DOUGLAS HANNANT -Message In a Bottle

American fashion designer Douglas Hannant recently unveiled an exciting new facet to his growing portfolio. With the addition of his first fragrance - Douglas Hannant De Robert Piguet, Hannant continues to development into a full lifestyle brand.   For the past 15 years Douglas Hannant the collection, has built a loyal following of designer clients who appreciate classic fashion references with a modern, sensual approach.DOUGLAS HANNANT - F/W 2011   

This Parfum is the perfect extension of Hannant's collection.  Like the ruffle of a silk blouse, or the ruching of a fine wool gabardine dress against her skin, this  alluring combination of Orange Blossom, Tuberose, Sandalwood, & White Musk makes a woman feel feminine, sexy, and sophisticated. 

To embark on the challenging task of creating a parfum, team Hannant turned to a storied French Parfumer and Couturier - Robert Piquet.   Piquet himself was instrumental in shaping the world of Haute Couture.   Having trained under the Legendary designer Paul Poiret in the early 1930's, Piguet would in turn be mentor to the biggest names in fashion from DOUGLAS HANNANTJames Gallanos, to Christian Dior himself.  Piguet's fashion house closed in the 50's, but his parfum legacy lives on today with a select collection of scents.   What a perfect partner for DH to choose as his link to the world of Parfum and EDP. 

Hannant is definitely a man with a plan.   The house has consistently grown division after division from Bridal to Lingerie and now - Parfum.   The big news last year was the unveiling of the designers Flagship boutique in New York at The Plaza Hotel.   The perfect setting for this American Classic.

Douglas Hannant De Robert Piguet is available at Douglas Hannant at The Plaza, Saks 5th Avenue in New York, and Neiman Marcus locations nationwide.

WILD HORSES IN LAS VEGAS CRYSTALS

Stella McCartney is the English Rose of the fashion industry.   Originally known as the young British girlSTELLA McCARTNEY - MOTHERHOOD BECOMES HER given the role of revamping the French fashion house Chloe back in 1997, Stella really set the fashion world on fire.  McCartney brought with her a sense of British Tweeds and tailoring to a very French collection that was known for skirt suits and pastel colors.   The results were legendary as Chloe once again became the hottest collection in the fashion world.  (The label was dying a slow death under Karl Lagerfeld's second tenure at the house that had made him internationally known).   Stella's ironic sense of mix and match fabrics  and prints with tweeds was ahead of the curve and set the standard for any collection that was to be deemed young or relevant.STELLA McCARTNEY BLOOMS AT CRYSTALS IN LAS VEGAS

Fast forward 14 years and Stella McCartney, the brand, is a global fashion empire.   Ten years into a partnership with PPR, McCartney has 14 boutiques in major cities from L.A. to Hong Kong.  Wisely, McCartney has grown the company slowly.  Building on items as she found her voice.CRYSTAL CHANDELIER - STELLA McCARTNEY - LAS VEGAS  Projects with Adidas and H&M are just two examples of how Stella built her recognition,  and her reputation for knowing what Women want.    With the addition of fragrance, lingerie, skin care,  and most recently -children's wear to the brand, McCartney now has something for all aspects of the busy life her core customer lives.   The busy life she lives herself, as Stella now has a husband and four children.  Talk about multi-tasking.CITRUS PRINT - FALABELLA

In addition to all this, what Stella the Woman has, is conviction.   A lifelong Vegan, Stella refused to use leather in her collection of shoes and handbags.  This is no small achievement and in fact it is unprecedented in the world of luxury fashion.  Most Italian luxury brands were built on leather goods.  Houses like Gucci and Prada would not exist if it were not for the specialty leather items that Italy is so famous for.   To say that Stella was under pressure to use leather when she started her business would be an understatement.   Stella stuck to her guns.  It took longer to establish the categories, much longer in fact, but now in 2011 they are vibrant and growing collections.  The Falabella bag is a bonified hit and Stella has her first 'it" bag.  The latest version of the bag has the fruit print that was the center of the Summer runway collection.    

For the location of her third U.S. boutique,  Stella chose the hottest spot in sin city by LIMITED EDITION T-SHIRT -STELLA McCARTNEY- $195.00opening a beautiful store in the Crystal's at City Center in Las Vegas.  The multi-billion dollar complex is the most luxurious shopping center in the U.S., if not the world. 

The center piece of the 2,900 square foot boutique is "Lucky Spot", a chandelier made from 7,000 Swarovski crystals.   Named for the Appaloosa horse owned by Stella's mother, the chandelier is striking.  The use of the crystals in the Crystals is a chic tribute to the unique shopping center designed by Daniel Libeskind and David Rockwell. 

To celebrate the opening, McCartney designed a T-shirt that screams Vegas - literally.   The limited edition shirt is $195, available only in Las Vegas and the perfect gift for any fashion fan on your list.  To contact the store click - VEGAS.

HOLLISTER CRASHES ON 5TH AVENUE

HOLLISTER TIDAL WAVE OF A FLAGSHIP ON 5TH AVENUE PH: Jason JobsonLifestyle brand HOLLISTER unveiled it's latest Flagship on New York's 5th Avenue with the fanfare and drama that will be hard to top.  The brand is known for giving tweens, teens, and young adults the wardrobe staples first worn by the coolest kids in Southern California.  Flip flops, flannels, polos, T-shirts, and of course worn in denim in every sand blasted shade known to man.

While the store is found from coast to coast in every shopping mall worth visiting, the grand opening on 5th Avenue at 52nd street cements the brand as a major player in the world of casual design, alongside it's older brother Abercrombie & Fitch.   Hollister is literally 5 blocks from Abercrombie and together the square footage of both stores is staggering. The store is right across the street from Italian luxury legend - Salvatore Ferragamo.   This is the second flagship for Hollister in NYC.  The store opened a massive complex of dark rooms and wood on Houston Street in 2009.  TRAFFIC JAM OUTSIDE HOLLISTER PH: Jason Jobson

The evolution of retail on 5th avenue is as intriguing and volatile as watching the stock market.   In the last 10 years the landscape has shifted  and turned from ultra luxury to moderate, back to luxury and into the current state of affairs:   Luxury Lifestyle - meaning a "luxury" customer might just waltz into Bergdorf Goodman wearing flip flops and jean shorts to purchase a Chanel handbag for $4,000.00.   Furthermore, the jean shorts might be Chanel and cost $1,200.00.   Casual attire has reached a level unknown a generation before and Hollister is the first step on the inauguration of, and induction of a designer fashion customer.  Hollister calls their guys and girls "Dudes" and "Bettys" and both enjoy a logo or two from head to toe - be it a Moose, an eagle, or eventually a CC or GG.

Just a block away is the flagship of the store where the Bettys go when they want to look a little more dressed - Forever 21.   That retail giant took over the space that legendary Japanese Department store Takashimaya sadly vacated last year.   

Check out the website of all the brands, and plan your visit to NYC & 5th Avenue.

Hollister , Abercrombie , & Forever 21

COACHING REED KRAKOFF

STELLA TENANT FOR REED KRAKOFFEvery year countless young designers decide to jump into the world of fashion and launch a collection.  The work is tiring, the effort is endless, and the result can be little more than a personal achievement that few will ever see.   Reason being, it is so rare a collection will become one of the lucky few to get national press.  Fewer still become a press favorite and are celebrated by the fashion bibles such as Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, or Elle Magazines.

In the rarest of instances, a designer collection is launched with great anticipation.  Anticipation from prestigious editors who can make a collection a household name,  and from the department store buyers who can make a collection available from coast to coast.  Very few will get that attention they are seeking from editors or buyers, and fewer still will be photographed and published, ordered and shipped.   The legendary names that take up page after page of glossy ads in fashion magazines are the fruition of years or decades of growth and accumulation of power in the industry.

Coco Chanel of course is the great example of a determined young woman who would see THE ICONIC COCO CHANELher dedication and commitment to succeed grow a small hat business into the most prestigious and commercially successful fashion brand in the world.  It took years, it took cunning, and it took desperation – all of which Chanel gave in spades.   It even took sleeping with a Nazi Officer when the Germans occupied Paris during WWII  in order to keep her famed suite at the Ritz Hotel.   Determined to say the least!  

Christian Dior is the rare example of a designer who, with just one collection set the fashion world on fire.   CHRISTIAN DIOROne show that would change the face of fashion and the life of the designer forever.   Of course the time was unique.   WWII had just ended and French fabric industrialist Marcel Bousec was looking for a way to restart his empire that had grinded to a halt as the Nazis marched across Europe.     Imagine today a billionaire finding a young and talented unknown artist and deciding to launch a Couture house for this person.   The word impossible comes to mind.   The investment was millions and included the famous building at number 30 Avenue Montaigne in Paris.  

Carmel Snow of American Harper’s Bazaar called Dior’s collection “The New Look” for his love of an exaggerated “WASP” waist paired with full skirts and a structured bust line.    Dior was bringing back all that Chanel and Poiret had thrown away.   It was a new day and a new way to look at femininity for women.   Of course, looking to the past – which is usually the best way to find the future.

Fast forward 60 years.DIOR COMPOUND - AVENUE MONTAIGNE, PARIS   Dior is one the most exclusively distributed fashion collections in the world.   Part of Corporate giant LVMH, Dior is designed by John Galliano and retains the true ideal and status that Mr. Dior created all those years ago.  Chanel also sits on the top of the industry.   Reinvented by ageless fashion character Karl Lagerfeld, who dances through decades of success as swiftly and oddly as an Emperor proudly marching through the city streets in his new clothes.   Owned by the same family that was able to make Coco Chanel a household name with her #5 perfume, the company is a great success and truly unique in the industry.   No other high fashion house has a more profitable distribution of RTW, Accessories, and of course – Fragrance.

Last year, a designer collection was launched in New York that has all the details of a fashion movie. REED KRAKOFF  A super successful fashion executive was to launch his own signature collection.  One he said was meant to become the luxury fashion collection of New York.   Reed Krakoff was the man that would raise the bar of what luxury meant from a New York designer.    No newcomer, Mr. Krakoff is the man responsible REED KRAKOFF SIGNATURE SATCHELfor making Coach a global giant with his ability to design “affordable luxury” as they say,  for women in countries all over the world.   The collection was a well known American Brand of somber leather bags favored by WASPy women in the 50's,60’s and 70’s.    Krakoff turned that dusty collection into  a massive success generating billions of dollars a year and an enthusiasm unseen before for a collection with a very affordable price point.   

One difference with Mr. Krakoff's signature collection launch and that of Christian Dior is that the fashion world was waiting with baited breath and swords drawn for the first images of Mr. Krakoff's work to be released.  Of course there was mixed anticipation for Mr. Dior's collection back in 1947 - but it was filled with a more optimistic hope that it would be great.  Paris, and the world for that matter needed to dream again and wanted to be romanced with a new vision of French couture after a devastating war.REED KRAKOFF SIGNATURE TOTE

Mr. krakoff created big shoes for himself to fill by announcing he wished to create the ultimate American fashion collection.   Adding to the anticipation, pressure, and rumor surrounding the launch was the news that Krakoff decided to scrap one entire collection early last year that he deemed not ready for the press.   In addition, Mr. Krakoff made the odd choice of bringing in Graziano De Boni as his acting President.   Mr. De Boni is a well known executive in the industry working with Italian companies.  While he has twenty plus years of experience, it has been that long since he had to report to bosses on the same side of the Atlantic.  Once a collection was eventually available for editors and buyers to shop in 2010, my sources tell me that the entire market was poorly organized and executed.  Surprising when you think that Coach is run like a well oiled machine - and the offices of RK are in the same building.  De Boni has since left the company.

Then there is the collection itself.    A mix of utilitarian items, the debut collection was a bit lackluster.    More pieces than a collection, I couldn't help but wonder why Mr. Krakoff didn't simply focus his attention on launching RTW for Coach?   after all, you have one of the most successful collections in the industry, with a network of your own stores throughout the world... Half the work is done.   All he would have to do is build and build item by item until he had a fully developed RTW business.REED KRAKOFF FALL 2010

At the moment, any fashion client used to the craftsmanship and savior faire of Hermes, Chanel, or Dior would be trading down in buying a Reed Krakoff bag.  The quality is just not there yet.   However, a regular Coach client would be trading up by investing in one of Mr. Krakoff's bags.  Reed could easily become the Karl Lagerfeld of the bridge world.   If he will become the equivalent of the rarified world of designer RTW remains to be seen.   
Like all good things, The RK collection needs time.   Already it has several attributes no other new collection has - a budget to run freestanding boutiques, an advertising campaign featuring a super model, and full blown runway shows in NY Fashion week.    All these things are huge achievements, if not ultimately the one Mr. Krakoff is after. 

Like all driven men, Mr. KRAKOFF is only competing against himself for any further accolades.   The fashion world will wait and see, as the industry loves to watch the climb of an underdog - even one they dismiss for years.   One thing is for sure, Reed Krakoff editorial is here to stay.   With such deep pockets, what publisher could resist it?   In the meantime, Krakoff is building a solid foundation with retail boutiques in NY, Tokyo, and Las Vegas; wholesale shop in shops at numerous Saks 5th Avenue stores around the country; and on-line at the coolest destination on the web for luxury- www.Net-a-porter.com.  We will all stay tuned to see how Reed Krakoff develops.

SALVATORE FERRAGAMO FLAGSHIP STORE

FERRAGAMO "RAINBOW" CREATED FOR JUDY GARLAND - 1938Take an exclusive tour inside one of the most famous names in Italian Fashion.   Salvatore Ferragamo revolutionized the world of designer footwear more than 80 years ago.  The Ferragamo archives continue to influence every shoe designer in the industry today.   Step inside the massive flagship store on New Yorks 5th Avenue.  The boutique features all categories for men and women.  Jason Jobson gives takes you through the Ferragamo Creations Collection - the DNA of this luxury house of fashion.

Special thanks to Ferragamo & Kevin Russell of Red Shadow Productions.  

For more information on the Ferragamo Creations Collection -in the U.S. contact  Gilda DeBortoli at  212-754-5200.