Archive: July, 2011
Esther Lee, Philly.com
After months of spewing statements back and forth, Christian Louboutin and Yves Saint Laurent have officially taken their red soles to court.
On Friday, Louboutin and YSL lawyers Harley Lewin and David Bernstein stood before New York Southern District Judge Victor Marrero with dozens of shoes in hand.
Left: YSL's red suede Palais 105 platform pumps (Photo courtesy of bluefly.com) / Right: Christian Louboutin's Rolando patent leather platform pumps (Photo courtesy of Saks.com)
Esther Lee, Philly.com
Spend any given day perusing the boutique shops aligning Walnut Street or admiring the European designer stores housed within King of Prussia Mall, and most will agree: Luxury comes with an exorbitantly-high price tag.
Enter Gilt Groupe, whose offerings contradict this mentality- one private sale, and now city, at a time.
A screen shot of Gilt.com for members. (Photo / Gilt Groupe Inc.)
For those who are unacquainted with Gilt Groupe Inc., it's most likely because membership to the private sale site is invitation-only. The online luxury retailer generated tremendous amounts of buzz when it first launched in 2007, by offering 36-48 hour sales that featured typically unaccessible high-end apparel and lifestyle items for deeply-discounted prices. Hooked? So are 2-3 million luxury-loving men and women across the world.
Earlier this week, Gilt City expanded to four new markets- Washington D.C., Atlanta, Dallas and Seattle. Additional locations include Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and San Francisco. In an interview, Nate Richardson, president of Gilt City and vice president of Gilt Groupe Inc., discussed what distinguishes Gilt from other private sale sites like Rue La La and Ideeli.
Esther Lee, Philly.com
Hermès International raised its projected 2011 revenue forecast after Q2 sales rose 17.9 percent.
From left, the display window of Hermes on Broad St in New York; Hermes handbag. (AP Photos)
The jump was driven by demand in China and the United States for the luxury brand's leather bags and scarves. Hermès will post first-half results on Aug. 31, and believes that profits should jump significantly in comparison to what the company posted in the first half of 2010. The legendary family-owned French company has attempted to fend off luxury group giant LVMH and the company's controlling shareholder Bernard Arnault. In 2010 LVMH bought a 20 percent stake in Hermès. More from Reuters
Esther Lee, Philly.com
40 year-old British luxury handbag company Mulberry is the world's top fashion retailer.
Not only was Mulberry Group Plc (MUL) the best-performing retail stock this past year, but analysts say that overseas growth will only continue to fuel company sales. Mulberry, best known for its leather handbags, has investors firmly backing it. Iconic favorites from the Somerset-based brand include the Alexa (named after British it girl Alexa Chung), Tillie, Mabel, and Roxanne. More from Bloomberg
The Alexa bag (Photo courtesy of Mulberry blog)
Esther Lee, Philly.com
It's a battle of epic shoe proportions, or color in this case. The Christian Louboutin / Yves Saint Laurent red sole patent dispute continues.
This past spring, YSL released its Palais 105 platform pumps in a red suede color, which not only encompassed the shoe and heel, but also the sole. The result? In April, Christian Louboutin S.A. filed a $1 million trademark infringement suit against Yves Saint Laurent seeking damages.
According to court documents, Louboutin's legal team made the following argument: "The defendants use of red footwear outsoles that are virtually identical to plaintiff's Red Sole Mark is likely to cause and is causing confusion, mistake and deception among the relevant purchasing public as to the origin of the infringing footwear."
Esther Lee, Philly.com
What do Alexander Wang, Thakoon, Rodarte, Vena Cava, Philip Lim and Prabal Gurung have in common? These tenacious designers were all previous winners of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund.
The organization announced its 2011 finalists on Thursday. They include:
- Antonio Azzuolo (A.A.)
- Joseph Altuzarra (ALTUZARRA)
- Carlos Campos (CARLOS CAMPOS)
- Shane Gabier and Chris Peters (CREATURES OF THE WIND)
- Michelle Ochs and Carly Cushnie (CUSHNIE ET OCHS)
- Soraya Silchenstedt (FINN JEWELRY)
- Dana Lorenz (FENTON / FALLON)
- Alexa Adams and Flora Gill (OHNE TITEL)
- Pamela Love (PAMELA LOVE JEWELRY)
- Max Osterweis and Erin Beatty (SUNO)
According to the CFDA website, the committee will meet with each of the ten finalists for an extensive interview and collection review process. The winner is expected to win $300,000 and two runner-ups will receive $100,000 each.
Esther Lee, Philly.com
Wednesday night's ESPY Awards brought Hollywood hotties and acclaimed athletes to the same step-and-repeat in Los Angeles. It made for some very interesting fashions. Here's an overview of the best and worst-dressed of the evening.
Best-dressed: Kerry Washington, Raphael Saadiq and Maria Sharapova
34-year-old Kerry Washington rarely disappoints on the red carpet. Both she and Captain America star Chris Evans looked sharp as they presented the award for Best Male Athlete. Kerry selected a silver Jenny Packham fall 2011 beaded dress and paired it with matching Gio Diev pumps.
Esther Lee, Philly.com
In 2007, Miramax Films founder and movie mogul Harvey Weinstein purchased Halston with a private-equity firm. What then stood as a beacon of hope for the iconic '70s brand has since dissolved.
In a recent turn of events, reports reveal that Weinstein is on his way out. Furthermore, Vogue's August cover girl Sarah Jessica Parker casually revealed in an interview with the publication that she has, in fact, left her post as chief creative officer of the brand.
Esther Lee, Philly.com
Booming Burberry
It appears that Burberry's CEO Angela Ahrendts, CCO Christopher Bailey and executives are making all the right moves for the brand- in all the right places.
Burberry PLC's Q1 sales were up 34 percent. The luxury retailer says the growth is attributed to an increased number sales and new franchise locations, worldwide. Luxury retailers have seen boosts in sales due to a surge in demand from developing markets. The growth in Burberry alone is attributed to two factors- the recent opening of 100 new retail shops around the globe, and a 15 percent growth in same-store sales. One analyst even called the company's performance "faultless." More from WSJ
Esther Lee, Philly.com
"After eight positive years, Kenzo and Antonio Marras have decided to end their collaboration," LVMH announced in a statement released Tuesday.
Who will fill the former Sardinian creative director's shoes? Antonio Marras has been replaced by Opening Ceremony founders Carol Lim and Humberto Leon. The New York-based pair founded Opening Ceremony, a multi-brand chain that carries labels like Jean Paul Gaultier and Jeremy Scott, in 2002. Chairman of LVMH's fashion division Pierre-Yves Roussel said that he hopes that the two will "bring their fresh creative talent and innovative approach to Kenzo to rejuvenate this iconic brand. Leon and Lim are set to begin this month.
