The chic learn to click (Economist) “Luxury firms may at last be waking up to the internet, but they have a long way to catch up… It is odd that an industry that would not be seen dead in last season’s colour is wedded to the last century’s technology.” India’s luxury market remains underdeveloped (CPP [...]
The turnover at Ungaro, Hermès and Alexander McQueen this week may not represent a sea change for the industry because each house has its own set of management issues.
Gucci Group has made it official: Sarah Burton will take over design responsibilities at Alexander McQueen.
Sarah Burton confirmed as Creative Director at Alexander McQueen (Telegraph)
“A statement from Alexander McQueen and its ‘parent’ company, Gucci Group, announced that Burton will supervise the creative direction and development of all collections of the brand going forwards.”
New Designer at Hermès (NY Times)
“After seven years, Jean Paul Gaultier is giving up his ready-to-wear duties at [...]
Burberry profit tops forecast, steps up expansion (Reuters)
“Luxury goods group Burberry beat forecasts with a 23 percent rise in annual profit, boosted by sales of coats and leather goods, and said it was stepping up its expansion despite a tough economic backdrop.”
Louis Vuitton lands in London (Guardian)
“Welcome to the new Bond Street palace of Louis [...]
Discount Store Is New York Beachhead for Nordstrom (NY Times)
“After more than a century, Nordstrom, the upscale department store chain from Seattle, will make its Manhattan debut… But don’t expect $4,000 dresses. Expect 25,000 pairs of discounted shoes, and an automated checkout line more at home in a supermarket than a purveyor of luxury goods.”
Jane [...]
Needle and Thread Still Have a Home (NY Times)
“How is the garment district like a coral reef? A coral reef, as Animal Planet instructs us, shelters diverse species of sponges, snakes, clownfish and barracudas. So does the garment district.”
Why Does This Pair of Pants Cost $550? (NY Times)
“Even in a season when designers made no [...]
Levi’s Shoots for the High-End Hipster (WSJ)
“The 157-year-old company is trying to reinvent itself as not just a purveyor of basics but as an edgier brand suitable for the fashion cognoscenti.”
Polo Ralph Lauren: The Winning Streak Continues (Smart Trend)
“Shares of Polo Ralph Lauren traded near a new 52-week high yesterday, touching a price of $90.89. [...]
Europe laments craftsmen’s demise (FT)
“Europe’s luxury goods makers have warned that numbers of skilled craftsmen – prized by dressmakers, perfumiers and watchmakers for their expertise – are dwindling rapidly as suppliers have sourced more production from Asia.”
Ready for the next chapter in e-tailing (FT)
“E-tailing is no longer a luxury for the luxury industry – it’s [...]
Despite the number of very thoughtful tributes to Alexander McQueen that ran after his death on Feb. 11, the reality is very few people really understood him.
In this weekend’s cover story in Sunday Styles , Cathy Horyn reports on the events leading up to the suicide, at age 40, of the designer Alexander McQueen on Feb. 11.
Made in Midtown: Meet Andrew Rosen, Theory (Huffington Post)
“As an inveterate horseman, Andrew Rosen knows the power of bloodlines– and in his, fashion run deep. His grandfather Arthur, a dress-maker, launched Puritan Manufacturing Co. in Boston nearly a century ago. ‘I remember as a young boy running around the factories and the warehouses, playing in-between [...]
LONDON, United Kingdom — The passing of Alexander McQueen and the future of his namesake brand provided the defining background narrative of the Autumn/Winter 2010 collections. Everywhere a fashionista went, in every conversation, at every show, party and presentation, the ghost of Alexander McQueen seemed to linger as the industry struggled to come to terms [...]
A light in the darkness (Style.com)
“In Alexander McQueen’s final collection, medieval influences transformed into calm, poetic beauty.”
Phillips-Van Heusen May Gain From Buying Hilfiger (Bloomberg)
“Phillips-Van Heusen would gain extra profit within a year of a reported potential acquisition of Tommy Hilfiger Corp.”
Neiman Marcus posts profit as sales start improving (Reuters)
“Neiman Marcus reported a quarterly profit on [...]
The final collection of the designer, who committed suicide on February 11, saw him returning to the historical past, in particular medieval symbols of faith and morality.
Remembering a pair of old boots while still musing on modernity and fashion.
Gap targets Milan and China as it kickstarts its plans for global expansion (FT)
“Gap, the American casual clothing retailer, plans to open a store in Milan, the home of Italian high fashion, later this year, in a further sign of its growing confidence after a multi-year slump.”
Mariella Burani Fashion Group Will Be Dissolved (Bloomberg)
“Mariella Burani [...]
Robert Polet, the president and chief executive of Gucci Group, announced on Thursday that the Alexander McQueen label will continue.
Image by Win McNamee / Getty Images
First Lady Mrs. O met with 11 students from the London borough of Islington at the White House this morning. The students were rewarded with a trip to the United States sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in London for winning an Islington Black History Month essay competition.
On the fashion front, the first lady wore a sheer, printed blouse with a tie neck and billowing sleeves. I’m curious to know what others see in the print. To me, it reads of an underwater world, populated by jelly fish and bursts of coral.
Also of note is that we’ve seen this blouse once before, in the very early days of this blog. Mrs. O wore same patterned top for a campaign appearance at the Minneapolis Club in October 2008, below.
Photo used with kind permission from photographer Kim Ellison
Update #1: The blouse appears to be from Alexander McQueen’s Spring 2008 collection. Several of the Alexander McQueen pieces we’ve seen Mrs. O wear in the past originated from this same collection. On the runway, the blouse can be seen here, and a similar version, here. As reader ‘parisbreakfast’ has noted in the comments, Alexander McQueen was praised for the digitized sea-reptile prints used in his Spring 2010 collection. Perhaps we see an earlier iteration of the print in the blouse above.
What a tremendous, thoughtful gesture by Mrs. O to honor the late designer. Fashion as message is the most inspiring kind.
Update #2: Reader ‘CRD in LA’ writes: “the print also evokes a signature Liberty of London pattern: Ianthe, created in 1900 at the height of the Art Nouveau movement.” Fascinating!
Update #3: Thanks to ‘ouapiti’ who directed us to the White House photo of the day, below. We can see that Mrs. O paired her Alexander McQueen blouse with a navy pencil skirt and boots.
Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson
Alexander McQueen label will survive (Times)
“Alexander McQueen’s fashion label will live on despite the designer’s apparent suicide last week, it was announced this morning.”
PPR full year net profit increases 7 percent (AP)
“Retail-to-luxury group PPR SA reported a 7 percent increase in 2009 profits Thursday and said it is launching a sales offensive to boost revenues [...]
The future of Alexander McQueen (Telegraph)
“There has, understandably, been no official indication yet on the future of Alexander McQueen – the brand, beyond the statement by Robert Polet, Gucci Group CEO: ‘The legacy he leaves us is a rich one, and one that we will cherish and honour.’ But will they? And how?”
Clothing company Express [...]
If there is an answer to McQueen’s death, and no doubt there will be some thoughtful attempts at an explanation in the coming weeks, it will have to begin with his work.
Alexander McQueen, A True Master (WWD)
“The London-born McQueen’s death unleashed a torrent of shock and anguish from designers, retailers and others in the fashion world. ‘In a world where every man and his dog is a designer, Alexander McQueen was the real deal.’”
Alexander McQueen, found dead on February 11 (Telegraph)
“Alexander McQueen, who was found dead [...]
LONDON, United Kingdom — One of the first fashion shows I ever attended was the Alexander McQueen show for Spring/Summer 2007, staged in the round at the Cirque D’Hiver in Paris. Jonathan Akeroyd, the affable CEO of McQueen, was kind enough to grant my cheeky request for an invitation, and he even let me bring [...]
I’ve been thinking more about the interviews I did with Alexander McQueen last July, a conversation spread over two days and conducted at his rented flat in Mayfair.