat gold and gunmetal plating; Zamak base-metal-plated ring in silver, gold and gunmetal finish; Zamak base-metal gold- plated necklace with leather tie; Zamak base-metal-plated cuff with acrylic accents.
PHOTOS BY DAVID SAWYER; STYLED BY ROXANNE ROBINSON"ESCRIOUT PROP STYLIST; DEREK ELLIS FOR LINKNYLA.COM
Z$&DD 5((' LQGG 30 Reed Krakoff in his office. HOMAS IANNACCONE HOMAS T PHOTO BY BY PHOTO the storied but dusty American brand handbags in eight doors, and will add into an accessories powerhouse. another one for spring 2013. “There is The financial backing of Coach “IF YOU JUST HAVE ONE OR TWO IDEAS, a lot of name recognition with him,” Inc., where Krakoff continues to serve says Ken Downing, Neiman’s fashion as president and executive creative PEOPLE START TO DEFINE YOUR BRAND AS director and senior vice president. director today, allowed him to launch He adds that the appeal is twofold. his brand with a holistic approach, “There is great design but also at a offering runway clothes alongside ‘THIS BAG,’ AND I THINK OF IT AS A TRAP” price women embrace immediately.” handbags, shoes, sunglasses, watches Saks Fifth Avenue, which sells and jewelry—a far-from-typical !REED KRAKOFF the collection in 17 stores. “Business trajectory for an upstart. is tracking quite well,” says Cody “I feel really fortunate that I was Kondo, Saks’ senior vice president able to have the experience of telling don’t put a board together anymore,” sories,” she says, citing the Boxer, At- and general merchandise manager that story across multiple categories, he says. “I’ll do a lot of sketches and lantique and Gym bags, as well as his of women’s accessories. “Since the because I think one feeds the next,” I’ll go through them. And then it’s very T Bar bracelets, as customer favorites. launch period, we have been add- Krakoff says. “I know that my jewelry is hands-on: cutting and pasting, then we “We recently opened in international ing new markets, and we are quite more evolved and more successful be- go to materials and then loose proto- markets like Italy, France, Russia and pleased with the reception.” cause I’m able to do eyewear and shoes types. We really just start working and the U.K., and accessories have been re- Kondo cites the Krakoff brand’s at the same time. And when you’re reworking. A lot of times, I have a table ceived very well. I can say that already American, “more minimal” point of starting to build a brand’s language, full of new jewelry, and I’ll just take pli- we have at least three or four bags view as a strong selling point along- each new piece that you make helps ers and scissors and leather and metal making the business.” side its “interesting but understand- create the signature.” and just kind of make things.” Krakoff is aware that the luxury able” color combos, including fuchsia That signature may still be a work He also says his accessories will world is entirely different from the and coral, sage and lemon, and blue in progress, but Krakoff has his goals never hinge on a single “It” bag or more mainstream one that Coach fre- and orange. set. “The idea is really about a new shoe. “I think that’s a really challeng- quents. Where the success of his Reed “You have great creativity with luxury,” he says, “which can mean a lot ing way to do business,” he notes. Krakoff accessories is driven mostly Reed and his team,” Kondo notes. of different things but to me is always “You rely on something that at any by exclusivity, Coach must factor in “You have excellent merchandising something that’s about a combination moment can stop—dead. If you just an accessible price for a wide-ranging expertise and management, and then, of design credibility, materials and have one or two ideas, people start to demographic. “There are what I call frankly, there is the horsepower and construction.” define your brand as ‘this bag,’ and I ‘positive limitations’ in every area of bandwidth of a big parent. It’s really a While such could seem obvious to think of it as a trap.” design,” he offers. “The luxury market wonderful trifecta.” some, Krakoff’s approach to accesso- Valerie Hermann, the house’s presi- is really competitive, and you’re com- Krakoff isn’t one to rest on his ries is anything but. Rather than using dent and chief executive officer, sees peting on design and desire. That’s it. laurels. For the line’s next phase, he’s literal inspirations (i.e., a trip, a film, an such thinking as a smart philosophy, You really need to create something striving to explore new territory. “I exhibition), he finds his design cues as particularly for expansion into new that people fall in love with.” often say, ‘What would I never do?’ each work progresses. “I’ve actually en- markets. “From the beginning, Reed That formula seems to be work- That’s the most interesting thing to tirely cut out the inspiration part, and had a strong point of view on acces- ing. Neiman Marcus carries Krakoff’s bring into a collection.”
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Z$&DD 5((' LQGG 30 From top: The deer-leather bag, perforated patent leather pump and leather bag.
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Z$&DD 5((' LQGG 30 BACK IN MAY, KARL LAGERFELD kicked off the resort 2013 season with an over-the-top Chanel runway show in the garden of Versailles. Models wore beribboned jewels, pouf skirts and pantaloons—nearly all of them finished off with a sensible, rubber-bottomed pair of brothel creepers, worked Chanel-style flat-out chic in shiny metallics and pretty pastel stripes. And he’s not the only
Prada’s leather sandal.
Marc Jacobs’ leather and rubber loafer.
Chanel’s fabric-covered calfskin and rubber shoe.
Z$&DD &+,&&20)257 LQGG 30 one on the comfort trail for resort. Marc Jacobs went practical with platform penny loafers in cherry red and lemon brights. WHAT’S HOT The classic oxford was chic-ed up at Sonia Rykiel and Givenchy in, respectively, silk satin and allover lace, while comfort shoes at Balenciaga and Prada came in the form of leather schoolgirl PHOTO BY THOMAS IANNACCONE; sandals. Never have designers been so down-to-earth. STYLED BY VINCE LARUBINA
Sonia Rykiel’s silk satin and leather shoe.
Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci’s leather, cotton lace and metal shoe.
Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquière’s calfskin and metal shoe. Chanel’s fabric-covered calfskin and rubber shoe.
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L Flower pins by Karuna Balloo. r in bloom
L Dior’s sequin, pearl and FLOWERS ARE A RITE OF SPRING— crocodile bag. and resort as well. Particularly fresh right now is an unfussy approach that plays to the natural strength, rather than fragility, of fabulous flora. At Dior—where the floral fascination goes back to the founder’s beloved gardens—that concept is captured in a handbag exploding with bold beaded and sequined blooms. Accessories designer Karuna Balloo comes by her love of flowers naturally: She’s the daughter of a gardener. Balloo specializes in crafting vintage couture fabrics into vivid flower pins, using a technique that blends ancient Japanese origami traditions with traditional French techniques for making artificial flowers. Her most recent collection was inspired by “a month in the sun” in Mauritius, where she was born. “The island,” Balloo says, “was bursting with life.” !KATYA FOREMAN DIOR PHOTO BY FRANCK MURA; STYLED BY LAURENT FOLCHER; BALLOO BY FREDERIC BOYADJIAN BY FRANCKBALLOO BY MURA;DIOR PHOTO LAURENT FOLCHER; BY STYLED
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