Sunday, November 28, 2010

The fake, the real & the inspired...


So the fashion cycle goes… The head designers of every major fashion house previews their stuff on the catwalk, fashion editors influence the public on what we should all wear for the upcoming season, the designs hit the designer stores, the chain stores copy what they think is the best of the season and offer it to the general public to buy. Every season there are ‘IT’ bags, ‘IT’ shoes & ‘IT’ clothes.

But to stay on top of a trend do we buy now & wear forever or buy now & wear for one season only? And more importantly do we buy the real, fake or inspired version and how much capital should we fork out each season?

The Real
Yep it everything always looks stunning on the catwalk, possibly cos it is worn by supermodels... but I already want everything from the Marc Jacobs RTW 2011 Spring collection after seeing the show... the colours used, the lightness of the flowing silk halter dresses, the revival of the 70s, the gigantic flowers..... love. I forecast major outlay in my expenses for financial year 2011 already. Well worth I say, Marc Jacobs can be worn season after season.

Ever since Decarnin became designer for Balmain, I must admit I lusted everything that was on that Balmain show too. But seriously to spend an obscene USD4,000 on an extreme shoulder padded suit jacket to wear for ONE season from the 2009-2010 Spring collection? In real time we are only in Nov 2010 and who’s wearing them now?? Emmanuelle Alt surely isn't wearing hers anymore. I heard that there are extensively long waiting lists for those jackets in Land’s End store (in Sydney Woollahra) but no one would want to be caught wearing theirs now & look like a loser? As much as I love Balmain, I say stick with the Stella, YSL or Smyth suit jackets with no major shoulder pads & you could wear these for decades for a third of the price.



I love what Phoebe Philo has done to reincarnate Celine as a whole but not everything in her collection is fashionably worth it. Take the striped red & navy cotton long sleeve dress that Katie Holmes wore to the premiere of ‘The Extra Man’ in NYC July 2010. IT WAS A COTTON T SHIRT DRESS that costs USD2000 (there is currently one available in DJs in Sydney). I appreciate that the quality of the cotton is probably perfect but in terms of the occasion you can wear it to…. Not really to work in an investment bank cos it looks informal, not really to a premiere (Katie was blasted by fashion critics cos it was not special enough), not really to a party cos it’s not sexy enough, not really for everyday wear cos well, would you go grocery shopping in a USD2000 dress?? Lesson to learn here.... cool designers still will have at least one item in their collections that is not quite right.

I used to be an IT bagoholic. Then one day I realised that seasons go by so quickly that the return I get on these IT bags were not so great. What is the fashionable value of an ‘IT’ bag with high capital outlay when it no longer ‘IT’? Let me see… the no longer ‘IT’ bags sitting in my wardrobe… the black suede Gucci bag with the bamboo handle that was deemed so hot when Tom Ford bought Gucci back to life in the 1990s, the must have Prada bowling bag that I saw a pic of Elle MacPherson carrying & had to have back in 1999, the Fendi baguette… remember the baguette frenzy? I went crazy too when I first saw these & bought all I could afford back then. I mean USD 1500 for a denim bag??? What was I thinking??? I also invested heavily in a Selleria mama baguette. Deliciously red leather strap with hand stitched flowers on it and it was 1 of 100 in the world…. How happy must I have been then… and how about now???, the Murakami LV speedy on white leather with multi colour LV logos from the LV 2006 collection… I remember how Vogue Australia persuaded me to buy it, they showed the bag with a background of jelly beans in the magazine… it was so cute… I had to have it. I have not used the bag for over 5 years. Damage done? Over USD10k worth of funds tied up in illiquid stock.

On the upside, there are still forever ‘IT’ bags in my possession… a 1950s rigid Kelly bag, a couple of forever loved Birkins, a Chanel 2.55 reissue, some Jamin Puech totes, a black Bottega clutch, the Marc Jacobs Sophia bag with the divine gold chain handle, a couple of vintage 1920s totes… money well spent.

The lesson here... when buying the real, choose items that have an 'IT' element (think quality of fabrics, the fit, the cutting, the style & the design) but not something that screams 'that is so a last season 'IT' item' & ask yourself if you will wear or use it again in 3 years time.

The Inspired
Most ‘inspired’ items are found in the fashion chain stores or small upcoming designer boutiques. It’s not a fake but you will notice the elements that the designers here use have been taken from the major fashion houses. I reckon that it is more fashionably acceptable to wear or own something that is fashionably inspired because it is not a fake or an imitation, it is just another take on a designer item.

Salma Hayek to the Paris fashion shows with her husband in 2010) at Portmans but translated to a jacket format. Is it the same as the real? Nope… but it is an interpretation as such. You really can see the quality difference. I mean, how well can anyone interpret an Alexander McQueen dress??

 I bought a pair of Vivienne Westwood inspired pirate boots a few years back because I couldn’t get my hands on a pair of real ones. I saw a pic of Kate Moss with hers & I wanted it so badly. Quality of materials & craftsmanship wasn't bad & cost was around USD400. I did get good comments about them whenever I wore them. The problem was that it inspired me to get my hands on the real ones because I knew that the real ones would be even better if the inspired ones gave me that much satisfaction already…. I recently bought the real ones…  double damage done….



The fake
When you want something you can’t afford or when you know you can get a similar looking item for 1/100th of the price, do you settle for a fake?

Living in a world where we are surrounded by constant luxurious wants do we settle for 3rd  best? How many websites are there that sell fake Manolos, Louboutins, Jimmy Choos, LV bags, Hermes bags nowadays?? I myself am tempted to see what a fake pair of Louboutins look like in real life. Will people know the difference & more importantly will I feel just as good as if I owned the real?

I believe fakes are good for the fashion market. Obviously only the most wanted items are imitated so it is a sign that the item would be out of fashion very quickly. Imitators just want to make a quick buck. Another way to look at it is you might want to test the look of the bag or the satisfaction of owning it & just want it for the season then why waste thousands when you can buy it for a hundred?

A few rules for buying fakes…  make sure you do research on the real deal first (check out the detailing, the quality, the style & sizes available). Nothing worse than using a fake that screams nothing but FAKE…. You want it to look as real as possible… & be prepared to accept that the quality of a fake obviously will not be as good as a real. It will brake or fall apart much easier. Remember the reason why the real deal costs so much is the quality & the design. 

To remain fashionably stylish we must always keep up with the trends, there will always be trends that will never die & trends that will die before Vogue tells its readers but if you find the balance between the real, the fake & the inspired, you may be able to reach nirvana with your wardrobe.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Dollar Parity

Buying any international designers item has always been way too expensive in Australia... It's the GST & the luxury goods tax!!! Not to mention we are always one season behind the northern hemisphere which means it sucks that we have to pay full price for last seasons stock....

But with the AUD reaching its parity with the USD recently, it  makes online shopping on US websites a whole lot more interesting... nearly 20% difference in price on current season stock.... below is a quick comparison for the exact same item sold in shops in Sydney vs online from Saks (converts the USD to AUD already) or Shopbop.com


Item
Shop
Cost
US Website
Cost
Louboutin ‘Rolando’ Pumps
DJs
AUD1,600
Saksfifthavenue.com
AUD817
Miu Miu Metal Flowers Square Toe Wool Loafer Pumps
DJs
AUD1,330
Saksfifthavenue.com
AUD1,018
YSL Palais Block heel platforms
DJs
AUD1,150
Saksfifthavenue.com
AUD802
Marc Jacobs ‘Single’ bag
DJs
AUD1,650
Saksfifthavenue.com
AUD920
Fendi Mama forever
DJs
AUD1,550
Saksfifthavenue.com
AUD1,224
Louboutin Jem slingbacks
DJs
AUD1,600
Saksfifthavenue.com
AUD1,229
DVF black dress with feathered shoulders
DJs
AUD999
Shopbop.com
USD795
Peter Pilotto dress
Belindas
AUD2,495
Shopbop.com
USD1,846


Come on fellow Aussies, take advantage of that AUD parity..... your shopping opportunities are endless.....for now.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Due Diligence on Maison Michel hat & hair accessories

  • Details of Investment
Since 1936, Maison Michel has been creating perfect hats for the most prestigious fashion houses like Dior, Givenchy, Lanvin & Chanel. But it was not until 2006 when Chanel bought Maison Michel that its 32 year old Artistic Director, Laetitia Crahay made its hair accessories (Yes.... bunny ear hairbands) the hottest it brand to invest in right now. Want to know how super cool of a designer Laeitita is? Check out the recent Chanel accessories coz she is also the head of accessories & jewellery there.


Check out the range from net-a-porter.com, brownsfashion.co.uk, jades24.com & colette.fr to see for yourself. If you are ever so lucky as to be located in Paris, then you should visit the store at 65, rue Saint Anne where you can order a made-to measure hat in 3-4 weeks.
 
 
  • Financial Cost

Hairbands are available from USD200 (which would get you basic simple styles) & upwards (carefully constructed masterpieces with snowflakes, crystals, thorns, rabbits, frogs, nails, thick chains, feathers, pearls, veils & chains) while hats will set you back USD400-600. The craftsmanship is truly amazing (would expect nothing less from being a Chanel child company), but I guess the hairpieces or hats don't come cheap. I mean, I love hats & hair accessories but I find I have to be in a specific mood or have a special feeling to wear it (sometimes if lucky I might only wear a hat once a year) which means my investment would not bring me a low cost per wear each year. And even if I was in the mood, you need to have the outfit to wear it with.....

  • Valuation & Returns of Investment
Remember when Bunny ears first popped up during the Marc Jacobs for LV 2008 fashion show?? then that same year Madonna wore them to the Met Gala?? then in 2009 we saw them on the Olsen twins spotting lace bunny & mouse ears by Maison Michel in Tokyo and then on Lady Gaga for the cover of NEO2 magazine whilst Lily Allen performed in them, then we saw them again in recently in 2010 on Frida Gustavsson at the Paris Vogue Masquerade ball. Given that the Bunny ears have still remained a 'fashionable' item among the fashionistas in 2010, perhaps it can be placed next to your Manolo Blahniks in the closet in terms of importance?


Clearly the bunny ears are not everyone's cup of tea. It's not a cheap accessory that you can use under all circumstances - you can't wear them while shopping or buying groceries or working in an investment bank!!!  They seem to be made more for fashion moments... like if you sing a lot in concert performances, have a life long list of masquerade ball invites & appear in more magazine covers than Lady Gaga then it doesn't hurt to get a pair.... otherwise best opt for the Maison Michel hats & hairbands which you can still appreciate, wear more frequently & make a fashion statement out of.

FYI...I noticed the bunny ears have diversified into being cat ears in the current collection (they have even made it in pink & without the veil that covers the face). I guess this could be a sign that the 'ears' will become one of Maison Michel's signature pieces.

  • Risk Factors
As Dita Von Teese recently proclaimed:- 'You have to be brave to wear a hat. Wearing a hat says: 'I have confidence & I don't mind if people are looking at me'.

If you are thinking of investing in a Maison Michel hair accessory (where it be bunny ears or a top hat), you need to know that people will look at you (whether it be they think you are a weirdo for wearing bunny ears in broad daylight or just admiring the feathers of your Maison Michel creation).

  • Overall Rating
If you want the Maison Michel bunny ears so badly, why not consider visiting the many DIY websites which will enable you to use your capital on other much loved must haves?? Maybe I might just give the more wearable hairbands & fedoras a try when I literally have nothing else to buy.....