The Wall Street Journal reports that ever since high end retailers like Neiman Marcus and Saks posted their losses in the last quarter, designers are said to have scaled back on the fantasy and zeroed in wearability to attract customers.

First of all, this seems contradictory of what happens on the sales floor. Given that I’ve cited a while back that runway shows are simply “for show,” the showroom collections differ greatly from runway and are actually designed to be worn yet not glamorous enough to be on the runway. Just take a look at Neiman, Saks, Bergdorf, Barneys and Net-a-porter. They all carry designer labels, yet only a few of them (as pointed out by Net-a-porter) are straight off the runway. The rest has never seen the light of day except by the eyes of retail buyers.

If the runway collections are, dare I say, drab this Fall, then what will buyers expect to see in the showroom? Even more drab clothing? I don’t understand this logic from designers. Buyers should know that runway is just for entertainment (to some end) and that the real business goes down in the showroom. If you can’t impress them on the runway, how can you even make them want to come to your booth at the showroom? Aren’t runway shows supposed to be fantastical anyway? One would think a great runway show will make you even more excited for the showroom just to see what the designer has in stock. Besides, aren’t buyers able to look past the glitzy parade and look for potentials in the clothes? Why would they be offended if there was a display of obvious luxury when they very well know that the real collections are nothing of the sort?

A good example of this is Alexander McQueen. Just take a look at his Spring 09  collection on Style.com, and then go to Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Yoox.com, and Net-a-porter.

What one would expect in the retail stores

Less likely to see this	More likely to see this

Clearly some elements of the runway shows up in the inventory, but you also see pieces that were not on the runway in greater numbers on these sites.

What really interests me is the effect on the clientèle itself. If a runway show is said to be say,  offensive,  in a sense that it displays obvious luxury, how exactly will that affect sales? Shoppers won’t really see these pieces in store, so what difference does it make?

I believe price slashing (other than the recession) was a key move that could set back retailers in attracting clients to paying full price in the future. If a dress sells for $1500 and then sold at $300 (80% off), then what’s that really saying to shoppers? It sends such a negative message (from a retailer’s point of view) that shoppers can save money if they just wait it out. But how is this helping retailers in selling at full price in the future?

Even if designer clothes have suddenly been made “wearable” (eventhough it has always been wearable on the retail floor), it’s really the economy that will determine shopping behavior. The middle market that was once attainable  for high end retailers to attract are no longer biting the bait. Inventory will shrink and refocus on wealthier clientèle, and perhaps a new breed of “accessible luxury” will be created at more affordable prices than before. The question is, are high end designers willing to go that low? Or will a new breed of middle market designers emerge to cater to the now frugal masses? Perhaps bridge collections will have to be priced cheaper than before, or given an extra oomph in order to sell.

Whatever the case, year end results will give us a really good idea of how well the fashion industry has coped with the recession.

Image credits: style.com, net-a-porter, l’oreal fashion week

Namely, it is a fashion magazine and online store rolled into one. Quite obvious I know, but a deeper contemplation made me realize that online stores in general do not necessarily have the written editorial to tout their new products in a magazine format. Think of reading Vogue and be able to buy exactly what they’re saying is the hottest item of the season on the spot, instead of dragging yourself to the store, hope the store actually carries the item, if not, special order, and go through all the hooplahs one might go through to get the item.

We’re a lazy generation. I admit that many of you probably enjoy the going through the entire “hunting” experience of getting what you want, but I think it’s becoming increasingly difficult to ignore our need for instant gratification.

Online stores like Saks, Neiman, Forever 21, Piperlime and Zappos display their array of products and merely announce new arrivals, not quite hyping them up like Net-a-porter does. It also helps that Net-a-porter suggests looks and combinations, and allows you to really zoom in and analyze in full detail parts of the garment since it isn’t possible to do so in person.

I’m not suggesting all stores should start posting online editorials – however, I wouldn’t find it too shabby as a strategy to get more people to buy the products, especially if the store is selling different brands. Holt Renfrew and Ogilvy could perhaps benefit of such a move, especially when Holts already establishes a relationship with their clients with their aggressive call-to-action weekly newsletter. If both stores could offer online shopping and free shipping delivery (for shoes to start), they could definitely boost sales in these harsh economic times. Shoppers tend to shift to online stores when the market is down, so it would only be natural to take advantage of the online medium to keep sales afloat.

With the right combination of marketing and savvy management of an online store and proper, relevant, editorial content, I think clothing stores should consider this as a Plan B.

Image Credit: Versace from Holt Renfrew

It’s a beautiful smoggy morning in sunny California

Yes, smog is a huge problem in the state of California. An hour away from LA I could already see the smog hazily hanging over the rolling golden California mountains. The traffic is incredible, I’ve never seen so many cars in one area. However, spending much time here can easily make you forget that there’s smog in the air since you have to really be on the outskirts of the city to see it.

The state lives up to its “California Casual” looks with beach sandals, flowing white shirts, floral prints, and sundresses. Beachwear is a must in Santa Monica, especially since you’re so close by the ocean. Unfortunately I didn’t have time to sift through the local boutiques to check out the fashion.

San Francisco was a different story and climate altogether. It was pretty windy and chilly in San Francisco. With such cold weather, fashion statements here were fleece sweaters, and zipped up hoodies galore if you’re hanging out near Fisherman’s Wharf. However if you wind up downtown near Union Square, the atmosphere is totally different. During the day, the sun is hot and temperatures rise to 25C-30C, while throngs of people hustle and bustle the fashionable streets. Surrounding Union Square are loads of brand stores including Macy’s, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, and the usual luxury stores like Prada.

Being that Holt Renfrew can’t quite compare to Neiman’s or Saks, I took a spin in both store looking for my one purchase for my trip. In San Francisco, I noticed the styles were geared towards a slightly more younger crowd at Neiman’s than the one I went in Houston. Neiman Marcus had a huge selection, but I deemed it too old and the layout too cold for me to sift through the clothes. I ran over to Saks Fifth Avenue afterwards and enjoyed their store way more. At Saks, they put brands together side by side giving you a continuous round of clothe sifting instead of seeing each brand separated by a wall.

Don’t Mess With The Zoran

Having heard of Zoran in “The End of Fashion” by Teri Agins, this elusive designer has no website to speak of but commands a loyal following. Certainly a website can’t do much justice to garments in general since you can’t touch them or zoom in on the details. So when I came across his collection at Saks, I immediately examined and pawed my way through his clothes. What impresses me most about Zoran isn’t his designs (that in itself is quite unique, they’re one size fit all) but the fabrics he used to make them. Incredible fabric! I’ve never touched anything so special in my life, one of them was a vest or coat with shiny, shiny fur pieces  (so shiny I’m debating whether it’s real fur or a type of fine synthetic thread) overlapping in sections. It’s hard to describe, but the fact that these pieces were sewn or glued on to sheer fabric made it all the more impressive. So it’s no wonder his shawls and coats were over $3000 a piece, but I need something with a bit more pizazz.

Alaia

After making rounds on the floor, that pizazz settled on Alaia, which I’m assuming is the brand that belongs to Azzedine Alaia. Now honestly, I don’t know much about Azzedine Alaia, neither of his shoes or his designs, I have no idea who this man is or what his design concepts are about. This is unimportant (in this case) as I don’t buy into brands anymore and don’t have loyalty to any particular one. The dress and skirt that I had found at Saks in San Francisco at Alaia is nothing short but breathtaking.

I didn’t check the name while I was browsing, I was simply attracted to that pure white colored dress, the fabric was out of this world. I personally like stiff fabrics, it demonstrates to me that it’s durable, has structure and won’t wrinkle very easily. I can’t even describe very well how this fabric felt- it was like it was tightly embroidered in flowery patterns (all in white, so you can’t really tell unless you’re upclose to it) and lined beautifully. The dress was sleeveless, and the skirt was a little bell-shaped, and the back of the dress had dozens of small metal hooks and a seamless zipper. What I would have given to have the chance to try it on, but knowing at a price tag of $3200, there was no point in putting it on. There was a waist skirt made of the same material and priced slightly lower at $2600. *sigh* Here I am touching the cream of the crop of fabrics and I can’t afford these incredible pieces unless I wanted to forgo a few month’s worth of salary.

Dejected, I went upstairs to the bridge collections, and after pawing through the best of fabrics a level below, going to the more affordable bridge collections felt like a jip. Though I have to say that bridge collections are more youth oriented, hence why they’re more affordable, but the quality in many of these pieces just isn’t the same. I pawed through several pieces by Phillip Lim, D&G, Alice + Olivia, but no good…that Alaia dress had me mesmerized to the core.

Theory

This brand had the office look going on that I liked a lot, and pawing through the fabrics made me realized that this brand had not too shabby fabric for some pieces. I tried on 2 dresses, one was a white and silver stripped shirt dress and the other was a little black dress that tied in the back. I loved the shirt dress a lot, it really did look like it was just a really long shirt and forgot to put a skirt on, I felt sexy in it even if it I was covered up to my knees. The black dress was nice too except I was battling the zipper and it was very difficult to get into the dress itself (not to mentioned that it was dirty with makeup and other stains I couldn’t identify). I refuse to buy clothes that I have to fight my way in, so I bought the shirt dress and to my delight, it was on sale. Originally priced at $315, it cost me $210 (and made in the USA).

So this wraps up my trip to the US and now I’m back in Montreal surfing the waves of the internet. By the way, you won’t be able to find Alaia and Zoran on Saks Fifth Avenue’s website, I’m assuming these are very prestigious collections that will probably never go on sale, so their pieces aren’t available for purchase online.

Image credits: Alaia dress from arts of fashion, saks fifth avenue

Having heard news that there were chances of thunderstorm in Las Vegas, I was prepared to spend my stay in dreary rainy weather. But no. What kind of meteorologist says that it’ll rain…in the desert. Take no heed to anyone who says it’ll rain in Las Vegas. Today I baked and toasted under the hot desert heat like an omelette on a grill.

I arrived yesterday to our modest but rather very large hotel 15 mins off the strip at South Point Hotel Casino & Spa. The rooms are large and comfortable, very clean, huge plasma screen and a great view over the hotel’s pool.

But enough about hotel and comfort talk, let’s talk fashion and shopping in Las Vegas.

As I mentioned in my previous post, Las Vegas is building CityCenter on the Vegas Strip right next to the Bellagio Hotel. It’s slated to open in 2009 and construction has already been underway and had progressed much faster than I had anticipated. This patch of land already has the infrastructure to a near completion, a few of the buildings are already halfway through putting on the glistening silvery windows. CityCenter will definitely stand out in the Strip as I noticed many other buildings may be flashy with lights, but many are covered in gold mirror like windows. CityCenter will be all silver mirrored.

Caesar’s Palace : The Forum Shops

Not exactly knowing why Caesar’s Palace was deemed la creme de la creme of shopping areas, I understood the moment I set foot in The Forum Shops. A gargantuan maze of marble floors, winding escalators at the entrance, fountain center pieces galore with painted sky domed ceilings, and well over 100 high end brand names including Emilio Pucci, Christian Lacroix, St-John, Roberto Cavalli, Tourneau (a luxury watch store) and even a huge Trojan horse at FAO Schwartz. Tourists crowd the Italy flavored hallways as they are mesmerized by the beautiful sculptures and captivating lighting. The luxury stores were scarcely empty except for the venerable Louis Vuitton store. However, it isn’t to say that they weren’t making any money. I’ve seen dozens of tourist carry shopping bags from Gucci and Dior.

In general the atmosphere was completely commercial, enticing shoppers to spend their precious money at every stop. It was very hard to resist even for someone like me to simply pass by.

Fashion Show Mall

This huge mall is more catered to the general public but remained less crowded than The Forum Shops. The main concept for this mall is that there is a huge center runway in the middle of the mall, with a control room on the 2nd floor which controls the lights above it. From what I saw on the screens, there are regular fashion shows at the mall and models strut down the runway. I call it the Vegas Panache. They always have to add a lil form of entertainment value.

Here you’ll find many generic mainstream brands like Abercrombie & Fitch, Steve Madden, etc. There were also the high end department stores like Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue, as well as the lower end like Macy’s and Dillard’s. There were a couple of stores that caught my eye, mainly a store I fancy called White House & Black Market. I especially liked their strapless bubble skirt dresses, and the quality looked satisfactory. My main problem with this store is the fit, just a tad too big even as a size 0. A shame, it’s a really lovely store.

Style? What style?

There’s not much to speak of in terms of fashion style in Las Vegas. Everyone’s wearing board shorts, thonged sandals and tshirts. Only at night can you see the few who bother to dress up for a night out on the town, but there’s nothing really relevant to say about American style dressing (sorry). From my experience so far, most American cities are not quite into fashion eventhough they have a huge spending purse for luxury goods. But like many affluent shoppers who love to buy luxury items, they can’t dress themselves to save their lives (I am being biased of course, but if you want a city with style I would say Montreal, Tokyo and New York are the most fashionable I’ve seen so far). I am hopeful that I’ll see more interesting styles in Los Angeles and San Francisco though.

I’m on current a mission to find toy slot machines, the kind that acts like a bank and also serves as an entertaining slot machine. Anyone happen to know where I can find one? It’s for a friend since she couldn’t make it to Vegas with me.

I’ll also be attending a Cirque du Soleil show called “Ka” at the MGM Grand. Originally I had wanted to see “O” at the Bellagio, but unfortunately they don’t play Mondays and Tuesdays. Oh well, at least just one show will be enough.

With an economic downturn for Americans, I wanted to get some perspective on what buyers were looking for this season. Many American buyers were refraining themselves from buying any European brands because of the weak dollar. London suffered the loss of Saks Fifth and Neiman Marcus’ buyers due to its strong British pound this year.

The two American buyers I’ve met while waiting in line for a show opened up to me about their situation. They’ve also nixed the European brands this season, except for one German label in which they keep good relations with, and wondered how the French designers were going to fare at the showroom since the euro is so high. Hence they’ve made a business trip to our home turf to look for some unique pieces for their older target market from 30-65, the baby boomer bracket. I asked what trends they were looking for and they squarely replied that trends weren’t what they were looking for. The baby boomer generation are over trends, they’re looking for practical clothing that’s both unique and durable. Interesting.

What was their opinion of the state of the fashion industry?

According to them, it’s downgraded quite a lot, especially for Americans. They’ve both been to numerous tradeshows across the country, of which New York was said to be pretty chaotic. “Everyone is trying to sell you something and it’s lost itself to business,” they said. Exactly the kind of scenario Teri Agins (author of “The End of Fashion”) had described a decade earlier and it looks like things haven’t changed. Tradeshows have become popular hotspots to host, “these locations are milking designers for their money” they said. There are so many tradeshows now that buyers keep seeing the same collections over and over.

Addressing fast fashion, what with the bombardment of new designs every month, fashion is spiraling out of control, what’s going to happen? “Well everyone would be running naked if it suddenly stopped!” they joked. But in all seriousness, they believed the industry will realize how ridiculous the pace its going and will rectify itself eventually. At least, that’s our hope. I’m thinking back on just how wacky the 80s were with their zany art deco and over-the-top accessories and styles. The early 90s answer to that was minimalism, I’m starting to think that the following decade in the year 2010, we’ll start seeing perhaps a hopeful return to quality goods, what with even Chinese manufacturing becoming more sophisticated than ever.

It’s hard to say what is true fashion these days, we always refer back to the masters of modern couture, but those were different economic situations, different mentalities, and different business models. Back then, a couturier was considered a type of merchant slash artist in its medium, not to make money but to make clothes. Now it’s a totally different ball game where the reputation of a company not only lies in its quality but its business (and marketing) model. In the end, it really comes down to a matter of choice of whether or not you choose to pay for higher or cheaper quality and your sense of style. After all, fashion is subjective with the times.