LUXURY OVERLOAD - WHEN IS A LOGO OVER-EXPOSED?

Just how much luxury is too much?  When is a brand over-exposed?  This thought has been on my mind over the last two years as I travelled around the country.   Before the economy tanked in October, it seemed like everyone was obsessed with luxury.   The whole concept of luxury used to be reserved for the rich.   If something was luxurious, it was enjoyed by a small group of people who could afford this  luxury.   There has clearly been a shift in thinking.   Now there are "Luxe" and "Luxury" terms used in most mall store promotions.   Is this degrading to luxury?   Is this the evolution of the human existence?   Does luxury become available to more and more as a society matures?  Or is the opposite true?  Can the current economic disaster that unravels day by day be seen as a direct result of this luxury obsession?  

The mega brands of the world have made a conscious decision to lower the average price point of their products over the last 4 years.   There is now a wider range in price of products offered at Louis Vuitton and Gucci than ever before.   The idea is to capture more of the masses that are (or were) flocking to the stores.   These brands are also offering more ultra-luxe pieces with higher prices in the collections - but also broadening the base to compete with much more pedestrian brands.   The ultra expensive accessories work as P.R. for the little normal wallet for instance.   Much the same way couture promotes ready-to-wear and fragrance.

I spent some time in Nice, France this past summer.    France is home to LVMH and Louis Vuitton in particular.   I was surprised to see this curb marker with graffiti of  the LV logo.    One could argue that this type of penetration builds a level of street cred and promotes the brand.    One could also say that the logo is too exposed and now as ordinary as any other corporate logo.   I'm not sure which is true or truer.    What I do know is you would never see Hermes in graffiti like this and the last time I checked - they are still the most coveted, luxurious brand in the world.   

DIPTYQUE LIGHTS A BOUGIE ON BLEECKER

TO READ FULL STORY, CLICK HERE - DIPTYQUE

JET Launched in L.A. - John Eshaya Pushes the Button!

KAPOW!!  Take that stagnating economy.  Just when you could cut the gloom and doom of retail shopping with a knife - John Eshaya brings a ray of sunshine to L.A.!  Eshaya is no stranger to retail - to put it mildly.  Formerly the Vice President, Creative Director, & buyer for Fred Segal Melrose-  John's sense of style has been trend-setting Hollywood starlets and fashion industry insiders  for years.  Both crowds turned to him for advice and direction season after season.   It is no exaggeration to say John shaped countless collections you know and love.  From casual L.A. collections to Parisian runway looks,  Eshaya has had his finger on the pulse of fashion.

JET (John Eshaya Tees)  was a natural next step for this designer who is a bundle of non-stop energy.   The collection has been available for several years in major department stores, but now John has expanded the collection with the opening of his first retail store.   Exciting news for the Guys - the JET store has menswear as well!!  There are exclusive items made just for the store, and even kids clothes.  The big reveal ..... nothing in the store is priced over $185!!  This is really something to be excited about.

The next time you're in L.A. - JET @ Fred Segal Santa Monica should be at the top of your list.   This is destination shopping as you can spend the day in Santa Monica and discover a truly different side to the L.A. lifestyle.   In the Meantime - visit the website and start making your list.   Visit - JOHN ESHAYA now.

JET @ Fred Segal Santa Monica

420 Broadway / Santa Monica, CA

NY POST AD REVENUE SOARS....

Most stories you read lately about advertising revenues for Magazines, Television, and Newspapers have one thing in common - they are plummeting!   The economy has taken its toll on Madison avenue just like it has on consumer pocket books.   One notable exception who just a few years ago would have been a least likely suspect - the NY POST.  The  Post has seen its ad revenue and prestige factor sky rocket in the last six months.   Once a guilty pleasure tabloid that people would sneer at if you mentioned in public - The NY Post has risen to the top of the fashion advertising world.   One recent weekday, the paper had advertising pages in color running up to page 26!  That is a record.  

What started the trend of course was Page 6.   All credit belongs to Richard Johnson who made overheard gossip an art form.  Before there was Life & Style Magazine or TMZ on tv... there was Page 6.   Hollywood publicists caught on before advertisers and knew if they got their clients mentioned - it meant good things for a starlets career.

Always one step behind Hollywood, Madison Avenue retailers looking for new opportunities to showcase the designer duds have followed.  The store that anointed the Post as an acceptable vehicle?   BERGDORF GOODMAN.   That's right, not usually known for being ahead of the curve when it comes to trying new things - BG was the store that took a chance on the Post and ran a quarter page ad featuring a JIMMY CHOO handbag.    The store sold over a dozen of the 3k bag in two days... the deal was done.

BG now runs full page ads featuring everything from Chrome Hearts sunglasses to Judith Leiber Clutches - and the rest of the fashion world has followed.   Now you'll find everyone from Coach, Tiffany, Donna Karan,  Ferragamo & Bloomingdale's.  The move also makes good economic sense.   A page in the NY Post is a fraction of what the NY Times charges for their black and white ads.   Retailers made the realization - the same eyes are seeing the ads in the Post - for a third of the cost.  ( at least until now - prices are sure to jump!).

Now that the Post is rolling in the dough and readership has hit new record highs... lets hope they can permanently can Ivana Trump, just like they did Lydia Hearst from Page 6 Magazine on Sundays.  She definitely sucks the wind out of the cool factor in record speed.   Her recent blurb about her "new" discovery of Nikki Haskell's star caps made me laugh so hard I fell off my chair.   Star Caps have been around longer than the furniture in Ivana's Plaza decorated town house on the Upper East Side - YEARS!!

Sorry Daily News.. I guess you'll have to settle for 1-800 Mattress and Stanley Steamer ads again for 09!