Dressing the Iron Lady: Margaret Thatcher's wardrobe was every bit as savvily contrived as that famous voice [women handbags]
'I may be persuaded to surrender the hat,' says Meryl Streep in the trailer of her soon-to-be-blockbuster, The Iron Lady. 'The pearls, however, are absolutely non-negotiable.'
It is a telling insight into the attention to detail Margaret Thatcher put into a wardrobe that gave the impression of being irrelevant - just like her softening accent.
The Prime Minister put a lot of thought into those royal-blue power suits - as did her advisers - and their choices are making an unlikely comeback on the high streets and on the catwalks.
The daughter of a dressmaker, Lady Thatcher and her sister, Muriel, grew up wearing home made clothes.
It was not until Thatcher met her wealthy future husband, Denis, that she could afford to spend a lot of money on outfits. She soon forged her trademark style of colourful suits, hats, handbags and - of course - those pearls.
Image advisers helped her to develop her style - Gordon Reece famously persuaded her to ditch those easily-to-mock hats while he was working on making her accent more appealing to the masses.
However Thatcher was not going to budge over that pearl necklace, which Denis had given her when her twins were born in 1953.
'The star-makers may have told her what to wear,' Abi Morgan, The Iron Lady's scriptwriter, told The Telegraph, 'but she already knew how to dress - she was of that generation of women trained to appear in a certain way, hair set, with a proper hat, gloves, bag and shoes.
'The grooming was very regal, and her uniform had a regality about it. And don't forget, she'd grown up at the front of the shop, dressed for work, never in anything less formal than a twinset - and certainly never in trousers.'
As an MP in opposition, Thatcher was smart and a little bit modern - she dared to bare her arms - and the suits were blue not black.
When Thatcher first came into power, she seemed keep to emphasise her status as the first woman Prime Minister, sometimes resorting to unflattering, frumpy frocks.
But after winning her second term, the suits became bolder, brighter and more structured.
Like her pearls, pussybows were an adornment Thatcher has often returned to - even though they often left her open to ridicule.
They were an affirmation of her femininity. The suits may have meant business, but the bows showed her softer size.
It is a telling insight into the attention to detail Margaret Thatcher put into a wardrobe that gave the impression of being irrelevant - just like her softening accent.
The Prime Minister put a lot of thought into those royal-blue power suits - as did her advisers - and their choices are making an unlikely comeback on the high streets and on the catwalks.
The daughter of a dressmaker, Lady Thatcher and her sister, Muriel, grew up wearing home made clothes.
It was not until Thatcher met her wealthy future husband, Denis, that she could afford to spend a lot of money on outfits. She soon forged her trademark style of colourful suits, hats, handbags and - of course - those pearls.
Image advisers helped her to develop her style - Gordon Reece famously persuaded her to ditch those easily-to-mock hats while he was working on making her accent more appealing to the masses.
However Thatcher was not going to budge over that pearl necklace, which Denis had given her when her twins were born in 1953.
'The star-makers may have told her what to wear,' Abi Morgan, The Iron Lady's scriptwriter, told The Telegraph, 'but she already knew how to dress - she was of that generation of women trained to appear in a certain way, hair set, with a proper hat, gloves, bag and shoes.
'The grooming was very regal, and her uniform had a regality about it. And don't forget, she'd grown up at the front of the shop, dressed for work, never in anything less formal than a twinset - and certainly never in trousers.'
As an MP in opposition, Thatcher was smart and a little bit modern - she dared to bare her arms - and the suits were blue not black.
When Thatcher first came into power, she seemed keep to emphasise her status as the first woman Prime Minister, sometimes resorting to unflattering, frumpy frocks.
But after winning her second term, the suits became bolder, brighter and more structured.
Like her pearls, pussybows were an adornment Thatcher has often returned to - even though they often left her open to ridicule.
They were an affirmation of her femininity. The suits may have meant business, but the bows showed her softer size.
Fake paper bags are the latest buzz in the malls [women handbags]
Users give the impression they can afford to shop at stores selling luxury brands
SHANGHAI - It's not only fake designer handbags that are attracting bargain hunters. Nowadays, the fever is spreading to fake paper shopping bags featuring famous brands.
A random search using the keyword combination of "paper bag" with any famous brand name will find dozens - sometimes more than 100 - of results on Taobao.com, the most widely used shopping website in China.
There are more than 80 online stores selling Chanel paper shopping bags. Some 70 are selling Gucci paper shopping bags.
It is hard to tell whether the paper bags are authentic from the photos on the websites, but most are imitations.
The paper bags are usually priced between 5 yuan ($0.78) and 40 yuan. People selling more expensive bags claim theirs are authentic.
In Wang Xuesheng's store, more than 600 paper bags with a Louis Vuitton logo, priced at 3 yuan apiece, sold within 30 days.
Wang sells paper bags as well as paper boxes and ribbons featuring a wide rage of luxury brands such as Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Prada and Burberry.
He admitted that the paper bags in his store were just imitations of the real thing.
"Most people buy the bags only for the logo," he said. "In fact, if you take a close look at the bag, you will easily discover that the material is different from authentic ones."
Wang is an owner of a paper-packing factory in Guangzhou. The online store, which has been open for seven months, is just his sideline.
"Although the sales volume is high, the profit is limited. The store earns less than 200 yuan a day despite its 50 percent profit mark-up," he said.
"I used to produce paper bags for people who had created their own brands for online stores but later I noticed an increasing demand for paper bags with logos from high-end goods," he said, adding that the most popular brands in his store are Louis Vuitton and Gucci.
"In the beginning, my clients were mostly people who sell fake handbags. Later, we gradually won more independent customers," he said.
Many people expressed doubts about the appeal of the fake paper bags.
"I'm really surprised that there should be such things for sale. I just can't figure out a single reason to buy those paper bags," said Tang Yuemin, a 25-year-old office worker who works for a German company in Shanghai.
"I don't think people need the logo to make themselves appear wealthy," she said.
But the buyers have their reasons.
"Paper bags with a famous logo are better looking than ordinary ones. I use them to carry things or to contain presents for my friends. They are of good quality and very cheap," said Yang Xiaoya, an office worker in Shanghai, who buys several paper bags at a time, one Gucci, one Dior and four Louis Vuitton.
In some other stores, the owners even provide fake purchase receipts. They can print the article number, price and purchase date at a customer's request on the receipt templates of the famous brands' outlets in Hong Kong and France.
"Selling a fake paper bag is an infringement of the famous brands' intellectual property rights. However, since there is a lack of an effective supervision system for the online shopping platform, it's hard to investigate those stores," said Mo Daiqing, a senior analyst with Hangzhou-based China E-commerce Research Center.
"A major potential risk is that the fake packing and purchase receipts could be used by some purchasing agents to cheat their customers," she added.
SHANGHAI - It's not only fake designer handbags that are attracting bargain hunters. Nowadays, the fever is spreading to fake paper shopping bags featuring famous brands.
A random search using the keyword combination of "paper bag" with any famous brand name will find dozens - sometimes more than 100 - of results on Taobao.com, the most widely used shopping website in China.
There are more than 80 online stores selling Chanel paper shopping bags. Some 70 are selling Gucci paper shopping bags.
It is hard to tell whether the paper bags are authentic from the photos on the websites, but most are imitations.
The paper bags are usually priced between 5 yuan ($0.78) and 40 yuan. People selling more expensive bags claim theirs are authentic.
In Wang Xuesheng's store, more than 600 paper bags with a Louis Vuitton logo, priced at 3 yuan apiece, sold within 30 days.
Wang sells paper bags as well as paper boxes and ribbons featuring a wide rage of luxury brands such as Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Prada and Burberry.
He admitted that the paper bags in his store were just imitations of the real thing.
"Most people buy the bags only for the logo," he said. "In fact, if you take a close look at the bag, you will easily discover that the material is different from authentic ones."
Wang is an owner of a paper-packing factory in Guangzhou. The online store, which has been open for seven months, is just his sideline.
"Although the sales volume is high, the profit is limited. The store earns less than 200 yuan a day despite its 50 percent profit mark-up," he said.
"I used to produce paper bags for people who had created their own brands for online stores but later I noticed an increasing demand for paper bags with logos from high-end goods," he said, adding that the most popular brands in his store are Louis Vuitton and Gucci.
"In the beginning, my clients were mostly people who sell fake handbags. Later, we gradually won more independent customers," he said.
Many people expressed doubts about the appeal of the fake paper bags.
"I'm really surprised that there should be such things for sale. I just can't figure out a single reason to buy those paper bags," said Tang Yuemin, a 25-year-old office worker who works for a German company in Shanghai.
"I don't think people need the logo to make themselves appear wealthy," she said.
But the buyers have their reasons.
"Paper bags with a famous logo are better looking than ordinary ones. I use them to carry things or to contain presents for my friends. They are of good quality and very cheap," said Yang Xiaoya, an office worker in Shanghai, who buys several paper bags at a time, one Gucci, one Dior and four Louis Vuitton.
In some other stores, the owners even provide fake purchase receipts. They can print the article number, price and purchase date at a customer's request on the receipt templates of the famous brands' outlets in Hong Kong and France.
"Selling a fake paper bag is an infringement of the famous brands' intellectual property rights. However, since there is a lack of an effective supervision system for the online shopping platform, it's hard to investigate those stores," said Mo Daiqing, a senior analyst with Hangzhou-based China E-commerce Research Center.
"A major potential risk is that the fake packing and purchase receipts could be used by some purchasing agents to cheat their customers," she added.
The Business Matrix: Friday 09 December 2011 [women handbags]
Firms fined for fixing prices
France's competition authority has fined Colgate-Palmolive, Henkel and Procter & Gamble a total of 309m for fixing prices of washing powder in France from 1997 to 2004. Unilever escaped a fine because it reported the wrongdoing, the regulator said. Secret talks on pricing took place in hotels and restaurants, the regulator added.
HSBC to take on all burdens of NHFA
HSBC has agreed to take responsibility for all customers of the disgraced care fees adviser NHFA – even those from before the bank bought the company in 2005. It is writing to NHFA customers from April 2004 but people who dealt with the firm earlier should email NHFA@hsbc.com or write to NHFA, HSBC Bank, PO Box 1888, Coventry, CV3 9WN.
Ford brings back dividend payouts
Ford Motor Company has reinstated a dividend for the first time in five years, with a 5 cents per share payout that the US car giant said it could sustain during a future downturn. The payout will also benefit the group's executives and the founding Ford family, who between them hold 40 per cent of the voting stock.
China deal gives Astra a boost
AstraZeneca is buying Guangdong Beikang Pharmaceutical, a Chinese generic drugs manufacturer, as it seeks to increase its clout in the country's growing pharamaceuticals market. The terms of the deal were not revealed, but it will strengthen Astra's position as the second biggest foreign drugs firm (behind Pfizer) in the country.
US jobless claims at nine-month low
The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell to a nine-month low last week, stoking hopes of a labour market recovery in the world's largest economy. Initial claims for benefits fell by 23,000 to 381,000, the US Labour Department said yesterday.
Chinese buy uranium miner
Kalahari Minerals, the AIM-listed, Namibia-focused uranium, gold and copper producer has agreed to be taken over by China Guangdong Nuclear Power Corp (CGNPC) for 632m. In a purchase that will boost China's efforts to meet its growing energy needs, CGNPC will pay 243.55p a share for Kalahari.
Schroders cancels Walbrook move
Schroders has made an 11th-hour decision to shelve a move into one of London's largest empty developments as a result of the global financial crisis. The wealth manager had planned to occupy up to 250,000 sq ft in the Walbrook building in the City of London but has decided to stay at nearby Gresham Street for now.
Arnault to buy up Bond St shops
France's richest man and LVMH's chief executive, Bernard Arnault, is in talks to buy three stores on London's most expensive shopping street for 300m. The shops include LVMH's Louis Vuitton flagship store at 17-20 New Bond Street, plus stores let to the bag retailer Coach and stationer Smythson.
Letter bomb sent to Ackermann
An envelope sent to one of the world's most prominent bankers contained a live letter bomb, German authorities said yesterday. The package, addressed to the Deutsche Bank chief executive, Josef Ackermann, was sent to the lender's headquarters in Frankfurt. No one has claimed responsibility for the device.
Fidelity calls in Jeremy Podger
Fidelity is to replace Jorma Korhonen, who took over the global part of Anthony Bolton's 6bn Special Situations fund five years ago, with Jeremy Podger, the head of global equities at Threadneedle. Mr Podger ran the 737m Global Select fund and the 8m Global Extended Alpha fund at Threadneedle.
France's competition authority has fined Colgate-Palmolive, Henkel and Procter & Gamble a total of 309m for fixing prices of washing powder in France from 1997 to 2004. Unilever escaped a fine because it reported the wrongdoing, the regulator said. Secret talks on pricing took place in hotels and restaurants, the regulator added.
HSBC to take on all burdens of NHFA
HSBC has agreed to take responsibility for all customers of the disgraced care fees adviser NHFA – even those from before the bank bought the company in 2005. It is writing to NHFA customers from April 2004 but people who dealt with the firm earlier should email NHFA@hsbc.com or write to NHFA, HSBC Bank, PO Box 1888, Coventry, CV3 9WN.
Ford brings back dividend payouts
Ford Motor Company has reinstated a dividend for the first time in five years, with a 5 cents per share payout that the US car giant said it could sustain during a future downturn. The payout will also benefit the group's executives and the founding Ford family, who between them hold 40 per cent of the voting stock.
China deal gives Astra a boost
AstraZeneca is buying Guangdong Beikang Pharmaceutical, a Chinese generic drugs manufacturer, as it seeks to increase its clout in the country's growing pharamaceuticals market. The terms of the deal were not revealed, but it will strengthen Astra's position as the second biggest foreign drugs firm (behind Pfizer) in the country.
US jobless claims at nine-month low
The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell to a nine-month low last week, stoking hopes of a labour market recovery in the world's largest economy. Initial claims for benefits fell by 23,000 to 381,000, the US Labour Department said yesterday.
Chinese buy uranium miner
Kalahari Minerals, the AIM-listed, Namibia-focused uranium, gold and copper producer has agreed to be taken over by China Guangdong Nuclear Power Corp (CGNPC) for 632m. In a purchase that will boost China's efforts to meet its growing energy needs, CGNPC will pay 243.55p a share for Kalahari.
Schroders cancels Walbrook move
Schroders has made an 11th-hour decision to shelve a move into one of London's largest empty developments as a result of the global financial crisis. The wealth manager had planned to occupy up to 250,000 sq ft in the Walbrook building in the City of London but has decided to stay at nearby Gresham Street for now.
Arnault to buy up Bond St shops
France's richest man and LVMH's chief executive, Bernard Arnault, is in talks to buy three stores on London's most expensive shopping street for 300m. The shops include LVMH's Louis Vuitton flagship store at 17-20 New Bond Street, plus stores let to the bag retailer Coach and stationer Smythson.
Letter bomb sent to Ackermann
An envelope sent to one of the world's most prominent bankers contained a live letter bomb, German authorities said yesterday. The package, addressed to the Deutsche Bank chief executive, Josef Ackermann, was sent to the lender's headquarters in Frankfurt. No one has claimed responsibility for the device.
Fidelity calls in Jeremy Podger
Fidelity is to replace Jorma Korhonen, who took over the global part of Anthony Bolton's 6bn Special Situations fund five years ago, with Jeremy Podger, the head of global equities at Threadneedle. Mr Podger ran the 737m Global Select fund and the 8m Global Extended Alpha fund at Threadneedle.
Woman robbed after walking up to wrong house in Fort Pierce [women handbags]
A case of a wrong address led to a woman being robbed at gunpoint and Fort Pierce Police looking for the culprits, according to an incident report.
On Saturday, the woman said she was driving to a friend's house in the 500 block of North 31st Street. The woman said she knocked on the door but left once she realized she had the wrong address. While returning to her car, she noticed a man watching her and then a second man moved next to her, pointed a black revolver and demanded money. The man continued demanding her money and said that he was going to kill her, the report states.
The men got away with $65 in cash, a pink-and-white DKNY purse with a brown Louis Vuitton wallet.
One suspect is described as wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and dark pants. The second suspect was wearing a white hooded sweatshirt with dark pants.
The woman said she didn't get a good look at their faces because the hoods were drawn tightly.
On Saturday, the woman said she was driving to a friend's house in the 500 block of North 31st Street. The woman said she knocked on the door but left once she realized she had the wrong address. While returning to her car, she noticed a man watching her and then a second man moved next to her, pointed a black revolver and demanded money. The man continued demanding her money and said that he was going to kill her, the report states.
The men got away with $65 in cash, a pink-and-white DKNY purse with a brown Louis Vuitton wallet.
One suspect is described as wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and dark pants. The second suspect was wearing a white hooded sweatshirt with dark pants.
The woman said she didn't get a good look at their faces because the hoods were drawn tightly.
"It's Kind of Insane How Everybody's Here" [women handbags]
Following a final weekend of arty fashion parties—or fashionable art parties?—the tenth installment of Miami Basel's in the bag. It was mostly around that very item—bags, that is—that Pringle of Scotland organized a dinner Friday night, fêting its colorful new accessories collaboration with Liam Gillick. Tilda Swinton flew in to co-host with the knitwear label's design director, Alistair Carr, despite a lingering bug that had her coughing and feeling, in her words, "deaf, deaf, deaf." But that didn't seem to impede the in-demand actress and Pringle collaborator's enthusiasm for the brand's latest team-up. "Pringle has much more the attitude of a kind of art-curator house than, it seems to me, some kind of fashion brand," Swinton told Style.com. "It's about conversation, about something that's constantly moving and constantly built by different people together. It's not about one person hitting the mark, constantly. There's something very loose and evolving about it."
Lanvin, too, has earned the right to pat itself on the back for an exploratory fusing of art and fashion—and that it did on Friday, with a soirée at the W's much-hyped new eatery The Dutch. For the second year running, the French house partnered with the Rubell Family Collection on a Basel opening; this year's edition was less about Alber Elbaz, who remained in Paris this time around, and more about U.S.-based artists—64 of them contributed works in all, in service of a show titled American Exuberance. "That word has to do with arrival, but I think it's kind of sad," philosophized mega-collector Mera Rubell over burrata crostini and Maine sea scallops. "The being-there can be a more dangerous place than the going-there"—food for thought for Basel participants as the fair and its various sideshows start to feel more established every year.
On the other side of the lobby, Mr. Chow was buzzing with the book party for Culo, photographer Raphael Mazzucco's ode to the female backside. With Andy Valmorbida and Sean Combs (billed as the tome's "executive editor") on the host committee, this particular booty call drew some A-list talent, including Naomi Campbell, Will Smith, and Damien Hirst.
Over at the Standard, Richard Phillips showed off his series of celebrity prints, Most Wanted, in conjunction with Details magazine and Cynthia Rowley and Bill Powers' Exhibition A. Supersized portraits of Leonardo DiCaprio, Kristen Stewart, and co. added an element of A-list glamour to the Miami festivities.
Saturday evening at the Mondrian, MoMA's PS1 toasted star twentysomething artists Ryan Trecartin and Lizzie Fitch and threw in a Kim Kardashian look-alike competition for good measure. "It's totally not necessary" to have the real Kardashian present at such a proceeding, argued the museum's Klaus Biesenbach. "And it was really interesting to see how many people who just showed up for the party, not knowing exactly what it was for, could have been in the competition."
Later that night, Gareth Pugh headlined a dinner at Baoli-Vita, where there were pauses in the music (Madonna, Gloria Estefan) so that nude, body-painted waitresses could trot out sparkler bottles of Champagne. Host Byrdie Bell left early to nurse a case of food poisoning. (By this point in the week, Swinton was hardly the only ailing reveler making rounds.) Pugh, visiting the fair for the first time this year, offered his first impression: "It's kind of insane how everybody's here." And he wasn't just talking about fellow dinner guests Maryna Linchuk and Lily Donaldson, either. "We ran into my boyfriend's cousin, very oddly. Well, actually, it's not that odd," Pugh decided. "She works for Louis Vuitton."
Lanvin, too, has earned the right to pat itself on the back for an exploratory fusing of art and fashion—and that it did on Friday, with a soirée at the W's much-hyped new eatery The Dutch. For the second year running, the French house partnered with the Rubell Family Collection on a Basel opening; this year's edition was less about Alber Elbaz, who remained in Paris this time around, and more about U.S.-based artists—64 of them contributed works in all, in service of a show titled American Exuberance. "That word has to do with arrival, but I think it's kind of sad," philosophized mega-collector Mera Rubell over burrata crostini and Maine sea scallops. "The being-there can be a more dangerous place than the going-there"—food for thought for Basel participants as the fair and its various sideshows start to feel more established every year.
On the other side of the lobby, Mr. Chow was buzzing with the book party for Culo, photographer Raphael Mazzucco's ode to the female backside. With Andy Valmorbida and Sean Combs (billed as the tome's "executive editor") on the host committee, this particular booty call drew some A-list talent, including Naomi Campbell, Will Smith, and Damien Hirst.
Over at the Standard, Richard Phillips showed off his series of celebrity prints, Most Wanted, in conjunction with Details magazine and Cynthia Rowley and Bill Powers' Exhibition A. Supersized portraits of Leonardo DiCaprio, Kristen Stewart, and co. added an element of A-list glamour to the Miami festivities.
Saturday evening at the Mondrian, MoMA's PS1 toasted star twentysomething artists Ryan Trecartin and Lizzie Fitch and threw in a Kim Kardashian look-alike competition for good measure. "It's totally not necessary" to have the real Kardashian present at such a proceeding, argued the museum's Klaus Biesenbach. "And it was really interesting to see how many people who just showed up for the party, not knowing exactly what it was for, could have been in the competition."
Later that night, Gareth Pugh headlined a dinner at Baoli-Vita, where there were pauses in the music (Madonna, Gloria Estefan) so that nude, body-painted waitresses could trot out sparkler bottles of Champagne. Host Byrdie Bell left early to nurse a case of food poisoning. (By this point in the week, Swinton was hardly the only ailing reveler making rounds.) Pugh, visiting the fair for the first time this year, offered his first impression: "It's kind of insane how everybody's here." And he wasn't just talking about fellow dinner guests Maryna Linchuk and Lily Donaldson, either. "We ran into my boyfriend's cousin, very oddly. Well, actually, it's not that odd," Pugh decided. "She works for Louis Vuitton."
Gucci and Louis Vuitton flood Sydney with luxury koalas, crocks and kangas [women handbags]
Sydney's CBD has gone from a fairly mediocre thicket of small-sized luxury shops, fit only for cashed up tourists feeling done with Ken Done to a major, international standard luxury shopping destination in only a few short years.
The next phase in Sydney's posh shopping evolution is marked by the arrival of highly considered major international flagship stores, with design concepts and retail space offerings that are not only contemporary with, but in many cases ahead of, what you can find in Europe, Asia and America.
Rosewood, marble and plenty of warm, shiny surfaces are rolling out over two stories and 7,500 square feet at Westfield Sydney tomorrow, an exploration of a new design concept from Gucci. Straight from the mind of Frida Gianni, the opulent new flagship store contains Gucci's entire offering from silks to childrenswear, handbags, fragrances, and of course men's and women's ready to wear. Excitingly, an exclusive range of Australiana-meets-Italochic accessories, from koala, crocodile and kangaroo key chains (emblazoned with Gucci monogram) to relentlessly cheery bags marked with bold Australian flags will also be sold in the store. This Sydney collection was created by Frida Giannini as part of Gucci's charitable efforts, with all sale proceeds going to the Australian Childhood Foundation.
On Friday, Louis Vuitton have enlisted the help of Cate Blanchett to open the doors to the first Australian Louis Vuitton Maison, on George Street. Open to the public from December 3rd, the store will be the first in the region to offer a Made to Order shoe, and personalised handbag manufacturing - "Haute Maroquinerie" - services. More palace than pad, the Maison is astonishingly expansive (Marion Hume has written a gorgeous walk-through of the store for the Financial Review), and interestingly, will also feature some of the same motifs as Gucci's store. Louis Vuitton have commissioned British artist Billie Achilleos to construct three Australian sculptures from Louis Vuitton leather small goods, his subjects? You guessed it, a koala, a crocodile and a kangaroo.
The next phase in Sydney's posh shopping evolution is marked by the arrival of highly considered major international flagship stores, with design concepts and retail space offerings that are not only contemporary with, but in many cases ahead of, what you can find in Europe, Asia and America.
Rosewood, marble and plenty of warm, shiny surfaces are rolling out over two stories and 7,500 square feet at Westfield Sydney tomorrow, an exploration of a new design concept from Gucci. Straight from the mind of Frida Gianni, the opulent new flagship store contains Gucci's entire offering from silks to childrenswear, handbags, fragrances, and of course men's and women's ready to wear. Excitingly, an exclusive range of Australiana-meets-Italochic accessories, from koala, crocodile and kangaroo key chains (emblazoned with Gucci monogram) to relentlessly cheery bags marked with bold Australian flags will also be sold in the store. This Sydney collection was created by Frida Giannini as part of Gucci's charitable efforts, with all sale proceeds going to the Australian Childhood Foundation.
On Friday, Louis Vuitton have enlisted the help of Cate Blanchett to open the doors to the first Australian Louis Vuitton Maison, on George Street. Open to the public from December 3rd, the store will be the first in the region to offer a Made to Order shoe, and personalised handbag manufacturing - "Haute Maroquinerie" - services. More palace than pad, the Maison is astonishingly expansive (Marion Hume has written a gorgeous walk-through of the store for the Financial Review), and interestingly, will also feature some of the same motifs as Gucci's store. Louis Vuitton have commissioned British artist Billie Achilleos to construct three Australian sculptures from Louis Vuitton leather small goods, his subjects? You guessed it, a koala, a crocodile and a kangaroo.
Prada Confident for Year as Quarterly Profit Beats Estimates [women handbags]
Prada SpA reported third-quarter profit that beat some analysts’ estimates and said it’s confident of maintaining growth over the year as demand for its luxury shoes and apparel shows no sign of slowing.
Net income rose 75 percent to 93.6 million euros ($125 million) in the three months ended Oct. 31, compared with the year-earlier period, the Milan-based luxury-goods maker said today on its website. The average of two analysts’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg was for profit of 89.9 million euros. Revenue advanced 33 percent to 596.1 million euros.
Prada, which in June sold shares in Hong Kong’s biggest initial public offering this year, plans to open about 80 stores annually over three years as Asian shoppers splurge on leather handbags and other luxury items. The owner of the Prada, Miu Miu, Church’s and Car Shoe brands is confident of the Asian market, Deputy Chairman Carlo Mazzi said in September. Personal luxury-goods sales may rise 12 percent in the Asia-Pacific region in 2011, excluding currency swings, Bain & Co. estimates.
“We have no signs regarding any decrease in demand for our products,” Mazzi said today by phone. While it’s necessary to be prudent amid economic difficulties, “we are confident to maintain the same level for the full year,” he said.
Prada rose 3.1 percent to HK$35.45 at the 4 p.m. close of trading in Hong Kong today. The earnings were released after markets closed. The shares have fallen 10 percent since the June IPO, while LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA has declined 4.5 percent and Cie. Financiere Richemont SA has slid 11 percent.
Sales Growth
Prada follows rivals including LVMH and PPR SA in predicting sustained demand for luxury items amid Europe’s sovereign-debt crisis. Burberry Group Plc’s Chief Executive Officer Angela Ahrendts said this month the British company can weather any fallout by focusing on wealthy clients in cities such as New York and Hong Kong. Still, Tiffany & Co., the luxury jewelry retailer, said today that sales growth will slow to the “low-teens” in percentage terms in the fourth quarter.
Prada said the pattern of retail sales in November is in line with previous months. Retail sales climbed 39 percent in the quarter and 36 percent in the nine months through October, the 98-year-old company said. While Prada is ready to react to defend profitability, “we remain highly confident about the potential of the luxury market,” it said.
Third-quarter sales rose 50 percent in the Greater China region, including Hong Kong and Macau, and 45 percent in the Far East, Prada said. Europe and Italy, where sales grew 33 percent and 27 percent, respectively, are still performing “quite well,” Finance Director Donatello Galli said on a conference call. North American sales increased 24 percent.
Net income rose 75 percent to 93.6 million euros ($125 million) in the three months ended Oct. 31, compared with the year-earlier period, the Milan-based luxury-goods maker said today on its website. The average of two analysts’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg was for profit of 89.9 million euros. Revenue advanced 33 percent to 596.1 million euros.
Prada, which in June sold shares in Hong Kong’s biggest initial public offering this year, plans to open about 80 stores annually over three years as Asian shoppers splurge on leather handbags and other luxury items. The owner of the Prada, Miu Miu, Church’s and Car Shoe brands is confident of the Asian market, Deputy Chairman Carlo Mazzi said in September. Personal luxury-goods sales may rise 12 percent in the Asia-Pacific region in 2011, excluding currency swings, Bain & Co. estimates.
“We have no signs regarding any decrease in demand for our products,” Mazzi said today by phone. While it’s necessary to be prudent amid economic difficulties, “we are confident to maintain the same level for the full year,” he said.
Prada rose 3.1 percent to HK$35.45 at the 4 p.m. close of trading in Hong Kong today. The earnings were released after markets closed. The shares have fallen 10 percent since the June IPO, while LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA has declined 4.5 percent and Cie. Financiere Richemont SA has slid 11 percent.
Sales Growth
Prada follows rivals including LVMH and PPR SA in predicting sustained demand for luxury items amid Europe’s sovereign-debt crisis. Burberry Group Plc’s Chief Executive Officer Angela Ahrendts said this month the British company can weather any fallout by focusing on wealthy clients in cities such as New York and Hong Kong. Still, Tiffany & Co., the luxury jewelry retailer, said today that sales growth will slow to the “low-teens” in percentage terms in the fourth quarter.
Prada said the pattern of retail sales in November is in line with previous months. Retail sales climbed 39 percent in the quarter and 36 percent in the nine months through October, the 98-year-old company said. While Prada is ready to react to defend profitability, “we remain highly confident about the potential of the luxury market,” it said.
Third-quarter sales rose 50 percent in the Greater China region, including Hong Kong and Macau, and 45 percent in the Far East, Prada said. Europe and Italy, where sales grew 33 percent and 27 percent, respectively, are still performing “quite well,” Finance Director Donatello Galli said on a conference call. North American sales increased 24 percent.
Meet a master [women handbags]
It's a Monday morning, "catching-up day" at Occhicone Fine Leather Goods on Port Chester's North Main Street. Which is why the gold-handled front door stays locked as the village's downtown revs to life and a fretful female peers in and raps a distress signal on plate glass. Which is why a few women sneak in through the shop's back door to drop off shoes that can't wait another day for the healing hands of Occhicone.
It's family here, this business. They won't give you the boot even when they're closed.
At the front counter, Rosa and Anna Occhicone – mother and daughter – sort through and tag women's suede and leather boots. From a long Gucci box Rosa pulls a pair of sleekly stylish, calf-high brown boots. The sales slip reads "$1,295" – leather from a golden calf perhaps.
It's an alteration job for the Saks Fifth Avenue store up the road in Greenwich. "We have to make them an inch and a half bigger," Rosa says. Big bucks, big calves. Saks, Neiman Marcus, Michael Kors, they all send their high-end leather goods to this shop in Port Chester.
"They can run up to $10,000," Anna says. "It's crazy." Then there's the austerity-budget pair from TJ Maxx she lifts from the counter. They fix all kinds at Occhicone Fine Leather Goods.
Giuseppe Occhicone, the shop's 81-year-old master, emerges through a curtain from a crammed workroom where a dozen well-trained employees catch up on orders at sewing machines and work benches. He calls himself "leather crafter and cobbler." Giuseppe – after half a century in America, some call him "Joe''– turns well-tanned alligator hides and ostrich skins into handbags for which customers will pay a few or several thousand dollars. They pay handsomely too to walk in his shoes. You want a nice belt to hold up those Armani slacks, he'll make it for you.
"When I was 14, I made my first pair of custom shoes," he says. That was for a lady in Andretta, the village in Italy where Giuseppe was a fifth-generation cobbler in his family. "I learned the trade from my father and my father learned the trade from his father."
At 17, he left his defeated and war-ravaged country for Venezuela. He found a job in a shoe factory and studied accounting at night school, then balanced the company books with his handed-down leather trade. In 1960, he arrived in New York City.
It's family here, this business. They won't give you the boot even when they're closed.
At the front counter, Rosa and Anna Occhicone – mother and daughter – sort through and tag women's suede and leather boots. From a long Gucci box Rosa pulls a pair of sleekly stylish, calf-high brown boots. The sales slip reads "$1,295" – leather from a golden calf perhaps.
It's an alteration job for the Saks Fifth Avenue store up the road in Greenwich. "We have to make them an inch and a half bigger," Rosa says. Big bucks, big calves. Saks, Neiman Marcus, Michael Kors, they all send their high-end leather goods to this shop in Port Chester.
"They can run up to $10,000," Anna says. "It's crazy." Then there's the austerity-budget pair from TJ Maxx she lifts from the counter. They fix all kinds at Occhicone Fine Leather Goods.
Giuseppe Occhicone, the shop's 81-year-old master, emerges through a curtain from a crammed workroom where a dozen well-trained employees catch up on orders at sewing machines and work benches. He calls himself "leather crafter and cobbler." Giuseppe – after half a century in America, some call him "Joe''– turns well-tanned alligator hides and ostrich skins into handbags for which customers will pay a few or several thousand dollars. They pay handsomely too to walk in his shoes. You want a nice belt to hold up those Armani slacks, he'll make it for you.
"When I was 14, I made my first pair of custom shoes," he says. That was for a lady in Andretta, the village in Italy where Giuseppe was a fifth-generation cobbler in his family. "I learned the trade from my father and my father learned the trade from his father."
At 17, he left his defeated and war-ravaged country for Venezuela. He found a job in a shoe factory and studied accounting at night school, then balanced the company books with his handed-down leather trade. In 1960, he arrived in New York City.
Putney fairy godmother is closing in on her 1m charity donation target [women handbags]
A Putney fairy godmother is closing in on her 1m target to donate to charity.
Charlotte Grobien, 59, has already donated 825,000 to charity after building three houses from scratch and renting out two apartments in Roehampton..
The philanthropist raises money by building, developing and selling houses then donating 100 percent of the profits to charity.
She is currently developing three cottages in Woking, Surrey which will go on sale in January - with hopes to sell them for 340,000 each.
Mrs Grobien said: "I enjoy the outcome of going along to the charity and handing the cheque. I want my heart to beat when I write the cheque.
"The feel good factor is immense, and the knowledge that one is able to positively affect the lives of those who are in need is humbling.
"I might be a "handbag developer", but the profits I generate will never go towards this season's Louis Vuitton."
Mrs Grobien said she sees everything from start to finish, whilst maintaining relationships with the charities.
She was first given the idea to set up Give it Away after she added an extra floor to her home in Putney, and watching property development programmes on television.
Work began in 2003 when she bought three plots of land for more than 1m, which was largely borrowed from the bank.
Over 14 south London charities have received money, including disabled children's charity Small Steps based in Putney and the Polka Theatre in Wimbledon
ouis Vuitton Circus Window Display 2011 [women handbags]
"Louis Vuitton is very familiar with this magical universe. The inventiveness of the Maison's founders and the skill of its craftsmen were so well known in the circus world that it would appear that Houdini, the famous conjurer who defied every security mechanism in the late 19th century, even decided against confronting the – said to be impregnable – locks on Louis Vuitton trunks. Documents of the time show that the mime artist Kita always had his customised trunk to hand,even on stage."
The windows launching this Friday, November 18th, feature a mannequin walking a tight rope, and a painted elephant balancing on a ball swings to showcase the bag. It's very cute so I urge you to go visit your boutique. Lovee it!!!!
The windows launching this Friday, November 18th, feature a mannequin walking a tight rope, and a painted elephant balancing on a ball swings to showcase the bag. It's very cute so I urge you to go visit your boutique. Lovee it!!!!
