New Obsession..

This is the second Smythe leather jacket I've seen in a week that has left me drooling. It might be catching up to Rick Owens as my favorite purveyor of timeless yet ridiculously cool leather jackets. . .

*Photo courtesy of Lucky Mag

Cover Art

The Young and the Restless

My favorites of Vogue Enfants:

Gilt: Staying On Top and Ahead

Click for an awesome article on Gilt Groupe: its creation, its rise to the top, and the new challenges it faces.

*Photo courtesy of NYMag

Go Fish

The biggest trend in apparel this spring seems to be....buying and selling brands?

-Jones Apparel Group added Robert Rodriguez to its portfolio.
-PPR sells 3 of its non-luxury related businesses to 'clean up' its act and make room for luxury brand acquisitions.
-PVH announces its buying Tommy Hilfiger
-Richemont buys out Natalie Massanet's stake in Net-a-Porter
-Struggling French Connection Group is putting Nicole Farhi brand up for sale

What's next? My speculation is the hemmoraging Liz Claiborne, Inc. will put some of its brands up for sale...

Oops...

Ok I take back what I said.

Somehow I missed the headline last week that AE Outfitters is closing down Martin & Osa after the brand racked up $33 million in losses for the company in its last fiscal year. I am surprised, but not shocked - It was certainly clear that the brand never really hit the ground running. But I guess since they kept it afloat for 4 years, I assumed it had to have been providing some kind of worthwhile cash flow for the company, if only to fund its activity with its flagship label.

When I think about it, I am a little inquisitive about why it didn't work out. For starters, like I had mentioned before, M&O was, from the beginning, a stark contrast from AE. It targeted an older audience (say, mid 20s and 30s) with a more trend-focused aesthetic. So, rule out the issue of cannibalization - because that wasn't (or shouldn't have been) the case.

The product - in my opinion, the product was good. It was great quality, on point with trend, and value priced. There was variety and choice. Martin & Osa stores also carried shoes and accessories from other brands, including Ray-Ban, Linea Pelle, and Dolce Vita - which not only improved their assortment, but also allowed the brand to disseminate clearly to the customer the kind of look and lifestyle it was aiming for.

The only major issue I can pinpoint is in the company's marketing initiatives. I don't feel like they pushed the brand in any way, or made enough of an effort to create a buzz. Almost 4 years in and I still know many people who say "What's Martin & Osa?"

Though I'll be sad to see the brand go, I suppose it was a good decision: $AEO.N went up a dollar and three cents that day to $18.18.

Inspired By

My favorite kind of style is that of the French girl: simple pieces livened up with ingenious mixing and matching and layering. Add some bedhead and the look you get is a little quirky, a little boy-ish, and a whole lot of effortlessness.
Cue Clemence Poesy, my favorite French actress. She embodies the easy breezy French girl style.

Perfection

Rumpled, slouched, unbuttoned, ripped perfection.

Abercrombie: Near Its End?

On Wednesday, American retailer Abercrombie & Fitch reported that it will continue its trend of deep discounts in effort to boost lagging sales.

After seeing consistent double-digit drops in comp store sales last season, the company said it will heavily POS merchandise to bump sales, acknowledging the "gross margin erosion" that will ensue.

A&F will also look into shutting its least profitable doors, having identified 200+ underperforming stores. The company hopes that in doing so, they'll not only free up cash for better investments, but also improve their brand equity by regaining exclusivity.

But what about in the long run? The company cannot survive on a business model of markdowns to fuel sales. For long run growth, I really think the company needs a complete re-positioning and re-branding. I've been saying this for years -- the company's apparel is stale and repeated. Nothing changes from year to year. I went into an Abercrombie a few weeks ago for the first time in years -- and it looked exactly as how I remembered it back from my high school days. Polos, suggestive graphic tees, dangerously short pleated skirts, destructed denim, and of course, the overwhelming stench of cologne.

I understand that since its inception, A&F has distinguished itself as a very distinct lifestyle brand with a specific aesthetic, which breeds a very loyal customer -- but it seems that as of late, that customer is looking for something else. This may not be as applicable to the A&F male customer, but certainly for the female customer. She is no longer interested in replenishing her A&F polos with the season's newest colors or adding another graphic crew neck tee to her collection. She wants fashion; she wants to mimick what her favorite celebrities are wearing; she wants relevant trends. And thats why she's turning to retailers like H&M and Forever 21. They are responsive to fashion trends and celebrity style.

I guess to be fair, I can't really compare A&F to fast fashion players as they're in a very different business. But there are a lot of other mass retailers out there that have been able to stay on point with trend. A&F, like any other lifestyle brand, has stayed true to its roots and the DNA of its brand, but perhaps too much so; it really hasn't ever been able to reflect the trends from runways and magazines in its own apparel like other mass retailers have.

Take American Eagle Outfitters for example. It is A&F's biggest competitor. I've also recently visited AE stores and can vouch that they have picked up on some of the season's big trends - non-denim pants, embellished knits, boyfriend shirts. Even more so for the company's other brand, Martin & Osa, which competes more closely with J.Crew.

Another point -- why the hell would A&F create another brand - Hollister - which sells exactly the same product as its flagship label???? I can't think of anything that differentiates the two brands other than price point - even the quality looks the same to me. With AE outfitters, they were very smart to create Martin & Osa so they could extend their reach to an older audience with a more polished aesthetic. Or J.Crew - it birthed Madewell to target a trendier, riskier customer with a whole different lifestyle than the J.Crew customer.

I guess I've got a lot of beef with A&F - I really could go on and on about this...but no worries, I won't. Back to REAL fashion..

Sample Sales

The Cobra Snake

Obsessed

This Campomaggi bucket bag is featured in this month's Lucky Magazine. I'm in love - its perfectly distressed in all the right places and I adore all the detailing and the color - so rich. Too bad Campomaggi is so hard to find in the states - the Bloomingdale's here does carry Campomaggi bags so I just may have to stop by tomorrow...

I also found this other bag while searching the brand online- a great washed leather carryall that'd be perfect for travel. It comes in two colors but I like this one best.