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

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.

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

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.

Have you every wondered how to get that cool, sexy or rather classic Parisian look? Well, you’re in luck because long time model and ex-Chanel muse Ines de la Fressange break its down in a cheeky little red book with sketches and streetsyle photos of her and her daughter Nine, wearing some signature Parisian Looks.

I believe ( and so does Ines) that every woman should a wardrobe on certain key pieces ( 7 for her) and the rest is a matter of accessories; shoes, bags, jewelry etc.

Think about it, you can wear one black dress many ways depending on the belt, shoes and bags that you chose to go with it.

You can check out a little video with her voice over, running on Amazon here.

You can also buy the book: Parisian Chic: A Style Guide by Ines de la Fressange
on Amazon.

If you buy it let me know what you think?

This week it was announced that Cédric Charlier will move on to other (perhaps greener) pastures after his six seasons as the Head Designer at Cacharel.  It is reported by WWD that the Belgian born designer will leave at the end of his contract on October 7th 2011.  He was the one that re-launched the brand in 2009 after its 20-year absence from the fashion scene (which in fashion is an eternity!).

Cédric Charlier gave us his rendition of the Cacharel woman; young, feminine, colorful and a bit sweet, as displayed in his Spring Summer 2011 collection that had bright neons in full head to toe glory. The signature “floral” (after all this is the same brand that gave our mothers those soft floral Anais Anais Ads back in the day) came back center stage for the Fall 2011/2012 collection that showed a creative mixture of brocade and colors a la Marie Antoinette.

Kudos to Cédric Charlier for resurrecting a beloved brand from the past.

It’s because of him that many buyers and editors pack the Carousel du Louvre to see the show each season in Paris.

My only question is was who’s coming on board and should this be taken as a cautionary measure from the brand not to go back to being not just another “vintage” brand like Christian Lacroix?

Find Cacharel on Facebook

Here are some of my best looks from the Haider Ackermann Fall 2010 and Fall 2011 collections. Both of which shows a consistently in his theme of deconstructed yet tailored work. A look that can only be pulled off by a confident woman, one who knows her personal style is one part subtle and one part sharp.

The femininity of flowy fabrics and the masculinity of the structured blazers plays on this; you have to be a woman who knows that their is a sweet yet powerful side to her sensuality.  The Haider Ackermann woman is a BOSS.

Have you guys seen the new fashion ads from Celine and The Limited?

What do they both have in common?

It’s very unlikely that any of these two things should coincide – but the guys at The Limited and Celine seem to think that certain athletic sports like Surfing and Skateboarding goes with their type of woman.

Like the one who catches a cab in the middle on New York with a sleek hairstyle, sexy bustier dress and a surfboard under arms.

Or perhaps, like the Celine woman who knows how to carry a oversized carry-all under a skateboard – now shouldn’t that be a sport in itself?

I think someone was having a lot of fun in both marketing departments thinking up these ads.  The 21st century woman can do and have it all, can’t we? Guess, like the The Limited  ad states they wanted to see “How far can you they go?”

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Not many males models can grab the attention of the fashion world the way that  BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA born Andrej has done in the past week at Fashion weeks in London and Paris.

Leave it to Hilary to dive into the matters many people are so blasé about ( previous topics included diversity on the catwalks, weight concerns etc)- like this “gorgeous gender-bender with great bone structure”.

He says he’d get a sex change for Victoria’s Secret.