The Shophound

COLLABORATION ANTICIPATION: Anna Dello Russo Makes Her Retail Debut This Fall With H&M

The tireless folks at H&M have just announced its first Fashion Editor collaboration collection with the sparkly, walking Christmas Tree known as Anna Dello Russo (pictured at right). The Fashion Director at Large and Creative Consultant at Vogue Nippon (Japan) will launch a line of accessories (pictured above) this October 4th which apears to include everything from shoes to handbags to jewelry and sunglasses, none of it minimalist in any sense. In the press release, Dello Russo says, "I wanted to create precious accessories that are impossible to find," and the line will be available in only 140 of H&M's stores worldwide. So far, there's no price range announced, but, it's H&M, so we expect things to be generally affordable.

The chain released a promotional video (embedded below), and it's worth watching if only for the glimpse into Dello Russo's meticulously organized pantyhose drawer, as well as the rest of her house, which basically appears to be one giant closet. Watch her say "Everything precious. Everything sparkly," and while holding up a clanking charm bracelet, "They make-a sound bling bling." It's kind of hilarious, but it changed The Shophound's opinion of her from tiresome costumed attention-hog to generally loopy eccentric (that's an upgrade). We have to give her some kind of credit for specifically identifying herself a fashion victim, not a fashion icon.
Points for self awareness.

LUXURY REDUX: Loewe Planning A Return To New York?

Spanish leathergoods brand Loewe has had an uneven history in the U.S. over the past couple of decades which have included at various times a New York boutique, the introduction of a prêt-à-porter collection by Narciso Rodriguez who has been followed by various other designers, and then an exit from the U.S.market at other times -all while U.S. customers have struggled to properly pronounce the name (for the record, it should sound like Low-ay-vay). Today's WWD features a profile of the luxury brand which is now under LVMH's stewardship and, under the creative direction of former Mulberry designer Stuart Vevers has been clocking consistent growth with a renewed emphasis on accessories and handbags. U.S. business has been limited to a handful of exclusive stores like Bergdorf Goodman, Jeffrey and Long Island's Hirshleifer's, but there has been no coordinated strategy for the brand here. WWD suggests that may change as, like any brand undergoing a carefully strategized global expansion, Loewe is said to be looking to try again in New York with a new boutique. The paper is vague, without any confirmation from the company's executives, but the same questions will apply to Loewe as they will to any luxury brand looking for a retail spot in the city: Madison Avenue, Bleecker Street, SoHo or Meatpacking District? Or maybe a combination of some of the above?

Barcelona Store Marks Loewe's Growth Progress (WWD)
Loewe (Official Site)

FLAGSHIP FLASH: CÉLINE Set To Debut New Boutique By Month's End

Céline CEO Marco Gobbetti answered the "when is that store ever going to open?" question yesterday as he announced that the long awaited return of the resurgent luxury label to Madison Avenue would happen later this month. He was really announcing that the company would forgo its runway show for the Fall 2012 season in favor of less formal showroom presentations due to chief designer Phoebe Philo's pregnancy, but our concerns are more locally based. He offered no more details about the shop, though it will obviously play a major role in the protracted relaunching of the label after a revolving door of designers and, ultimately, Philo's arrival as creative director a couple of years ago to save the day. The label's previous location on Madison (now a Michael Kors lifestyle shop) was shuttered to give the new design team a fresh environment in which to sell the reconceived collection, but refashioning the former Gianfranco Ferré and temporary Dior store at Madison and 71st Street has taken a bit longer than eager shoppers had expected. Soon, however, there will be a new world of Céline to divert Madison Avenue's denizens.

Celine to Skip Runway Show for Fall (WWD)

ALEXANDRA JACOBS GOES SHOPPING: Sour Resort Luxe Edition

Today's Thursday Styles features Critical Shopper Alexandra Jacobs in a disagreeable mood as she goes to town on the new Bottega Veneta women's boutique on Madison Avenue. She barely touches on the store itself, however. First she turns her nose up at the concept of the "resort" collection, suggesting that it is an irrelevant contrivance for the rich who spent the winter months in sunny, tropical locales, and then brings up the horrific Costa Concordia crash to ruin winter vacations for all of us. Thanks.

...it’s a small, lightweight collection of clothes marketed at people who can afford long jaunts to the tropics when the rest of us are trudging through sludge and applying extra lashings of bronzer to our ghastly January pallor. It blithely ignores what the great wobbly mass of American humanity tends to wear while traveling — e.g., velour tracksuits and Disney mouse ears.

Wow. Sour grapes. Apparently she is aiming this week's column at Republican Primary voters, as if she has completely forgotten that Madison Avenue boutiques and luxury brands like Bottega Veneta were invented to serve the kind of people for whom the concept of "resort" remains incredibly relevant. In fact, they are probably sunning themselves on the beach right now. It's the kind of disingenuous reverse snobbery not seen since the loopy days of Alex Kuczynski. Of course, we aren't assuming that Jacobs live on Park Avenue and carries her own Birkin bag like we know her erstwhile predecessor did, but there's a certain sense that she has started out criticizing the shop for being exactly what it presents itself to be: a luxurious shop for wealthy customers. Madison Avenue is, and has always been, shopping for the 1%. Get over it or find a new neighborhood to shop in.

Critical Shopper: On the Sea of Tranquillity by Alexandra Jacobs (NYTimes)
Bottega Veneta 849 Madison Avenue between 69th & 70th Streets, Upper East Side

ACCESSORY UPGRADE: Ghurka Shows Off A New Look In A New Store

About six months ago, The Shophound reported that Ghurka, the classic luggage and accessory brand, would be escaping it's way-off-the-beaten-path location in the Plaza Hotel basement for a new store on 59th Street just off Fifth Avenue in the Sherry Netherland building. The folks at Ghurka were quick to let me know that the Plaza store would, in fact, remain open, but now, after a change in ownership the brand has shed some of the trappings of its previous, more commercial and corporate parent, that other store is but a memory.

This is not just an elaborate way to say, "We told you so," but to illustrate that a brand that has been well-liked but sort of predictable is undergoing a refreshing evolution —the first stages of which can be seen in the new store. This past September, Accessory Network Group, the handbag giant which had owned Ghurka since 2003, sold it to an independent group called Brightwork Brand Holdings Corp. which made the label its first acquisition. Though the products currently in store don't fully represent the new design team (it will be debuting a revamp next week at the Project show) the new store, which quietly opened for the Holiday season, represents a smaller, more individually focused attitude aimed at burnishing the brand's image. Classic Ghurka styles are already being presented in new colors and fabrics like tweedy checks and plaids along with the saddle colored leather that is the label's signature. The store is also mixing in a few other independent vendors like Pendleton blankets to update its offerings as the company makes arrangements to move all of its production back to the U.S. since its previous owner outsourced some manufacturing overseas.

We always like to see a label re-invent itself, but in this case, it's good to see an admired brand looking forward by getting back to its roots. We will be keeping an eye out for what it has in store next week, but in the meantime, Ghurka's return to the street level will remind you of its classic appeal.

Ghurka 781 Fifth Avenue at 59th Street, Midtown
Previously:
Ghurka Escapes The Plaza And Heads For Fifth Avenue (7.26.11)

THE PREVIEW CIRCUIT: Looking At Spring 2012 From ASOS and Oakley

We are almost ready to start the Holiday Season, but we are still finishing up with previewing next Spring. This week, The Shophound got a chance to take a look at upcoming collections from the UK's largest independent online fashion and beauty retailer, ASOS.

Unfamiliar? Well you couldn't be faulted too much for that. The company only started its U.S. site a little over a year ago. While ASOS offers a multitude of well known brands, we got a look at its private label offerings for women and men which, running from fast-fashion to contemporary price ranges for premium items, are not unimpressive.

In a manner similar to Topshop, the design teams at ASOS impressively translate Europe's more adventurous trends into more accessible looks for a broader market at great prices. There was a touch of Balenciaga here and McQueen there for example, but well synthesized. The fun thing about the brand is that it is not afraid of straying from the middle of the road. Their collections had various different design themes, but mostly reflected a serious look back at the 1980s, and, get ready to feel old, a nostalgic look at the 90s. One special collection is inspired by and manufactured in Africa, while another premium line incorporates exclusive prints for more daring eveningwear. For men, there was an impressive group inspired by contemporary Japanese design, but from there, inspiration tended to run more in line with American designers with a preppy group echoed labels like Gant Rugger and Burkman Brothers and an appealing tailored collection that owed a debt to Thom Brown and Band of Outsiders. A British-made shoe line (below) featured interesting combinations and red rubber soles which easily reminded us of a certain Mr. McNairy. Overall, however, ASOS is great for giving us a hint about what kind of English and European trends will be making their way over here soon, and a wall of colorful backpacks suggests that totes and messenger bags will be giving way to the schoolkid's favorite bookbag in the coming months.

Later that evening, The Shophound stopped by Oakley's SoHo showroom for a less elaborate presentation with a highly enthusiastic staff eager to show off their updated womens collections for next Spring. A new design team has lightened up the women's fitness offerings to shake off the brand's image as a more rugged men's label. Being Oakley, there was an abundance of eyewear cleverly designed with fashion and fitness in mind featuring special details like nose pads that won't slip when you sweat and won't catch your hair when they get pushed over the forehead (Imagine what a improvement those features can make). Other highlights included swimwear featuring pieces specially designed for Olympic volleyball champ and Oakley spokesperson Kerri Walsh. As the first official Olympic eyewear sponsor, the brand also showcased a well designed collection designed for the 2012 games next August featuring clever technical details and just enough red, white and blue to be patriotic without looking like the 4th of July every day. These style will start appearing in Oakley's SoHo and new Times Square location early next year, and they certainly made us think of Oakley in a new light.

LUXURY EXPANSION: It's Ladies Only For Bottega Veneta On Madison Avenue

Bottega Veneta added a swiftly built new Madison Avenue store over the weekend that departs a bit from the boilerplate luxury flagship formula. Taking over Sonia Rykiel's recently vacated space, the burgeoning brand decided to focus its latest shop on women's products only. It's a new strategy that, according to WWD, could bring smaller Bottega Veneta stores specifically pitched to different neighborhoods. While there are a few men's-only shops from the brand in Asia, this store is a first for the U.S., meant to bring the label and its products to the Madison Avenue shoppers and Upper East Side women who are less likely to subject themselves to midtown Fifth Avenue where the main Bottega Veneta flaship store exists amidst an endless tourist crush. The brand's creative director Tomas Maier tells WWD that the company is not necessarily planning to open separate men's and women's shops in tandem, but that various neighborhoods would be analyzed to decide exactly what kind of store, if any, would be appropriate.

Though there are no further specific plans for New York, Maier says, “The specifics will depend on the location and the space, but there is definitely a need for a downtown Bottega Veneta.” You could safely translate that to mean that SoHo, the Meatpacking District (which has some well placed vacancies on the horizon) or possibly Bleecker Street are under serious consideration for new boutiques. Let the rabid real estate agent speculation begin.

Women's-Only Bottega Veneta Store Unveiled on Madison Ave. (WWD)

WINTER SOLUTION: Muji Introduces Your iGlove

It feels like we have been ignoring our other favorite Japanese retail chain lately, so let us correct that by presenting a new item that perfectly fulfills Muji's mission of providing practical, useful products. This Saturday, the company will launch the Touchscreen Glove for men and women which will allow wearers to operate their iPhones, iPads, iPod Touches and any other touchscreen devices in cold weather without removing their hand-coverings. The gloves have connective material interwoven through the thumb and forefinger tips in eight different colors, so now you will be able to check Facebook or Twitter while you are waiting for a bus or train during what is sure to be another brutal winter. Just think, now you can have toasty fingers as you walk and text all over the city while the sidewalks are covered in snow and ice. Imagine the entertaining wipeouts they will facilitate. OK, so use with caution...

Muji's Touchscreen Glove will be available in stores this Saturday October 29th and are available online right now.

RELOCATION ALERT: Ghurka Escapes The Plaza And Heads For Fifth Avenue UPDATED

After a stint in the failed experiment known as The Plaza Retail Collection, Ghurka, the American leathergoods brand has decided to move across the street to rival hotel The Sherry-Netherland and a store that you will be able to walk into right from the street!

Location is everything when it comes to running a store, and while many enjoyed snickering at the perceived folly of opening a luxury mini-mall in the basement of the Plaza Hotel, few seemed interested in actually going there to shop. Despite the best efforts of some enthusiastic publicists, the location seems to sit somewhere between Siberia and Oblivion in the minds of shoppers. For a company like Ghurka, having its only boutique hidden away in such a place wasted the opportunities that Manhattan offers to have your product seen by not only wealthy local customers but also free-spending tourists from all over the world. Now its upcoming 1,140 square foot flagship store will be visibly in the company of Apple and Bergdorf Goodman at the corner of 59^th Street and Fifth Avenue. As far as we can tell, Ghurka is the most prominent of the retailers who have ditched The Plaza for a more advantageous location.
Definitely won't be the last.

Ghurka (Official Site)

UPDATE:
We have received some additional information regarding the new store. Ghurka will be taking over the former A.Testoni store which is on the 59^th Street side of the Sherry-Netherland building next to A La Vieille Russie. We have been informed that they are not, in fact, closing the store in the Plaza, but simply expanding with a second, much more visible addition.

SPRING 2012 PREVIEWS: (capsule) Favorites Part III: PHOSPHORESENCE

This week, The Men's Spring 2012 trade shows happened. The Shophound made it to (capsule) and Project before we succumbed to sensory overload. While an exhaustive review of the shows would be, well, exhausting, we'll be posting what caught our eye from our favorite designers throughout the week.

It shouldn't really be a surprise that so many things that drew our attention at the trade shows were from companies only a few seasons (and in some cases only a few months) old. Many of the more established labels happily offered variations on their well known looks, so it was up to the newcomers to show us what we didn't know we wanted (to paraphrase Diana Vreeland).

Loving sunglasses as we do, it was hard to pass by the booth from the young eyewear brand Phosphorescence without taking a good, long look at everything. We were particularly struck by the Wayfarer-inspired shades above made from a flat sheet of titanium with arms in a different, hi-tech, flexible version of the metal. The sleek, modern frames had a touch of the 80's retro fever going around, but not so much that you found yourself balancing a full-on nostalgia trip on the bridge of your nose. We can't wait to see them in stores next year. Phosphoresence can currently be found at Steven Alan and Opening Ceremony, which also represents the brand through its showroom.