Most lingerie is made for the young and lithesome but a former Starbucks exec is cashing in by targeting women 35-60 years old who have an annual household income of at least $90,000. The Seattle Times profiles Victoria Roberts who runs a lingerie line called Zovo, a collection of loungewear, robes and lingerie in 100 percent silk and cotton.
The brand was started just two years ago, and will soon be available in some Nordstrom stores. They also have an online shop. The chemise shown here sells for $64. Why the name Zovo? I have no idea but I am sure she didn't want to "Victoria-ize" anything since a certain lingerie giant has pretty much cornered the market on that.
The latest celebrity to front a major fashion campaign is Teri Hatcher.
The Desperate Housewives star is in the Badgley Mischka campaign for Fall '07. The ads were shot by celebrity photographer Ellen Von Unwerth and show Hatcher in swimwear and revealing lingerie as well as evening wear. The campaign represents Badgley Mischka's move to appeal to a wider audience of women for more than just evening looks.
While I applaud the use of an older woman in an ad campaign it's a shame that she always has to be Photoshopped back into her twenties.
For those of you that despaired over the news that Liz Claiborne is phasing out their older skewing apparel lines, I've got some good news. The New York Times reports that the Ann Taylor chain is working on a new casual apparel chain for the older, baby-boomer generation. The new chain is set to open in late 2008 and will be a fashionable competitor for other dominators of this clothing sector such as Talbots and Chico's. Hopefully, they will have better luck than the Gap did with their Forth & Towne stores. I hesitate to predict big success for this one if only because I think the boomers are still mostly department store shoppers.
Should an art museum also be a boutique? Usually the line between the exhibits and the gift shop is pretty firmly drawn but for a few months, a gallery at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles will host a store selling Louis Vuitton Murakami bags and other goods. The designs are part of an exhibit of the Japanese artist Takashi Murakami's works that runs from Oct. 29 through Feb. 11. The museum's chief curator has said that a mock up of Murakami's commercial ventures would not have worked. The museum won't get a share of the profits but perhaps the thought of designer shopping at the museum will attract new visitors.
Um, maybe there is something to that story of Gwyneth Paltrow using snake venom on her face. What else can explain September's W magazine cover? The perpetually pale and WASPy looking faux-English lass now looks like she's been spending secret time in Donatella Versace's private beauty palace. The spray tan, the giant brush brows and the blindingly white hair render her virtually unrecognizable. I understand the urge to try something new with your look sometimes, but appearing on the cover of a fashion magazine looking like La Cicciolina seems like an odd career move. I haven't seen all the contestants yet, but this is in the running for the worst of the September covers.
Last year, a Paris commission banned H&M from the fashionable Champs-Elysees shopping area in Paris, which is home to Cartier, Louis Vuitton and other high-end retailers. The claim was H&M's cheap and chic style would "banalize" the street. Never mind that the area is already home to a Disney Store and the Gap.
Now the retailer has been given approval for a store on the fancy street. The move suits today's shopper who is comfortable shopping at both high-end designer stores and cheaper places, combining the designer purse and the discount top in the same outfit. What's next for the Champs-Elysees, a Target?
Andy and Kate Spade have announced that they are leaving Kate Spade, the bag label they started in 1993. The business grew into a huge business and sold last November to Liz Claiborne Inc. for a reported $124 million. When Liz Claiborne acquired the company they signed up the Spade for a six-month contract.
With their time up, the Spades are out, ostensibly to spend more time with their young daughter. Both will remain members of the brand's board. The news comes hot on the heels of the recent news that Liz Claiborne is considering ditching a bunch of brands to focus on the Kate Spade and Juicy Couture brands. Does it make a difference to consumers if the person who founded the brand and who is the name behind it is gone from the business? We'll have to keep tabs on what happens to Kate Spade bags without Kate Spade.
What do Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Lopez, Uma Thurman and Mikhail Gorbachev have in common?
They have all modeled in Louis Vuitton ads.
That's right. The former president of the Soviet Union is starring in a new ad campaign by the pricey purveyors of must have bags. Gorby's ad is part of a campaign shot by Annie Liebovitz that also features, Andrew Agassi and Steffi Graf and Catherine Deneuve. The ads will appear in the ad-heavy September fashion magazines.
If this sparkly Jimmy Choo heel seems a bit otherworldly, that's deliberate. The satin Stardust sandal is named after the new movie which stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert DeNiro and Sienna Miller. In the movie, based on the Neil Gaiman novel, Clare Danes plays a fallen star who wears a mystical pendant. The Stardust sandal features a faceted crystal with a gold chain that is reminiscent of the necklace Danes wears in the movie. You practically need to be a movie star to afford these shoes, the four-inch heels will sell for $850.
Do preteen boys need fragrances? Disney thinks so. They are creating 'Pirates of the Caribbean' and Buzz Lightyear-branded fragrances which are aimed at boys ages 4-11 in Latin communities. Brandweek reports that the new products will be be available in Wal-Mart, Kmart, Target, Duane Reade, Fred Meyer and Longs Drugs stores in areas with large Hispanic populations.
The Disney-branded items will sell for $9.95 and $19.95 and they will be targeting mothers and grandmothers for holiday gift giving. According to the article, U.S. males are slower to get into fragrances than European, Latin and South American boys so the Disney fragrances are expected to give them a push. Baby colognes for both boys and girls are already an established part of European and Latin culture.
Macy's is in trouble over a new line of shirts that was supposed to cater to Hispanic customers, but actually ended up offending them. In particular, a T-shirt that says "Brown Is The New White" was deemed so inflammatory that it was pulled from the store. The shirt is from NaCo, a company that specializes in shirts for young Hispanic people and was created by Tijuana's Edoardo Chavarín and Mazatlán's Robby Vient. A Fox News article quotes "Hispanic marketing expert" Dr. Ed Rincon who says that Macy's doesn't understand Hispanic culture.
A quick look at the NaCo website reveals all sort of shirts that could be deemed offensive such as the one that says "B is for Beaner." I think if these shirts were in some hipster boutique it would be no big deal but because they are in a Macy's it causes controversy.
You wouldn't think of Lancome as a brand associated with flying, but that might change with the Lancome Happy Boarding program. Happy Boarding is a luxury lounge space, located inside or near the Lancome store. Inside the lounge area, customers can get massages, makeovers and and beauty "check-ups". The Happy Boarding treatment program is for men and women and the full four-step experience includes a massage, a skin check-up, a make-over and advice about beauty tricks and tips. Happy Boarding events have already taken place at Buenos Aires Ezeiza Airport and in the Copenhagen Kastrup Airport. Given the proliferation of spas in airports, it makes sense that the makeup counter should move in too. They should get one of these in LAX for stars to get their touch-ups before facing the paparazzi at the luggage carousel.
If I thought Clive Owen was an odd choice as a skin care line model for Lancome, I don't quite know what to say about Ewan McGregor as a fragrance model. Sure, he cleans up pretty when he needs to in movies like Moulin Rouge and Down With Love, but I've always thought that he was most himself on his 20,000 motorcycle trip with Charley Boorman. That dusty and bearded Ewan was definitely not the cologne type.
Nevertheless, Coty has announced that he will be the face of a new male fragrance from Davidoff which is set to launch in early 2008. He will appear in both print and television ads. I hope this helps him fund his next adventure.
Last week Lauren reported that Gwen Stefani was suing Forever 21 for knocking off her designs. Today Vogue UK brings news of a similar suit, although not one as young and trendy. Levi has filed a lawsuit Polo Ralph Lauren claiming that Lauren is copying their pocket stitching. The Vogue article says that Lauren has imitated their trademark "arcuate" pocket stitching. Arcuate? I'll admit I didn't know the word so I looked it up. It basically means curved or arched. The jeans design is the oldest known apparel trademark in the US, protected since 1873 so Ralph and his team have some explaining to do. It would be very hard to claim ignorance of one of the most recognizable design styles.
If you have the urge for designer goods but not the money to finance your compulsion would you settle for the fake? If so, join the masses. The Daily Mail reports on a study that says up to two-thirds of those polled would be proud to buy the fakes. Even the wealthier shoppers buy fakes, mixing them in with the real designer items they own. Counterfeiting Luxury: Exposing The Myths 2007 is a report based on a survey of 2,000 British consumers. The survey found that one in five fake purchases was made by a household earning more than £50,000. Also nearly a third admitted buying a fake on eBay.
What would put a damper on all this fake-buying is if it could result in jail time. Nearly three-quarters of consumers said they would be put off if they knew it would result in a jail sentence but they were opposed that sort of regulation. Designers and manufacturers on the other hand have become increasing vigilant as they watch more and more of their business go to cheaper counterfeit goods.
Have you ever bought a fake? I've bought a bag in a similar style to a more expensive purse but I have not picked up a bag with a designer label that a new to be a fraud. Perhaps this is because I am not really a label chaser. If I were interested in labels the temptation would definitely be there.
| Posted Aug 16th 2007 1:31PM by Deidre Woollard
Most lingerie is made for the young and lithesome but a former Starbucks exec is cashing in by targeting women 35-60 years old who have an annual household income of at least $90,000. The Seattle Times profiles Victoria Roberts who runs a lingerie line called Zovo, a collection of loungewear, robes and lingerie in 100 percent silk and cotton. 
Are women's backs pornographic?
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