In this new Louis Vuitton campaign shot by Annie Lebovitz, Angelina Jolie is wearing her own clothes, wearing no makeup, with a monogrammed Alto bag on her shoulder. She looks radiant on a wooden boat in a lakeside landscape in Cambodia's Siem Reap Province.
Angelina Jolie is the latest celebrity to pose for the Core Values campaign by Louis Vuitton. The ad is slated to break in the International Herald Tribune on Wednesday, followed by a range of news, general interest and lifestyle publications, including Vanity Fair.
The campaign is expected to run for at least 18 months alongside a few other recent “core values” personalities, including Bono and Sean Connery. Vuitton introduced the advertising concept in 2007 as a way to trumpet its travel roots and showcase its perennial monogrammed leather goods as a balance to its fashion-driven marketing — and to reach a broader audience. Other personalities who have posed for Vuitton include Mikhail Gorbachev, Keith Richards and Catherine Deneuve.
Tory Burch, the CFDA best accessories designer winner, now enters the Chinese market. She opened a 1,067 square foot store at Shin Kong Place, Beijing. The interior design is similar to that of the first Tory Burch store in New York. She also opened her second store in Hong Kong, a 1,560 square foot space in Harbor City. Later this year a Shanghai store will open as well.
The company did a lot of research of the Chinese market, and tailored some of the luxury merchandise for this new market. The popular Amanda satchel is scaled down, new colors are introduced to her Robinson handbag line, and smaller sizes are available for the ready-to-wear collection. According to Burch, her higher-priced items sell better in Asia than in the US. To establish better brand recognition in China, the company plans to make good use of the social media, such as Sina Weibo, China's version of Twitter. A Chinese version of the brand's web site will be launched later this year.
Kate Middleton wears Alexander McQueen wedding dress when she married Prince William on April 29.
“The lace applique for the bodice and skirt was handmade by the Royal School of Needlework, with individual flowers hand-cut from lace (in shapes of roses, thistle, daffodils and shamrocks). The dress is made of ivory and white satin gazar with a skirt in the shape of an opening flower. The satin bodice, narrowed at the waist and padded at the hips in a McQueen signature, is based on Victorian corsetry. The back is finished with 58 gazar and organza covered buttons. The veil, made of ivory silk tulle with a trim of hand-embroidered flowers, is held in place by a 1936 Cartier tiara, lent to Ms. Middleton by the Queen. (It was bought for her mother by the Duke of York and presented to Queen Elizabeth on her 18th birthday.) Ms. Middleton’s earrings—shaped like oak leaves with a pave set diamond acorn suspended in the center—are by Robinson Pelham. The shoes are also by McQueen.”
Recently Gianfranco Ferre just fired their two designers, Tommaso Aguilano and Roberto Rimondi. They joined Ferre in 2008. WWD reported that "after the Fall 2011 show, the sales didn't go well at all." While attending the February show, the new owners of Ferre, Abdulkader Sankari and Ahmed already enquired about the designers' future, saying that " we will see".
A retailer also claimed that the designers are fired due to poor sales. " We bought a minimal amount of the collection for the sake of carrying the brand, but there simply were not enough samples. There was almost no daywear and evening wear was fairy-tale like, something for the Oscars. It may work for a small, niche brand, but not for such a global brand."
It seems like designers really have to think about the market before they design. They cannot just design clothes based on their own interest. If you want the brand to go a long way, you have to think about the customers, the ones who actually buy the clothes and support the brand.
Karl Lagerfeld recently designed a second collection of limited edition bottles for Coca Cola. The creative director of Chanel is a big fan of diet coke. In 2001, he reportedly lost 90 pounds by just drinking Diet Coke and eating steamed vegetables.The designer also employs Diet Coke butlers to bring him the drink in a Lalique crystal goblet.
" I drink diet coke and nothing else, day and night." Karl Lagerfeld said.
This second collection is based on the first one, featuring the designer's silhouette in black on a white bottle with pink lid, adding dots, stripes and stars.
Karl Lagerfeld said, " I love the collection we did last year, but I will love 2011 even more. I'm delighted about this collection."
This limited edition collection will be in stores June.
Name of fabric: hemp fabric
Produce: natural
Environmental Impact: environmentally friendly which requires few pesticides and no herbicides
Hemp provides all the warmth and softness of a natual textile, with a superior durability. Actually it makes you warm in winter and cool in summer. Hemp's natural properties are resistant to bacteria. It is extremely versatile and can be used for apparel, accessories, shoes, furniture, and home furnishings. The texture of pure hemp is a lot like linen.
Alexander Wang was born in 1984. He attended Parsons the New School for Design, but dropped out in his sophomore year. He launched his first ready-to-wear collection in 2007.
Style: Casually cool downtown style
Merchandise: Apparel, Shoes, Bags, and Accessories
Inspiration: The nineties, French chic, and rock grunge
Fabric: Cotton, jersey, leather
Customer: Women
Age 18 to 35
No income ( parents' money) or over $ 50,000 annual
Fashion forward
Price range: Clothing- $ 300 to $ 800
Shoes- $ 400 to $ 800
Bags- $ 350 to $ 900
Accessories: $ 100 to $ 300
Retail: alexanderwang.com, Saks Fifth Avenue, shopbop.com, net-a-porter.com, Barneys New York, Bergdorf Goodman, and some boutiques
Just opened flagship store in New York
Fall 2011 Collection:
Previous Collections:
Gareth Pugh
Gareth Pugh is an English designer. He was born in 1981. He got his degree from Central Saint Martins in 2003. He interned with Rick Owens in Paris. He launched his own fashion line at 2006 London Fashion Week.
Style: " about the struggle between lightness and darkness"- Gareth Pugh
Merchandise: Apparel and shoes
Inspiration: Klaus Nomi ( a German actor), Britain's extreme club scene
Fabrics: PVC, mink, parachute silk, foam footballs, synthetic hair, electrically charged plastic( on the runway)
jersey, knit, baize cloth( actual merchandise)
Customer: Women and men
Age 18 to 30
Parents' money or over $ 50,000 annual income
Very fashion forward and innovative
Wants to look unique
Price range: $200 to $2,500
Retail: Barney's New York, Bergdorf Goodman, select websites
About: From March 1 to 10, Chanel and Paris boutique Colette are teaming up for a pop-up store in a former garage. Graffiti covered handbags, scooter helmets and CDs will be sold alongside the spring collection of Chanel, and a selection of young designers. Chanel also came up with a collectible doll, bags customized by Chrome Hearts( Karl Lagerfeld's favorite jewelry brand), and a camelia-making demo. There will also be a nail bar, a cupcake stand, and nonstop tunes from Michel Gaubert.
About: Alexander Wang introduced his flagship store with 3,500 square foot of space. He was inspired by the Yohji Yamamoto store that previously occupied the space. The store is designed by architect Robin Kramer, with chilly white marble interior warmed up by touches of glowy antique brass, inlaid in the marble cubes and long tables. Wang said he wants it to look like a living room, a place where people can hang out instead of a strict retail environment.
Designer Line: Oscar de la Renta
Retailer/location: Nordstrom Seattle
Participants/guests:Robert, Oscar representative of Nordstrom
Time: January 24-25
This trunk show showcases Oscar de la Renta's spring 2011 collection, mainly gowns and dresses. One of the gowns was featured in the February issue of ELLE magazine.
Type of Merchandise:
Women's sportswear, intimate apparel, jewelry, shoes and accessories
Men's suit seperates, sportswear, underwear and accessories
"The brand is designed to be the stylish women's resource for wear-to-work clothes that are both polished and versatile." "Alfani offers clothing for the man who wants to look modern and professional."
Price Points: $30~$100
Where It Is Made: Imported
Competition: Gap, Ann Taylor
PINK from Victoria's Secret
Victoria's Secret Pink was launched in 2004. Their beauty line was launched in 2007. The Pink label is sold in Victoria's Secret stores, and their beauty products are also sold in Bath and Body Works.
Type of Merchandise:
Underwear, sleepwear, lounge wear, beauty products and accessories for late-teen and college age women.
