Ippolita's Rose collection

If you asked an average American woman to name five fine jewelry brands she would probably say Tiffany’s, David Yurman, Harry Winston and after that would probably be left scratching her head for more. Even though the fine jewelry industry is in the “fashion business”, somehow fine jewelry brands don’t seem to bubble up in the public consciousness. I think the industry has billed themselves as sellers of boring commodities versus being  “must-have”  fashion brands in their own right. It is an industry asleep at the wheel, still dominated by small local retailers and dull-as-dust mall stores. Most style icons pine for the bolder statements created  by the so-called “fashion jewelry”  (costume) companies, currently dominated  by Kate Spade, Michael Kors, Marc Jacobs, J Crew, BCBG and others.

Then there is Ippolita. This Tuscan-born, Italian-American designer of contemporary fine jewelry is soon-to-be a bigger household name. Ippolita is coming on strong with her marketing of modern precious jewelry for the fashion obsessed. Her online and traditional media is sexy and compelling in a trendsetting, casual style. This multi-disciplinary sculptress, glass artist and acclaimed jewelry designer started in private label costume jewelry in the 90′s and then introduced her first fine jewelry collection in 2000.

Her  modern risk-taking designs and casually layered style is destined for brand greatness in a sea of solitaires and yawn-inducing tennis bracelets. She layers bold, handcrafted pieces encrusted with gems in a modern melange.  Wake up and smell the espresso, this quiet little Ferrari is passing everyone on the right! Ippolita is poised to take advantage of the sturdy luxury market; as she doesn’t dish up the same safe, traditional styling found in most fine jewelry.

I have particularly fallen for her Riviera Sky (multi-colored stones set in 18K gold), Glamazon (bold silver and gold classic statement pieces like 3″ hoops and chains), Rock Candy (gemstones set in contemporary gold and silver settings) and Rose (rose gold collection of solid metals).

The sexy, modern Wicked collection.

The Gold Python Michael Kors "Gia" Satchel

Michael Kors Holdings, LTD recently announced their first quarterly earning report since their recent successful IPO, on December 15. Not surprisingly , they were exceptional, in fact their revenues were up for third quarter by 67.9% and comp store sales were up 38%. The red-hot company is planning to open 20-30 more stores in North America in fiscal 2013, as well as many more stores in Europe and Japan.

Michael Kors’ business today is a hard-won success after a long career of ups and downs. His appearance in Project Runway helped to make him a household name in the US, but his brand speaks for itself. The company offers the designer Michael Kors luxury collection and the aspirational Michael Michael Kors lower priced line. He has created an urbane brand of sexy, glamorous pieces for sophisticated city slickers (or wannabes). There is no doubt about what you can expect in his free-standing stores: sharp and sexy shoes, statement signature bags, bold  jewelry, power-hungry watches and tight collections of sleek, wearable apparel. His direct, social and online marketing are unswervingly messaged. 

Clear brand vision gets rewarded with growth consistent with the size of your market niche, i.e. Ralph Lauren, Coach, Anthroplogie, Lululemon, Vera Bradley, etc. Kors aspirational luxury niche is a large and viable one, so he has a big growth trajectory ahead of him. The Michael Kors brand isn’t yet as well-known as Coach, which makes his future prospects even greater. There aren’t many mall competitors other than BCBG, chasing his fashion saavy, urbane audience. BCBG tends to be a tad more youthful and contemporary so their apparel fits are more challenging to an audience over 40. Smartly, Michael Kors has focused on ageless accessories, apparel is more of a punctuation to the story. (BCBG has some very formidable accessories, but focuses on clothing.) Kors reports that 62.3% of sales come from accessories and fragrances. Women’s apparel in general, has become more of a commodity, where bags and shoes still offer better turns and pricing power.

The runway is long and wide for a big take-off for Michael Kors!

Live life in the glow of neon lights in 2012!

Color trends evolve and something happens in the social mood that turns colors that might have been previously unappealing, into a “must-have” sensation. For me, that is neon and heart-stopping bright colors. The are so prevalent in the market this season and sure to reach a fever pitch over the summer. The charge is led by chartreuse, shocking pink, safety orange, reflex royal and washed out neon yellow.

Perhaps, it is the pure energy of these outrageously bright colors? We have been in a recessionary funk for so long, and it is hard to be blase in the presence of neon lights. They are suddenly the essence of modern style and shed new light on a pessimistic period. They are also integral to the active sport inspired, mega-trend in fashion.

I have never been a fan on the uber-bright, but have already purchased an in-your-face chartreuse skirt this year. It is provides a bolt of lightning, every time I see it in my predominantly black and white wardrobe. It is so unfamiliar, it is a new beginning, a new life for 2012.

Neon is showing up everywhere on items like skinny jeans (Rag & Bone), dresses (Michael Kors), bags (Rebecca Minkoff), innovative colorblocked pieces (BCBG) athletic shoes (Asics), casual apparel (J Crew) and yoga wear (Zella).

The modern way to pull off these explosive colors  is to ground them with a neutral, especially heather grey or white. For a dangerous, high-voltage look combine two to three colors in one outfit. For the faint of heart, a trickle of neon trim on sneakers, pumps, a tote, belt or scarf  is enough of a good thing to change your fashion fortunes in 2012.

Sexy soft, metallic and deep copper tones continue for spring 2012.

Color for Spring 2012 women’s apparel and accessories seem divided in two diametrically opposed camps…sizzling hot, over-the-top brights and barely there nudes. These copper-toned, blushing beauties have been around for a few seasons, but seem to be driving the vice of copper even higher!

These “catch me if you can” colors are tender and taunting at the same time. They can be found all over the market from the dainty sequined top and skirt  from BCBG (lower right), Vince’s kitten soft sweater and dress (lower left). the caged Prada heel (upper right) and sporty items like red-hot Sperry’s metallic copper Top-Sider in the middle. They are hugely popular in rose gold toned jewelry and watches (I love  Ippolita’s Rose collection!) and are prevalent in nail colors and beauty, too.

If you are Geisha-pale, a true blond, red-head or rich dark-skinned you can rock these sexy shades. If you are somewhere in the middle, try wearing them on the bottom or on top over a pop of white or black to supply contrasting support. There is something magic about this color family. It is so feminine and seductively suggestive that it has transformational effects on the wearer.

Copper tones are the perfect expression of the mega-watt, lady-like trend in fashion. It is the counter punch to the active-inspired sporty styles that also dominate this spring.

These scene-stealing Cole Haan Oxfords left me gasping for Nike air!

 I was left gasping for Nike air when I got a gander at Cole Haan’s new collection of wing-tipped, spectator oxfords for spring 2012. My heart skipped a beat when I saw their 3.5″ high heeled Lucinda Air Oxford pump in various fashion combinations of brown and hot pink (they have more compelling names like Beet/Sequoia), Black/White Pine and Sequoia/Cockle. These shoes will turn a mere mortal into a power broker in the click of a well-shod heel.

They also have a flat wingtip oxford called the Skylar…it also comes in a swanky white gold metallic combination.

The shoes have me craving a pair of well-cut menswear trousers to show off my best “manners”. 

This fashion tour-de-force is a big step in the risk taking direction for Cole Haan. They are sure to create a stampede from the fashion crowd. My husband has fallen for their killer Air Colton and Air Franklin’s, for men, too. Who would have imagined?

By the way they even have their Nike Air technology for added comfort. File this in the category of glam slam!

Is it final sale for Talbot's?

 I had the good fortune of meeting Nancy Talbot,  or  I should say “Mrs. Talbot” as everyone respectfully addressed her. She was a woman with a point-of-view, opinionated and had a clear vision for the iconic retail brand she had founded. Talbots was synonymous with a monied, New England coastal, lifestyle. Her customers played exclusive sports, golf, sailing, riding and tennis. They volunteered at non-profits. They had the luxury of choosing not to work. If  they worked, they were lawyers, investment bankers or women rapidly climbing the corporate ladder. If this wasn’t your real lifestyle, shopping at Talbot’s was entre to the exclusive club.

The stores felt residential. Her brand was defined by a touch of whimsy and happy color. She assorted her stores from hundreds of creative vendors, but it had the consistency of  one discriminating eye. She was a visionary brand builder in the league of a Mickey Drexler (J. Crew) or Reed Krakoff (Coach), for her time. There was a definitive social status for shopping at the red-doored, suburban stores.

Talbot’s as it stands today is a sailor luffing in a sea of retail sameness. It lost its hard-won personality. If you woke up in a store, there would be no identifying clues to where you were.  Long ago, it lost it’s  cache of the New England good life. The series of owners and CEOs since Mrs. Talbot, didn’t understand what they were trading away. They didn’t understand how the customer evolved and weren’t protective of the exclusivity, the social aspect of the brand. They now design all of their own products and even with this centralized control, they’ve lost that one-eyed point of view. They played it safe and didn’t take any chances. In a quest for growth and uniformity, they opened hundreds of bland mall-stores. In recent years they stole other retail identities and zig-zagged product. Sales proliferated and it became “common” to shop at Talbot’s. Authenticity can’t be faked.

The Talbot’s customer was also a Coach, Burberry, J. Crew and Ralph Lauren customer. These are some of the hottest apparel and accessory brands in the world today. They stand for something, they take creative risks.  The common denominator is each one of these,  is it run by a visionary brand builder, not a committee allowed to sterilize risk taking based on historical sales. At these companies, fashion leadership dominates over history, while brand heritage is respected and evolved. Other brands are thriving in the classic fashion arena, Kate Spade, Tory Burch, Milly, Hunter Boots, Sperry, Jack Rogers to name a few. The former Talbot’s customer loves them all.

Talbots is on the block again and will inevitably be picked by another optimistic bidder. They will shutter stores and cut expenses and search for the holy grail of retail CEO’s. We are still grossly overstored and only true leaders will thrive. The results will be the same once again, if they can’t create social status and demand for shopping at this once venerable brand. They have to find leadership that truly understands that fashion is show business and have to restore credibility to the total brand experience.

Fresh-picked greens are sprouting up everywhere for spring 2012.

 

Sprouting amongst the last of the holiday sale merchandise are sweet tendrils of  green…chartreuse, citrine, neon, and washed limes and emeralds. These fresh-picked greens are easy pickin’s to get a shot of modern, pre-spring pop!  These op-art shades are making their spring début on everything from active yoga, apparel, athletic shoes, handbags, Uggs, boots, skirts, tops, jackets, scarves and jewelry. Luscious greens are found on tabletop and home furnishings, too.

These eclectic shades of green look especially de rigueur played against neutrals such as greys, white, navy and black. They also hit-it-out -of-the-park in colorblocked combinations…two or more greens at the same time.

 I never been a green person, but I find myself compelled to buy something chartruese this season. Green stands for optimism and renewal. Two things we could use a little more of in 2012. Are you going green this season?

The "life changing" Gucci "Noah" pumps.

I have a special affinity for fashion items that are over-the-moon, show stopping,  but were also born a classic beauty. This is a hole-in-one, in a too often, risk averse market. The truth of the matter is that emotion sells clothing and accessories. When the wearer is taken on a fantasy ride, she’s got to have it!    

This heart-pounding, covetable pair of stilettos from Gucci meets the bar of greatness in the best seductress, in a fantasy picture category!  The swanky-panky, sky-high, Gucci “Noah” pump for spring 2012 will take your breath away. Take the helm you will rule the room in this pair of power pumps. The $695 price tag may be worth the virtual tornado you will create wearing them. Don’t worry, expect knock-offs at all price points  in the footwear market.

My take on the situation is lack of exciting new items for the aspirational customer in Tiffany’s this fall like their “well-knocked off”  key collection in the past. Other stores are eating Tiffany’s breakfast. I saw sign-in sheets and long

Tiffany's collection of bags by designers Lambertson & Truex are exceptionally beautiful!

lines outside the Pandora jewelry stores,  just for chance to get a few expensive baubles for their already “over-indulged” teens, wives and girl friends.

On a positive note, their bags by designers Lambertson and Truex take my breath away!

Love this feminine lace jacket from Free People!

Glen Senk has resigned as CEO at Urban Outfitter’s and is headed to another job TBD. The retailer is well-respected for taking creative risks with their merchandising at their core formats: Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie and Free People. As a retail junkie, I have enjoyed seeing a brand like Anthropologie dare to stand for something unique in their stores and online. I am always blown away by their creative OMG visual merchandising, that is second to none! They had decent same store sales in 2008 and 2009.

They are struggling a bit lately and this is no surprise as their Anthropologie stores have become more of a drab fashion graveyard, than exciting fashion leader. It is like wandering in a museum gift shop or Middle Eastern bazaar.

I find myself hard pressed to fall in love with anything in their stores besides soap and towels. It is hard to shop if you are seriously looking for clothes and the styling is challenging for unsophisticated shoppers. I think their frumpy, hipster rags are contra to the macro trends toward clean, modern, sexy fashion. After checking out the over-the-top windows, I get out into the light as fast as possible.

A bright spot (pardon the pun) for me is Free People. Their stores are smaller and brighter. They were chock-full of ageless, feminine items and newsy, comfy sweaters this fall!