The Luxe Chronicles

Fashion: Still More Innovation Courtesy of Net-A-Porter

As mentioned yesterday, I attended the launch of Net-A-Porter's new iPhone application, NET-APP. The event featured a discussion with Net-A-Porter founder Natalie Massenet and designer Roland Mouret on the role of technology in fashion. Given the tremendous boost his RM by Roland Mouret label has gotten from the Net-A-Porter platform since its launch in 2007, his presence was a fitting tribute to the power of technology to change the established order of things.

Fashion: Close Encounters With Roland Mouret

I've never been one to get excited about celebrities. Even as a teenager, I was never one to stand in line for hours to buy concert tickets or line up along a red carpet to catch a glimpse of an actor. It's just never been my thing. But, put me in the same room as one of my favorite designers and my inner "groupie" emerges and I quite literally go weak at the knees. This happened to me last night at a gathering of fashion bloggers and online editors hosted by Net-A-Porter founder Natalie Massenet for the launch of Net-A-Porter's new iPhone application (more about this later). The event featured a discussion with Roland Mouret on the role of technology in fashion. While the subject is a fascinating one, to be perfectly honest, the subject could have been dog grooming and I would still have showed up if for no other reason than to meet him. I will be posting on the topic tomorrow. Until then, I invite you to discover the NET-APP.

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles

Fashion: The Seedier Side of the Industry

U.K. supermarket chain Asda is launching a cheap knock-off version of the Balmain mini-dress worn by Kate Moss. By knock-off, I mean quite literally a seam-for-seam copy rather than the typical "homage" piece or "re-interpretation". The usual argument invoked to defend this blatant rip-off of intellectual property is to suggest that the target customer (high street consumer) is not the typical Balmain customer and therefore Balmain doesn't lose sales and incurs no harm. I find this argument unpersuasive and intellectually dishonest.

Fashion: What's Wrong With Fashion Magazines?

"Seriously?!"

It has become fashionable (pardon the pun) to dissect the troubles afflicting print fashion magazines these days. The recession, excessive photoshopping, underfed models, the stale content of many magazines and of course, the Internet, are routinely cited as explanations for the overall decline in ad revenue and circulation. U.S.Vogue as the industry leader is getting more than its share of scrutiny and critique (much of it deserved). While many of the reasons cited may indeed be contributing factors, I don't think any of the analyses proffered to date are particularly convincing.

Fashion: The Highly Quotable and Highly Lovable Alber Elbaz

Too often in fashion, the industry opts for hype over substance. Usually someone young, cute and perky with a smidgeon of talent gets anointed by the "right people" and they're off and running before they can even walk. Before the ink is dry on their design degree, they unveil an eponymous line followed in quick succession by accessories, a fragrance, a diffusion line, a one-off collaboration with Target or H&M, etc., etc. Every so often however, someone comes along and reminds you that there is more to good fashion than all this hoopla.

Luxury: A Reprieve for Lacroix?

Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. France's newly minted culture Minister, Frédéric Mitterrand, has expressed his intention to assist Christian Lacroix in finding a solution to his current financial crisis. Describing the potential loss of Lacroix's couture business as "un désastre culturel" (a cultural disaster), Mr. Mitterrand has vowed to step in and in his words "ne pas rester inerte" (not remain passive). En toute déférence Monsieur le Ministre, il était temps!

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles

Haute Couture: God Is In The Details - Why Not Just Enjoy Them?

Every couture season, it's the same story: chroniclers of fashion invariably question the future of the tiny industry. Usually, they point to the dwindling number of couture clients throughout the world and surmise that it's only a matter of time before there are none left and legendary couture houses are forced to shutter their ateliers forever. Of course, the fact that the future of Christian Lacroix's couture house looks increasingly bleak hasn't helped matters. "Was the sunset at Chanel symbolic of couture’s fading light?" asks New York Times' fashion critic Cathy Horyn.

Fashion: Vive Lacroix!

And vive the spirit of solidarity that binds the French fashion community!

Fashion: Haute Couture's Rising Stars

Lest you come away with the impression that Dior was the only couture house to unveil a collection in Paris yesterday, I would like to draw your attention to two other very talented couturiers each of whom presented a parade of gorgeous creations worthy of attention.

Fashion: A Reality Check from Manolo Blahnik

Fashion designers are often portrayed as being frivolous or eccentric or both and it's not uncommon for them to be mocked by those outside the industry. This was abundantly on display for instance in Morley Safer's supremely superficial profile of Anna Wintour for U.S. "news" program 60 Minutes a few months back. While some designers like John Galliano or Karl Lagerfeld do indeed invite that kind of derision by cultivating an eccentric public persona and making provocative statements to the press, they are hardly the norm. There are plenty of very talented designers who stand firmly on the other end of the spectrum like shoe-tsar Manolo Blahnik but the press rarely focus on them.