The Luxe Chronicles

The Luxe Chronicles Wishes You a Very Happy New Year!

I raise my glass to you dear readers! May 2010 be filled with much love, health and prosperity.

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles

Ten Things to Look Forward To in 2010

As 2009 draws to an end and we prepare to greet 2010, I thought I would share with you a few things that I'm particularly looking forward to in the new year.

Un Très Joyeux Noël À Vous Tous!

A very Merry Christmas to you all dear readers. I count you among my many blessings this holiday season.

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles

A Brief Hiatus for The Luxe Chronicles

Dearest Readers:

Christmas is now just a few days away and I have a tree to trim, presents to wrap and countless odds and ends to tend to. Also, 2009 has been a rather tumultuous year and I feel like I need to sit back, relax and take stock before I greet 2010. I do hope you'll forgive me if I bow out for the next few days. I promise to come back refreshed and ready to ring in the new year with panache!

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles

Art & Culture: Requiescant In Pace Alaina Reed Hall

To an entire generation of children growing up in the United States during the 1970's and 80's (whether American or not), Alaina Reed Hall was better known as "Olivia", a beloved character from Sesame Street, the classic PBS children's program. I was saddened to learn yesterday that Ms. Reed Hall had passed away after battling breast cancer. Requiescant in pace Ms. Hall. You will always hold a special place in my heart. My most heartfelt condolences to your family and friends.

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles

Luxury: Hermes Will Launch a Brand New Brand in China

"Xie xie Hermes!"

Launching a new brand in the midst of a recession sounds not only risky but runs contrary to all the received wisdom about survival in difficult economic times. While it may seem counter-intuitive, this is precisely what French luxury brand Hermes has just announced it will do. The announcement was made earlier this morning in Paris by Patrick Thomas, President of Hermes International.

Art & Culture: It's About The Brand Ma'am.

All aboard!

It was undoubtedly meant as a gesture of commiseration with the masses of unemployed Britons struggling to regain their footing amidst one of the longest and deepest recessions in recent history. Even so, the sight of Elizabeth II boarding a commuter train to reach her Sandringham estate last week like the most common of mortals made me cringe. And I'm not even a monarchist.

Luxury: Chanel Employees March on Neuilly.

Employees of French luxury conglomerate Chanel marched on the company's headquarters yesterday (December 17) in Neuilly-sur-Seine demanding better pay. A spokesperson for the company stated that salary conditions including bonuses had been scaled back to reflect the current economic conditions. Representatives of labour union CGT whose members descended upon company headquarters yesterday argue that the recession is being used as an excuse to scale back wages. Chanel's 3000 French employees are represented by four separate labour unions. The other three unions declined to join the CGT in their march. Hmmmm. I wonder how Mademoiselle would deal with a pesky labour union?

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles

Fashion: A Limited Ode to the Influence of "Mad Men"

The New York Times' Style Section has an interesting piece on the impact of the critically-acclaimed television series Mad Men on men's fashion. While the series' influence on women's fashion was felt almost immediately (recall Michael Kors' Fall/Winter 2008 collection), men's fashion has been a little slower to catch on. To be honest, I'm not quite sure how to feel about this.

Luxury: Can You Ever Really Go Home Again?

One of the more obvious impacts of the near-collapse of the global financial system and resulting recession upon the luxury industry has been to push luxury back to its roots. Or so we're told. As a result, we're seeing far fewer glitzy advertising campaigns and greater efforts to play up themes such as tradition, history and craftsmanship. The recently unveiled adverts for Louis Vuitton illustrate this tendency perfectly.