LupRocks Gossip

Novice New York Fashion Week Coverage--Part 1

I'm not even going to pretend that I'm an authority on the good the bad and the ugly when it comes to fashion week, but I do know what I like and what I don't like, and I'm definitely loving the fact that smaller, under the radar designers like Jason Wu (well, he was under the radar until his inaugural coups anyway), Chadwick Bell, Prabal Gurung and Bensoni are getting rave reviews this season.  Wu in particular showcased a feminine and whimsical collection and, best of all, he didn't skimp on accessorizing, something that is near and dear to all of the hearts here at Lup H.Q.!  

Jason Wu Image: NYMag.com

We were also excited to learn in today's WWD that many independent jewelry designers, including LupRocks own Kara Ross and Alexis Bittar, are taking part in the fashion week festivities by collaborating with various clothing designers.

While I'm wary of making this next statement, because I fear the fashion gods are going to strike me down with lightening, since my absolute favorite part of fashion week is reading the cleverly snarky and always hilarious reports from the Fug girls on NYMag.com, I'm just going to say what everyone I know is thinking....WHAT WAS MARC JACOBS THINKING???  I'm sure there is some profound "ism" that he's somehow channeling that I'm too dense to understand, so please enlighten me if you can!

Marc Jacobs Image: NYMag.com

LupRocks.com Designers in WWD Accessories Supplement

We were thrilled to come across two of LupRocks.com designers in the highly acclaimed WWD Accessories Supplement.   A nod from this venerable publication means that one really has arrived, and TDM Design and Helena de Natalio are well-deserving of the acknowledgment (especially considering that everyone in the LupRocks.com office is currently rocking pieces from both of these designers!). 

One more post about Gossip Girl

This is my last post this week about Gossip Girl - I promise!  Today's WWD validated the success of the show and the major impact it has had on fashion, and  - more importantly for you - the impact it has had on sales of that fashion. "The Millennials also aspire to look as if they stepped off the set of 'Gossip Girl,' the hit series about New York's Upper East Side adolescents with adult-size sins and pocket book."   -  Khanh T.L. Tran, WWD.  Khana continues on to report that brands seen on the show had immediate increases in sales.  You could be next!  The costume department is pulling jewelry and accessories from LupRocks.com, and they have posted a desperately seeking!

 

 

Because it is on all our minds this week...

I know my crowds. The designer crowd is not the crowd that forgets it is Mother’s Day. People who create the gifts that many will give their mommy’s dearest (and less than dearest) next Sunday are not the ones who are running to the local 24 hour drug store at 2:00am on Saturday night in order to at least bring some lame card to the celebratory brunch. The problem is after your Mother’s Day sale/trunk show/sample sale is over, you are so tired from all the orders you have to fill, that it is hard to focus on an original idea for your own mother. While we are sure she is happy to adorn another one of your lovely designs, give her something she is not expecting – say jewelry or accessories designed by someone else. The front page of WWD today, featured a jewelry trend report on little charms. This got me thinking of a couple good ideas for mother’s day. Alex Woo has a perfectly simple gold M necklace that would make a wonderful gift - per the suggestion of People Magazines mother’s day gift guide. Heather Moore has beautiful little initial charms as well. Group several of them on one chain to represent all of your mother’s children or grandchildren, box it up, put a bow on it, and you are sure to make her smile. Also, don’t forget about your loved ones who may have mothered a new or collection. They deserve some in the spotlight acknowledgment as well. We recommend Emma-Jane & Tan’s cupcake necklace as the perfect charm for any New York gal who has caught the “I’m addicted to the amazing cupcakes that this city has to offer syndrome.” (Guilty as charged!)

Speaking of Mom’s…My mother was a brilliant enough woman to have us grow up watching Sesame Street. I learned how to count to twelve from the ladybug’s picnic and at the age of four I would walk around my house singing “You really got a hold on me.” Jessica, co-founder of LupRocks.com, is an award winning set decorator for the children’s education show “Between the Lions,” one of our flock’s father has been art director of Sesame Street for the past 20 + years, and all of us here at Lup have the general feel good hearts of children (with the brains of experienced educated adults of course), so we bring you this link as our little mother’s day present to all of you. Whether you are the mother of children or the mother of a wonderful company, we want to offer you this quick link in the hope that it makes you smile, and brings joy to you on what we hope is a very happy “mother’s” day.

Whats wrong with fashion? nothing.

Today, WWD asked the elephant in the room question of the moment: “What’s wrong with fashion?” 

One of the featured quotes to the question de jour was by Ken Dowing, Neiman Marcus, who said that, “The customer for Fall is very interested in color and the fashion houses continue showing black, gray, navy, and brown.”

Why I disagree:

1. This spring and summer is all about the bright hues of yellow, pink, purple, orange which will become tiresome come fall when we will gladly welcome a more subdued palette.

2. When that first gust of chilled air blows through the city,women are aware that the tan you acquired and perhaps also that flat beach stomach you were conscious about maintaining will get caught up in the breeze.   Dark colors are more flattering to a paler, less toned body. 

3. Finally, it isn’t even true.  Yes, the main colors of Fall are the four basic darks, but they are usually mixed with rich Fall hues of the ROY G BIV spectrum.  Last winter we even had splashes of bright blues and purples.  Anything more than a splash would feel ridiculous in 40° weather.  Is it just me?

Renzo Rosso, Diesel, had the audacity to say that, “Companies have been focusing less on clothes and too much on accessories.”  Since Diesel has never actually had a groundbreaking accessory line, I refuse to even validate that comment with a response.  (What Chanel or Gucci did for sunglasses; what Marc Jacobs or Balenciaga did for bags; what Diesel did for…hmm that’s right they didn’t!)

With an economy that is affecting everyone, fashion has managed to at least keep its head above water.  Don’t get me wrong.  The industry has suffered. But compare that to the housing market and gain some perspective.  We have a war, an economic crises, global warming, an uncomfortable fight for a presidency, and yet still a fashion industry that continues to grow. 

Everything in the news seems to be pretty dark these days, so what if we dress to match?!

 

Product Placement Paradise

While we devote endless hours of the day, (seriously, we never leave our desks) to helping you get your products placed in the best magazines and productions, we can’t help but feel frustrated when the product placement aspect of the fashion world falls below the radar.  So imagine our joy when flipping through the pages of Monday's WWD, the elite source for fashion reporting, we stumbled across a huge page featuring the ever important role of product placement. 

Sprawled across the enlarged pages of WWD are photos of our favorite a-listers in their favorite shades.  Whether it is Fendi, Michael Kors, or Calvin Klien, these designer’s shades protect the eyes of the stars wearing them while generating light at the same time.  “Getting a bump from famous faces and products placements is a marketer’s dream,” read the caption.  We are familiar with this dream, one which we have failed to awake from for the greater part of the past decade.  For those of you who feel the same way, please share with us by commenting on this post. Happiness loves company.  While we now feature the placements mentioned in WWD, you can also check out LupRocks Gossip archives to read about some of our recent placements!

WWD 2007 Wrap Up

Women’s Wear Daily has established itsef as the long time go-to source for full fashion, jewelry and accessories reporting. They tell us which companies are thriving and which ones are on their way to Ch.11. They fill us in on all the gossip about brands old and new, and keep a strong thumb on the pulse of the multi billion dollar fashion, retail, beauty, accessories, and textiles industries. But what makes us really hold WWD near and dear is today's Dec. 11 issue, jam packed with the much anticipated “WWD Year in Fashion, 2007.” So, extend your coffee/paper break and turn off your phones, because with a whole year's worth of juicy gossip packed into one issue you’ll need the extra time to stay nose deep in pages.

Warning: For all person(s) who choose to read WWD on the subway ride home, we recommend taking extra caution so as not to miss your stop. Repeat - do not let the gorgeous threads and shocking sell-topers suck you in. You will miss your stop. WWD assumes no responsibility for work that is procrastinated, significant others who are ignored, subway rides that are mistakenly extended due to exposure to content.

The annual supplement kicks off with the “Greatest Show on Earth” and ends with a big “Photo Finish.” However, every page in between is filled with newsworthy text that you won’t want to be without. So pick up your issue today, or check it out online.

Internet Fashion Sales Higher Than Ever

                           

Remember the good old days when you had to actually brave the hoards of snappy shoppers in pursuit of your wardrobe?  Well, it looks like those days are numbered.  According to a recent article in Women's Wear Daily, internet fashion sales are skyrocketing.  From well known chains like Urban Outfitters now boasting websites with a plethora of fashions, and items exclusive to their web store-- to internet start-ups like ShopBop.com with their arsenal of popular young designers-- to the new invitation-only website Gilt Groupe, that brings the designer sample sales to you, the internet has become the next frontier for fashion finds.  According to WWD, online sales of apparel, accessories and footwear are projected to total $22.1 billion, this year, up $3.8 billion from 2006.  For some designers, internet sales have even surpassed revenues from freestanding stores!  Small designers also find that creating an internet store is the perfect cost-effective way to build their brand and reach a broader market. 

Though it's difficult to compete with the ease that internet shopping brings, some websites become successful because they offer features that freestanding stores cannot.  At American Apparel online, users are invited to comment and rate articles of clothing, encouraging a sense of community among faithful buyers of the brand.  Though far from an online boutique, LupRocks.com is ahead of internet trends,  with our showcase of a variety of large and small designers alike.  Not only that, LupRocks assists in building a community among media members and accessories designers by encouraging designers to post upcoming events, allowing media members to place a direct call out for specific products in our "Desperately Seeking" section, and even offering exciting promotions, like our Product of the Month, in which every month a piece of fine jewelry, handbag, or accessory is given to a lucky LupRocks visitor who submits their email to the site.  With so many cool features, LupRocks is definitely an up-and-coming site to keep an eye on.

Razzle-Dazzle Gone Luxe

                                

            
                                           Chanel's cruise 2008 $261,000 Diamond Forever Handbag  (image via Forbes)

While every fashionista's wardrobe this winter has at least one sequin dress, or pair of shimmery tights, or shiny shoes to bring a bit of sparkle to the season, couture designers have gone above and beyond your every-day bedazzling with their new collections of opulent accessories for this holiday season.  Just this month, Chanel debuted the world's most expensive handbag lined with 334 diamonds and totaling in at a hefty price of $261,000!  In today's issue of WWD, Katya Foreman surveys a few stand out designers.  According to WWD, Kara Ross and Monica Rich Kosann, both LupRocks designers, are hot on the heels of this trend with their eye catching accessories. Speaking of heels, WWD also cites another LupRocks designer, Lazare Kaplan, and their collaboration with shoe and handbag designer Taryn Rose to produce a one-of-a-kind pair of shoes featuring a rose lined with ideal-cut Lazare Kaplan diamonds.   We knew that 'tis the season for tinsel and blinking lights, but we never thought that designers would take the trend of flashy eye catching add-ons so much to heart!

Accessories Bring In the Green on Black Friday

                                        

                                                             image from jimlowney.com

Even though the weather was less than welcoming, shoppers came out in droves to partake in the Black Friday shopping mayhem.  According to Research group ShopperTrak RCT, sales rose 8.3% from last year to $10.3 billion.  Though the apparel industry was not among the most successful earning sectors, there was a spike in accessories sales.  In an interview for Women's Wear Daily, W Magazine's sister publication, Chairman and CEO of Bloomingdale's, Michael Gould cites dressy accessories, handbags and certain luxury brands as some of the biggest sellers so far this holiday season. Other luxury brands confirm the trend.  While those buying luxury goods may be more cautious, luxury goods were still selling strong, and some retailers have noticed a spike, especially in handbag and cold weather accessories sales. To find out more about Black Friday sales trends, check out this article at wwd.com