“Every week I have a summary sent over of the positive blogs, the negative blogs and the interesting blogs. I read them on paper. It’s interesting to see what is making the rounds, what people are talking about. All of our work as designers is to understand what people are thinking, where the world is going, how things work. It’s one of many sources of information.”
Miuccia Prada
This amalgamation of fashion content and commerce that I have been banging on about for a while (or ‘edvertorial’ as I think we now have to call it *gag*) is sprinting along at a fine pace. Newest to the ‘edvertorial space’* is Pret-A-Rever, a site that first appeared last year but has relaunched this week. Combining ‘intelligent editorial’ with affiliate shopping (linking to etail sites and collecting a commission on items sold), editor Lucy Norris plans to make the luxury retail experience more creative and culturally relevant. (more…)
People are being sniffy about the term ‘affordable luxury’. There’s no such thing, they insist – luxury is for the rich, not the wish-they-weres. Touchy much? Well I think there is such a thing – what do you call all the Chanel nail polishes, Hermes silk scarves and Smythson notebooks if not an affordable way to tap into the lifestyle of the rich and well-to-do?
Increasingly though, designers are catering less to the entry-level customer and more to their ultra high net worth clientele. How else to explain the new tier of uber-expensive fashion brands? Ahead of the curve as ever, Phoebe Philo started the trend with her spectacular – and spectacularly expensive – Celine reinvention. As well as rethinking the collection (an ode to stripped back trend-averse staples) she has completely repositioned the brand to sit alongside the likes of Hermes and Valextra, non-shouty stealth brands that appeal to the quietly rich. Her Classic Box bags hover around the £2,000 mark but who’s counting – they’re Celine!
Close behind comes Victoria Beckham who has matured from racy pleather leggings to her own range of Audrey Hepburn-like dresses and minimalist accessories. Her new line of keep-forever investment handbags clock in at £8,000 and the first drop sold out instantly on Netaporter.com. Meanwhile, Tom Ford’s new womenswear line straddles the price gap between ready-to-wear and couture. Those dazzling dresses we saw on the backs of Beyonce, Rachel Feinstein and Daphne Guinness? Anything from £3,000 to £22,000. Suddenly, affordable luxury is looking oh so very last decade. Who will be next aboard the top-tier gravy train?
[Originally published on Lystit.com]
Neon pink side split skirt, £580, Jil Sander at Netaporter.com
Fuchsia leather shopping bag, £580, Jil Sander at Netaporter.com
Yellow leather shopping bag, £580, Jil Sander at Netaporter.com. These bags have two top handles but also have a detachable shoulder strap to make them more versatile – just the thing for the weekly shop, no?
