tag:www.elvaramirez.com,2008:/clips//1 2008-12-30T05:44:19Z Movable Type 3.34 tag:www.elvaramirez.com,2008:/clips//1.164 2008-12-25T02:13:32Z 2008-12-30T05:44:19Z

See more photos. Photo Slideshow: From 'Sex and the City' to the final farewell of Yves Saint Laurent, a look back at 2008's most memorable fashion moments.

See more photos. Photo Slideshow: From 'Sex and the City' to the final farewell of Yves Saint Laurent, a look back at 2008's most memorable fashion moments.]]> tag:www.elvaramirez.com,2008:/clips//1.165 2008-12-23T02:17:46Z 2008-12-30T02:41:51Z

Click to enlarge. Given the gloomy economic outlook, fashion retailers are hoping shoppers will indulge in one or two key pieces this holiday season, even if they aren't splurging on entire outfits. Here are some of the items getting second looks.

Click to enlarge. "A lot of people have been staying home, not going to dinner, and not going shopping," says Sarah Easley, co-owner of the Kirna Zabete boutique in SoHo in New York. Still, 'tis the season for holiday parties. Some customers are looking to update last year's black dress, rather than invest in a whole new look, with eye-catching shoes like Giambattista Valli's towering platform heels in fuchsia (left, $467). Kirna Zabete, 96 Greene St., New York City.

Click to enlarge. H&M's all-black "Divided Exclusive" collection, which hit stores this month, features corsets, dresses and leather skirts that can easily go from day to night. The workhorse in the collection: a short, fitted tuxedo jacket ($34.90). Wear it with T-shirt and jeans during the day, or toss it over a corset and trousers for evening, says H&M spokesperson Jennifer Uglialoro. "It covers your shoulders so you don't feel so exposed." H&M, locations nationwide.

Click to enlarge. Tricia Tunstall, cofounder of the boutique p.45 in Chicago's Bucktown district, expects parties will be a bit toned down this year -- so a little glitter can go a long way. Popular this season: pieces that can coordinate with several items in the closet. The gold sleeveless top by Coley Claire (left, $288) can be dressed up with a pencil skirt or toned down with jeans and a cardigan for a house party. p.45, 1643 North Damen Avenue, Chicago. ]]> tag:www.elvaramirez.com,2008:/clips//1.166 2008-12-20T02:43:43Z 2008-12-30T05:48:13Z

Even with sharp discounts and aggressive marketing, this holiday season has been tough for retailers. Department store Macy’s is tapping into celebrity star power as a way to bring shoppers inside. On a recent Monday, Olympic gold-medalist Nastia Luikin promoted her new youth line, “Nastia Gold by Vanilla Star” to a line of starry-eyed girls and a few boys.

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French luxury jeweler Boucheron is hoping its bespoke jewelry will thrive despite the decline in luxury goods sales.

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This December, as in years past, Vena Cava designers Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai will set aside time to craft handmade holiday accessories and gifts. Homemade items are creative and meaningful, say the designers, who last month were named runners-up for the Council of Fashion Designers of America /Vogue Fashion Fund award, which recognizes new and emerging talent.

This December, as in years past, Vena Cava designers Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai will set aside time to craft handmade holiday accessories and gifts. Homemade items are creative and meaningful, say the designers, who last month were named runners-up for the Council of Fashion Designers of America /Vogue Fashion Fund award, which recognizes new and emerging talent. Making your own wrapping paper, for instance, "ends up being cheaper," Ms. Mayock says, "but it doesn't really have anything to do with money." Rather, she says, "it's fun and personal. It can be tailored to each person." Ms. Mayock has created her own wrapping paper for the past few years. She arranges old photographs of friends into a collage, using a colorful magazine image as a backdrop. She then runs the collage through a color copier. While there are usually trims and ribbons lying around her studio, she likes to finish packages off with twine from the hardware store. Even Christmas trees can be personalized on the cheap. Ms. Buhai says that Christmas-tree lots often have leftover branch trimmings free for the taking. She'll pick up a large branch and paint it black. "It looks much cooler than a Christmas tree. And it's a little darker," she says. "I usually add plain silver bulbs. It's a minimalist Christmas tree." She prefers to simply lean her twig tree against the wall, but smaller cuttings could be put in vases. The designers also shared some ambitious gift ideas that they haven't yet created. Ms. Mayock says her father has a collection of silly '80s T-shirts with animals and weird motifs. "It would be really awesome to cut them up and make them into a quilt," she says. Ms. Buhai said that this year, she is considering making someone a custom chessboard of cardboard coated with a clear lacquer. The pieces would be checkers or poker chips covered with paper and a drawing or written label. "It's a trompe l'oeil chessboard all made out of paper," she says. On a smaller scale, Ms. Buhai suggests personalizing a deck of cards by putting collages on the backs of the cards. She would incorporate newspapers, old photos or little doodled messages. tag:www.elvaramirez.com,2008:/clips//1.170 2008-11-14T03:43:46Z 2008-12-30T03:54:31Z

With sales of designer apparel plunging, it might come as a surprise that officials of the Council of Fashion Designers of America were talking up new opportunities for designers at a breakfast on Thursday in New York.

One possibility that is in the early stages of discussion is a CFDA-sponsored sample sale on Gilt.com for small designers who don’t have enough inventory or resources to launch their own sample sale, CFDA director of strategic partnerships Rachel Shechtman told designers and executives who attended the Business Service Network breakfast. Ms. Shechtman said that plans were to run group sales quarterly with the first sale in early 2009, perhaps in time for the Academy Awards. In September, Gilt Groupe, which runs the designer discount web site Gilt.com, sold samples for the emerging designer label Costello Tagliapietra a few days after sponsoring the label’s Spring 2009 show at New York fashion week. Gilt Groupe plans to sponsor at least one more fashion show or presentation at the next fashion week in February, says Chairman Kevin Ryan. “Sales have been good for us,” Mr. Ryan said. “There’s more merchandise that’s available and more designers that need help finding a distribution channel.” Designer Sue Stemp said she left the lunch “feeling very positive” and planned to contact Mr. Ryan. ]]> tag:www.elvaramirez.com,2008:/clips//1.169 2008-11-14T03:14:33Z 2008-12-30T03:43:12Z

British designer Gareth Pugh, one of six emerging designers who collaborated with perfumers Symrise to create a new collection called Six Scents, said that “gloss” and “patent leather” best described his collections. His answers were part of a 20-page questionnaire that was the first step in his collaboration with perfumer Emilie Coppermann.

The finished perfume, “Diagonal,” is a combination of musk, dill, black pepper and black tea notes that are both masculine and feminine, which is meant to be an abstraction of the Pugh vision, Mr. Pugh said in an interview last night. “I like how you can’t really understand it until you have to wear it.” Other designers involved in the project, which was orchestrated by Symrise, creative agency Metaproject and boutique Seven New York, include Bernard Willhelm, Alexandre Herchocovitch and Preen’s Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi. Other ingredients include jasmine, cinnamon and rhubarb. The limited-edition scents, which were launched last night and are intended as the first in a series that will benefit charities, will sell for $85 individually or $510 for the set. A percentage of the proceeds will go to nonprofit Designers against AIDS.]]> tag:www.elvaramirez.com,2008:/clips//1.171 2008-11-11T04:02:07Z 2008-12-30T06:13:14Z

One month before Black Friday, on October 29, Swedish fast-fashion retailer Hennes & Mauritz said its Penn Station store in New York and its Powell Street store in San Francisco will each open at 6 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 28, and remain open through 11 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 29. Two other H&M stores — one on the Third Street Promenade in Los Angeles and the other on Chicago’s State Street — will stay open until midnight on Friday.

One month before Black Friday, on October 29, Swedish fast-fashion retailer Hennes & Mauritz said its Penn Station store in New York and its Powell Street store in San Francisco will each open at 6 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 28, and remain open through 11 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 29. Two other H&M stores — one on the Third Street Promenade in Los Angeles and the other on Chicago’s State Street — will stay open until midnight on Friday. H&M offered 24-hour shopping at the New York store last year and added extended hours to other stores this year. “Based on last year’s success and response from our consumers, we realize that some of our shoppers are unable to make it out to our stores early,” H&M spokesperson Shaneika Haskins said. “This is a way for us to accommodate everyone by extending our normal operating hours so everyone has a chance to find that perfect gift at an affordable price.” “Getting to be top of mind and making the store accessible to consumers during the big shopping days has become very important,” said NPD chief industry analyst, Marshal Cohen. “That means more hours.” ]]> tag:www.elvaramirez.com,2008:/clips//1.172 2008-11-08T04:06:45Z 2008-12-30T04:13:43Z

At his first press conference, President-elect Barack Obama said that getting a dog for his two daughters when the family moves into the White House in January is “a major issue.” Photos: See famous presidential pets. After his election night mention of a new puppy for Sasha and Malia, Obama said that topic had generated more interest on his Web site than any other.

Photos: See famous presidential pets. After his election night mention of a new puppy for Sasha and Malia, Obama said that topic had generated more interest on his Web site than any other. A presidential pet is long tradition; all American presidents since George Washington have owned pets. Dogs are historically the most-favored White House animal. Ronald Reagan had Rex and Lucky. Gerald Ford had Liberty. Bill Clinton’s dog, Buddy, sometimes interrupted presidential phone calls to officials. And this week, President George W. Bush’s dog, Barney, bit a Reuters reporter’s hand. Obama said that Malia has allergies. Unfortunately, there is really no such thing as an allergy-free furry animal. Still, there is a good selection of low-allergy dogs. Some are short-hair breeds, but not all. And not all are little dogs. Obama said the family would prefer to adopt a puppy from an animal-rescue shelter. “But obviously, a lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me,” the President-elect said. “So whether we’re going to be able to balance those two things, I think, is a pressing issue on the Obama household.” While the Obama daughters wait for their new pet, maybe they’ll reconsider their request once they learn about Caroline Kennedy’s pony, Macaroni.]]> tag:www.elvaramirez.com,2008:/clips//1.173 2008-10-31T04:14:35Z 2008-12-30T05:51:04Z

With the economy in a downturn and world financial markets in meltdown mode, Macy’s will try to woo shoppers this holiday season with a simple message: Believe. The 813-store behemoth’s “Million Reasons to Believe” campaign, highlighting the iconic “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus” newspaper editorial first published in the New York Sun in 1897, will appear in 300 newspapers, on TV and online starting Nov. 9. Two-page newspaper ads will include reprints of the original letter by Virginia Hanlon and the New York Sun’s reply, along with blank forms for children to use to write their own letters to Santa.

Like the famous editorial’s response to eight-year-old Virgina’s question about whether Santa Claus exists, Macy’s will try to persuade consumers to believe in family, goodness, magic and Santa, said Martine Reardon, Macy’s corporate marketing executive vice president. “These are messages that are especially relevant this year,” Ms. Reardon said. Macy’s plans to outfit its stores with “believe stations,” where children can sit and write letters to Santa. They will feature “Believe-Meters” to gauge the “collective belief in the spirit of Christmas,” said Peter Sachse, the chain’s chief marketing officer. Macy’s will donate $1 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation for every every letter to Santa that is deposited in its in-store mailboxes. The campaign also seems focused on generating good will for Macy’s, which angered some shoppers two years ago by turning beloved local department stores such as Marshall Field’s in Chicago and Kaufmann’s in Pittsburgh into Macy’s. By invoking the famous old editorial, Macy’s, which just celebrated its 150th birthday, hopes to reinforce its long history of helping to promote Santa and Christmas. “We’ve been here 150 years and intend clearly to be here for another 150,” Mr. Sachse said. “Everyone is looking around and things are falling apart around them. Macy’s clearly is not.” Macy’s executives wouldn’t disclose how much the company is spending on the campaign. ]]> tag:www.elvaramirez.com,2008:/clips//1.174 2008-10-30T04:20:03Z 2008-12-30T04:25:22Z

Tomorrow, Christie’s London will auction off an unusual collection of avant-garde fashions that each make a political statement about a moment in time during the last half century. The lots contain over 250 pieces from the personal collection of Katy Rodriguez and Mark Haddawy, owners of Resurrection, a vintage boutique with locations in New York and Los Angeles. See more photos.

See more photos. Christie’s has been auctioning fashion since 1995 but this one is different in terms of quality, said Pat Frost, Christie’s director of textiles. The auction comes from a personal wardrobe cultivated over several years. “This is a collector who’s put together what he wants to say,” Ms. Frost said. “There is a unifying theme, which you might say, are moments of revolution. Fashion with difference.” Items up for auction range from a 1988 two-piece studded Norma Kamali ensemble, a 1965 Yves Saint Laurent apricot crepe couture evening gown, a 1960s Cristobal Balenciaga couture evening jacket, and three 1991 Marc Jacobs dresses from his “grunge” collection for Perry Ellis as well as a 1984 yellow knit sweater that is one of Mr. Jacobs’s earliest designs. Other designers represented in the auction are Paco Rabanne, Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren, Emilio Pucci and Issey Miyake. “The best of these garments will have a very clear articulation of what their vision or expression might be,” said Simon Andrews, Christie’s director of 20th century decorative arts. Although some of punk rock’s and other edgy aesthetics have been diluted by the mainstream, the original artifacts still carry power. “Today it’s very easy to look back at the punk pieces and say, I know what that is or what that means,” Mr. Andrews says. “It’s seeped into all types of different advertising, design and fashion today. But at the time it represented a very strong political statement.” Early estimates for the auction were expected to bring in around $442,000 - $530,000. View some of the fashion to be auctioned. ]]> tag:www.elvaramirez.com,2008:/clips//1.175 2008-10-29T04:28:10Z 2008-12-30T04:30:17Z

Despite the gloomy economic news, retail sales for the week ended Saturday rose 1% over the same week last year, according to an estimate from ShopperTrak RCT. But although gas prices have fallen, consumers may be waiting for last-minute Halloween markdowns. “We anticipate that there will be some retail activity leading up into Halloween,” said Dan Natale, ShopperTrak senior vice president. “More and more folks are holding out. They’re looking for the markdowns.”

Despite the gloomy economic news, retail sales for the week ended Saturday rose 1% over the same week last year, according to an estimate from ShopperTrak RCT. But although gas prices have fallen, consumers may be waiting for last-minute Halloween markdowns. “We anticipate that there will be some retail activity leading up into Halloween,” said Dan Natale, ShopperTrak senior vice president. “More and more folks are holding out. They’re looking for the markdowns.” Sales so far this month continue to lag last year’s results — they’re 0.6% lower through Saturday, ShopperTrak estimates. Consumers may also not be shopping due to the upcoming election. “We’ve got an election in less than seven days. We have seen that there is a slowdown in retail traffic overall as we work into the weeks leading up to the election and the week of the election,” Mr. Natale said. “Is it all gloom and doom?” Mr. Natale said. “It’s not a particularly bright outlook but we are seeing a little encouragement by the 1% increase.” tag:www.elvaramirez.com,2008:/clips//1.176 2008-10-28T04:31:15Z 2008-12-30T05:01:00Z

From statement necklaces to sheer dressing, here is a roundup of some of Spring 2009's trends.

Click to image to view. See more photos.

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Banana Republic’s new creative director Simon Kneen unveiled his debut collection last night, showing clothes in soft neutrals accented with pops of blues and greens. “A lot of what we’re known for is still there,” Mr. Kneen, who was previously vice president and creative design director at Brooks Brothers, said. “But it’s updated and made modern for people who live and work in the city.”

“A lot of what we’re known for is still there,” Mr. Kneen, who was previously vice president and creative design director at Brooks Brothers, said. “But it’s updated and made modern for people who live and work in the city.” There were plenty of work-friendly options, including slouchy sweaters, silk blouses and crisp suits, as well as strapless patio dresses and light fabrics like bamboo cashmere. At the show, Banana Republic president Jack Calhoun said he is “hopeful” about the holiday season. “We’re managing our inventory tightly so we can control margins,” he said. “It’s a tough economy. We’re not immune to that, but we offer a compelling point of view.” The brand has been a bright spot for its parent company, Gap Inc. ]]> tag:www.elvaramirez.com,2008:/clips//1.162 2008-10-21T15:59:30Z 2008-10-25T16:06:57Z

Retail sales, which are being closely watched this fall, strengthened a bit in the week ended Oct. 18, rising 1.1% from the same period a year ago, according to ShopperTrak RCT. The uptick reflects the Columbus Day holiday and cooler weather in the Midwest and the Northeast, ShopperTrak says. The comparable 2007 results didn’t include the Columbus Day weekend.

The uptick reflects the Columbus Day holiday and cooler weather in the Midwest and the Northeast, ShopperTrak says. The comparable 2007 results didn’t include the Columbus Day weekend. Cooler temperatures, big discounts and falling gasoline prices may have prompted consumers to open their wallets, says Bill Martin, co-founder and executive vice president of sales. “There is still some strength in Main Street in terms of money that (shoppers are ) still willing to spend, outside of food and gas,” he says. But October sales through last week are still lagging behind year-ago results — ShopperTrak says they are 0.9% below the same period in 2007. Given September’s poor showing, if October sales are flat or down one percentage point, “I think that’s reasonably good news,” Mr. Martin adds.]]>