BoF Fashion Pioneers | Natalie Massenet in conversation with Imran Amed from The Business of Fashion on Vimeo.

I am getting very excited about my Business of Fashion and the Digital Revolution event on Monday, and as a teaser, I’ve embedded the last Business of Fashion – Fashion Pioneer event, which was with Natalie Massenet from Net a Porter. I spend a many hours a month drooling over the goods on her site, and this interview gives us an insight into how she runs the company, and where things are headed for them and the fashion industry in general.

If you don’t have half an hour to watch the video interview (if you are a fashion student, FIND half an hour) then there is a blog post that includes a summary of the event, read it here.

For those of you attending on Monday, I can’t wait to see you all! Check out this Q&A with Imran on the Flare blog. Thanks again to my sponsors, OPUS Bar, Vancouver College of Art and Design, and Skyy Vodka.

It seems crazy to be thinking about coats since I went to the beach yesterday, but when I think about fall fashion, I always think about coats and shoes. My ideal winter outfit always involves cold weather and lots of sun, so I can be wrapped up in a fabulous coat or jacket, but still wearing sunglasses (and not carrying an umbrella!) This fall might be a depressing one on the shopping front, I think I am buying a house, and therefore I need to spend my money on boring things like a new car (usually this would be exciting, but the one we are looking at is “practical” ugh) and a guest room bed. Not much money left over for shopping. Thankfully I’ve already bought my fall shoes, from Finsk of course, and I am trying to plan how I’ll be wearing them once it gets cold.

So this is part of a new feature on Searching for Style, The Stylish Dresser, which will feature some of the most stylish fashion pieces available on the web. Today’s post features fall outerwear.

This Acne Hydra oversized bomber jacket is to die for. I want it SO badly. It has a fur lined hood, the silhouette is perfect, and it looks effortless. Acne make the best oversized outerwear (remember their parkas? I never got one, and I regret it.) It is $700 USD, if I buy one more thing this fall, this might have to be it. Available from Acne online.

This boucle coat from Pop by PPQ is very cool. I like that it has a close-fitting cocoon shape, and looks like the type of coat you can snuggle in during the cold months. I rarely favour multi-coloured outerwear, but somehow the colours here work, and are quite versatile. Clara boucle cape coat for £89 from Very.co.uk.

Living in Vancouver, all you probably need is a raincoat. I’m still longing for oversized when it comes to outerwear, and I love that this one is shiny. But I have to say the model and her ridiculous hair turns me off. Raincoat by pushBUTTON, £125 on Asos.

This last one is the piece de resistance. Ever since I saw my friend Jen in London wearing a leather trenchcoat, I’ve been longing for one of my own. I doubt I’ll ever be able to afford this one, which is $9, 420 USD, but I can definitely stare at it. Leather trench coat by Alexander McQueen from Net A Porter.

Colette in Paris.

I got the Colette August newsletter into my inbox last week, and it reminded me of how much I miss shopping in Paris. Colette is an uber-cool lifestyle and fashion store in Paris, one of the first stores to embrace the “lifestyle store” concept. The upstairs has incredible, fashion-forward clothing, displayed on mannequins (no hangers or rails.) The ground floor has jewelry, books, beauty, CD’s, and whatever else is cool at that moment (Cartier rings, mini spy cameras, diving masks, diamond skull jewelry, weird zines, motorcycle helmets, giant coffee table books, anything.) And the basement is a water bar with a menu of over 50 different types of water, and the best hot chocolate ever.

No hangers, all the clothes are on mannequins.

During Paris Fashion Week, Colette is full of international fashionistas trying to find the “next cool thing.” It is actually a bit scary, and best visited off-peak or you risk ending up lining up outside the store amongst asymmetrical haircuts and giant sunglasses waiting to get inside.

The ground floor at Colette.

Anyway, here are some of the awesome Colette shoes we are missing out on…

Isabel Toledo’s Payless collection. There are some pieces that will be exclusive to Colette, and Isabel and Reuben Toledo will be in the shop on the 16th of August to customize your shoes. Can they come to Vancouver after? (And by the way, why isn’t Gravity Pope, Vancouver’s best shoe retailer with the world’s worst visual merchandising, doing stuff like this?)

The Havaianas limited edition Pinel & Pinel crocodile leather flip flop. There are only 24 pairs being made. For my Milan and London readers, you can also get these at 10 Corso Como and Dover Street Market (the two stores, that along with Colette, make up the three most amazing style stores in the world.)

The joint 50 year anniversary of Hello Kitty and Dr. Martens collaboration boots. I’ve written about Doc Martens a lot lately, and I am feeling I need to wear my old ones (red 8 hole boots) and perhaps invest in a second pair. Not sure I’d go for Hello Kitty ones, but these are very cool nonetheless.

Gareth Pugh Fall Winter 2007 (left) and 2006 (right)

Gareth Pugh’s early collections in 2006 and 2007 were very exciting. London has always been considered the city where the innovative, avant garde, and “crazy” fashion talent comes from, (designers like John Galliano and Alexander McQueen helped to create that reputation.) But before Pugh, things had gotten a little boring. Designers like Christopher Kane and Marios Schwab had helped to demonstrate that London wasn’t just about mad, crazy fashion, it was also about beautiful, wearable clothing. They weren’t creating visual feasts on the catwalk, they were selling dresses. So when Pugh came onto the scene, it was exciting, I felt that for the first time in a while a St Martins graduate, a London designer, was making mad clothing and surprising everyone.

Gareth Pugh Spring Summer 2007

I’ve been following his work ever since, and I’ve also managed to see some of it, in a pop-up store last year in the St. Martins Lane Hotel. It was very impressive. However, his recent collections have been a lot more tame, and I guess he has figured out that in order to make money, you need to sell a lot of clothes. (I still think my suggestion of Gareth Pugh taking over and re-vamping Jean-Claude Jitrois is the best idea. Anyway…)

Gareth Pugh Fall Winter 2008 (left) and Spring Summer 2009 (right)

I was quite surprised to hear that Gareth Pugh was opening a store, and even more surprised to hear it was in Hong Kong. Opening a store is VERY expensive, most young designers can’t afford to do it. So I presumed that it was in partnership with an investor, since I don’t think Pugh would have chosen Hong Kong as his first choice of venue. The store has been funded by Hong Kong fashion conglomerate I.T Group, who apparently owns Gareth Pugh retail rights. That is scary…signing away your retail rights so early in your career, but I guess he has no choice.

Gareth Pugh at his Hong Kong store.

I wonder what will happen. Will the store be busy? I doubt it, unless he starts to produce more accessible pieces (I don’t mean accessible in price, but in function) or the store is packed with jewelry and shoes, because I am pretty sure he would make a killing with accessories. I’d buy his shoes! This partnership also suggests how some designers might move forward if they want to open their own retail spaces. It is close to impossible these days to start a brand and grow it successfully without outside investment, so I suppose brands who don’t want to sell out to an investor can license elements of their business like Gareth Pugh has. I don’t envy all the small brands out there. Unless you are designing for a big company, or you’ve sold your soul to the big guns, you’ve got a long, hard struggle ahead of you.

Gareth Pugh Hong Kong
Shop 9, G/F, 10 Ice house street
Central, Hong Kong

Images from Hypebeast and Coutorture. Catwalk images from Style.com.

The Michael Kors camel coat: a key piece of the season.

Last night I attended the Holt Renfrew fall 2010 preview hosted by Vice President of fashion direction, Barbara Atkin. I was genuinely impressed by her intelligent, insightful articulation of the upcoming fall season and the current fashion zeitgeist. Yes, there were the predictable trends: knitwear, military, and red (what winter don’t we wear knits, a military-inspired winter coat, or a touch of red?) The weirdest one was shoes, yup folks, they are in. Just in case you were planning to walk around barefoot this winter.

But seriously, what I found fascinating was Barbara’s ability to sum up some of the key trends of the moment. Not only the trends of fall 2010, but rather the mood we are living in right now, whether it is spring, summer, fall or winter.

One of the “signposts of the season” was “comfort, ease, intelligence.” I love these three words to describe how we feel about fashion today. This goes back to my fashion favourite word ever, effortlessness, which is a great way to dress, all the time. I agree that women are looking for more comfort in their dress, without sacrificing style. And there’s no doubt there is more thought and consideration in fashion these days, combined with a more reflective consumer, hence the “intelligence.”

The Diane Von Furstenberg wrap dress: one of the season's "great" pieces.

Barbara described the key items as “pieces that will be worthy of something in the future.” This is a great way to describe how men and women are shopping today, in a day and age that consumers are much more careful about how and what they buy.

One of her main women’s fashion trends was “The Greats” referring to the “iconic heritage of the designer’s DNA.” The Diane Von Furstenberg wrap dress, Michael Kors camel coat, and Roger Vivier leather buckle pumps were included here. Barbara described the women who wear Roger Vivier as “a woman of means, confident, a woman who dresses well.” That’s exactly why Roger Vivier was my chosen brand for my wedding shoes!

The Roger Vivier buckle pump.

Finally, the Holt Renfrew private label fur pieces were amazing! Yay to beautiful fur! The leopard print fox vest and the knitted fur scarf in the images below were beautiful.

The fox vest (left) and knit fur scarf (right) were both from Holt Renfrew's Private Label collection.

Now, I am going to try and avoid talking about fall anymore this week, the weather is gorgeous and the last thing I want to do is think about cold weather.

I have to say I was a bit confused as to why Burberry was launching cosmetics. Yes, I understand that people like buying cosmetics, especially ones by nice brands with amazing packaging (like the Burberry cosmetics) but I feel that the market is saturated. Do we really need another makeup brand that sells great basic foundations, eyeshadows, and lipsticks? I don’t think so, but as a colleague kindly pointed out to me, the young Burberry fans certainly will think so.

Burberry has changed so much over the past ten years. When I first met Christopher Bailey, about nine years ago, he was considered to be a bit of a star, but now, he is a super mega fashion star. I have before that I feel that his contribution to the success of Burberry is slightly exaggerated, as I feel his creative talents would be far less valuable without the support of his executive team, namely the ex-CEO Rose Marie Bravo. Regardless, Burberry is doing VERY well right now, and that’s thanks to a killer team. As a result, Burberry is now recognized as a cool, trendy brand by the young fashion consumers, and I suppose they are the ones who will be rushing out to buy the cosmetics.

Before I tell you what I think about the cosmetics, here’s what Burberry says about Burberry Beauty:

“Burberry Beauty reflects the natural style and relaxed attitude of our iconic trench coat capturing the effortless elegance and individuality of the Burberry girl.” (Christopher Bailey)

The makeup is…

“warm colours that heighten natural glow and beauty”, “inspired by the touch and feel of lightweight Burberry outerwear fabrics – the last layer you put on”, “Gabardine, trench, smoky, greyed-off dusty hues.”

Anyway, I haven’t’ actually tried any of the makeup (there wasn’t any in the goody bag at the Holt Renfrew Burberry cosmetics launch, and since I hardly wear any makeup, I don’t intend on buying any) however, I must say the packaging is phenomenal. I also love the shapes of the patterns in the actual product, the branding consists of a series of lines inspired by the Burberry check. The weight, feel, and movement (opening and closing the product) feels good, feels luxury, and feels solid. And a girl on Tuesday told me she had given in and bought a bunch of product (she is a makeup buff) and she said the foundation was spectacular.

So there you have it, if you want some fantastic luxury cosmetics, add Burberry to the list of brands you can choose from. And by the way, for my Canadian readers, the only place you can buy it is at Holt Renfrew in Toronto (Bloor street) or Vancouver.

A few weeks ago I wrote a rather nasty post about American Apparel. I have always been a huge fan of their product, and I have a wardrobe full of their clothing and underwear, but I was very annoyed by the terrible customer service I had experienced on several occasions. American Apparel responded very promptly, stating they would address the situation immediately, and I asked them to confirm what they had done, so I could follow up with my readers.

A period of silence followed, which was not surprising as American Apparel are having some very difficult problems at the moment. I won’t bore you with all the details, but here’s a simple summary from Fashionista, in plain English:

“…there’s a chance that … American Apparel, will be delisted from the New York Stock Exchange if it doesn’t get its shit together by August 16, 2010. As previously reported, the company owes a crapload of money to investment firm Lion Capital, and the loan is past due.”

On Thursday I was talking to my friend TJ and he was telling me he’d gone into American Apparel to buy a wifebeater. He was completely taken by surprise by the friendliness of the staff. I was also very surprised, because there are certain things I know to expect from American Apparel staff (no “bangs” or “fringe”, natural eyebrows, no goatees) but one thing I never expect is smiles and friendliness.

Coincidentally, the next day I received a package from American Apparel with some clothing and a very nice apology note from one of their media team, apologizing for the poor customer service I’d received. I got on the phone to them to enquire about the TJ’s story. Had they in fact instructed their Vancouver shop floor staff to be friendlier? Yes, absolutely, said the representative “We always follow up on complaints like that.”

So I am going to give American Apparel another chance. I was secretly hoping something like this was going to happen, because I really can’t live without their jersey, but I refuse to shop at a store with a rude sales staff. Also, I think they need our support right now. Let’s just say, they are on probation with me. I’ll be the first to speak out should I get another rude sales assistant.

As far as the rest of you go, if you ever were or think you might be an American Apparel fan, now is the time to buy. They might be out of business soon, and that is bad news. Why? Here are some reasons:

1. They are the largest clothing manufacturer in the US. In a day and age where everyone wants to buy locally, this is a prime example of supporting a “local” industry. All the clothing is made in downtown LA. It would be a travesty, and a huge loss of American jobs, if they closed down.
2. They give their factory staff sick pay and holiday pay (this is very rare in garment manufacturing.) Why do they do this? Apparently it is not to be nice, it is because the staff are more productive that way (see, there’s a benefit to being nice to your staff!) I don’t care what the reasons are, they are setting a great example for the industry.
3. They don’t photoshop their images. There are many people who find their imagery a bit offensive, but they are no different from all the other fashion brands that use sex to sell their clothes. The difference here is that American Apparel don’t photoshop their ad campaigns. Considering we have all become obsessed with body image and the damage that’s done by setting unrealistic ideals through manipulated imagery in fashion, I think American Apparel aren’t so bad.

The disco pant.

So if you are dying for a pair of high waisted hot pants, or an oversized crop top, go to American Apparel and show your support. And if the sales staff are rude, let them know! And let me know. I hope the customer services changes they have made are for the long term, as I’m not prepared to give them a second chance. But on that note, I think I might go and buy myself a pair of the disco pants I’ve been eyeing for the past few months.

All images courtesy of American Apparel.

Next week Selfridges, London’s famous department store, is opening a large space called the Forever Shop, a shop that will sell iconic design classics. The collection will feature clothing, accessories, books, and homewares, curated by the likes of Sir Paul Smith and Elle Decoration editor Michelle Ogundehin, as well as the store’s Creative Director, Allanah Weston. The idea is to offer pieces that are classic and never go out of style, I guess this fits in quite well with the current economic climate, and consumer’s desire to invest in more quality pieces. It is also slightly ironic that the Forever Shop is replacing Selfridge’ Wonder Room, whose concept was ultra-luxury, ridiculously expensive pieces, like $20,000 bags and skull rings.

Here are a few of the items that the store will sell:

Le carré d'Hermès

Converse high tops.

Bic lighters.

Lady Chatterley's Lover

The Georg Jensen Koppel pitcher

Tom Dixon Mirror Ball light

Here’s what I would add to the fashion list:

Chanel 2.55 bag

Hermès Chaine d'Ancre bracelet

Diane Von Furstenberg wrap dress

Salvatore Ferragamo ballet flat

Cartier Trinity ring

Hunter Wellington boots

Burberry trenchcoat

Adidas tracksuit

Rayban Wayfarer

What would be on your list?

A typical Hollister image.

A couple of things have come to my attention this week, which has made me laugh. Maybe I am cruel, having laughs at others’ expense, but I thought I’d share them with you.

Bedbugs invade Hollister’s New York store. Ok, I know this isn’t funny if you brought bed bugs home, or you work there, but there is something ironic about a frat boy brand being invaded by bed bugs. The Cut posted this interesting interview with one of the bed bug experts who worked with Hollister to “get rid” of the problem. The suggestion that it may be a problem from the warehouse, rather than one particular store, is terrifying, well, not for me because I wouldn’t set foot in Hollister, but anyone who has gone into in a Hollister store in the past few weeks. Apparently they lost millions of dollars by being closed over the July 4th weekend. Oops…

Victoria Beckham is named Creative Director at Range Rover. At least now I know I will never buy a Range Rover. I am curious about the market research Range Rover did in order to come to the conclusion that Victoria Beckham would be an asset rather than a liability to their brand. I can’t see any respectable Range Rover customers identifying with her, she is the opposite of luxury and class. But perhaps they are trying to target a new customer, the one who admires Victoria Beckham: do you know any 18 year olds who wear fake Louis Vuitton and fake tan, who can afford a Range Rover? The worst part if that UK Vogue was involved in the launch.

Lady Gaga's crazy eyes in her Bad Romance video.

Lady Gaga started an “eye” trend. Apparently “circle” lenses, which make your eyes appear larger, are the latest trend thanks to Lady Gaga’s giant irises in her Bad Romance video. The problem, according to this article in the New York Times, is that the “circle” lenses are not legal in the US, so Gaga fans are buying contraband versions from dodgy websites. A representative from the Food and Drug Administration suggests that illegal contact lenses could make you go blind. Are you willing to risk blindness to look more doe-eyed?

Lindsay Lohan is going to jail! Am I mean to have laughed out loud when I watched this BBC video of a pathetic Lohan crying when she finds out she is going to prison for 90 days? I don’t think so. If you violate your probation, you go to prison. And I am so happy that the US courts aren’t making exceptions for her because she is a celebrity. I don’t feel sorry for her at all, this is the first time she can proudly be a role model for her fans: don’t drink and drive, and don’t do drugs, or you’ll go to jail like me. What do you all think? Is it good that Lindsay is going to jail?

Lady Gaga image from Youtube and Hollister image courtesy of their website.

The 5 star hotel is my paradise. I wish I could say I’ve spent a great deal of time in beautiful hotels, but unfortunately, it is usually a once or twice a year occasion, which is why I savoured every moment of my stay at The Phoenician in Scottsdale. I guess I have been fortunate enough not to have spent huge amounts of time traveling for work (which is NOT glamourous, despite most people’s impression that it is) so when I am in a hotel, it doesn’t feel like an office away from home office.

The trip to Arizona with my Mom was about relaxing. She told me that is was 42°C there, “It will be too hot to do anything.”  ”Exactly,” I said. “We are going there to do nothing.” And aside from the short shopping trip which resulted in a major shoe drama, we did nothing but eat, sleep, read, and sunbathe. It was summer in Arizona, so luckily for us, the hotel was not at its busiest, because of the heat (which is dry and not that uncomfortable. And when you are lying next to the pool in the shade, it feels just fine.)

Here’s what to love abut The Phoenician.

The service: No surprise that the service at a good hotel is great…but it is important to mention because that is one of the main reasons I go to a good hotel. Even the woman cleaning our rooms was super friendly and nice.

The rooms: Again, rooms in 5 stars are usually all very nice, but I am giving extra points for having an air conditioning system that is well-regulated, so we weren’t shivering inside our room.

J&G Steakhouse, which was decorated in a very slick 70's style. It felt like we should have all been dancing around in brown jersey dresses to Blondie's Heart of Glass, just like the Gucci by Gucci advert. I would love to throw a party there.

The beef: The J&G Steakhouse was amazing, and so were the kobe beef burgers we ate in the golf clubhouse. There is also a really nice cheese and wine shop in the hotel that does free tastings every day.

The pool: The pool staff were super attentive and they made sure we always had towels, ice water, and frozen margaritas, all necessities when poolside.

The quiet: There were some children at the resort (terrifying, I know) but they all seemed to migrate to one pool area, and therefore we we left undisturbed.

This is the view you would see should you choose to do something stupid like go hiking during your holiday.

The stuff to do: Should you choose to actually do things during your stay, The Phoenician has an award-winning tennis garden, a 25 million dollar art collection, a championship golf course, and a fantastic spa.

The backdrop: Palm trees and desert. Stunning.

The location: Barneys, Nordstrom’s, Anthropologie, J Crew, and more are a 1o minute taxi drive away. What is better than feeling like you are in the middle of desert, but knowing that there’s a Barney’s within shouting distance. Heaven.

Mini crab burgers. Delicious.

And some loathes…

Internet and Gym: I thought these things were always included when you booked a room, but it seems that this is not the case in North America. I didn’t want to pay $13 a day for internet and $10 a day for the gym, so I didn’t bother. And my trip was the better for it, it kept me away from my computer and the treadmill.

We got an amazing deal through Expedia, so if you are looking for a few days in the sun, I highly recommend it. And if you get there fast, you may catch the end of the summer sale at Barneys.

Don’t forget to check out Searching for Style’s first giveaway here.