The name Loro Piana might not be very familiar to those who don’t read up on luxury brands. They aren’t as flashy as Louis Vuitton and Hermes, yet still holding true to old-fashioned luxury retailing mantra – to be discreet. Such is the case when WSJ’s Binkley went on an investigative hunt where it led to discovering J. Crew’s efforts in establishing “better quality products” by stating in their labels that their cashmere comes directly from “a storied mill in Quarona,” the same mill belonging to Loro Piana. The Italian company had quietly allowed J. Crew to use its yarn for mass manufacturing, although of course they would never say a peep of it outloud, yet I wonder how they allowed WSJ to announce so publicly their secretive operations.

While the Loro Piana brand, whose sweaters cost over $1700, it’s clear where those extra dollars have gone when touching it compared to J. Crew’s $298 cashmere sweater made in China. Though it is the same wool, confections of either sweaters are completely different. If you’re going to be shipping something to China, you can imagine how many cashmere sweaters they will to have to create, and who has time to make any intricate assembly in a land where volume is what brings home the bacon?

Naturally, Binkley concludes that the Loro Piana sweater outdoes the J. Crew sweater by a long shot, giving J. Crew’s sweater a 2yr shelf-life. Though Mickey Drexler, either by luck or pure genius, has helped two American brands establish themselves on the mid-consumer market (the other being The Gap), I wonder if he’s just riding on the Michelle Obama bump, and trying to cash in on her exposure of her love to J. Crew. I mean $300 for a sweater that won’t last a while doesn’t seem like smart investment to me.

Image credits: Loro Piana, J. Crew

But imagine to my surprise when I came across this new section I had never noticed before…wedding dresses.

This niche retail industry always makes a killing every year because bride-to-bes would be willing to fork over a substantial amount for their fairytale dream gown. With Michelle Obama seriously putting the company on everyone’s fashion map, I find it pretty impressive that J.Crew has made such a move to take a chunk of this niche market. It’s a given now that compared to high end designers, J.Crew equates “affordable,” and women love the sound of affordable, even more so if it’s for a wedding gown.

Dresses are priced as low as $295(about the price of a BCBG cocktail dress) and and go as high as $2995.00 if one digs a multi-tiered frock. But wait, let’s not stop at only the dresses. Why not buy some pearls and shoes to complete the outfit. And don’t forget about the bridesmaids, they got a section of their own too.

Considering the nature of the niche, this venture could suffer a quick death. Namely because brides are extremely picky over what they will wear on the big day, and they need personal service for fittings. This isn’t just any dress you just purchase online and return it if it doesn’t fit. The wedding dress fulfills a fantasy beyond any other dress a woman will wear in her lifetime. And since this collection is available online only, this is a great disservice to brides on the hunt.

Au Coeur De La Mode Nov 16th, 2008

This fashion charity event will hold its bi-annual sale at Palais Des Congres, where the $5 entrance fee will be donated to the AIDS Foundation. Once again local brands will hoist up theirs goods with prices slashed above 50% off. You’ll find a good mix of local and popular European brands like Miss Sixty and Horst. It’s a huge sales floor, so you can be there for hours.

Ogilvy en rose Nov 19th, 2008

This yearly charity fashion event will be hosted at Ogilvy on Ste-Catherine promising schmoozing and entertainment, as well as a 15% discount (in essence, sans taxes) on items sold on the floor. There will be of course a fashion show, some local celebrities, and a contest to win some prizes. Tickets are steep, $100 each. Funds raised will go to the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation.

Winners all year round

What can I say, this place is always on sale.

It’s no doubt that if the shrinking confidence consumers continue on, there are strong chances stores may close all together. Following lay offs in all corners of the market, one has to wonder who will be hit next. Even NRDC, owner of the recently acquired The Hudson Bay Company, will have to face some serious challenges in this dreary economic climate. On CNNMoney.com, Lord & Taylor recently replaced their CEO with a Neiman Marcus executive as they all brace for one of the worst holiday seasons in recent years. Bad economies could put the Hudson Bay Co. at risk of suffering more loses and reputation despite of their recent buyout.

Timing is of essence in business, and there are no worse timings than J. Crew’s recent store opening of their brand new high end store. Ouch. Let’s just hope Millard Drexler, responsible for launching The Gap into stardom in the 90s, knows how to weather this nasty financial storm.

Bethesda Area

This is another district in D.C. where old money rules and where you’ll find freestanding luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Tiffany & Co, and Cartier lining up the streets. Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdale’s reign over as the department store moguls, while the J.Crew and Banana Republic store windows display a large range of classic preppy American lifestyles. I realize that Montreal lacks free standing stores like these, I’m guessing there’s not much of a market for it.

Max Mara

There aren’t any Max Mara stores in Montreal…are there? I haven’t noticed. Either way it was my first time checking out this brand in its marble settings. The style and collections weren’t quite of my taste, it was directed for an older demographer (30-45 maybe), sportswear consisted of linen shirts, business suits, earth toned colors, the cuts weren’t as tailored as I had hoped. Despite this, I expressed my opinion to Susan, the sales woman, and she was nice enough to tell me to check out Co-op Barney’s New York next door, and wanted to refer us to another store in Dupont Circle (she forgot the name though), for something more young and urban. It’s unusual to hear sales people refer you to the competition, so I appreciated that she wanted to help me. Now that’s service. I’m really starting to like the service in these luxury stores.

Co-Op Barney’s New York

At Susan’s recommendation, I indeed made a stop here. I had never heard of this branch of Barney’s, but after taking a look around, it was clear that even the almighty Barney’s has succumbed to the accessible luxury market and established a more affordable store for the young and trendy. Marc Jacobs (he’s everywhere I swear!), Helmut Lang, J Brand jeans, the lot. I did end up buying a strapless jersey dress with pockets by Velvet (made in the USA!). Only to find out later on that I could’ve gotten the same dress at Cusp for 10 bucks cheaper as it was “on sale”. However Cusp didn’t have the color I wanted, which was black, so I’m not too distressed for missing out on a $10 discount.

Tyson’s Corner and Tyson II

This is D.C.’s mega mall that’s split into 2 seperate buildings. Tyson’s Corner is your generic mall where the massive flock of consumers stroll, browse and crowd the walkways. You’ll find the usual fast fashion lot of H&M, Mango, Zara, etc. I wasn’t really interested in this mall since I could find most of these brands back at home, albeit much more expensive.

Tyson II or Tyson’s Galleria has all the expensive luxury brands you can think of – Chanel, Dior, Ferragamo. Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Bloomie’s also made up as the major department stores. Surprisingly though, or perhaps I was expecting too much, these luxury stores don’t carry clothes, they’re mostly accessory stores which hold the items that people would be willing to splurge on – mainly bags, wallets, sunglasses, shoes and jewelry. If you were going to look for clothes you’re better off at the department stores. You can already tell that Tyson II has a smaller, more specific crowd. I’ve seen tall models walking around (was there an event going on?) and an overall different atmosphere. Clothes however weren’t of my taste, by demographic the buyers are well aware that the people who have the dineros are the baby boomer generations, so there wasn’t anything fit for a 20-something like myself at my size. I’m not much of an accessory person either, and I’d have to think twice before splurging on $500 shoes.

Overall there’s plenty of shopping to do in D.C., my auntie even suggested that I should visit Pentagon City (about one metro stop from, where else, the Pentagon!), however I didn’t have time to go all way there. There’s also the touristy Union Station for some outlet shopping. But my best bet if you’re ever in D.C. is to visit Georgetown, it’s just a lovely place to see and hang out. I was told that D.C. isn’t really known for any local designers (a shame), however the small boutiques bring in different international brands so there’s always something new to discover.