fashion news

If you’re trying to find some background information on the history of the french fashion brand Carven, that may be a bit hard to come by. The brand has a rich history, that was started in the 1940s by Madame Carven as a novice to the world of Haute Couture.  At the time she challenged the industry in her democratic outlook on fashion, making affordable luxuries for the masses. She had even served as a member of the very prestigious Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in Paris in 1945.

Like many brands of that era, only few survived without interruption to this day. They’ve became more known for their perfume “Ma Griffe” and for working with airline companies to make their uniforms in the 1970s (Air France).

Following in the footsteps of brands like Chacharel, Carven has made a triumphant fashion come back since 2009 headed by (ex- Givency Paul Ka), Guillaume Henry at its helm.

I for one, am very excited with what Guillaume has done so far and hunger to see what he has in store for the seasons to come! He seems very much in touch with todays women, what we like and also the realities of our financial expectations.

Look at what he had to say to Vogue UK about the line “I wanted to create a look that was less evening, less cocktail, more girl next door; that’s the girl I know,” … ”Some designers create and imagine a woman, a customer, and that’s great – but it’s not for me. I design for the owner’s wife, my mother, my friends; someone going to work, with children, going out at night – women I know.”

Making clothes that’s accessible with a touch of luxury is definitely up my alley, and I’m sure you’ll

love it too.

Paris Store Address:
Boutique Carven
34 rue Saint Sulpice
Paris, France
Tel: +33 (0)1 43 54 78 72

As a marketing professional  working in the e-commerce industry and someone who’s passionate about fashion, I get giddy when these two worlds collide!  Like in the case of the new Miu Miu online store.

I took the liberty of being nosey and poked around a bit. Here are some of my overall thoughts on the new online shopping experience from Miu Miu.

• Very clean multi-country website
• Rich editorial/ descriptive content
• Separate Category “Fashion Show Selection” seems to be a curated list of “favorites” and “must-haves” – great idea!
• Good use of maximizing space on every page – From the introductory page all the way to  the checkout page
• Clear and zoomable product photos
• Clothes shown both ON and Off models – ie both as bare “product” type shots and as more “body” type shots
• Visibility of number of items in shopping bag, at all times via icon in top right hand corner
• Use of the standard Filter options like “Material” “Size” and “Color” – Except , no use of filter for “Price” (perhaps because when you buy Miu Miu your expected not to care about the price? after all it is a luxury brand.)
• Website only available in English and Italian - Despite the fact that you’ve already selected your country in advance. For example if you say you’re in France, French is not given as a language option.
• Lacking in Social shopping experience – no “share” or “like” buttons were to be found anywhere!

OVERALL -
A good straight to the point website that maintains the “luxury” of the Miu Miu brand that integrates “some” of the best online practices. But fails to take into consideration the global scope of the consumer market ( non English and Italian speaking consumers) as well as there was a major lacking in the integration of Social Media tools.
Could increase language choice. Every product could have a name ( all skirts are not made equal! Would be nice to see some imagination like they do for the lookbooks.)
Must add social media buttons.

ALSO – I actually tried to purchase two items and it wouldnt allow me ( as of Sat April 9th) , so they might want to look into that.

Hope that this was an insightful look at the new e-shop by Miu Miu from an insiders perspective. Let me know your thoughts.

xoxo

Here is a preview of the new Yves Saint Laurent documentary. L’amour Fou. Pierre Berge talks about his life with Yves Saint Laurent, their love and their art.

Jessica Simpson is one blond that will be laughing all the way to the bank. WWD reports that as of 2012 the Jessica Simpson brand is expected to hit $1 billion in retail sales!

Make all the dumb blond jokes you want, but don’t expect them to slow down this miniature powerhouse.

When Jessica Simpson came into our homes via her Reality TV show “Newlyweds” with then husband Nick Lachey, many people were hooked not because they thought the show was good, but because they were entertained to see what “dumb” things Jessica would say that would have Nick rolling his eyes; like the time she thought “Chicken of the Sea” tuna was actually chicken.

Since then, the TV series has come to an end, there has been a divorce and many rumors surronding her personal love life with stars like John Mayer.

However, popularity has its rewards.  When the Camuto group ( company behind Nine West and Vince Camuto) approached Jessica Simpson about a shoe line she reveals “I jumped right on board,”… “Vince Camuto is definitely a role model to me when it comes to making shoes. He just believed in me from ‘Newlyweds’ [her former MTV reality show that ran from August 2003 through March 2005]. He just thought I could relate to the everyday consumer, and that I had it in me to design and wear the product.”

Since then her name has skyrocketed to include 22 licensing agreements for junior sportswear, dresses, handbags, fashion jewelry, intimate apparel and fragrances.

Simply put , because of her music and her reality TV show she was “well enough” known for the company to attach a brand that consumers would find familiar to relate.

Behind every powerful young star is an even more powerful mother: There is a Tina behind Beyonce and there is a Tina behind Jessica. She shares the present duties with her mom Tina who handles all the monthly business trips to New York to meet people and see the licensed products.

Shop online www.jessicasimpsoncollection.com

jessica simpson

jessica simpson

Talk about scandals of 2011 and this will no doubt will be on the list next to that of John Galliano and Christian Dior.

Who owns the red shoe sole?

Can you tell the difference?

The famous French footwear designer Christian Louboutin has entered into a litigation war with iconic french couture house Yves Saint Laurent, for what it claims to be infringement on the use of their ”red sole” design on shoes.

According to business week “Louboutin, based in Paris, said Yves Saint Laurent is selling shoes with red soles that are “virtually identical” to its own, according to a suit filed today in federal court in Manhattan. It seeks a court injunction against the sale of the shoes and damages of at least $1 million.”

So far Yves Saint Laurent , the company that is now owned by Paris-based PPR,  has no comments. Let’s see what evolves as the weeks progress.

Yves Saint Laurent passed away in 2008.