Lorre White, The Guru of Luxury

Chanel’s Cruise catwalk in Singapore, the luxury fashion event of the year in Asia

Singapore is the first city outside Europe and the United States to host a Chanel Cruise catwalk show, becoming one of the most sought after and anticipated luxury event in Asia. The Chanel catwalk show takes place May 10th in Singapore at the heritage site of Loewen Cluster on Dempsey Hill. The event will also mark the worldwide debut of Karl Lagerfeld’s new film ‘Once Upon A Time’, the screening will be held at the Raffles Hotel,  as a tribute to the hotel’s colonial splendour.

Keira Knightley as Coco Chanel in Karl Lagerfeld latest movie ‘Once Upon a Time’ to debut in Singapore

 

 

 

 

 

 

www.cpp-luxury.com

Meet Bespoken, the younger, hipper offspring of Turnbull and Asser

 

English Tailoring’s Younger Brother

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Bespoken. Photo by Chelsea Curtis. 

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Sam Fayed thought he’d found the perfect jacket. “The fit and the color were great, but when I turned it around, there was a giant eagle on the back, with rhinestones,” he says. Sam and his brother Liam are the youngest of three brothers in the family that owns the famous English haberdashery Turnbull and Asser. “Why is it that I can never find what I’m looking for?” Sam asked Liam. “There’s always one thing askew.”

In 2008 the Fayed brothers decided to start a new menswear line that would be based out of Turnbull’s Manhattan flagship and geared toward their like-minded peers, with modern silhouettes and a little edge but all the timeless craftsmanship of the parent brand. Their clothing line, Bespoken, is now available at their in-house workshop as well at major retailers including Saks Fifth Avenue and online at Mr. Porter.

The fall 2013 collection draws inspiration from a recent trip to Tokyo, where the brothers were captivated by the Pop art–influenced fashion. Themes like color blocking and technology weave through the collection; a black and burgundy wool topcoat and a briefcase with digital-camouflage trim are among the showpieces. This is not Turnbull and Asser’s proper English clothing.

As at the parent company, though, Bespoken’s main focus is shirting. Shirts are made in Turnbull and Asser’s London workshop by seasoned tailors, including a pair of twins who have been working in the factory for 40 years. Bespoken also shares Turnbull’s archive vault, which houses fabrics that date back more than half a century. On a recent visit there, Sam and Liam came across an old book of wool shirts.

“We were so excited when we found a couple of plaid patterns that we liked,” says Liam. “We used them to create a new edition of thin cotton shirts, which we stonewashed to give them their velvety feel.”

The shirts are available through a basic made-to-measure service, which starts at $245. Each season features 12 staple styles and 20 to 25 new patterns.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://nyc.robbreport.com

 

 

 

 

iStyle: The future of fashion From dresses that display digital messages to 3D-printed clothes, technology is set to revolutionise our wardrobes

 VIEW GALLERY

How great would it be if someone invented a dress which doubled up as a mobile phone? Turns out they have already. The wearable-technology label CuteCircuit designed a prototype back in 2005. More recent creations include the LED dress donned by Katy Perry on American Idol last year and the Twitter dress Nicole Scherzinger wore to the launch of EE in Battersea Power Station in November. Fans could literally tweet the dress, which displayed their messages in real time.

The design house’s co-founder Francesca Rosella was one of the speakers at a workshop on wearable technology last week at a girls’ school in London and where the school’s Year 9s (and yours truly) got down to the serious business of designing some flashing LED T-shirts and programming pairs of sunglasses.

The event, run by Little Miss Geek (LMG;littlemissgeek.com), a social-enterprise arm of Lady Geek, a campaigning agency making technology accessible and appealing to women, also featured talks by LMG’s chief executive, Belinda Parmar, and Clara Mercer, the marketing director of the British Fashion Council (BFC), and sponsorship from tech giants Microsoft and Dell.

The BFC has a partnership with  Vodafone which sponsors designers to work creatively with its technology. Last year, it was Richard Nicoll, who unveiled a bag with a built-in charger for a mobile device. Most excited about innovations in 3D printing, Mercer is confident it will crop up in a Marc by Marc Jacobs accessories collection in the not-too-distant future.

Francesca Rosella started out designing for Valentino, but when ideas for GPS handbags were not met with enthusiasm, she launched her own firm. In 2010, her “Galaxy” dress (created from 24,000 micro LEDs) was displayed at Chicago’s MSI museum, caught Katy Perry’s attention, and the rest is history. A SIM card slotted into the tag on her prototype mobile-phone dress and a microphone and speaker in the cuff mean you just lift your hand to ear to answer. (It’s also washable!)

But back to that circuit board. With a little help from the LMG team, my LED was soon flashing with the best of them.

It is testament to the power of fashion that Google chose the US designer Diane von Furstenberg’s New York show last year to premiere its Google Glass augmented-technology specs. According to Parmar, fashion and technology “have collided and fashion is driving how we integrate technology into our clothes”.

Parmar is also hugely excited about innovations in 3D printing – not least the first dress to be produced on a 3D printer unveiled this year by Dita Von Teese – but she is more interested in wearable technology taking on a pivotal role in our lives. Current favourite invention is the programmable GPS shoe created by Dominic Wilcox: “They have an antenna which tells you which direction to go via flashing LED lights – just like Dorothy clicking her heels in The Wizard of Oz!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

STEPHANIE HIRSCHMILLER

 http://www.independent.co.uk

Prada hosts The Great Gatsby costume exhibition in New York

Miuccia Prada and costume designer Catherine Martin are hosting a special exhibition of costumes for Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming film adaptation of The Great Gatsby. The exhibition will be on display May 1 - 12, 2013 at the Prada New York Epicenter at 575 Broadway in New York City.

Carey Mulligan and Leonardo di Caprio in ‘The Great Gatsby’ – costumes by Miuccia Prada and Brooks Brothers

Miuccia Prada and Catherine Martin created over 40 looks for the movie, each inspired by styles from the Prada and Miu Miu archives.

“Baz and Miuccia have always connected on their shared fascination with finding modern ways of releasing classic and historical references from the shackles of the past,” said Martin. “This connection is central to our relationship with Miuccia Prada on The Great Gatsby, and has connected our vision with hers. In the same way Nick Carraway reflects on a world that he is within and without, we have tried to create an environment that the audience will be subconsciously familiar with, yet separated from.” (vogue.co.uk)

Carrey Mulligan wearing a costume by Miuccia Prada in The Great Gatsby movie adaptation

The designs take the form of shimmering dresses, covered with crystals, fringing and sequins, in shades of emerald, jade, topaz and gold. Fabrics come in luxurious velvets and furs, with the story’s Twenties setting at the heart of each style. American brand Brooks Brothers has designed costumes for the movie’s male actors, such as Leonardo DiCaprio who plays the enigmatic Jay Gatsby and Tobey Maguire who stars as narrator Nick Carraway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

www.cpp-luxury.com

Maison Corthay: Modern Materials, Classical Craft

Maison Corthay Camel Leather Collection

The unusual skins, technical innovation and traditional artisanry that have become staples of Maison Corthay are all embodied in their latest collections

While the world of women’s shoes tends to take centre stage in the fashion industry, gents tend to be somewhat less lauded in the world of footwear. While a number of designers create fantastic men’s collections, the shoes usually seem a side-line rather than the main event. There are however, a number of brands that focus on nothing else, producing some of the finest men’s footwear in the world.

 

Maison Corthay is just such a brand. A luxury shoemaker originally from Paris but now with an extensive international presence, their use of interesting and pioneering materials, design and technology to create their ready-to-wear collections as well as their exclusive bespoke commissions, result in a clear display of both technical innovation and traditional craftsmanship.

 

Pierre Corthay was the original craftsman behind the brand. Opening his first atelier at the age of just 28, Pierre strode headlong into a challenge both courageous and demanding for any young designer. Learning his trade through a year working with the estimable Talbinio Berluti. Showing promise even so early on, Pierre subsequently took charge of the made-to-measure atelier of Berluti for a further 5 years.

 

The Bel Air Collection

The Bel Air in Suede

The Camel Leather Collection

The Camel Leather Arca in Burgundy

The Arca in Black

CEO Xavier de Royere and Pierre Corthay

Soon joined by his brother in 1995, the brand grew from strength to strength. As with the most successful endeavours, both men’s talents, skills and points of view harmonized perfectly. Although throughout the initial stages of their expansion they were in collaboration with an Italian sub-contractor, Maison Corthay wanted to create pieces they could be certain were of the highest degree of excellence throughout. With this in mind the brothers decided to take the next step towards perfection and set up their own manufacturing operation, a world premiere.

 

Famed for their use of state-of-the-art technology, artistic design and luxury materials, the Corthay brothers this year have launched the Bel Air Collection and the Arca Camel Leather Collection.

A style Fred Astaire and Alain Delon could wear proudly

 

The Bel Air collection is inspired by the casual elegance, subtlety, discretion and juxtaposed theatricality of the famous Cabana Café in the Beverly Hills Hotel. The moccasin at the head of the collection is sleek and sharp in design, based on those made famous by the Hollywood stars of the 20’s. Available in the iconic soft pink of the Cabana Café, it’s a style Fred Astaire and Alain Delon could wear proudly.

 

The design allows for a combination of calf, suede and patent leathers, creating unusual textures and sheens. The sole is available in traditional leather, an extra light rubber sole or the personalised, proprietary rubber sole of Maison Corthay. This sole blends natural rubber and silica to enhance comfort, flexibility and durability, a true testament to the Corthay brothers’ position in transforming the technology used to create the finest men’s footwear.

Maison Corthay is determined to push innovation in luxury and technology through the shoemaking world

The introduction of camel leather is yet further evidence for the pioneering spirit of Pierre Corthay. Inspired by the unique culture, history and spirit of the Middle East, the material is far more than just a statement. The skin itself is both beautifully soft for a luxurious and sumptuous feel and highly durable so that the comfort lasts. The tannery from which the skin originates is state-of-the-art in itself, using a recycled water system re-injecting, yet another world premiere amongst many. As one of the few shoe makers to use this skin, Maison Corthay is determined to push innovation in luxury and technology through the shoemaking world.

 

The Arca shoe, the first model to be created in this new leather, is one of the stalwarts of the Corthay portfolio. Incredibly stylish, as comfortable as you can get and with the classic look the maison is known for, it is yet distinctly contemporary in its sharp, sleek lines, and each pair is an astounding feat of craftsmanship.

 

Maison Corthay's Stamp of Excellence

Now with an international and celebrity following, the ready-to-wear collections of Maison Corthay are second-to-none. As always however their bespoke service is the pinnacle of luxury artisanry. The shoes produced are moulded to the individual foot and adjusted to take caution of the unique pressure points and muscle density of their clients, granting each pair unsurpassed comfort and longevity. Every shoe is made entirely by hand with all consultations between client and designer, from the first to the last, begins with a meeting with one of the Corthay brothers or their designer Christophe Algans.

 

The outcome is unique, luxurious and traditionally-made, yet with all the benefits of technological advances and sleek design, exactly what you would expect of a brand fronted by such a pioneering and quality-focused founder.

 

The technology behind the manufacturing is revolutionary, the skins used are far from ordinary and the designs show the wealth of talent, artistry and design behind the aesthetic of the brothers. With this in mind, Maison Corthay should be the go-to designer for any gentleman looking ultimately for a luxuriously comfortable shoe that not only looks timeless, but will last long enough to prove so.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://luxworldwide.com

Lorre White, Marketing Expert & Media personality, The Luxury Guru's Word Cloud

Lorre White, the Marketing Expert and International Media Personality's Word Cloud.

 

Word Cloud for Lorre White

 

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Dior launches exceptional pop-up exhibition at Harrods in London

Conceived as homage to Christian Dior, the house of Dior launched earlier this week an exquisit pop-up exhibition at Harrods, in London that took 18 months of planning and just one week to install. Dior is reported to have cashed in over GBP 100.000 in the first day alone. The expansive project – which includes a café, exhibition, window display and a pop-up shop.

The whole space is centered around a giant dolls house, with furniture made from Dior fragrance bottles. The rest is a journey through the history of the brand, with iconic vintage dresses worn by Elizabeth Taylor to the Oscars, Princess Diana, Audrey Hepburn and Rita Hayworth. The iconic dress from the J’Adore Dior Fragrance campaign, the King Kong of oversized handbags, old show programmes and original labels, and antique perfume bottles – are some of the items on display.

 

Dior pop up exhibit Harrods

 

The star of the show is Dior’s new Creative Director, Raf Simons’ modern interpretation of an original piece of couture by Mr Dior, hand sewn, intricate and seemingly floating in a huge glass bell jar.  It is a beautiful and fascinating insight into a luxury fashion brand so perfectly synonymous with the store that hosts it, and one we can’t wait to visit again, if only for a visit to the Dior Cafe for a Lobster sandwich no less.

This isn’t a marketing tool,” Christian Dior CEO Sidney Toledano told Vogue.co.uk at the launch party. “It’s a transmission of couture. Customers look for more today, they want to hear about the brand history – they need to understand more. Harrods and Dior share the same goals, the same concept of luxury and the same level of service. We need to explain why and how we do what we do. I want people to understand the passion, the innovation and our commitment to excellence. When I come into this room, it works so well. Mr Dior is doing something – he is here.”

The Dior at Harrods exhibition is open to the public until the 14th April

Dior exhibit at Harrods, London (photo vogue.co.uk)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

www.cpp-luxury.com

Valentino: Master of Couture

 

With his retrospective exhibition at Somerset House a phenomenal success, we look back on one of haute couture's most renowned designers

Glamour, elegance, femininity, simplicity, exuberance, Red: to describe a fashion house, or in fact the visions of one man by all of these adjectives seems futile. Valentino however is all these things. The story of Valentino, and the history behind growth of the brand is extraordinary. From one boy who wanted to emulate some of the glamour and mystery of Hollywood, he became obsessed. Within the darkened rooms of cinemas grew a colossal fashion statement which would soon be adopted almost exclusively by some of the world’s most influential, powerful and fashionable women. This year Somerset House was host to an exhibition celebrating Valentino’s rise to fame and power, a testament to the man behind the brand.

 

Valentino Garavani was brought up in the unlikely surroundings of provincial Italy. It was here, accompanying his sister as her chaperone, he became enthralled by the superstars of 1940’s and 1950’s cinema, determined one day to create clothes as magically beautiful as they. Valentino went to Paris, home of haute couture, to perfect his substantial drawing skills and there he remained, having won the highly prestigious fashion design prize by the International Wool Secretariat. On the back of this he won his first job working under couturier Jean Deses and later Guy Laroche. After 10 years of experience in the industry Valentino Garavani moved back to Italy and set up his first salon on the Via Condotti in Rome, the Bond Street of the city.

 

Valentino’s talent was instantly recognized. His first collections were feminine with ruffles, lace and beautiful embroidery, but remained clean and contemporary and so his popularity grew. Elisabeth Taylor was an instant fan, soon followed by names such as Sophia Loren and Audrey Hepburn. Marella Agnelli and Gina Lollobrigida were seen in Valentino designs, not to mention Jacqueline Kennedy, who was not only a close friend of Mr Garavani, but would almost exclusively wear his designs. It was at this point in his career that Valentino created the colour palette that remains iconic to the Maison and the namesake of his pret-a-porter line: poppy red.

 

Valentino Spring / Summer 2012 Collection

Valentino Autumn / Winter 2012

Valentino Spring / Summer 2013 Collection

Valentino Autumn / Winter 2013 Collection

Valentino Resort 2013 Collection

Valentino Men's Autumn / Winter 2013 Collection

Since the initial success of the 1960’s Valentino’s empire grew to encompass menswear, the aforementioned pret-a-porter lines, ready-to-wear and of course his continuing Haute Couture lines. Dressing some of the most iconic film stars both of this and the previous century Valentino, despite no longer being at the head of the Maison, is very much still at the front of glamour and fashion. Julia Roberts collected an Oscar in Valentino as did Sophia Loren, while Jane Fonda wore Valentino on the red carpet as did Jessica Lange, amongst a host of other stars.

 

It is fitting then that the Italian fashion maven was honored and celebrated in Somerset House this year. The exhibition, which he and his former business partner Giancarlo Giammetti produced in collaboration with Kinmouth Monfreda, was in three parts.

 

First, a history and insight into the personal world of the designer. Original drawings were featured along with correspondences showing the true love stars had for him and the international power he held. The invitations he would extend to view his shows and extravagant events and of course images of himself and the very recognizable look and style he has always adopted were also shown.

 

In the grand but ultra-cool space beneath the courtyard of Somerset House was the main event. The room is as a catwalk, except you are the models, looking distractedly down at over 130 of Valentino’s most beautiful and iconic designs which flank the catwalk. Every dress instantly recognizable as Valentino’s is there, while many of the most beautiful dresses and pieces of embroidery showcased you would never know were Valentino. All stare back at you, begging you to understand the true fashion powerhouse that Valentino has been for the last 50 years.

 

Each and every one of the Haute Couture dresses showcased are breathtaking on aesthetically, but coupled with the understanding that Valentino truly was a maverick they become even more. He made long skirts fashionable again in the 1960’s, the age of the mini, and the number of renowned designers that worshipped him is beyond compare. Valentino was as influential as any other fashion designer in history, as well as one of the most popular, especially to those who knew him personally.

The spectacular finale of the exhibition is a 360 degree experience of the wedding created for Marie-Chantal Miller for her wedding to Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece. It involves ten styles of lace, is pearl excrusted and took 25 seamstresses 4 months to complete. For a very small and beautiful lady and therefore a very small dress, this seems outrageous, but the detail and workmanship is exemplary of everything Valentino has produced. It is flawless, intricate and unbelievably modern, both fashionable and appropriately elegant, truly a triumph.

 

 

 

Since leaving the helm, Valentino’s legacy has only grown. Still an ever present member of any red carpet event, he keeps himself in the public eye, a role he loves, managing to gratify his love of film and theatre in cameo roles in films such as The Devil Wears Prada. He has created a full length retrospective about his life, specifically the creation of the S/S07 collection show, called Valentino: The Last Emperor. Initially created to be shown at Film Festivals, it appeared in Venice and Toronto and was theatrically released in US cinemas in April 2009.

 

Valentino the fashion house has been under the direction of Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli since 2008. They had worked with Valentino for many years before their promotion and as such have managed to maintain and compliment the style and sophistication that made Valentino so successful. Stars have continued to desire Valentino dresses for the Red Carpet and the couture fashion lines are as popular as ever. Despite this, they have not been afraid to move the fashion label forward; their new vision for the Valentino woman involves an “unusual version of femininity and a concept of extreme elegance balanced with subtle grace”, a sentiment embodied in each of the new couture designs. The silouhettes are extreme, unique and distinct and the fabrics and details have remained ultra-feminine and elegant.

 

As unlikely as it seems, provincial Italy in the 1930’s produced a designer who influenced fashion, women and society in a way that no man had done before. Each aspect of his formative years and training is clearly visible in his designs and fashion perspective. The exuberant glamour of the 1940’s film stars, the detail and unbelievable technique and glamour of the Golden Age of Parisian Haute Couture, the understanding of women, and most importantly how a man views women were all key elements to Valentino’s rise. The exhibition at Somerset House this year not only gave a glimpse into how powerful he really was, but also into the man behind the designs. To the depths of his soul he truly was everything his brand represented. Valentino once said that all women just wanted to be beautiful and that all he tried to achieve in his designs was to help women achieve it, but to say this is all he did is an understatement. He made women look and feel the way he saw the stars on the big screen: breathtaking, glamorous, untouchable and flawlessly beautiful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://luxworldwide.com

Karl Lagerfeld – the end of his era at CHANEL?

After designing a spectacular collection for Fendi, which has been seeing double digit growth in the past 3 years and opening the first store of his own re-branded label Karl Lagerfeld in Paris (company now re-launched by Apex Partners), the ”Kaiser” is now getting more serious about fashion outside his universe at Chanel.

Karl Lagerfeld brand new store in Paris

After his latest in a long series of collaboration, from mineral water, Hogan shoes to VW and recently Rolls Royce, Lagerfeld seems to have almost subconsciously delivered the worst ready-to-wear collection of the past 5 years (yesterday during Paris Fashion Week), not to mention the lacklustre merchandising and store windows and the very predictable advertising campaign for Chanel Spring Summer 2013.

Probably, the only message that stands out from his catwalk show, the other day, is that model, singer, muse – turned boyfriend, for the past 4 years, Baptiste Giabiconi was once again glowing on the catwalk at Chanel.

At times when the company’s turnover is mostly generated by fragrances and beauty products (not only the Chanel brand but the mass market Bourjois), the Wertheimer family, owners of Chanel, are in no rush to find a replacement for Lagerfeld, as they might already have one…

Oliver Petcu

Chanel, Ready To Wear, Fall Winter 2013-14

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

www.cpp-luxury.com

Louis Vuitton goes aristocratic, with minimal logo placement and less recognizable designs

Louis Vuitton presented today its Fall Winter 2013-2014 collection during Paris Fashion Week, in line with the new strategy outlined by owner Bernard Arnault last year – less logo on all products, especially accessories and less recognizable designs. Much like the Spring Summer collection which has been dominated by the sharp neon colours, Vuitton’s new collection includes many seasonal pieces, a very sensible approach of encouraging sales and limit carry-on classic pieces which can be worn the following season.

For 2013, Louis Vuitton reported its slowest growth in sales since 2009, and Bernard Arnault’s immediate measure were to slow down retail expansion and ‘instruct’ Marc Jacobs to produce collections with minimal logo placement and more seasonal pieces thus aiming to boost sales.

Louis Vuitton Women Fall Winter 2013-2014, photo vogue.co.uk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

www.cpp-luxury.com