retail news

THE DRG STYLE INDEX: OSMAN X AMAZON FASHION, JOHN LOBB, H&M, SIMONE ROCHA X J BRAND, KURT GEIGER



Here’s the latest weekly DRG STYLE INDEX ranking, a round-up of the brands currently buzzing on my radar…

1. OSMAN FOR AMAZON FASHION

Osman-Amazon-Christmas-jumper

Someone is giving Osman an almighty great push on the PR and marketing front as he seems to be popping up everywhere at the moment. I just noticed this Osman collection on Amazon.co.uk and surprisingly, it looks really luxe and beautiful. Amazon has tried hard to sell high end brands on its site but it never quite achieves the Net-a-Porter aesthetic that I’m guessing it’s aiming for. Until now. (more…)



DRG Edit: Jo Malone London Christmas treats (going fast…)



Jo-Malone-London-Christmas-cracker-2014

JO MALONE LONDON always crack out the best beauty gifts and novelties for Christmas. They revealed all to the press back in July, as most brands do with their ‘Christmas In July’ showcases. (These are a real treat – M&S pulled out the stops, wheeling in a host of food suppliers to ply us with chocolates, hams, every type of tangerine and satsuma, I won’t go on….) This year we got a mini ice rink and every permutation of Jo Malone London favourites you could hope for.

And now is the time to buy as it has all arrived on counter and some things are already selling out. (more…)



THE DRG STYLE INDEX: AND OTHER STORIES, HARDY AMIES, MAISON ASSOULINE LONDON



Here’s the latest weekly DRG STYLE INDEX ranking, a round-up of the brands currently buzzing on my radar…

1. AND OTHER STORIES LAUNCHES FRAGRANCE

Moroccan Tea Eau de Toilette from & Other Srories

& Other Stories just gets everything right. It launched its first US store in New York last month to rave reviews and last week entered the fragrance market. There are four eau de toilettes (£26): Moroccan Tea, Punk Bouquet, Fig Fiction and Botanic Whisper. The packaging has a whiff of Maison Martin Margiela about it, with the apothecary bottles and utilitarian white labels. (more…)



Retail report: Selfridges ramps up its luxury ready-to-wear with a nod to Dover Street Market



Selfridges-designer-galleries-celine

It feels like Selfridges has been tweaking its third floor Designer Galleries for ever! Finally its finished and the verdict is quite the A-Z of modern luxury fashion. In short, the Selfridges buy has been Dover Street Market-ified. (And  that sentence right there gets the award for clunkiest sentence of the year. Soz.) I still remember the third floor as it was eons ago – contemporary labels like Anglomania alongside A.P.C, Whistles and Joseph. Pffft, this is so not that. Contemporary and denim have all been shunted up to the fourth floor, leaving gleaming aisles of expensive statement-wear. Of course, I can’t actually afford any of it.

It’s a textbook exercise in taste and wealth though. (more…)