sábado, 24 de julio de 2010

Ranking the Fall Ads, Part Two: From Balenciaga to Bulgari” y 11 mas

Ranking the Fall Ads, Part Two: From Balenciaga to Bulgari” y 11 mas

Ranking the Fall Ads, Part Two: From Balenciaga to Bulgari

Posted: 23 Jul 2010 03:45 PM PDT

The moment the Fall ads start flowing in is always an exciting one. Which brand will succeed and which will fail miserably in captivating consumers and creating that perfect fantastical image?

We already showed you some of our early favorites, but in the past couple of weeks, tons of new images have hit the web. We rank the best of the rest in descending order. Click through to get a glimpse of what’s in store for Fall.

Best Dressed: LSD’s Flowy Chloe, Plus Rachel, Alexa and More

Posted: 23 Jul 2010 03:00 PM PDT

This week, we loved Lauren Santo Domingo’s pretty Chloé number. Alexa, who we’re always a fan of, looks great in dressed down Mulberry. Rachel Bilson and Kate Bosworth both looked great in Vanessa Bruno at the designer’s birthday dinner. Rising star Zoe Kazan is cute as ever in Cynthia Rowley.

Get Paris On Sale, But Only Twice a Year

Posted: 23 Jul 2010 02:30 PM PDT

Last month, while I was spending time in Paris, I noticed something special happening: Everything was going on sale. Every store I walked past had a sign in the window announcing exceptional soldes. But it was more than a pleasant coincidence; in case you didn’t know, France’s government regulates sales, allowing two six-week long markdowns a year, one beginning in June and the other in January.

This means that sales in Paris are major. By the end of the six week period, prices could be slashed by up to 80%, a discount that you rarely see in New York. While shopping I got two dresses at fractions of their original costs, a delight–especially considering the favorable exchange rate.

While there are obvious perks to the state-regulated sales system, there are a few let downs. Stores usually have sales in mid-summer and mid-winter anyway, to clear out old merchandise and make room for next season’s goods. But since sales are not allowed anytime except the state-approved times, merchandise is at full price the other nine months of the year, making snagging that pair of perfect boots for half the price in October an impossibility.

Which method do you think works better: biannual mega-sales, or smaller discounts all year round? Quite frankly, we wish there was a way to have both. Mayor Bloomberg, are you listening?

Can Shopping Lead to Self-Fulfillment? Meet the Eat Pray Love Movie Merch

Posted: 23 Jul 2010 02:00 PM PDT

Perhaps you've heard of a book-turned-movie called Eat Pray Love? It opens August 13 and marketers are salivating over the chance to get their hands on women aged 30-50 with above average incomes. Cue the Eat Pray Love merch.

Britt mused about this concept back when SATC2 was released. Sex and the City was a series and then a movie and then another really bad movie about shopping and fashion and consumerism. The tie-ins made sense. But Eat Pray Love is a lifestyle movie, a movie about how you don’t need stuff, you just need to find yourself. And eat lots of pasta.

According to Reuters, about 25% of all toy dollars in a typical year are spent on products tied to a licensed or entertainment property. And Star Wars, the grandfather of all movie franchises, has made about $8 billion since 1977. But what about movies for grown ups (and not counting Star Wars here)? Sales figures aren't as clear.

Are we no better than five-year-old girls who want a Disney princess lunchbox? Apparently not, because this phenomenon of co-branding lady movies and merch doesn't seem to be going away; in fact, it's getting more ridiculous.

While we–somewhat shockingly, considering the demographic–couldn't find the Eat Pray Love equivalent of the Vamp, we found lots of other things you can buy while on your path to happiness and self-fulfillment.

Click through for a peek. And namaste.



Thank You To Our Advertisers!

Posted: 23 Jul 2010 01:45 PM PDT


Thank you to this week’s advertisers!

Net-a-Porter’s Natalie Massenet Inspires 90% of Her Employees to Follow Their Dreams

Posted: 23 Jul 2010 01:13 PM PDT

One of the few start-ups to have emerged from the carnage of the dot-com implosion of 2000, Natalie Massenet’s vision of an “online magazine-you-can-shop-from,” now the luxury fashion version of Amazon.com, just earned her a neat £50m when she sold her shares of Net-A-Porter to luxury giant Richemont this spring. The reasons for her success and perhaps the failings of others is that in the world of fashion, more than anywhere, “people don’t trust who they don’t know”. As former editor at WWD and Tatler, Massenet put her intimate customer knowledge to use and created the ideal balance of commerce and content.

Following a behind-the-scenes video of their chasmic new headquarters (where 90% of employees surveyed found their boss to be “inspiring”) the lady in red answered questions from The Business of Fashion’s Imran Amed. Topics included Net-A-Porter’s iPad app (launched that day), her prescription for the breakneck fashion cycle, the best and worst way to get your products on their site, bricks and mortar vs. e-commerce and their soon-to-be-launched menswear site Mr.Porter. The highlights:

See It To Believe It: Visualization
“I visualized everything down to flowers arriving everyday and young people walking around everywhere congratulating each other. The confidence I had in knowing it would work is different than the confidence you have in your own talents.”

Bricks and Mortar v. E-Commerce: A Fight to The Death? "We're betting on it in a big way. Though they will support each other...online is your biggest brand window. There's room for everyone but if you're going to be a shop you better 'dim light' your customer, give them a reason to make the make the trip, make your store the best."

Skip A Season: A Cure for the Industry’s Fashion Cycle Vertigo
“We should skip a season, let everyone take a much needed break in the summer and then in September show Fall/Winter collections, which will be in the stores within a few weeks. They’re already broadcast to the world. What’s frustrating is that the consumer is seeing it at the same time as us but she can’t buy it. Buyers and editors only need to look at a rail in the showroom to the pick the product. We don’t need to see the show.”

Bloggers: Friend or Foe?
“We’re involved with 400 independent bloggers and websites, they drive traffic and increase sales. When I launched The Outnet a year ago, I leaked it at a bloggers’ luncheon and it was instantly tweeted about…Ha, I should have known! But the feedback allowed us to build things into our strategy. As for magazines vs. bloggers, the best content and most relevant will win. Magazines have the upper hand, but if they’re not using the medium, they’re missing out.”

Net-A-Porter the iPad App
Massenet walks us through a video presentation showcasing the super slick, fully animated app with overlays including product info and availability and purchasing at your fingertips. People in the audience were already downloading it!

“Our dream was always to be a shopping magazine. The ladies-who-lunch image is no longer relevant. Women are working harder than ever. Our customer is in the back of a cab on her…iPad.”

Your Product Here: The Dos and Don’ts
“The worst mistake you can make is to go through either my friends, my husband or my mother. My mother kept insisting I see the Balmain show…it was three years before I finally went.

Unsolicited email is ok just please don’t make my computer crash. And try to use a catchy title in the subject.

If you’re doing something someone else is already doing how is yours different? Tell us how we’ll be able to tell your story.

And be persistent. We’re pretty unpredictable. We may say no but then wake up one morning and decided it’s all about you! ”

Hers and His: Net-A-Porter’s Menswear Site, Mr.Porter is in the Making
“There are actually very few sites that are exclusively women’s fashion. We didnt want a marginalization of our women’s collection. Womenswear differs in that it incorporate trends, they’re more experimental. With men it’s usually down to trousers, a jacket and shirt. Ultimately they just want to look their stylish best.

Everything will be different about it, the service, brand, packaging, voice and tone…because we’re thinking of our customer. We want to over-deliver but we also don’t want to under-promise.”

Net-A-Porter’s Best Sellers of 2009:
Black Louboutin pumps, Louboutin’s Cat Burglar Barbie and Hunter Wellies.

Racked Dealfeed: Temperley, Timo Weiland & More

Posted: 23 Jul 2010 12:31 PM PDT

Loft
Deal: Enter code SAVINGS20 at checkout to save $20 off any order over $75
When: Ends August 5, 2010

Perry Ellis
Deal: Enter code PEFINAL40 at checkout to save 40% off your entire online order
When: Ends July 23, 2010

Timo Weiland
Deal: Up to 75% off trench coats, knitwear, tailored pants, tuxedo-collar knit jackets, and other items from the debut collection
When/Where: Friday, July 23 through Monday, July 26. Daily noon—8pm. Bblessing, 181 Orchard St between Houston and Stanton Sts (212-378-8005), New York


Temperley London & ALICE by Temperley SALE
Deal: Temperley London up to 60% off: The Rope Top Violet was $595 now $238 and the Bellini dress in black/cream was $1225 now $490. ALICE by Temperley up to 50% off. TheTiger dress in blue mix was $295 now $148 and the Mini Tiddles dress White or Black was $395 now $198.
When/Where: Starts Monday, July 5. Mon—Sat 11am—7pm. Sun noon—6pm. 453 Broome St at Mercer, 2nd Floor. (212- 219-2929), New York

Valentino Wins 16-Year Trademark Case; Valentino’s Lawyer Explains the Ruling

Posted: 23 Jul 2010 11:33 AM PDT

For the past sixteen years, Valentino has been engaged in litigation with a company called Florence Fashions over the use of the Valentino trademark.

On June 25th, DC-based intellectual property firm Rothwell, Figg, Ernst & Manbeck settled the case of Valentino U.S.A., Inc v. Florence Fashions (Jersey) Limited with the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB). The TTAB handed down the following judgment: “Valentino established priority of use and that a likelihood of confusion existed between the Valentino marks and Florence Fashions’ Giovanni Valentino and Gianni Valentino Marks.”

Confused? We were too. So we asked one of the lawyers from the firm that reps Valentino, Anne Sterba, to explain the case and the ruling.

What was this case all about?
A company called Florence Fashions filed two trademark applications and had two trademark registrations for Giovanni Valentino and Gianni Valentino. Valentino's position was that there was a likelihood of confusion between their Valentino mark and the Gianni and Giovanni Valentino marks. From Valentino's point of view, if Florence Fashions uses the Valentino mark consumers will be confused by seeing a Giovanni Valentino purse and and think that it's Valentino Garavani's product. The Garavani and the Giovanni–the Italian "G" names–get kind of confusing. So the parties litigated for 16 years.

Why did it take so damn long to settle this case?
A lot of discovery [the process of gathering information relevant to the case], a lot of extensions of time, a lot of suspensions so the parties could talk settlement.

And what does the ruling mean?
The end result is that Florence Fashions can't get a registration for a Valentino trademark and the registrations that they already have are canceled. One of Florence Fashions’ main arguments was that there were so many other Valentinos out there that consumers have become used to the Valentino name and can differentiate between all of the different Valentino names. The TTAB came through and said, "No, you didn't provide enough evidence to that fact."

When you have a trademark like Valentino, you don't want secondary users to come in and weaken the mark. So from a trademark point of view it's very important to protect it and to keep these types of mark strong. After 16 years, it's finally over.

How is this different from counterfeiting?
Valentino never said that Florence Fashions was a knock-off. Counterfeits pretend to be you and Florence Fashions is trying to be their own entity.

We have a series called Adventures in Copyright that exposes knock-offs–why do big retailers get away with producing knock-off designs?
Part of the problem in the U.S. is that there isn't a lot of protection for fashion designs. You have to rely on "trade dress" protection meaning that consumers have recognized the bag as coming from Valentino. That standard is so high that it's pretty unattainable. That's why you have to rely on your brand to protect your stuff.

So is there anyway designers can protect their patterns?
If you took a Valentino bag–not that I would advocate doing this–and copied the design of it and put your own label and called it Fashionista bags and made a completely different label in interior design, Valentino may be very upset, but there's nothing they can do about it. That's the difference between a knock-off and a trademark.

We represent a few start up designers and they get very upset when this happens. Where there is something you can do about it is if that company that is knocking you off and taking your designs is also your distributor. Because they're taking your patterns and making the garment. I can't go after them for making the garment but I can go after them for taking the patterns because it's a breach of contract issue, not an intellectual property issue.

So, for example, if a designer sees their shirt in a store, but it has a different label on it, and if they find that the measurements of that shirt are identical to their product, and they find out that the same company that manufactures their shirt manufactures this other shirt and they’re using your pattern to do that, you can go after them for breach of contract.

And this actually happens?
I would have said no, but it's happened twice in the last six months with two different clients.



Street Style: Lisa In Her Own Designs

Posted: 23 Jul 2010 10:00 AM PDT

Name: Lisa

Age: 30

Occupation: Tailor & Fashion Designer

Where are you from originally? Germany

How would you describe your style? Somewhere between avant-garde and organic

What are the most prominent colors in your wardrobe? Peach and mustard brown


What is your favorite food? Italian food. Pasta. Or granola. I don't think there's a day that goes by where I don't eat granola.

What is your current favorite song? I'm listening to a lot of African jazz at the moment

Where is your dress from? I made it

What is your line called? Hans Ark

Where is your necklace from? I made it as well

I see that you have a lot of incredible tattoos already, but if you were to get another one today, what would it be? I think I'm going to get some black Lilies added to my arm

All photos by Ashley Jahncke

Fashion News Roundup: Sexy Spy Anna Chapman Is Now A Topless Doll, Dolce Vita For Target, And Rodarte Makes Us Want To Be Ballerinas

Posted: 23 Jul 2010 09:17 AM PDT

The Spy Who Was Sold Separately: Hands-down sexiest lady in the recent Russian spy bust, Anna Chapman’s likeness has now been cast in plastic, and is available for purchase at Herobuilders.com. The (bizarrely muscular) Chapman doll is available in both a jeans-wearing, ass-kicking version and a topless seductress model. {New York Daily News}

A Sweet Life Indeed: New fall fashions threatening to hurt your bank account? Don’t fret! Dolce Vita’s line for Target will drop on August 22, to the sounds of simultaneous swoons from shopaholics and wallets. {Racked NY}

No Ugly Ducklings Here: As if you needed another reason to fantasize about a closet full of Rodarte… the first images of the sisters’ costume designs for Aronofsky’s new ballet-thriller flick Black Swan, starring Natalie Portman, have surfaced. {Fashionologie}

McQueen Memorial: The Gucci Group has announced their plans to hold a private memorial service for Alexander McQueen during London fashion week in September. We’re reminded yet again of how much we miss him. {Vogue UK}



Tia Cibani To Step Down at Ports 1961

Posted: 23 Jul 2010 08:18 AM PDT

Ports 1961’s creative director Tia Cibani will leave her post at the end of this month, WWD is reporting.

But the brand is keeping the creative leadership in the family, and Tia’s older sister Fiona, who has overseen the Ports International brand, will take over at Ports 1961 as well.

Tia, 37, served as creative director of Ports 1961 for the past five years, and has been with the company since 1990. Ports is an unusual brand, having redefined what it means to be “Made in China.” Originally a Canadian company, Ports was purchased by entrepreneur Alfred Chan (Fiona’s husband) in 1989, who moved operations to his hometown in Xiamen, China. Tia moved to Xiamen in 1993, and spent seven years overseeing the brand’s development there, before returning to the US in 2003 to launch Ports 1961.

So it follows that Tia–who is of Italian and Libyan descent, was raised in Canada, worked in China, and opened Ports 1961 flagship stores in New York, LA and London–has often looked to different countries across the globe for inspiration.

We’ll miss seeing Tia’s creations come down the runway but look forward to seeing what big sis Fiona will do with the line.

Adventures in Copyright: Really, Forever 21?

Posted: 23 Jul 2010 07:00 AM PDT

A reader sent in this tip–a Forever 21 T-shirt that says a bunch of nonsense in the exact same font and design as this Marc by Marc tote. We thought this was such a strange thing to copy.

The tote bag is not even part of the main Marc by Marc collection, but a $28 “special item” available only at Marc by Marc stores alongside condoms and key chains. The tongue-in-cheek label hilariously reads “Jacobs by Marc Jacobs for Marc by Marc Jacobs in collaboration with Marc Jacobs for Marc by Marc Jacobs.” The Forever 21 Tee says something about “heritage” and “California” and blah blah blah.

Such an unnecessary rip-off, in our opinion. What’s your take?
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