Although Hermès clothing tends to look good on the catwalk, I’m sure it looks superb in person. They use the best materials and the finest methods of construction. I think Jean Paul Gaultier does a great job as Creative Director at Hermes, he is the perfect person to translate equestrian heritage of the brand and its ethnic influences into a fantastic womenswear collection.

I Love…

the grey strap-on shoulder pieces.

a soft luxurious grey coat.

chocolate and raspberry and squash.

a fantastic blanket coat.

I Loathe…

the gentleman riding look without a twist = boring.

All images from Style.com.

Fashion designer and photographer Hedi Slimane

I was reading an interview with Hedi Slimane (who used to be the designer for Dior Homme and who pretty much made the skinny pant trendy for men) and he got me thinking about the current fashion industry and the number of colelctions produced annually.

Here’s a blurb from the Style.com interview:

Style.com: Between menswear and womenswear, resort, pre-fall, and ready-to-wear, some designers are designing eight or more collections a year. Is it possible for a designer to be creative under those circumstances?

Hedi Slimane: Designers end up needing a full-blast studio for this sort of thing, which is totally absurd. I also don’t understand what the hell people do with all those clothes. Less would be better, and shorter collections.

I have to agree with him, the fashion market is saturated, and there are so many of us that have way too many clothes, and still desire more. I recently read about a very interesting initiative called The Great American Apparel Diet, which is described on their website as “We are a group of women and two men who have decided to go on a diet of sorts. A fast really. We are completely eliminating “new apparel” from our diets for one year.” I read through this and started to think whether I could do something like that…

I don’t plan on it, simply because my blog would probably turn into some sort of depressing rant about my lack of new clothes, but I have toyed with the idea of limiting myself to a very strict fashion budget for one year, as an experiment, and an opportunity to save some money to buy a house in Lions Bay with an infinity pool. But that is something I can decide after I have done my (shopping) trip to London in March.

Dame Vivienne Westwood

And even if I don’t decide to give myself a “fashion budget,” I am definitely making an effort to to buy less, and focus on really good things. Despite a few things I may not quite like about Vivienne Westwood, one thing I respect her for is her campaign to encourage people to buy less clothing (which is quite brave, considering her business depends on people buying more clothes…) Just a few weeks ago she was quoted again, this time in The Times, telling people to buy less. “I’m saying to people as well, buy less clothes. Only buy things when you really need them and really like them. Wear them and wear them.”

I got thinking about my “dream shoe” or the “must have bag” or all the fashion items I covet, and then I asked myself, what is my perfect outfit? To have a perfect outfit, I would need a perfect scenario in which to wear it. And then I realised, it was all about the circumstances. My perfect outfit involves a pair of cut off jeans, a tank top, a big pair of sunglasses, and a comfy pair of cowboy boots. Preferably worn with a bikini underneath. Because when I think about myself being really happy, I imagine myself lying in a hammock, in my backyard, with the hot sun shining in my face, great classic rock on the radio, dogs and maybe kids running around, the husband cooking on the BBQ, and a ‘69 Ford Mustang parked in the garage. I am relaxed, it is warm, and I am not busy.

The coveted Chanel 2.55 bag, named after the date of its creation, February 1955.

Don’t worry, I am not suddenly going to stop coveting beautiful new clothes, and talking about the brands I love (and loathe) but it is good sometimes to reflect on the real picture. Will the Chanel handbag make our lives better? Or is it the circumstances we would be in, when we can afford that Chanel bag? I don’t think it is fashion brands or products that play with our emotions, rather the perception of what they will give us, or the circumstances surrounding them. So next time I think about when I am going to get my first Hermes bag, I am going to tell myself that I don’t need to run out and buy one to achieve perfect happiness. I should focus on the other things in my life that make me happy, and remain secure in the knowledge that eventually my Mom will get bored of hers and give it to me. Ok, just kidding (well Mom, actually I’m not kidding, I WANT THAT BAG) but seriously, I’m prioritising a happy life over a fantastic closet.

A typical "Nu-Rave" ensemble. Disgusting.

Every now and then a fashion trend comes into existence that is so bad, so tragic, and so hilarious, that the only thing you can do is make fun of it and hope that it goes away. Nu Rave was one of those trends, one of the worst trends I have ever seen. EVER. This premise of Nu Rave, which was very 2007 in London, was that it was a revival of the 90s rave scene. Now, I hate to admit it, but I was part of that 90s rave scene, and I can assure you I never wore the disgusting clothes that the Nu-Rave trend regurgitated.

Cassette Playa menswear from Spring Summer 2007. Note: this was NOT a joke.

The worst Nu Rave brand of all was Cassette Playa, designed by the worst dressed woman in London, Carri Mundane.

Carri Mundane. The outfit says it all.

Another really bad brand was KTZ, which was created by the founders of the Nu Rave fashion store on Greek Street, Kokon Tozai. I used ot go into Kokon Tozai with my friends Daniel and Dean just to laugh at the clothes. Seriously. They were so hideous, and so over priced. I mean, a $250 cashmere baby rattle from Hermes seemed good value compared to this stuff. I once asked the sales assistant at Kokon Tozai, what person actually bought the hideous $300 Cassette Playa t-shirts, which were basically an XXL Hanes tee printed with a three colour screen print motif. He said “Fashion students at Saint Martins.” No fashion student at Saint Martins will spend $300 on a shitty, ugly t-shirt that they can whip up on their own in the print room in about half an hour (I know, I WAS a fashion student at Saint Martins.) This stuff was a joke, and I am so glad the brands have sort of disapperaed…well, sort of.

A £215 Cassette Playa t-shirt. That's over $400CDN. Nope, this is still not a joke.

The reason why I brought this up is because my friend Michelle emailed me today and asked me whether this was KTZ for Topshop dress was serious. I had to tell her that unfortunately yes, it was serious. She couldn’t understand why anyone would pay $400 for this hideous monstrosity. I can’t understand either. It is just gross.

Pearl Dot Priss Dress by KTZ for Topshop. This dress sells for £200. That's a lot to pay for a dress that will make you look fat and ugly.

However, I’l take this moment to say that despite this disgusting dress, Topshop is usually pretty amazing, and I’l be dropping a lot of cash when I go there next month while I am in London. Can’t wait!

Cassette Playa images from their website. Carri Mundane image from here. Topshop image from their website.

Last night I went to the opening of the James Nizam show at Gallery Jones on 3rd. As expected, crowd was interesting and well-dressed (unlike most fashion events in Vancouver.)

James’ work is really interesting, and once I looked into his older work, I’ve realised that this recent collection is much more to my taste than his older work. It is photography of sculpture and installation, and its amazing. He told us a bit about the process, and it was really interesting, but rather than try and recap it all, I’ve included a blurb from the invitation on the bottom of this post.

Images from the Gallery Jones website.

Here I am with a very old friend, Jessica Clark, from Quince Fine Flowers. I’m wearing Atelier 1 coat, Uniqlo Jeans, vintage handbag, Hermes necklace, and Finsk shoes.

I had to show you all a few more photos of my shoes, which got many compliments. I have yet to unleash my entire Finsk collection on Vancouver, but I can tell you there are many more amazing pairs that need christening.

The giant zipper pull looks amazing when it sings back and forth when you walk.

The pleated leather is divine.

More on James Nizam’s work, from the exhibition invitation.

“On the occasion of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Gallery Jones is pleased to announce James Nizam’s exhibition, Memorandoms which continues Nizam’s use of vacated domestic interiors as the backbone of his photography, the provisional location of his studio, and the source of materials. In this case the site is the former Little Mountain housing project on 33rd to 37th Avenues, between Ontario and Main Street, what was the oldest public housing development in Vancouver, recently demolished to make way for a higher density combination of market condominiums and social housing. At one time these low rise buildings situated around grassy common areas across the street from Queen Elizabeth Park would have been attractive housing. Large windows threw light onto hardwood floors of square well built rooms, but that was decades ago. One year ago Nizam was granted access to the slated complex where he assumed residence to an empty third floor apartment. There he set up a camera, and over the course of several months, documented a series of ephemeral sculptures that he constructed from accumulations of remnants such as doors, drawers, shelves, and various other standardized architectural furnishings. Similar to each of Nizam’s previous photographic series two dominant and constant ideas persist with this new body of work: the lost or abandoned domicile, and that the personal is political. In Memorandoms, though the type of the home used has shifted towards the social, Nizam’s work in them continues to move towards greater refinement and sophistication.”

Anyone who knows me or who has read this blog for a while probably knows that I am obsessed with Hermes and love everything about them. So you won’t be surprised that I love their menswear collection. But I AM surprised, since I haven’t been much of fan of their menswear recently, and so I was very pleasantly surprised when I saw this collection. The thing you have to remember about anything Hermes is that it is not just about the way that it looks, but everything they do is about quality, quality, quality. So the knits will be the finest of 3 ply cashmeres, the skins will be soft, supple, and rare, and the construction will be nearing haute couture standards.

I Adore…

easy French tailoring and a melange of greys.

the deep blue cardigan, and the fact that its worn casually but chic.

a perfect outfit. The suit is well-tailored, the vest gives a dash of colour, the tie, hanky, and chain add personality, and the whole look just WORKS. Why couldn't Dunhill's formal tailoring look more like this?

a check suit that doesn't look retro or eccentric.

the dash of colour from the scarf. And the jacket, oh the jacket, which must be made out the finest of skins and perfectly finished and costing three months salary, if not more.

great trousers, a beautiful scarf, and the jacket that works perfectly over the gray marl knit.

I Loathe… (well, no one is perfect!)

trousers tucked into boots. Save that for the brands that are trying too hard. Hermes, you don't need to do that.

the belt worn over this coat, which can only be described as a last minute styling disaster.

All images from GQ.com.

Today’s post is really three mini posts about shoes, a pair that I sort of want, a pair that is really cool, and a pair that terrifies me.

Let’s start with the pair I want…

I have been toying with the idea of buying a pair of trainers from the brand Alife for a few years. I really like their giant, colourful shoes, but also know that they will be extremely unflattering, and will make me look ridiculous. On a more recent trip into the Gastown store, I found a pair that would be quite practical for my trip to London and Turkey at Easter. (I need to clear up that I am not the person who travels with a giant backpack and running shoes on, that is obviously not me. But since I am going to be doing touristy things with my Mom in Turkey, and I don’t know what their streets are like, I was thinking, maybe I should wear flats… Also, I only want to bring two pairs of shoes to my Europe trip, one pair or flats and one pair of heels, and a very limited wardrobe, so I have space for the shoes and clothing I am going to buy, which will be a lot.In fact, I may just fly over with two outfits, and buy the rest.)

Here are the shoes I like.

The ones I want are actually in suede and have a black upper and a black sole. They look more like a shoe than a trainer.

But can I find them in my size? No. Apparently they do very limited women’s sizes, they do very limited runs, and basically its really hard to find the pair you want. I have never walked into that store in Gastown and been able to try on a pair of nice shoes in my size, which I find extremely frustrating

The notion of exclusivity works in many situations…a lot of brands have limited edition products that are very sought-after and sell out quite quickly. But I don’t think a brand should make it impossible for a customer to get anything in their size. Its ridiculous. Even the Alife website doesn’t have many products, and virtually nothing in my size. Plus, the sales guy in the Gastown store was supposed to try and find a pair for me and call me back. Haven’t got that call yet…You may need to wait 2 years to get some Hermes bags, but you can definitely walk into any Hermes store and get some sort of bag…

(the Alife images were take from this and this website, as the Alife website doesn’t seem to be working. Maybe this is part of their “exclusivity” factor.) I think I’ll bring Converse to London.

Now onto the shoes I love. Melissa is a Brazilian brand that makes rubber shoes. It is anther one of those totally underrated Brazilian brands that are not widely available internationally (Osklen and Rosa Cha would be two other such brands.) Melissa is slowly starting to penetrate the European and North American markets, but, like most export brands, the prices are totally inflated here and the selection is not very big.

Here are some of the cool Melissa shoes. They are made completely from rubber and are VERY reasonably priced.

And here are some of the collaborations they have done recenty, including Vivienne Westwood, Zaha Hadid, and J Maskrey.

Top row left, Zaha Hadid for Melissa, top row centre and right, J Maskrey for Melissa, bottom row, Vivienne Westwood Anglomania for Melissa.

And here are the amazing boots I spotted yesterday on Diane Pernet’s blog. (I forgot to mention another plus about Melissa, the shoes are made out of recyclable plastic.)

The downside is, these one are only available at Galeries Lafayette, which is a department store in Paris, so I won’t be getting a pair…

The last shoe story I want to talk about (save the worst for last) is the news that Jimmy Choo will be doing a collaboration with Ugg Boots. Now, I’d like to start by saying I have tagged the word Jimmy Choo FAR to much in this blog. The brand is overrated and has been ruined by celebrities and WAGS. I should be using this blog to talk about the shoes I love, like Roger Vivier (my wedding shoes were by him), Finsk and Chie Mihara (my favorite “wearable” brands) and other fantastic footwear brands like Guiseppe Zanotti, Sergio Rossi, Azzedine Alaïa, Charlotte Olympia, Sigerson Morrison, and Camilla Skovgaard. In the future I am going to try and spend more of my time talking about brands I love and not brands I don’t like.

So, Jimmy Choo is an overrated brands, and Ugg is second most disgusting shoe in the market (after Crocs) and are only acceptable as chalet fashion. Apparently Carine Roitfeld (editor of French Vogue) does nto allow her staff to wear Uggs at work. And THAT is one of the reasons why I think she is great.

Two celebrity favourites combined into one shoe. Maybe they deserve each other.

Apparently Tamara Mellon (Jimmy Choo) agreed to do the Ugg collaboration, as it is the “only footwear brand she wears other than Jimmy Choo.” Good for her, they are still disgusting. The fashion world is wondering what they are going to look like, there are quite a few speculative collages out there, but what we do know is that they are coming out in October and they will cost $595 to $795 per pair. Yes, over 500 dollars for a disgusting pair of shoes. SHOCKING.

The Isabel Marant Otway Boot. Image from Wall Street Journal by Getty Images.

There has been a lot in the fashion press recently about the french designer brand Isabel Marant, who has until very recently banned any images of her products on the web. Of course, no one can totally ban how images and information about them online, however Marant has been very careful in controlling online exposure of her brand.

A quote from this article from the Wall Street Journal sums up her philosophy quite well:

“A major part of the brand’s allure is its rarity. Until this season, when Isabel Marant accessories were sold at luxury emporium Barneys New York, Ms. Marant’s goods could only be found at a handful of small boutiques in the U.S. Because the brand carefully limits orders, products rarely go on sale.

In addition, Ms. Marant forbids retailers to sell her products online, or even post images of them. Revealing prices online is also against the rules. Instead, stores often note on their Web sites that they have Ms. Marant’s items in stock and list a phone number where customers can pre-order the goods, sight-unseen.

Chief executive Sophie Duruflé says … that the brand ‘never entered e-commerce since that really wasn’t our profession.’”

But soon the brand will be available on Net A Porter, and has recently started being sold at Barneys, so it is beginning to increase its exposure and availability.

Isabel Marant Spring Summer 2010

Personally, it sounds ridiculous to me, although I am wondering if this is just a press tactic to get the exposure of the brand up so that when it is available online, it will sell like crazy. For any CEO of a fashion company to say “e-commerce is not our business” is like a magazine saying “we don’t need a presence online.” The WSJ article went on to report that

Ms. Borissova (owner of Curve in New York), who ordered 28 pairs of the Soono (boot), says that the company only delivered three pairs. She flew to Paris to plead with the designer to produce more. The brand resisted, but after she committed to a €50,000 (about $70,000) order, the company agreed to recreate the $1,300 boot.

Now, that just sounds crazy to me, as I know that retailers do not often beg to have their orders filled. Usually it is the other way around, and the experiences I have had in the past is that if you are a brand that only delivers 3 pieces of a 28 piece order, you’ll never get another order again. So what is going on here? The Isabel Marant collection is great, in fact, beautiful, but not SO great that it merits buyers flying around begging for orders to be filled. Are we just so in shock that there is a brand out there NOT jumping on the internet/online/social media bandwagon that we are fascinated and therefore obsessively buying?

Isabel Marant Autumn Winter 2009/2010: Mila Jovovich photographed by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin

I think it sounds like Isabel Marant is making life difficult for her stockists and her customers (according to WSJ, one London customer called her store to try and order a boot, and she was told she needed to come to Paris to get it) and therefore will need to drastically change her policy very soon. If not, I highly doubt her “difficult attitude” will be alluring for much longer. Many products or brands are very difficult to get ahold of in the early stages, and that definitely helps to create the hype, but it doesn’t last long (you don’t see people fighting over Ugg boots anymore, do you?)

Isabel Marant Spring Summer 09: Daria Werbowy photographed by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin

I completely respect that a brand wants to try and control their image online, but there are other ways of doing it. Peachoo + Krejberg don’t have a website, however, that hasn’t stopped them from selling at Holt Renfrew and other major stores, because they understand that sales keep you in business (and they deliver their orders in full too!) I don’t know how long this will go on, but Isabel Marant is soon opening a store in New York. Its one thing selling out in some major boutiques, but to generate enough sales to keep a store open in NYC, without any real online presence, is going to be very challenging. And buyers, as well as customers, will get bored of the the battle to get the product (regardless of how pretty it is), and will move on to the next brand.

How hard are you willing to fight for a pair of boots? I have gone to great lengths for a pair of shoes before, in fact, several times, but I didn’t have to leave the country to find them. And there’s a difference between waiting two years to get a Birkin Bag (which is an investment piece that will barely decrease in value), and embarking on a mission to get a pair of suede boots by a small French designer.

Catwalk images from Style.com and campigan images from the Isabel Marant website.

The only personal collection that rivals my shoe collection is probably my books. I guess I spent most of my disposable income in the past 15 years on shoes, clothing, and books. Definitely not enough spent on traveling.

(warning Blackberry people, this post is very image heavy, no point trying to read it without the pictures!)

As a teenager I used to collect fashion books, but then I started to branch out into photography, art, music, and whatever was beautiful.

My most precious books definitely include the following.

Helmut Newton’s Sleepless Nights. I have already write about how much I love Helmut Newton, and I have many of his books, but this one if definitely the most precious. It is out of print and quite difficult to get ahold of. My friend Chris found this copy for me, before that I used to borrow the one in St Martins College library and curse the asshole who had ripped pages out of it (and at the same time admired the pages that were left.) By the way, if you are the type of person who rips pages out of books in a library you are a TOTAL ASSHOLE.

Cover of Sleepless Nights

I love the colour in these photos.

He always used the most amazing locations for his shoots.

Michael Cooper’s You Are Here. I bought this at the beginning of my studies and immediately became obsessed with this photographer (there is more on him below.) He was the unofficial photographer of the Rolling Stones in the early years, and I am still mesmerized with some of his photos. Mick and Keith looked so amazing when they were young, and I really respect that they haven’t lost their credibility after all of these years (unlike some people…Paul McCartney.) My husband was doing the inventory for our insurance when we shipped our stuff back from England, and it turns out that this book is also worth quite a bit of money because it too is out of print and hard to find. So it traveled hand luggage with me, along with Sleepless Nights, all my Hermes, and several pairs of shoes.

Mick Jagger looks so cute here. What a babe.

Mick and Keith are definitely the coolest music "duo" ever.

Michael Cooper is best known for shooting the cover of this Rolling Stones album, Their Satanic Majesties Request

The Clash. Photographs by Bob Gruen. This is another great music book, in an amazing sleeve. I like The Clash, but they are not in my top ten, however these photos are fantastic. You can really see the influence they had on modern mens dress, the skinny jeans, the whole “cool”guy” thing. And The Clash were really a band that stood for something, in a time where there were a lot of issues going on in Britain, and it is great to see the atmosphere and mood going on during their shows.

This is the sleeve for the book.

Here's what it looks like from the side.

And this is the actual book.

I'll bet a Jonas Brothers concert doesn't get like this.

Petit Pattern Books. I love these little Japanese pattern books. They each have a theme, and tons of drawings, and it comes with a CD of digital files of all the prints (they are royalty free.) The texture of the paper and the graphics are so cute. I know they are a copy of Pepin Press‘ concept, and Pepin Press is a far superior publisher (you’ll hear more about Pepin in coming months) but these books are fun anyhow.

They look delicious on the book shelf.

I love the graphics and the cover parts.

This book is full of free icons.

This book is full of checks.

And this one if full of flowers and fruits.

OK, so now I can get to the main subject of this post, which is fabulous luxury books that I desperately want and are out of my price range. It feels sad that there are books out there I really want and can’t have. I can accept that I’ll never have a wardrobe of Birkin bags, but for some reason I feel as though I am entitled to own a copy of the Helmut Newton Sumo Book.

There are many wonderful, fabulous, and ridiculously expensive books out there, and I am going to show you three that I desperately want. The first one has been released very recently, and is what inspired me to write this post.

The Life and Times of Hugh M. Hefner
An illustrated autobiography with highlights from Playboy ’s first 25 years

I know that most people associate Playboy with “something I don’t buy and certainly don’t want to look at.” But there is no denying that a book, or six books, about the first 25 years of Playboy is going to contain some amazing photos. Yes, there are naked women, but for some reason porn mags from the sixties look a hell of a lot cooler than ones from last year (I am guessing this, since I don’t often buy porn mags.) In fact, I have been meaning for some time to start collecting Playboy from the 60s and 70s, but of course that is another thing on the “list of things to buy.”

Here’s some images from the book and some blurbs about it, all from the Taschen website.

Hugh M. Hefner presents an illustrated autobiography with chronological highlights from Playboy’s first 25 years. His personal life and career—from cartoon-drawing childhood to astonishing success with Playboy—are revealed in the most intimate portrait ever.

Limited Edition of 1,500 numbered copies signed by Hefner, in a Plexiglas case. Includes a facsimile edition of Playboy #1 from 1953—featuring the iconic Monroe cover and first nude shots—and a 7 x 7 cm piece of Hef’s famous silk pajamas, worn by the great man himself.

This sumptuous six-volume anthology celebrates the decadence, sophistication and wit of the original men’s magazine and its creator. Hugh Hefner’s Playboy highlights the extraordinary years from 1953 to 1979, with a selection of each era’s spiciest centerfolds and writing by literary icons Gore Vidal, Norman Mailer, Jack Kerouac and Ray Bradbury, as well as some of the most important Playboy Interviews, including Martin Luther King, John Lennon, Richard Nixon, and Roman Polanski.

Here is another one that is also out of my price range but definitely on my wish list. Blurb and images also from the Taschen website. Helmut Newton’s SUMO.

It is so big it actually comes with its own table!

The biggest and most expensive book production in the 20th century
Limited edition of 10,000 copies worldwide, each signed and numbered by Helmut Newton!

Probably Helmut Newton's most famous fashion images, these are of Yves Saint Laurent's "Le Smoking", which means tuxedo, one of the first pantsuits for women.

SUMO is a titanic book in every respect: it is a tribute to the twentieth century’s most influential, intriguing and controversial photographer. Measuring 50 x 70 cm (20 x 27.5 inches) and weighing approx. 30 kg (66 lb.), the book contains 464 pages, breaking any previous record. SUMO is a truly unique publication.

SUMO, edited by June Newton, features a wide selection of over 400 pictures, most of which are published for the first time, covering every aspect of Newton’s outstanding career in photography: from his stunning fashion photographs, which pointed the way for generations of photographers, to his nudes and celebrity portaits.

My last book today is Blinds and Shutters by Michael Cooper. This is the same photographer I mentioned above, but this is his very very special book. Here’s some images (I couldn’t find very many) and a blurb from the Snap Galleries website.

Blinds & Shutters is a journey through the 1960s, and has been internationally acclaimed as the definitive cult chronicle of that decade. Each volume has a variety of thirteen different contributors signatures which means, no two copies are ever the same. Copies signed by Ringo Starr are the most desirable.

Photographer Michael Cooper worked with leading musicians including, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Marianne Faithfull, Eric Clapton, artists such as Francis Bacon, Andy Warhol, Peter Blake and David Hockney and writers like William Burroughs, Jean Genet and Allen Ginsberg. He was never without his 35mm camera and captured some of the most intimate and confortable images with a vast collection of different legends from the 60s. Blinds and Shutters is limited to 5,000 copies.

Forgot to include prices above, in case you are feeling flush, here they are (in USD): Playboy book: around $1000, Helmut Newton Sumo Book, around $15,000, and Michael Cooper’s Blinds and Shutters, $4000.

I had a really interesting conversation with my friends on Saturday night, about fashion and brands. The subject turned to Hermes, which I believe is an untouchable brand, despite the fact that it has become a lot more mainstream in recent years. We then disucssed the fact that many brands have been “ruined” when they hit the mainstream. As far as I am concerned, when Victoria Beckham wears it, or when it is mentioned in a rap song, the brand is over. Hermes is an exception.

Even Victoria Beckham can't ruin Hermes (images from www.pursepage.com)

Why is this? How has Hermes managed to maintain this powerful brand position? They have superior quality, longevity, classic pieces, and waiting lists, but so do many other brands. On the other hand, Balmain (ruined by the “Russians” apparently), Jimmy Choo, Herve Leger, and Christian Louboutin have been tainted by over exposure on celebrities.

Another thing we discussed is the power of the handbag. For some ridiculous, unexplainable reason I always feel I need to buy a handbag from a well-known luxury brand, however, I am happy to spend fortunes on clothing or shoes from smaller luxury brands that are not very mainstream at all (Finsk being my main example.) I don’t understand why I feel that way… Maybe because I use a handbag everyday for two years, whereas I don’t wear the same shoes more than once a week. Maybe because a great luxury handbag can make a 20 dollar outfit look like a 2000 dollar outfit.

I don’t have the answers, but here are some of the Hermes pieces I wouldn’t mind finding underneath my Christmas tree (hint hint husband.)

Images from www.hermes.com

I just read on Ajax World Magazine that the Luxury Institute has just announced the top luxury brands in Europe, based on the “2009 Best of the Best European Luxury Brand Status Index.” What I love about their results is that this is not based on what fashion people think, or fashion experts, this is based on the “unbiased ratings of wealthy European consumers.”

Wealth does not necessarily equate taste, as we can see by these results, and I am sure if the Vogue team got their hands on this the results would be very different. However, these are the statistics based on people who can actually afford the products, and unless you have family money or a rich husband, the Vogue salary is not going to make you one of those. The ratings are based on Consistently Superior Quality, Uniqueness and Exclusivity, Making the Customer Feel Special Across the Entire Experience and Being Consumed by People Who Are Admired and Respected.

Here are the results:

So, on Women’s Fashion, Chanel deserves top spot, I won’t argue that. I’m not surprised about Valentino (they probably haven’t been into the store since he stop designing), and although I love Louis Vuitton’s clothing, it is pretty hard to find (only sold in their own stores) so I am a bit confused about that one.

Women’s shoes: god this list depresses me. Christian Louboutin, as far as I am concerned, has been ruined as a brand by celebrities, notably Victoria Beckham, overwearing it. So has Manolo, although he is still fabulous, and Jimmy Choo, well, no thanks.

Handbags: Hermes, of course, Chanel, definitely second after Hermes. Jimmy Choo???? I can think of a hundred handbag brands I would buy over Jimmy Choo, unless I was looking for a royal blue snakeskin clutch with gaudy hardware. I guess rich people don’t have much taste after all!