Around Town - Fashion's Night Out on Rodeo Drive

Beverly Hills certainly isn't leaving all the Fashion's Night Out fun for New York
Rodeo Drive has big things planned too

The Ferris Wheel and Fashion's Night Out on Rodeo Drive September 10, 2010  

More than 60 retailers on Rodeo Drive will participate in Fashion’s Night Out on Friday, September 10, as Rodeo Drive leads the West Coast effort with glamorous in-store events, cocktail parties, DJs, complimentary manicures and extended shopping hours for all guests. As part of the global shopping event and for the first time ever, Rodeo Drive will erect a four-story Ferris wheel on the street. The conversation piece will be a replica of the George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. invention which made its debut at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. Guests simply show a receipt confirming their purchase from a participating Rodeo Drive merchant that evening and receive a complimentary ride on this amazing wheel. Guests will also have front row seats for Fashion Rules, a unique, fast-paced trivia game pairing celebrities and designers in a life size version of a board game that challenges participants to answer fashion and style-related questions. 

I will be attending a Kevin Hall fashion show and party for Genlux magazine and some other events.
Are you doing anything for Fashion's Night Out? 

Neiman Marcus - Is This Any Way To Market?

I have to say that in terms of marketing Neiman Marcus does just about everything right.
They have the stores, they have the goods and they have the sales staff.

Of course being too busy to go into the store, try on the goods and deal with the sales staff
I ordered this evening gown off of the Neiman Marcus website for the VRG gala.

On the website they had only one left in a size 4 and I snapped it up. I'd never bought an eveing gown online before but since I've worn Carmen Marc Valvo dresses in the past, I assumed it would fit. As it turns out the gown was cut a little large and I decided to return it.

Instead of sticking it back in the box and shipping it I decided to quickly pop into Neimans and return it in person and maybe see if there were any other dresses that I absolutely could not live without.

So there I was in the dress department waiting for someone to help me for more than 15 minutes. OK, so what's a little wait. I perused the racks and found a few fancy little cocktail dresses that had my name all over them...and god knows...I have the opportunity to wear fancy little cocktail dresses so often (not) but I am partial to them.

When a saleslady was finally available to help me she told me that because I had purchased the dress online I had to go to the top floor and return the dress to customer service. I was like really?

At any rate I trudged up the escalator with my long gown and returned it and then left the store to go back to my office.

So what's the issue?
If I had been able to return it in the fancy schmancy dress department, chances are that the sales lady would have been able to talk me into buying at least one other dress, and probably three, because there was an awesome sale and as I said before, I wear fancy little cocktail dresses so often, you know because my lifestyle calls for it...(not)
and because I just can't resist them at a good price.

Instead, she didn't didn't get the opportunity to up-sell me and Neiman's missed my business.

I ask you, is this any way to market?

Now I Know Why I Avoid Stores And Shop Online

I went to Ikea yesterday
Now I know why Sweden has the highest rate of suicide

De Gustibus Non Est Disputandum

So these are the hot boots of the season...
who knew?
From the WSJ
The Shoe That Kicked Off a Frenzy
Despite a $1,295 price tag, the Otway boot sparked a craze
The boots in question, which didn't hit stores until September, are called "Otway," and they can fairly be called the "It" boots of the season. Made of supple suede, the cuffed booties are adorned with rows of circular studs and are held up by a four-inch triangular heel.
Those who are still interested in owning them can forget about it. With the exception of a few pairs on eBay, they are out of stock nearly everywhere, despite a $1,295 price tag.

OK...so call me crazy but I'm going on record to say that I think they are hideous for $1295 but they might, and I mean might, be wearable at $295. And didn't we already have boots like these back in the Mid- 1980s?

Right now I'm only interested in what's comfortable on my feet and I'm looking for flat brown boots, not necessarily the OTK kind
Here's what's on sale at Bergdorf Goodman

Prada OTK Boots reduced to $910 from $1300

not exactly a bargain

Michael Kors Fallon Flat Boots $315 reduced from $450
I'm not loving the zipper

Prada riding boots $595 reduced from $850

I'm really liking these but can't I get actual riding boots for less?

Joie OTK boots $315 reduced from $525

I like these but aren't OTK boot going to look so 2009 in 2010?

So the search continues.

But what I certainly won't be searching for are those silly Otway boots.

So not my style

Around Town - Champagne Thursdays At Christofle

Boutique versus Big Box

I tend to like to like one stop shopping so if you dropped me off at Neiman Marcus, or Target for that matter, I could easily walk out with enough shopping bags to fill the car.
But for certain things, such as silver gift items by Christofle, I prefer to shop in the Beverly Hills boutique.
And no, I'm not an affiliate for Christofle...
It's just that certain small businesses and boutiques in Beverly Hills, like Christofle, step up and support the local community while Big Box department stores, whose names shall remain unmentioned, don't make the effort.
So I'll be stopping by for my coup de champagne and to check out housewarming gifts for young Mr de Ville who will be closing escrow soon.

Snooty Service Out Of Style - It's About Time

From the Wall Street Journal

Snooty Service Falls Out of Style
A new solicitousness at high-end boutiques

Angel Yimsiriwattana still remembers feeling intimidated when she walked into a Chanel boutique in New York two years ago. When she approached a salesman, he "was snooty and reserved," she says, and barely spoke to her. Clad in a casual sweater and jeans, she figured the sales staff sized her up as someone unlikely to buy. Even though she spent $7,000 that day, she still felt unwelcome.

The atmosphere is a lot different at the Chanel boutique in Soho these days. On a recent visit to the same store, the 27-year-old says she was treated like a princess. "As soon as I walked in, [the sales associates] were smiling and said 'how are you?,"' she says. "Everyone circled around me like little fish. They were extra nice and helpful." Even though she didn't buy anything, the sales staff cheerfully wished her "a nice day" as she walked out of the store.

Back when I was a young matron some 20 something years ago and a big fan of Chanel I had my own little encounter with snootiness. There was a particular suit and accessories (for about $10k...back in the day that was real money) that I wanted to buy so my husband and I stopped into the boutique in Paris after a business trip to Zurich. He and I were totally ignored by the stuck up shop girls and naturally he got pissed off, walked me out of the store and said never put up with that attitude. We promptly went shopping at the Ungaro and Dior boutiques where the sales girls were a little more solicitous. Later he wrote a scathing letter to the store from our suite at the Lancaster and I never again bought another thing from a Chanel store....ever.

According to this article that kind of snootiness is a thing of the past

As the luxury goods industry suffers a massive slump in sales - many sales clerks at designer stores who were famously haughty and patronizing suddenly have changed their styles. In the boom times, the aloof service was part of the exclusive aura cultivated by some brands, sending a message that only the coolest or richest customers were worthy of a purchase. Now, "that arrogant and snobby attitude of feeling people should be grateful to buy at their temple is a dinosaur mentality that is going extinct," says Milton Pedraza, chief executive of the Luxury Institute, a consumer-research firm. "Now those brands have to be grateful for a customer."

We can only hope so.

Have you ever had an encounter with snobby service that was so bad that you walked out of a store and refused to buy that brand?

For Those Of Us Not Shopping At Brioni

That One Special Thing - But Is It Simply Not Suitable?

From today's Wall Street Journal



The $43,000 Recession Suit
Even as overall sales wane, some luxury makers push the price envelope; 'one really special thing'

As the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression swept the globe in October, the high-end Italian clothier Brioni introduced the most expensive line of men's suits in its history. Made to measure from rare fibers such as vicuna, pashmina and Qiviuk, the suits have price tags as high as $43,000.

"The timing was not fortunate for us," says Andrea Perrone, Brioni's co-chief executive.

Well apparently not because

the wealthiest 1% to 2% of consumers world-wide -- are still spending, even if they are buying fewer things. Individuals in this group, whom Mr. Perrone calls the "elite of the elite," have bought 30 of the $43,000 suits.

So the luxe market isn't as dead as we thought

The outlook for high-end labels, it turns out, depends on where in the luxury hierarchy they are located. Retailers took a holiday beating in December, and consulting firm Bain & Co. expects demand for luxury goods this year to fall by 3% to 7% overall. But at the market's upper-most crust -- which Bain defines as 70 brands including Loro Piana and Harry Winston, as well as Hermès, Van Cleef and Brioni -- sales for 2009 are expected to hold steady or grow moderately, following growth in 2008 of 8%, says Bain partner Claudia D'Arpizio. Very wealthy people may not be buying as much as they used to, but they aren't reducing their standard of living, she says.

So it's all about the message

And the message is "If you're going to buy, buy BIG"

While middle-income consumers have cut spending because of their income, "that's not the case with the wealthy," says Carl Steidtmann, chief economist at Deloitte LLP. The wealthy are "constrained by guilt, and that's the hurdle high-end brands have to overcome." The luxury advertising message is more important than ever, he adds.

I understand why a piece of jewelry is priced somewhere north of $40k...there is the actual intrinsic value of the materials, the cost of manufacturing and the design.

But is a bespoke suit ever really worth $43,000?

WTF is the fabric made out of...spun gold?

The Big Spin on the 2009 Spend

Finally...The Death of The Art Project Statement Necklace -

Fashion Not Quality

From Forbes.com
In Depth: How The Luxury Consumer Will Spend In 2009

This is one of a handful of habits luxury buyers are expected to embrace in 2009. Wealthy consumers will spend, but differently than before. Exclusivity will be embraced as will quality and dependability. What's more, luxury brands will begin offering discounts and incentives--something many have never done before.
"The days of shopping 'til you drop are over," says David Lamb, chief strategic officer at diamond giant De Beers, which, with London-based market research firm Ledbury Research, recently examined the changing demands of the high-net-worth customer. "Instead of seeking out novelty, they're exploring authenticity," he says. "In this kind of economic climate, you literally can't afford to make a mistake."

Real Jewelry With Intrinsic Value, Not Fashion Statements, Will Sell

"This income bracket is very aware of the public backlash against them. In many respects, those that have the wealth played a role in the economic turmoil that has erupted," says Brian Sozzi, a retail analyst at Wall Street Strategies, a New York-based independent stock market research company. "So, there is no need to throw it in the face of someone shopping at Wal-Mart by showing off the new Louis Vuitton bag."
Yet Sozzi and others believe that conspicuous consumption will never entirely fade.

Shireen El Khatib, CEO of Al Tayer Insignia, the luxury goods arm of the Al Tayer Group, which inked a deal to bring Bloomingdale's to Dubai in 2010, says that while the number of tourists in her stores--including Yves Saint Laurent and Italian cashmere brand Loro Piana--this November were down, sales among locals were up. (She would not reveal specific numbers, but she did say growth has slowed from double digits in 2007 to single digits in 2008.)

"The consumer is becoming more and more sophisticated and brand savvy--looking for limited editions and other timely items," she says, "but [in the Middle East], they're still shopping."

Or not...

However, Ron Kurtz, founder of Alpharetta, Ga.-based market-research firm the American Affluence Research Center, says this might not be the case for long. As the oil that has made many in the Middle East so wealthy loses its value, those who he calls the "new rich" may begin to cut back, including those in Saudi Arabia, Brazil and China. New initiatives--such as Saks Fifth Avenue's Jan. 12 announcement that it would open a store in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, its second in the country--might be postponed due to a decline in overall consumer confidence.
"The wealthy citizens of the countries now experiencing recessions and declines in oil and commodity prices will contribute to the decline in sales of 'true luxury' brands," says Kurtz.

My take on all of this is that the affluent will cut back substantially but the ultra affluent will alter their spending habits only slightly....they will still spend, but discreetly.

And finally they won't be dropping $2500-$10,000 on those ridiculous statement necklaces that were all the rage in the 2008 collections....they will go for quality and intrinsic value.

Do You Want To Divest - Beladora is Buying

Does your closet look like this?

Mine certainly doesn't.

And apparently this woman's didn't either.

Shopaholic spinster found dead under 3ft of unopened goods

A spinster who obsessively hoarded clothes died in her home after a mountain of suitcases fell on her, burying her alive.

Which brings up the question where does collecting stop and hoarding begin?

Naturally, I put myself clearly in the collecting category....although 5 (small) closets, multiple drawer chests and two rolling racks might say otherwise. As my daughter says my closets are like a magical wonderland of clothing...where you can find something to suit any style.

But I also have no problem with getting rid of stuff and every couple of months I donate bags of clothes and shoes.

Getting organized and letting go of stuff feels good.
Whether you donate or sale through a consignment store, it is great to divest and to simplify our lives.

But what do you do with that jewelry that you never wear? You know the stuff you inherited from your grandmother and your aunt and those pieces that you got from your first husband. Some jewelry is just unwearable. It might have emotional connections that you would prefer to avoid, or it might just be the wrong size and style for you. What are your options?

Well you could sell it on EBay or put it in a local auction...but there is no guarantee of a sale...and even if there is a sale the fees are ridiculous. You could ask your local jeweler....but chances are that he doesn't have the cash flow to buy.

So what is the solution? Beladora.com of course.
Beladora is buying fine jewelry right now, especially gemstones, diamonds and signed jewelry.
The process is easy, efficient and private so if you have something to sell in 14k, 18k, 22k or platinum send an email to sales@beladora.com.

The Ultimate Buying Experience - Reproduction For Hire

You've all heard the expression

"If it Flys, Floats, or F**ks, Lease it."

Well now you can add "If it Goes Through Labor, Rent It."

Wow, there's a lot of breeding stories in the news this week.

This is too good not to share.

From today's Wall Street Journal

Rent-a-Womb Is Where Market Logic Leads

At long last, our national love affair with the rich is coming to a close. The moguls whose exploits we used to follow with such fascination, it now seems, plowed the country into the ground precisely because of the fabulous rewards that were showered on them.
Massive inequality, we have learned, isn't the best way to run an economy after all. And when you think about it, it's also profoundly ugly.

Some people haven't received the memo, though. Take Alex Kuczynski, author of the New York Times Magazine cover story for Nov. 30, which tells how she went about hiring another woman to bear her child.

Billionaire Beauty Alex Kuczynski Buying A Baby

Somewhere along the way, Ms. Kuczynski went from observer to observed. She married a hedge-fund billionaire and in 2005 was the subject of a memorable bit of plute-worship in W magazine. Here we learned about her four homes (including one on Park Avenue and one in Southampton) but mainly about her really inaccessible spread in Idaho, where everything has to be flown in: the masseuses, the meat, the guests, the yoga instructor, the chefs, and the logs that were required to restore the property's log cabins to her husband's exacting standards.

Maybe if this young woman had been donating her eggs to buy groceries Ms. Kuczynski would have understood that all this reproduction-for-hire was a product of her billionaire-centric world as surely as the Blahniks and Versace she used to trill about

Instead she tells us, very sincerely, how much she enjoyed spending the last few months before the child arrived "by white-water rafting down Level 10 rapids on the Colorado River" -- presumably Level 10 rapids are really quality rapids -- "racing down a mountain at 60 miles per hour at ski-racing camp, drinking bourbon and going to the Super Bowl." She also does a lot of "Bikram yoga," which is presumably a really quality form of yoga.

The Strapped for Cash Surrogate Mother Barefoot and Pregnant

Surrogate motherhood has been the subject of much philosophical and political dispute over the years. To summarize briefly, it is a class-and-gender minefield. When money is exchanged for pregnancy, some believe, surrogacy comes close to organ-selling, or even baby-selling. It threatens to commodify not only babies, but women as well, putting their biological functions up for sale like so many Jimmy Choos. If surrogacy ever becomes a widely practiced market transaction, it will probably make pregnancy into just another dirty task for the working class, with wages driven down and wealthy couples hiring the work out because it's such a hassle to be pregnant.

What she doesn't tell us is even more revealing.

About Ms. Kuczynski's own feelings and fears and cravings we get paragraph after maudlin paragraph. The one who does the labor is almost completely silent.

If you want to read about the trials and tribulations of Ms. Kuczynski's baby making experiences

her New York Times article is here.

Bespoke at Boucheron

Shopping Detox

The always interesting Woman of Experience has some thought on the upside of the recession in terms of its effect on shopping.

With no money and indeed no credit, surely this means there are far fewer opportunities for women to get it wrong. If they cannot buy, then they cannot buy clothes that were not meant for them. Win-Win. Because we don't have to look at them.

read the rest

Savvy Shopping or $2037 of Thakoon Trash

Last week Saks in Beverly Hills had a sale with prices as much as 70% off.
Do you ever wonder what their markup must be if they can discount
by 70% and still make a profit?

Do you ever wonder if their Open To Buy includes the directive to find
the ugliest clothes available if they are designed by the hip designer du jour?

Take this outfit for example. Even on sale for the low amount of $984 for the
dress, and $1053 for the jacket....and don't even get me started on the shoes...
I'd invest in Ford stock before investing $2037 in this outfit. And you know how I
feel about Ford.

From Saksfifthavenue.com complete abortion of an outfit by media darling Thakoon

For Those With More Money Than Taste

And just when you start to mourn for the demise of the retail sector you see something like this.

Marc Jacobs Channeling Stephen Sprouse

Marc Jacobs Homage to Sprouse for Louis Vuitton

And you think to yourself, LVMH deserves to lose money for bringing this overpriced nonsense to the market.

If you like the day-glo look you can read about this new line in WWD.

Bling Biz How Much Lower Can It Go?

1 Year Diamond Index

1 Year Gold

1 Year Retail Index

From WWD

Investors focused on the impact of Black Friday markdowns on fourth-quarter profits and pushed retail shares down a record-breaking 9.3 percent on Monday.The Standard & Poor’s Retail Index fell 24.41 points to 238.34 and registered its largest percentage drop since the index was re calibrated in June 2002. The measure of retail shares has logged its 13 steepest declines since the credit crisis began in September.

So everyone is wondering how much lower can it go.

Will this be the year that luxe retailer's such as Cartier, Van Cleef and Harry Winston offer discounts or will they sit on their inventory?

I'm betting that in another 2 weeks if you walked into any Harry Winston store and made an offer for 80% of the asking price on any piece of jewelry, that little bit of bling will be packaged with a big bow and in your hand before you can even pull out the black Amex card.

Savvy Shopping - Making Merry in Mikimoto

Well, it's that time of year again and all of the sleigh bells and tinsel can't take the dread out of the annual office Holiday party.

As usual, you want to look good so that you can tactfully leave early and meet up with your friends at the bar at the Thompson or the Bel Air Hotel.

So here's the outfit.

J.Crew red silk chiffon dress on sale for $125

And, the perfect accessory

Beladora Mikimoto pearl necklace with spinel and diamond detail

If your boss compliments you on the necklace while ogling your cleavage, just say thank you and smile. And...when your co-workers ask where you got the beautiful pearls, just say that you inherited them from your grandmother.... or they might think that you and the boss have been doing a little extra curricular work on the side and that the necklace was part of your year end bonus.

Paris For The Pleasure - Not For The Shopping

Christmas on Rodeo Drive

Christmas on the Champs Elysées

From EuroSoc

Oh, Champs-Elysées------------------

Tonight, Oscar-winning actress Marion Cotillard will switch on the Christmas illuminations on the Champs-Elysées, still described by Parisians as "the most beautiful street in the world."

Unfortunately, though, the rest of the world no longer agrees. A survey carried out by "mystery shoppers" of the most prestigious shopping streets in the world ranked les Champs bottom out of sixteen famous names. Surly shop assistants and poor service in the flagship boutiques on les Champs are identified as the major cause of its poor grades, and the pollsters also claimed that the entire avenue wasn't as clean as it should be. With an overall score of only 69/100, the Paris street came far behind Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, Oxford Street & New Bond Street in London and even less well-known contenders such as la Calle Serrano in Madrid and even Istanbul's Bagdat Avenue.

Oh come on...surly shop assistants, poor service and dirty streets have always been the tradition in Paris....

Certainly if I had my choice between Christmas in the City of Lights or Christmas in the City of Palm Trees, I'd choose Paris.

Wouldn't you?

I just wouldn't shop there.

Around Town - A little Melrose Madness for the Lynne Cohen Foundation

Need something new to wear?
Here's a great opportunity to pick up a little outfit for Fall and do something of value for the Lynne Cohen Foundation.

Savvy Shopping - A Helpful Holiday Happening

With the market continuing to slide (down about 850 points in two days) after a historical election that was won on a message of hope and change, I'm wondering just how far will the market drop and when will the recovery begin? Where's our traditional after election honeymoon?

Obviously, there is economic uncertainly all around, even in the supposedly immune luxury goods sector.

According the Jeanine Poggi in her article High-End Holiday Deals in Forbes.com, major luxury retailers have already been strategizing for the Holidays.

The luxury sector is facing tough times. That could be good news for shoppers this season.

Once expected to be immune to the economic downturn, the luxury goods market will likely experience sales growth of just 3% in 2008, according to Bain & Company's Luxury Goods Worldwide Market Study, released Oct. 29. This is compared with a 9% surge in 2006 and 6.5% increase in 2007. By 2009 we could see a 7% decline in global luxury sales using constant exchange rates.

"Luxury has already shown signs of promotions," says Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst at the NPD Group, a consumer and retail market research firm. "Sales prices are apparent in almost every retailer at every level already for holiday. Pre-holiday sale signs are popping up throughout malls across the country and even at the top-end luxury retailers."

Question: If the sales are starting on Black Friday....how low will prices go immediately after Christmas? My prediction...as much as 65% off on some items.

Read her article to see where the best deals will be found.