I know everyone has their opinion about what's wrong with Halston. Marco Zanini's abrupt departure has revived chatter about the "Halston curse" and there is no shortage of theories on why, despite all the hoopla that surrounded the earlier announcement and the sheer determination emanating from such powerhouses as Tamara Mellon and Harvey Weinstein, the re-launch did not go according to plan. Cathy Horyn at the New York Times speculates that there was no buzz surrounding the collection. According to some, there were too many cooks in the kitchen (if you recall, Hollywood stylist Rachel Zoe was also onboard early on but by the time the collection hit the runway, she was conspicuously absent from the front row and has not been associated with the brand since). While it's anybody's guess what is actually going on behind the scenes, I would like to offer my perspective (for what it's worth).
All photos by Marcio Madeira, courtesy of Style.com.
As a consumer and potential customer, I can honestly say I was excited about the re-launch. In fact, it was one of the things I was most looking forward to from the fashion industry for 2008. Like everyone else, I have a romantic (and admittedly romanticized) view of that glamorous period in fashion that begat the Halston aesthetic and it's particular brand of sexy sophistication. I was genuinely pleased with what I saw on Net-A-Porter and Style.com and had planned to purchase at least one piece from the collection. I thought that overall, Zanini had acquitted himself well for an inaugural collection paying homage to the brand's DNA while infusing it with the necessary modernity to appeal to a new generation of customers. I made a point of visiting the Halston store-in-store at Selfridges in London as soon as it was unveiled with a spring in my step and the anticipation of finally getting my very own little piece of the Halston magic. And then I saw the prices. In particular, my jaw fell when I saw the price of a simple jersey gown with no embellishment, no draping, and no lining. In fact, there was seemingly no rational connection between the price and the garment in question. The same can be said of the accessories - the beautiful boots and slouchy bag worn by Liya Kebede looked fabulous on the runway but in person, they had virtually no allure. The suede looked dull rather than plush and velvety (as suede should) and to be perfectly honest, all the accessories looked a bit cheap (especially the gold plated pendant). Being a hardcore follower of fashion, it's not as though I'm not accustomed to the hefty price tags. But this doesn't mean that I'll plop down my hard earned cash for just anything that has a designer label attached to it. To me, the pricing for the collection smacks of cynicism reinforcing the notion that this re-launch was less about bringing back the brand's magic than cashing in on customers' nostalgia. As a customer, I really don't want to feel I've been taken advantage of. I want value for my money.
These initial missteps aside, I still think that the Halston brand will work in the long run. They would do well however to take heed. We're in the midst of turbulent economic times with no clear end in sight and while the typical Halston customer may not be hard hit (if at all) by the current economic woes, it would be wrong to presume that they'll buy just anything at any price. While women will continue to shop during a recession, they will (I think) gravitate towards the brands that offer the most value for their money and it's not as though there aren't already a number of excellent brands that do this very well. Just off the top of my head, I can think of at least six or seven brands I personally would rather buy this coming fall instead of Halston. For a newly re-launched luxury brand, that's a problem.
Sincerely,
The Luxe Chronicles
I agree. Was just reading about Marios Schwab joining the house today, sounds like he might be the one to turn it around. At least he understands the original aesthetic.
cheers!
Carey @ http://corksandcaftans.wordpress.com
Posted by: Carey Wodehouse | Friday, May 29, 2009 at 01:07