In the world of the American store window there is little room for men. The store window as we know is it almost exclusively inhabited by women. Men may make up 50% of the world population; they may even dominate it, however in the world of the store window male mannequins are little more than an appendage. Comparatively drab by comparison to their female counterparts, they do little other than stand there, hands on hips, legs spread across like an officer of the law, fisted hands, or hands held behind their backs. Mannequin manufactures produce a broad variety of poses and styles. There is plenty of great work out there; after all, mannequin houses are the bastion of the gay glitterati who delight in chiseling out the male torso. There is extraordinary work, beautiful design, sexy men, secure and sensitive; there are thousands of flavors to satisfy every taste. Retailers however opt for vanilla, time, and time again. Men’s wear continues to trend up despite the decline in the economy. Men are shopping more often, and more fashion conscience than ever before, but finding a male mannequin on Fifth Avenue is harder than finding a man at the beauty parlor. The male is biologically exuberant, the prettier of the species. I lament when I see great clothing on a dull mannequin. Here are a few notably exceptions that I have compiled, shared with you to illustrate that there are some very pretty boys.
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November 2008
November 29, 2008
November 27, 2008
My Life In A Black Turtleneck
In every man’s wardrobe there are a few items that are old reliables, like macaroni and cheese, the comfort food of fashion. For me it is a black turtleneck. At some 50 years of age I have been wearing black turtlenecks for at least 40 of them, in fact, I am wearing one now. I have worn them as long as I could dress myself. A black turtleneck is my version of the uniform. I can trace my life though pictures of me wearing black turtlenecks at age 10, 18, 21, 35, 40, and well, you get the picture.
For me, the black turtleneck was my symbol of rebellion. It distinguished me from my peers often subjected to the whims of fashion. Its smart lack of color and density of spirit appealed to my personal design aesthetic. Minimal, brooding, ponderous, the black turtleneck may have been the physical embodiment of my soul. I was a very complicated 10 year old.
The black turtleneck is a universal item, neither masculine nor feminine, yet not androgynous. A true classic, turtlenecks date back to the 15thcentury, when they were favored by clerics, and alternately by sheepherders, back then they were worm for their practicality... to keep warm, certainly not for fashion sake. Most fashion historians agree that turtlenecks only became prominent in the 1890’s when there was a bicycle rage and cyclists needed something that kept them warm, allowed ease of movement, and could breathe. It was hygienic. Coincidentally, athletic photos from around the same time show hockey, soccer and football teams also donning the practical garment, which when ribbed, and tightly knit was protective, and offered much needed padding to the torso. In the 1920’s the garment was considered the epitome of chic, the effete Noel Coward often wearing a his to formal occasions, the trend was picked up by feminists like Gertrude Stein, and Radclyff Hall and was code for lesbianism. (Note: Audrey Hepburn wears one through the entire film of “The Children’s Hour”). Enhancing its appeal turtlenecks were seen as classless, which was extraordinary as fashion prides itself on its principal activity of distinguishing itself among the classes. The garment then got picked up by sailors who introduced it to the world, so much so, by WWII was accepted as part of the official US Navy uniform. A uniform of another sort, Hollywood sweater girls like Lana Turner and Jane Russell wore them to emphasize their assets, its doubtful they needed turtlenecks to keep them warm. Turtlenecks are commonly associated with beatniks drinking java, and reciting Ginsberg, and Kerouac, beret not required. In the Camelot years many a Kennedy was seen in a black turtleneck helping to usher in the preppie look. Turtlenecks have never gone out of fashion. It is one of a handful of items that remains timeless. Turtlenecks can be worn with a tuxedo, or your favorite pair of jeans. Turtlenecks can dress you up, and conversely lend an aire of grunge when need be.
I love turtlenecks as it’s a non-thinking item. It always matches, it always goes. It can be worn tucked or untucked. It reads serious. It’s is an intellectual item, but not pretentious.
November 25, 2008
The Fur Will Fly
PETA may take umbrage, but despite the movement towards environmental friendliness, the fur is flying…off the racks. Say what you will about fiscal austerity this year, but retailers are promoting luxury furs this holiday.
If a white sable is not in your stocking, take heart, a politically correct (non-endangered) hunted (not trapped) red fox may be (and I’m not talking “Sanford & Son.)
Up and down Fifth Avenue, cloth coats are lapelled in beaver, coyote and rabbit. Not since Nicole Kidman in the fictionalized account of Diane Arbus, "I like it!" lost it to Robert Downey, as Jo-Jo the Dog Boy in 2006’s “Fur,” has fur been so fetishized. Fur has a historical resonance. So important was a fur to ensuring social status that Theodor Fontane's heroine, "Effi Briest", sold herself into a bad marriage for a mink coat, but so did slews of sit-com wives… think Lucy Ricardo.
Fur has been absent from ready-to-wear for ages. Lindsey Lohan may be prone to a flour pouncing from PETA Italiano, but store after store is boasting fur as this year's splurge item.
Lest you think that I’m pulling your leg, Juicy Couture, Bergdorf Goodman, Robert Cavalli, Salvatore Ferragamo and Saks have fur prominently displayed in their holiday windows. Is it a trend? Is it a fad? Is it all just coincidental? Do great minds think alike? I know that they don’t share the same buyer.
I don’t know why fur has suddenly exploded on the scene, but the message is loud and clear. Fur may be one of this year’s “must haves.”
The coats coincidentally remind one of the Depression era. Think Angelina Jolie in “The Changling,” or Monty Woolly in “The Man Who Came To Dinner,” which may account for its return.
More fur your consideration…does the man wear the clothes, or do the clothes wear the man? When fur clothing is not evident, taxidermy is, like Bergdorf Goodman’s Men’s and Brook Brothers.
For some there’s a “yuck” factor, seeing formerly living squirrels, chipmunks, rams and polar bears playing in the great American store window.
What does the preponderance of fur suggest, the need for warmth, a connection to nature, the sensuality of touch, luxury, connection to a staple of a prior era, breaking the rules, defiance of political correctness and man’s control of the environment.
Will you be taking more than a furtive glance when it comes to fur?
November 21, 2008
Capodimonte and Jesus
For most, shudders run down the spine upon hearing the name Capodimonte. It’s kitschy, and coveted by the middle classes. It reeks of smaltz (Yiddish for chicken fat). Capodimonte has been maligned since 1743, when the then King of Spain, Charles and his consort, Queen Maria Amalia, commissioned their great works of Renaissance art to be rendered in the new soft porcelain. Purists found this déclassé, a bastardization of fine arts. There was a notable Capodiomonte imprinture, décolleté women and lascivious men. In fact, the Queen had her infamous boudoir/salon paneled in the porcelain, including walls, ceilings, lamps, vases, and doorknobs. Capiodiomente became a rage, and a major export. Capodimonte became a recognizable form, differentiated from the rival French firms like Limoge, and the German Meissen, but trends come and go. The factory became so proficient that the middle class was able to easily afford the once aristocratic porcelain, favoring bowls of fruit, flowers, and teacups. To this day Capodimonte remains a symbol of false class. Capodimonte’s appeal is still undeniable. There are slews of tourist traps that rely on Capodimonte for a steady source of income. On a recent stroll, I noted a serendipitous assemblage of Christ’s crucified, harlequins, black veiled Madonna’s, dentists, and American eagles strew together in a cultural salad of icons. In each window, there is a kind of poetic justice. I hope you’ll agree.
November 20, 2008
Rethinking Ebenezer Scrooge
"If I could work my will," said Scrooge indignantly, "every idiot who goes about with 'Merry Christmas' on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart.”Ebenezer Scrooge/Charles Dickens
The outerwear department at Macy’s is once again filled to the rafters despite the weather remaining a tepid mid-60s on the East Coast; it is a perpetual Indian summer. Yesterday, I sat in the park to get a little color on my cheeks and I do not, repeat do not, live in Beverly Hills, I live in NYC. I have not needed to take my winter coat out of moth balls, and Thanksgiving is just a few days away. That being said, you can break out the Stove Top Stuffing and sugar-free hot chocolate because you know what is just around the corner. Yes, Virginia… red bengaline tablecloths frame the boxed Starbucks 24-days-to-caffeine advent calendars. Praise the Lord & Taylors, their windows have gone dark to prepare for the animated displays by Spaeth. The mall has been Curriered & Ivesed to death, and I note that the Rockettes are dressed like a strand of pimped out vaudevillian Santa's. “Bah Humbug!”
As for Christmas present, here’s the Scrooge point of view...Good Will and the Salvation Army report that holiday shopping is up 5 percent to 8 percent over last year, while donations have dropped by the comparable amount. By Feb.17, the nation is moving towards digitalized television broadcasting making our functional TV sets obsolete (at least without adapters). Cash-strapped Americans may need to sell their blood for a new 52-in. plasma--hey we call 'em plasma for a reason. Most dishearteningly, “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” may not make in onto prime time this year; networks can’t find the sponsors, hello Dolly Madison? Did I miss the memo that your Cherry Pies and Devils Food Cake with White Icing Zingers were discontinued? Granted, holiday muzak plays incessantly inside the stores marching us to the pre-holiday sales tables, expecting the economy would be stuck like a fat Santa in a condo chimney, retailers have already scaled back on quantities and are pushing lay-aways.
Now here’s the Bob Cratchit point of view...PayPal reduced its fees and asked about 20 retailers, including Toys "R" Us, Blue Nile and eToys, to beef up their cash-back promotions. Shoppers paying for on-line gifts with their PayPal accounts from Dec. 1 to Dec. 22 will receive up to 30 percent cash back (with a pre-set dollar limit) at checkout, which is up from 20 percent last year. Retailing partners are also offering free shipping more often, and extending it later in the season, for you last minute shoppers, but don’t expect overnight delivery! They’re grrreeeaaattt! Target is offering a $5 gift card with the purchase of five boxes of Kellogg's cereal, that’s still five boxes too many of Frosted Flakes for me. Despite what Edie Beale may have said, “It (fashion) can't be ordered from L.L. Bean. There's more to living than Kelly green,” L.L. Bean is offering $10 gift cards with every $50 or higher purchase through Dec. 24. The limit is one per day. The cards take about 10 business days to arrive, so plan early. Toys "R" Us is offering a $10 gift card for every $75 purchase. Look for this promotion to be repeated throughout the holidays.
“God Bless us one and all!” Tiny Tim/Charles Dickens
November 17, 2008
The Way We Wore: Part two
Original, and a maverick, Saint Laurent generated controversy in 1968, with his suggestion that women wear pants as an everyday uniform, which was considered revolutionary. He once was quoted as saying, “My small job as a couturier is to make clothes that reflect our times. I’m convinced women want to wear pants.” The public was somewhat aghast, as French designers designed dresses, not pants. The notion that pants could be attractive and feminine had not come in to play yet. Saint Laurent developed into a more conservative designer, counter to the timbre of the times, for he was far ahead of it; he was a believer in evolution, rather than revolution. He often said, “That all a woman needed to be fashionable was a pair of pants, a sweater and a raincoat.” When queried on the relevance of his work he stated, "The people I detest are the jet-set," he declared in 1972. "My real public is the working woman."
Opium and Liberation Drug use informs and influences Saint Laurent. To deny it, is to deny Saint Laurent. Thus the advent of the house’s ultimate creation is born. Fashion houses like Chanel, had long relied on the sales of accessories and fragrances to help subsidize themselves when the fickled whims of fashion might not be able to keep their houses aloft. The mid-seventies for Saint Laurent ushered in such a time. Saint Laurent saw the writing on the wall, couturiers were now easily trampled by manufacturers who catered to a discount trade. Consumerism had created the need for consumable goods, which were easily replaced. Quantity trumped quality. This was the new economic reality. Therefore, the branding of the Yves Saint Laurent name was in full swing. "Accessories are extremely important today," he said in 1976. "They have become almost more important than the clothes" (wry smile). In the space of five years, the Saint Laurent signature YSL was emblazoned on 130 different products, including scarves, sunglasses, belts and cigarettes. According to Alice Rawsthorne in her 1996 biography of Saint Laurent, "One of the few deals he declined was for Yves Saint Laurent car tires." The sophisticated marketing techniques of the time are a perfect reflection of this, rather than simply producing, and selling, it is by now a matter of analyzing the markets, and consumer habits to answer their expectations, to increase your profits. Or, in short, the tail wags the dog. Public image and sales figures become primordial. Like society, perfume becomes international, a global commodity like gas. Saint Laurent was not a stranger to controversy he projected a personal, gay liberation when photographed nude by Jeanloup Sieff in 1971 as the image for his male cologne YSL. A concept unfathomable to Christian Dior, or Coco Chanel. Enter Opium. The disco infused seventies ushered in a period of sexual permissiveness, gay rights and more public acceptance of using drugs recreationally. Opium caused a stir with its controversial name, and brought accusations that brand designer 
Yves Saint Laurent was condoning drug use. While it is said that Saint Laurent could get drunk from a sip of wine, Saint Laurent could not adequately fend off the charges lodged against him, as his issues with abusing tranquilizes, and prescription drugs was already well documented. Mainliners are horrified with the fragrances name. Opium is a fragrance that you mother did not want you to wear. It was however one of the most popular fragrances of the period. It seemed like you could not go anywhere without smelling it.
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Composing its perfumes according to the American model, where more is more, YSL doubles its concentrations, an unfathomable concept. Thus Yves Saint-Laurent's Opium perfume, was released in 1976 with a huge publicity campaign, and is described as an "addictive perfume". Opium perfume incorporates all the attributes of the drug opium, but with none of its deficits. While not a perfumier, per say, Saint Laurent seems to have an intimate knowledge of the subject matter, Opium distills the fantasies and desires of the new bourgeoisie, while eliminating the transgression of taboos, escape, and ecstasy. Because of its mysterious, magical, and sacred dimension, this perfume provides access to a superior spiritual existence, transcendence, and the quest for the absolute.
It is practically a witch’s brew. Opium is an Oriental-spicy perfume created for fashion brand Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) by perfumeries Jean Amic and Jean-Louis Sieuzac of Roure. Its top notes are a mixture of fruit and spices, with mandarin orange, plum, clove, coriander and pepper , as well as bay leaf. Its floral middle notes consist predominantly jasmine, rose and Lily of the Valley, in addition to carnation, cinnamon, peach and orrisroot. It is underlined by the sweet woody base note containing sandalwood, cedar wood, myrrh, opopanax, labdanum, benzoin and castoreum, in addition to amber, incense, musk, patchouli, tolu and vetiver . In short, like Saint Laurent it is complicated and laden with intensity. It was as if you could take one of his collections and melt it down into one comprehensive garment.
It is nearly impossible to separate the qualities of the fragrance Opium and the qualities of the designer Saint Laurent. They are quite simply symbiotic. Opium, the drug, was once known as God’s own medicine. Would that it was, its properties might have actually restored Saint Laurent.
How does one succinctly encapsulate a lifetime of work? Like the great polar bear facing extinction, Saint Laurent was the last of a generation of designers that were first, and foremost good old-fashioned tailors, and for wont of a better word, not humiliated to think of himself as a craftsmen. Unlike today’s designers, he understood the magical alchemy of fashion, and nearly got high designing clothing that enhanced the figure with its variances and deficits. Saint Laurent endowed his creations with silhouettes that made woman feel beautiful and strong. We are now sold clothes, and told it is our figures that are flawed, and we should mould ourselves to fit the image of some mass-produced product, or idiotic designer. Saint Laurent’s artistry is disappearing and soon like yesterdays high, we will forget that it ever existed.
On his ninth birthday, Yves Saint Laurent made a pledge as he blew out his birthday candles. "I hurled my secret wish across a table surrounded by my loving relatives," he told Vogue in 1985. "My name will be written in fiery letters on the Champs-Elysées." That has not come to pass.
November 16, 2008
The Way We Wore: Part One
As previously promised, here is the unabridged and unexpurgated version of my article “The Way We Wore”. The inaugural issue of PD (Papier Doll) has quickly sold out. It was such a rousing success that it may be reissued, an unheard move in the magazine industry. Plans to integrate the magazine into www.papierdoll.net may be forthcoming. Because of the length of the article I will post it over the course of two days. Might I suggest a cup of cappucino and place your David Charvet CD on the player…
The past year took one of fashion’s most beloved and maligned zeitgeists, Yves Saint Laurent, and like church bells tolling, while his distinctive voices has been quelled, his work remains. Yves Saint Laurent enjoyed a career that spanned 40 plus years, from the 1950’s through the 1990’s. He managed to introduce a kind of fashion vocabulary, a lexicon of attire into the last half of 20th century, altering the way we dressed, and what we wore, like scattered memories, the way we wore. Granted, he received a wealth of well-deserved and loving tributes, however the importance of his work often received short shrift. After all, how many ways can you call someone a “genius”, “legendary” or their work “groundbreaking“? This re-evaluation therefore is told from the perspective of his clothing, told as if his dresses could speak, and what they might they have to say about the designer.
Trapped Inside an Opium Den: The Life of Yves Saint Laurent
Despite what pretty poets say, Yves Saint Laurent did not die of brain cancer, or as a result of a coronary. Yves Saint Laurent overdosed on fashion, an excruciating talent, and from an appalling exposure of ready to wear. To best appreciate Saint Laurent, one needs to almost be coming down from an extended high. The veil of smoke and dizzying, putrid scent of burnt weed needs to pervade. You will need to wash out your mouth with absinthe, or aged scotch, to revive yourself, in order to meet the realities of a hot Paris morning. As you amble onto the Rive Gauche, in the early hours, the pea stone will kick up dust allowing you to pause, albeit briefly to reminisce about a tormented childhood in Oran, Algiers. For a moment you will think you are in Northern Africa again, you will begin to hear the ugly voices of bullies chasing you home from school calling you a poule mouillée, “sissy”. That nightmare will escape like the demon heroin from a needle, dripping down you arms until it reaches a twisted cigarette butt, but it is not as easily shaken off like as its ashes. Your therapy will come in a coffee cup with an extra shot of espresso at a Parisian café. You know that life is off kilter when you need caffeine to calms your nerves. Despite the admonitions of others, you will continue to smoke pack after pack of Marrakech cigarettes, nervously consuming 150 before the end of the day. You clothes will reek of it; it’s very French. The complexities of life are riddled with depression, you suffered from a loneliness that escaped diagnosis, and self-medicated with anything available to squire the pain. You court intoxication; you understand the furtive dance of getting “dolled up“, quickly followed by the rollercoaster descent into sobriety. An astrologer, with palms crossed by silver once warned you that depressive Saturn is in your house of identity, and it opposes the ruler of addiction, Neptune, who is in his house of partnership, warning you that drugs sometimes serve as a surrogate for love. Something alas, you already knew to well. The Daring Young Girl On The Flying Trapeze
Saint Laurent’s early career was a circus, alternately dark and dangerous, and balanced with equal parts of limelight and glitter. Saint Laurent’s first collection for the house of Dior was shown on Jan. 30, 1958. It was through a strange twist of fate that Christian Dior, the ringmaster, had died suddenly of a heart attack at age 52; inadvertently raising Saint Laurent to prominence. Like two high wire artists relying on the other for carriage, there was an almost psychological transference between the two men. "Monsieur Dior was quite wonderful," Saint Laurent reflected in 1991."He was both an extraordinary designer, and an extraordinary man. For me, he was very much like a father."
Grief stricken, Saint Laurent had only 10 weeks to design, produce, and turn around his first solo collection. Like a carnival dream, the prolific Saint Laurent almost unconscientiously sketched out over 1,001 designs in a fortnight. They were later edited by three of his assistants, who in fact, chose the trapeze look as the new house silhouette. It was based on the kind of dress worm by circus performers, and brilliantly marketed as “the Trapeze“. It was youthful silhouette that started with narrow shoulders and a raised waistline, then flared out gently to a wide hemline. Women long accustomed to the 1947 wasp waisted tight fitted suits of the “New Look” adored it. They embraced the silhouette, which was modern, feminine and freeing. The dress accomplishes what Chanel’s work of the 1920’s and 30’s did, it frees women from the corset and girdle. Women could again breathe. The dress in chiffon moved almost magically. Like a cloud, it elevated women. The dress almost makes the wearer want to swirl about like an aerialist. The dress striped of all artifice is so becoming that it was shown without any accessories.
The collection was received with accolades from a cynical French press, who were eager to see the “crazy enfant”, “the dauphin”, as Dior himself had described his protégé, falter. Saint Laurent was instead praised by the mercenary press, and credited with rejuvenating French fashion and securing his country’s pre-eminent position in the world of haute couture. He instantaneously became a national hero. Newsboys shouted his triumph across the streets of Paris, while he waved to the crowds of thousands who clamored below from the balcony of the House of Dior on the Avenue Montaigne, like Peron, to extol him. The French are passionate about fashion; the dauphin was crowned king. There was however a flaw in Saint Laurent, he was a sad clown; there was something deep inside him that could not accept praise. "They have crowned me king. Look what happened to the other kings of France," once retorted Saint Laurent.
Unmistakable As A Mondrian
Among St Laurent’s greatest successes was his Mondrian collection in 1965, based on the Dutch artist’s 1920’s linear paintings. It is perhaps one of the most famous dresses ever designed. If he had done nothing else, it would have assured him fame among the pantheon of fashion immortals. While his Mondrian dress may not be the first, it is cited as the first known example of art and fashion fusing to create a kind of wearable art. Warhol was inspired by it. The dress anticipates the Mod generation before Op Art even emerges as a bonified movement. The dress like Mondrian is simply architectural. Again, the dress is so stunningly designed that any accessory would only demean it. The unexpected sleeveless arm creates a new silhouette. It is one of the first popular sleeveless garments. If not for its elegant proportions and composition, at first glance it looks unfinished. It seems to suggest that the slender female arm is almost an extension of a Mondrian’s painting. The dress photographed like a dream. The fashion pages cannot get enough of it. So much so, that the dress was copy-catted, albeit poorly, and bastardized by nearly every mass-marketer, this ultimately leads to its brief shelf life.
Thank You For Smoking 
The sixties with its radical shift in the social and political climate was subject to ever changing trends and fads, which saw several major looks from Saint Laurent, The Beatnik, The Safari, The Sailor, each was successful, while each had its attributes, it was Saint Laurent’s “le Smoking” that still resonates. The Surgeon General’s reports on the harmful practice of smoking was clearly not read by Saint Laurent who had become engrossed in the culture of Men’s Club’s, opium dens and hallucinogenics.
Saint Laurent's reputation was built on his supreme tailoring. Most notably, he was the first to feminize a man’s tuxedo with “le Smoking” in 1966. About his work, Saint-Laurent said, “Fashion was not only supposed to make women beautiful, but to reassure them, to give them confidence, to allow them to come to terms with themselves.” For the Moroccan loving Saint Laurent, Dietrich may have been a muse, but his clever one-upmanship of her tailored tuxedo made what was a costume, a real utilitarian garment. The “le Smoking” collection contains a kind of supernatural quality. By wearing it, women could operate with equality. It defies traditional categories, it is eveningwear, daywear, can be worn to the office, a wedding or funeral, it is dress, it is casual. It is a chameleon. Now a half century later it is impossible to open a single fashion tablet without seeing some pale imitation of it. Absent a crystal ball, but always a visionary, he anticipated power dressing by a decade. The Saint Laurent jacket, with its precise but slightly exaggerated, and sharp shoulder line, had polished appearance and became a symbol of success for career women throughout the world. The jacket was fabricated in velvets, silks, and jersey emphasizing its hip hugging drape. Saint Laurent made it clear he was designing for women with ambition and drive.
Look for part two tomorrow...
November 15, 2008
Have It Your Way
We are obsessed with speed. Despite annoying commercials late at night, we are urged to go to www.finallyfast. com to speed up our laptops. You can download your favorite tune on your iPod faster than you can whistle Dixie. We e-mail and text colleagues and wonder what is taking them so long to get back to us...it has been 30 seconds! It was only a matter of time before fast food met fast fashion.
Despite jubilation in the street post-election, the economy remains tight. While the world may have rejoiced, Wall Street did not see the bull market it was expecting. Retailers are trying to stay aloft. What will a holiday season in 2008 look like? Bricks-and-mortar retailers are already doing their earnest best to think outside the box. Equally hard hit are restaurants. Upscale- and moderate-food establishments report decreases in sales, where the fast-food chains appear to be solvent, and in fact picking up business, the way that transfats pick up calories.
Monolithic McDonald's rival Burger King announced, in an effort to further increase its brand awareness, various licensees of Burger King will soon launch a line of Burger King-branded T-shirts, an exclusive collection of men's sleepwear and loungewear, and government-operated and -authorized instant lottery tickets and (TBD) merchandise. So now, you can buy your husband a cute set of Burger King Flannels and a side of fries. Granted buying pajamas may not seem like a typical merchandise association for a fast-food chain, but they laughed at Starbucks when they started their own record label. Artists like Paul McCartney and Joni Mitchell had no issues debuting their albums alongside a grande pike roast with soy. Pajamas might do very well for Burger King, it may appeal to the couch potato set who want to order in, and snuggle up on the couch in their crown-encrusted twosies and watch “Dancing with the Stars” (I miss Cloris!). Additionally, the typical cash-strapped, fast-food consumer might be glad to drop a buck or two on the state lottery in the hopes of becoming a millionaire. Rest assured, the fantasy that you might win, that your ship will come in, that there’s always a silver lining, is worth a dollar in these tough times.
Russ Klein, (insert frightening job title) president of global marketing, strategy and innovation (how innovative can a Whopper be?) at Burger King, said: "Through our licensing relationships, Burger King has the opportunity to reach our audience through new channels. Through our licensees, Burger King-branded apparel and snack products provide our customers with new ways to interact and connect with the brand." Burger King has announced a series of licensing arrangements brokered by Broad Street Licensing Group.
Unless Burger King is offering T-shirts in cashmere, there better not be one in my stocking on Dec. 24th.
Courtesy of www.retaildesigndiva.com where it appeared on 11/11/08
November 13, 2008
Dracula Vs. Einstein
Okay it’s an old cocktail chatter game, who has the greater super power, Samantha Stevens, or Jeannie Evans? Who would you rather be saved by, Superman, or God. Heated debate ensues. Retail Design Diva’s play their own version like who is the hotter jeans manufacturer, Ed Hardy, or True Religion? Who is the better retailer, Nordstrom’s, or Neiman Marcus? Who sells the better hair conditioner, Sephora, or Ulta? Like it or not, we all think that way. Political campaigns are based on the same premise.
Now with an interesting twist comes www.draculavseinstein.com, a fascinating site that explores in depth parallel artistic worlds. The site explores the relationships between Art History and Graphic Design. I can describe it in three words FAB-U-LUS!
Recent posts that have captured my attention are the cash strapped New York couple, Christine, and Justin, who paint what they want, and then sell the painting for the same price as the item, like a Rock Guitar Hero keyboard. Want a painting of one? They can’t afford the keyboard without your help. Does anyone remember Mark Kostiabi? I’m working on a painting of a Paul Stuart/Phineas Cole three-piece suit in a deep purple bargello print, for 2,500.00 it could be yours.
For those of you who read the New Yorker and ever wanted to submit a cartoon, there is the sharing site where doodlers can submit their scribbles into a shared file, and others can mix and match them to make their own comics, and cartoons. I love the one of someone’s drawing of a fly, plus another person’s drawing of a vampire, which equals… a mosquito. It’s so smart. Turning someone’s unconscious into your conscience. Brilliant!
There’s a link to www.notcoming.com for lost trailers for classic films that are forgotten, like “Bunny Lake Is Missing” (not available on Netflix). It’s better than watching prime time or HBO.
The site has all sorts of groovy contests, interactive applications, and links. I’ve been surfing more than Sandra Dee in Giget. If you love art and graphic design please visit.
November 12, 2008
Pecs In The City
Historically, fashion by and large is an estrogen-driven industry. Almost everything important in the industry, and connected to fashion, invariably centers on women’s fashion, but as we all know, overall sales in the marketplace have plummeted as low as the S & P 500. That being acknowledged, not since the days of Louis, the Quatorze, have men preened more.
Representing a huge cultural shift, for the first time in American history, the financials of the fashion industry are stronger in the menswear categories. The menswear industry is practically on steroids. Menswear manufacturers are flexing their muscles. Unilaterally, menswear has shown, despite the downward tend in the economy, that it continues to not just hold it’s own, but shows modest to robust hikes in sales. Men are becoming more fashion conscious. Men are dressing up to go to the office. Men are aware of trends set by “Mad Men,” “Entourage” and even heavens to mergertroid…“Project Runway.”
To prove my point, without looking at just one report, let’s take a broad glance of the retail landscape.
• Saks is dramatically expanding its menswear program, investing beaucoup dollars, with expectations that the expansion will have increases in sales similar to last year's designer shoe reinvigoration (which was phenomenally huge).
• Men’s Jeanswear (overall) increased 5.3 percent from last year, to this year, accounting for more than $5.5 billion in U.S. sales alone. It may seem like a drop in the bailout bucket, but with $5.5 billion, you can pick up almost three pairs of “True Religion” brand jeans.
• Tom Ford opened a 1,600 sq. ft. “Shop in Shop” in Bergdorf Goodman, making his boutique one of the largest in the world. Please note that Daniel Craig, aka James Bond, will for the first time in the film's 50-year franchise history be wearing an American designer. Good-bye Saville Row, a la MasterCard…your British accent...$9 million dollars, Texas designer suits...priceless.
• While it may have fallen under your radar, Aeropostale reports that its menswear sales are up in the low 20 percent range--an astronautical accomplishment.
• Statistics may vary, but the consensus is that menswear sales rose 2.3 percent last year, while women's wear sales fell 3.5 percent. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
• Barneys opened up its “Made-to-Measure Suite,” a full 1,100-sq.-ft. shop expected to increase their sales 10 percent to 15 percent in the first year--that’s custom tailored suits. (Lucy to Ethel, “Doesn’t Don Loper know any other number than 5-0-0?”)
Are the days of Vogue and Vanity Fair behind us? No, far from it. Like any pendulum, the counter weight travels in both directions. It will swing back, usually with a vengeance, but in the interim, look for more menswear, and more stylish men.
Courtesy of www.retaildesigndiva.com where it appeared on 11/105/08
