Coutorture

Fashion In 50 Seconds 10/31/08

coutorture — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 06:16:48 -0700

The magazine industry suffered greatly this week with major layoffs at Conde Nast and Time Inc and significant restructuring within those companies. Mens Vogue, for instance, will be 'absorbed' into it's parent magazine, Vogue. The men's magazine retained only its Editor and Chief, Jay Fielden.

Zaha Hadid, architect du jour thanks to the Chanel Mobile Art Exhibit in Central Park, has opened an installation exhibit at two venues in Manhattan. The installations show Hadid's interest and talent in large-scale, organic shapes--not to mention, business sense.

Photos of Charlotte Ronson's collection for JC Penney have surfaced, calling a lot of attention to the somewhat celebrity designer and her ability to strike while the iron is hot. Her collection for JC Penney, called I [Heart] Ronson, will retail between $15 to $65. Pictured above.

If you're a window person, you'll be happy to hear that holiday concepts for Selfridges (the Macy's of London when it comes to tourist-attracting windows) have been released. There will be a window designed by Alexander McQueen and an overarching theme of Santa as urbanite.

Keeping Warm On The Cheap

coutorture — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 11:42:38 -0700

Striped Leg Warmers $5 - Charlotte Russe

Xhilaration Camel 18" Legwarmers - OS $7 - Target

Xhilaration Grey Lightweight Legwarmers - OS $5 - Target

Xhilaration Black 18" Legwarmers - OS $7 - Target

Lately we have been wearing leg warmers on our morning trips to the coffee shop, throwing the garment over our bedtime leggings makes us feel like we are getting dressed and has a profond affect on our warm quotient. Leggings themselves aren't warm enough but we admit that before our caffeine getting dressed feels daunting. We may be scaring the cute girls at Marlow and Sons but warmth this cheap is practically a recession special

Gap Mandates Time Off, Puts Together A Few Outfits

coutorture — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 06:41:02 -0700

Ruffle knit scarf $24 - Gap

Welt-pocket cardigan $58 - Gap

Tux ballet flats $39 - Gap

Herringbone hobo $39 - Gap

Stirrup jeans $69 - Gap

Supersoft long-sleeved V-neck T $24 - Gap

Paid time off accruing on the books is a workaholic's catnip and a corporate accountant's nightmare and what with paranoia over layoffs mounting companies like the Gap are coming up with creative solutions to keep the books in the black like mandating time off. We can just see passel of casually dressed Gap folks wandering around San Francisco not knowing what to do with themselves.

The Honesty of Bridal Market

coutorture — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 08:41:39 -0700

At New York Fashion Week, one of the world's most commercial, you would be hard pressed to get a designer to say anything about the "dirty" business of selling clothing. At New York Bridal Market there is no such problem. In fact, we were overjoyed to discover that designers actively relished delving into their sales track record, discussing which gowns had been best sellers in the past, and waxing poetic about whether classic designs sell better or worse then contemporary updates. One of the most articulate designers we encountered was Romona Keveza who before an informal showing on Saturday (which was filled with buyers, we were the only press at that particular showing) discussed with attendees how the financial crisis would impact the bridal gown market.

Her assessment concluded that Romona Keveza would continue to prosper even the in down market. Weddings may get smaller as bride and groom decide that maybe the 500 guest wedding is a bit showy but an intimate affair with friends and family and a classic gown is tasteful no matter what the situation. Romona said "Just because they are cutting back in other areas doesn't mean a bride with taste is suddently going to go shop at David's Bridal."

LPJ

coutorture — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 11:15:57 -0700

F5973 Sunglasses $5 - Forever 21

Plastic Headband $3 - Forever 21

Heart Sunglasses $11 - Fred Flare

Rose Cut Stud Earring $3 - Forever 21

Poly Bangle $3 - Forever 21

Multi-Color Pyramid Bracelet $18 - Kitson

Plastic Heart Ring $2 - Forever 21

As children we used to relish "LPJ"s or little plastic junk from the Littlest Pet Shop to licensed toys from the latest kid's film at the fast food emporium so perhaps it stands to reason that as our consumption addiction withdrawal comes to a head we are regressing to this most basic of cheap goods group. Who knew that it was possible to enjoy the "made in China" goodness of the LPJ even in accessories land just as the full brunt of our debt to China really starts to cramp our spending habits.

Recession Specials Inspired By The Great Depression

coutorture — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:12:04 -0700

High Waist Pinstripe Skirt W/ Belt $22 - Forever 21

Abstract Wool Cloche $12 - Forever 21

Jenna Lace Mary Jane $5 - Forever 21

Opera Patent Croc Wallet $14 - Forever 21

Pearls & Cameo Pin $6 - Forever 21

Burnout Stripe Blouse $22 - Forever 21

Tweed Bermuda Short $22 - Forever 21

Wool Newsboy Hat $9 - Forever 21

Is it possible that the merchandising teams at Forever 21 had an inkling that old timey Depression era chic would be making a comeback this fall just as the retailer's price points hit their most attractive ? They have created a perfect storm of ironic cheap fashion items just as our consumer class begins to crave a fashion fix. We were hit with a palpable urge to shop this afternoon that just will not quit. Our only desire is to go drop $100 at a fast fashion emporium. But we wonder if, just like after a fast food binge, we will only feel bad after the fact.

Gabay's

coutorture — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 09:26:24 -0700

We were disappointed to learn that a certain friends and family sale is going to be open to public forcing us greedy hording editors to contend with hoi polloi. Yes we are selfish and prefer to scramble at sales with a smaller crowd. Can you really blame us for living for this singular perk of the job? As more and more of the secrets of the industry get out to the public finding a quiet shopping haven of discounted designer goods has become nearly impossible. Yes, yes please feel bad for us, its horrible we know!

This crowding issue is why we love Gabay's. The still relatively unknown East Village designer surplus shop is know for its impressive collection of unsold shoe inventory from a well known luxury department store. The place is a jumble of hidden treasures for those with the patience to root around looking for a gem. If you prefer a curated easy shopping experience though guess what you still get what you pay for so head to your nearest full price personal shopper. Otherwise, if you are in New York head to Gabay's for a little recession era fun. We know we are craving a little retail therapy.

225 1st Ave Apt 1 (between 13th St & 14th St) New York, NY 10003 (212) 254-3180

Will Hemlines at Henri Bendel Save Us?

coutorture — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:44:56 -0700

A little birdie at Henri Bendel sent us a note today reminding us about the correlation the connection between good economic times and higher hemlines.

From what we can tell the theory goes something like this:

Financial analysts have loosely used it to determine where the economy is headed. So far it’s been pretty accurate. In the '20s and '60s, hemlines were at a high and so was the stock market. And in the '30s and '40s, the stock market was so low that women were almost tripping on their skirts. The hemline theory was also on the ball in 1987. Miniskirts were all the rage, and the stock market was at a matching high. But then the market quickly crashed in October, right when designers such as Bill Blass decided that miniskirts looked ridiculous. Hemlines dropped and so did the market.

In which case all of those sexy minidresses we are seeing on the runways of Balmain, Herve Leger and Versace might just be our ticket to better times. In which case if this a potential buy strategy for Henri Bendel could they just be saving us from the recession?

Fashion in 50 Seconds 10/6 Beretta, Boucheron, and Helmut Lang

coutorture — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 06:18:58 -0700

All we are saying is give peace, erm, fashion a chance says bridal fashion show Bridal Asia in New Delhi India which featured Pakistani models in an effort to promote cross cultural understanding through every little girl's dream. Literally we are imagning, arranged marriages are still huge.

The country lifestyle has gone far beyond Barbour jackets and duck boots when it comes to strange inspirations for fashion. It turns out shooting is the next big fashion inspiration. Beretta, the firearms manufacturer, has a clothing line called 1526. The line focuses on the shooting lifestyle that countryside sports represents. Made in Italy from luxury materials we are willing to bet this is going to show up at Freeman's in a month or so. Other gun manufacturers seeing a boom in clothing demand include James Purdey & Sons and Holland and Holland. Who knew?

Fashion critic and illustrator Michael Roberts has a new book called "Fashion Victims" features 26 poems with accompanying illustrations based on the letters of the alphabet, ranging from Auctions to Zips.

The solution the Wall Street collapse? Brazil, Russia, India and China - the BRIC economies, have a growing middle class that is developing an appetite for luxury.

Boucheron has launched an ecommerce site proving once again that Gucci Group is consistently the most innovative of the luxury conglomerates when it comes to online retailing and luxury technology use.

"Fashion shouldn't be about absoluteness, otherwise it would be a church," says Lang, whose first art exhibition, Alles Gleich Schwer, at the Kestnergesellschaft in Hanover, Germany, is currently attracting him plenty of renewed attention.

L'Oreal is sponsoring Dubai Fashion Week which runs October 5th through the 9th. Way to hop on that trend guys!

Coutorture Community Must Reads 10/02

coutorture — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:51:48 -0700

While absorbing Paris Fashion Week from a computer screen comes at little cost, wearing the clothing is another story. Given the state of our economy, our wise bloggers are either covering straight runway or finding opportunities to talk about "look for less" options. That said, we picked three to note.

Kingdom of Style is possibly the biggest penny saver of all having made her own organza skirt for a night out on the town. The results are pretty fantastic, but we're also putting a few bucks on her styling abilities.

Pretty Legit scoped out Old Navy's Fall deliveries, confirming our recent penchant for black sequins and more long blazers than is necessary for one person to own.

Platinum Blonde Life gave up the info on Banana Republic's recent shoe offerings. We've been meaning to pick up a trench coat from them and we might just have to add a shoe or two to the basket.

Looks like we're going on a mini-shopping spree, seeing as it's all in one place.