JUNE 15th - COLORBLOCK FOR SUNBLOCK?

HERE COMES THE SUN!!! - MEDIUM GANCIO ZIP LIGHT IN SUN-KISSED SUNSET - $1,550.00 - (LARGE - $1,990.00)OFF THE SHELVES

Well Happy Spring to one and all!   Summer is less than one week away and in most parts of the country, Spring has been anything but textbook.   Fires, Tornadoes, Monsoon like rain, and just unseasonably cool and cloudy weather has put a serious question mark in some shoppers minds.   Weather patterns have certainly changed.  ORANGE CASHMERE & WOOL CHUNKY KNIT - $1,250.00 There are days when it is a challenge to know if you need a puffer coat, a tanktop, or an umbrella.  Several days this Spring in NYC, you needed all three.   Add to this the fact that more and more luxury shoppers go from air conditioned homes, to air-conditioned cars, to air-conditioned shopper centers, to air-conditioned restaurants, then back home. PURPLE PATENT VARINA - FUN FOR ONE AND ALL!! Rinse and repeat.    It all adds up to the seasonless shopper and the current state of modern dressing.   While the collections shown in Milan, Paris, & New York will always have seasonal titles, exactly SMALL CLASSIC FLAP WITH GOLD HARDWARE -$625.00 - A BURST OF SUNSHINE EVEN ON THE DARKEST DAY (OR OUTFIT)WHAT season a garment is produced for is less and less relevant.   Between the sporadic weather and the shopping habits of the nomadic elite, fashion items just have to be great!   If a women from Argentina walks into a boutique in NYC  on June 17th and is stopped in her tracks by a killer Summer dress - THE NEW COLORBLOCKING - LAYERING SHADES - KNIT-11B295- $700, PANT - 13D345-$670.00the fact that back home winter is coming does not matter.   If she really loves it, she buys the dress.   Furthermore, with true houses of Fashion like Ferragamo, Chanel, or Dior,  there can be two or three different seasons of clothing hanging in the store.   One breaking sale, one fully stocked, and the first pieces of runway just arriving.  **The most successful associates know fashion trends and  is what is in each collection coming to the store.**   You should be able to help the same women pick from what is left of sale for her closet, find a great look for this weeks SummerPURPLE PLATFORM PUMP IN AYERS - $850.00 weekend plas, and put together the look for her daughters wedding in 6 months.   This is a HUGE advantage for the luxury fashion boutiques.  You are a small luxury department store.   

Despite the fact that disposable "fast fashion" companies like H&M or Uniqlo can knock-off a trend and get it in-store just a few weeks after a runway show in Milan - they would never invest in showing clothes that are "meant" to be worn in 4 toMUTED SHADES OF SUN-KISSED EARTHTONES - CHIC AND FLATTERING 6 months.  The key to those companies are pieces for NOW.  No luxury shopper goes to Zara to look for a dress to a friends wedding in 6 months.  You go to Zara when you are packing for vacation and realize you need ...  

The whole concept of trunk-shows and previews is a luxury. MINI FLAP BAG IN COLOR BLOCK -$795.00 - A PERFECT BAG TO PULL AN OUTFIT TOGETHER! It's making a statement.   When a woman has the power to say "next Fall I want to dress like...", she really is in control of her style.   It should allow her to achieve an elevated level of sophistication.   This is our job, to help her get to that place.  To make shopping a pleasure.   *Approach each customer as someone you are going to help look and feel better.   Feeling better about themselves, helps anyone feel better about other people around them.   Happiness is contagious.*  (Let's not forget - misery and negativity can be contagious as well.   Turn that frown upside down, because your bad mood can drag down others around you). 

Speaking of Happy.  The Pre-Fall Collection that is in stores now is a masterful mix of color.   With just the touch of retro styling that is so on trend.   We know the Fall Runway collections are dark and urban, so help your ladies find colorful combinations of silks, cashmeres, and cottons now.   These pieces should be layered color on color in Spring and Summer, and then smoothed out with earthones in the Fall.  

LEGACY OF LUXURY

ANGELINA JOLIE IN A BLACK SILK FERRAGAMO COCKTAIL DRESS ON HER BIRTHDAY IN BERLINWhat would the fashion world be without celebrities?  Models are gorgeous and bring collections to life in print and on the runway, but there is something magical about a Hollywood starlet or mega-star wearing a designer's creation.  It's an interesting phenomenon that has several angels.   One of three scenarios is TILDA SWINTON ON W IN FERRAGAMO - FALL 2011usually happening.  1. The up-and-coming starlet gets the chance to wear a luxury brand to elevate her status. 2. The edgy / super style star wears a brand and gives it "street cred", or 3.  The A-List star wears an A-List luxury brand.    In the first case, the starlet is given credibility by wearing a name.  In the second case, the brand benefits more.   In the third case, it is an equal benefit to both - a win-win.   

In the last 3 years Salvatore Ferragamo has had countless editorial and red carpet RITA ORA IN THIERRY MUGLERphoto-ops due to the tireless work of our Public relations and marketing departments.  All three scenarios came to life.   1.  Rita Ora wearing Ferragamo Suede Boots.   2.  Tilda Swinton wearing a Ferragamo Tuxedo on the cover of W Magazine.RITA ORA IN FERRAGAMO BOOTS & CHANEL BAG  3. Angelina Jolie wearing Ferragamo - anywhere!

We have watched British singer Rita Ora become a star in the fashion world before our eyes.   Back in the Fall, Ora was snapped wearing our over-the-knee Suede "Louvre" boots in Las Vegas.   In the next few months, Rita was everywhere!  In Thierry Mugler at a flm premiere, in Jimmy Choo in London, in Chloe at the runway shoes.   Last week she was spotted in LA wearing her Ferragamo suede boots again, in a totally different look.   Using neutrals and pops of color - the color-block trend that is key right now!   MADONNA ANNOUNCES RITA ORA IS THE NEXT FACE OF THE MATERIAL GIRL COLLECTION

Then last week it was announced that Madonna has named Rita Ora as the next face of her Material Girl collection.   So let's track that.   Rita Ora went from obscurity to mass market in less than a year!   ( Personally I think she has jumped the shark a bit, she should have waited to do a luxury brand campaign)  Her big name backing of Jay-Z has had much to do with her success, but it's her keen fashion sense that has made her a member of the fashion elite.    Rita Ora is definitely here to stay.   It's so cool she loves Ferragamo!

FERRAGAMO TIME

This section of the Ferragamo Feed was created to celebrate historical milestones achieved byL'ICONA - CELEBRATING 35 YEARS OF THE VARA - A FASHION ICON the house of Salvatore Ferragamo.   However, in the last year we have been achieving so many new milestones each month there has been little time to look back!

This Spring is no exception.   The 35th anniversary of the Vara and the launch of the customized Vara - Varina project "L'Icona" is nothing short of a fashion milestone.   Editorial THE WALL STREET JOURNAL REPORT THE "GRAN LARCENY" TRENDcommitment from every magazine category - from lifestyle to fashion, to celebrity gossip - have all featured the Vara celebration. 

Ultimately, of course, it is the shoppers reaction and orders that speak volumes about the program.  It is a huge success!  This on-line program is not only a state-of-the-art tech acheivement, it has also elevated the image of Ferragamo.  COLORFUL CUSTOM VARAS - RETRO FASHION GOLD In addition, it has given millions of women a reason to come to a Ferragamo boutique and find out more.   Even a program that is "on-line only" creates a huge desire to see merchandise in person.  While we are reaching women that do not live near a Ferragamo boutique, we are also exciting the fashion client who lives around the corner!   Even more exciting is that the timing of the Icona launch could not have been better.   While the retro / vintage / classic trend has been happening for a few years, it has now officially gone mainstream.   The Vara was the perfect luxury item for editors, celebrities, and customers to agree on!   The Wall Street Journal dubbed the retro trend "Gran Larceny", pointing out that it is the chic women of the 50's and 60's that are influencing fashion today.  

Salvatore Ferragamo - setting trends and maintaining a legacy, one luxury item at a time.