Dolce & Gabbana revamps Milano Shop

Arsene Wargas
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Reading Time: 2 minutes

Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana have revamped their men’s boutique here — and it’s all male. “The store now has a younger, more contemporary vibe,” said Dolce during a walkthrough of the store on Corso Venezia. “Products are more accessible, you can see and touch them more easily.”
Merchandise is visible even when stored away in drawers, enclosed by glass panels. “The store celebrates the rite of shopping for pleasure,” said Gabbana. To further endorse such enjoyment, the designers redid the store’s layout, separating each category and even expanding the changing room areas to allow customers to sit on burgundy, oversize velvet poufs and discuss the looks. “It allows for almost a locker-room mood,” said Gabbana.

One prominent additional area is the “black tie” room, equivalent to the vanity room in the women’s boutique a
few steps away. Rendered more private by velvet-padded walls, the area displays sharp tuxedoes and suits, but also underwear and silk robes. Men’s wear today accounts for 50 percent of Dolce & Gabbana’s $1.7 billion business and the designers plan to model other men’s stores globally after this concept. The 10,800-square-foot, three-story store, which originally opened in 2003, is also meant to help expand the designers’ customer base and to allow shoppers to browse. “A kid who wants to try a pair of jeans may not feel at ease surrounded by tuxedoes, and he need not even walk through the formal area,” said Dolce. A wide-ranging selection of accessories is clearly separated and easily accessible. Elements that stand out among the expansive black Murano chandeliers, stuccoed vaulted ceilings and polished wood parquet floors include lacquered displays and sleek walnut shelves. “I like the shinier look, it’s more luxurious,” said Dolce. There are also touches of Art Deco, with three-way mirrors and headless mannequins in full-length wood and glass cases.
“We want to create interest for every area,” said Dolce, who also underscored the importance of first-class service. “There is a warmer and more contemporary mood, but sophisticated at the same time.”

LA

P&G….. GUCCI, a happy union…

José Amorim
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Last thursday, Giant Procter & Gamble announced the renewal of their current licensing agreement for the worldwide production, sale and distribution of fine fragrances under the Gucci brand.  Yes, behind the scenes of the Gucci beauty brand sits the giant of Marketing: P&G. In deed the international group bought Gucci beauty brand in June 2006 under a license contract. P&G that already possessed Hugo Boss, Lacoste and Jean Patou, added in 2006 Gucci, Valentino (sold after a couple of trials), Dolce & Gabbana…. The group becomes one of the biggest competitor for L’Oréal and LVMH.

Since June 2006, P&G announced their extreme satisfaction on the Gucci Business. Mr Luigi Feola, current CEO of P&G Prestige, declared to WWD that they have tripled Gucci beauty turnover. Experts say the total Gucci beauty business might be around 500 to 600 million $ in the retail sales worldwide. The new agreement relates to fragrance development and distribution but also Make up and skin care. Is P&G thinking about a luxury skincare line by Gucci? Wait and see.  LA

Karsten Födinger at Palais de Tokyo in Paris.

Arsene Wargas
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Which Artist could fit perfectly to the post-industrial interior landscape of Palais de Tokyo, the french/parisian museum for Contemporary Art ? Well, a few names comes up but definitely KArsten Födinger gets the prize!

The German artists sculpts, screws, glues, fixes, straps, wraps all different materials on his master pieces. Shards ofplaster, pieces of concrete left behind on the floor – the discretion of the partsreflects a subtle analysis of space while giving it an unusual character, as unfinished. The artist does not only in the interiors: the structures of entire buildings  are wellthought  through   monumental buildings, which are in tension form. By his choice of clean lines and simple, Karsten Födinger is challenging from bothforms of modernism as an aesthetic construction or public works. His mastery of thematerials on both small and large scale reflects the maturity of this young German artist never exhibited in France. Once again, Palais de Tokyo brings a great artist to a democratic level, so any one can have the experience of being in front of one of Födinger installations.

If you visit the exhibition, you will see some of Födinger master pieces like the ones here:

Where: Palais de Tokyo, Paris-France
When: from February 18th to March 27th

LA

MRPORTER.COM, finally Men have their fashion online temple!

Arsene Wargas
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9
Reading Time: 2 minutes


Hi, we all know the successful eshop NETAPORTER.COM. It is one of the fashion online temples for women. Created by Nathalie Massennet in 2,000, this website brought fashion into the e-commerce business. With more than 18,000 visitors a day and 140 million sales, we understand why the Richemont group decided to buy the website. It seems they paid around 360 million dollars, which show how confident they are on the future of online luxury business. All experts say the luxury e-business should grow by 20% this year.

In the meantime, Nathalie Massennet is launching the masculine version of her female website. In deed, not only women have the right to shop online but also men. The website is called MRPORTER.COM and from what was announced in the press, it will contain at least 60 brands, among them Lanvin, YSL, Burberry and Ralph Lauren.
They started a buzz campaign in which people are invited to become a “Founder member”. You only need to subscribe online to the website. I did it so now I am officially a founder member of MRPORTER.COM. The only uncool thing is that they oblige you to send a message to a friend in order to validate the registration. I find this a little pushy as I was not so happy to do that by obligation. But anyway, let’s hope that the masculine version will have the kind of the IT-Items that  the feminine version integrates on its success.

If you love to shop online, or at least you would like to, check the following links I provide here below:

TOPMAN.COM
So british and so edgy. Afordable yet stylish close in a british style. When Regent street and H&M meet.

SHIRTSMYWAY.COM
The coolest site to design your shirts. A must on todays men’s elegance. Nothing more horrible than a bad shirt fit. Enjoy.

THECORNER.COM
A highend fashion choices. Neil Barret, Marc Jacobs, MArtin Margiela… so a sophisticated eshop with sophisticated brands for sophisticated people 🙂

NERDBOYFRIEND.COM
A very interesting website that proposes some different looks (in situation) and the different clothes + where to buy them. The discovery process is original and the brands too.

Thats all for now. Do not hesitate to place a comment in this post with your preferred online shop.
Cheers,

LA

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Four Seasons Bora Bora – Pure Luxury

Arsene Wargas
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2
Reading Time: 2 minutes

In this cold winter times, we all dream to escape to warmer horizons. Here is my dream: The Four Season Bora Bora. This name is in all heads when we look for exotism and travel. But do you know where is Bora Bora?
borabora

Settled by Polynesians around AD 900, French Polynesia was discovered by Europeans in the 16th century. For centuries, the French and English vied for the possession of Tahiti and its archipelago. A French colony since 1884, Bora Bora became an overseas territory in 1946. Its unequalled beauty has drawn artists and writers – perhaps most famously, author James A. Michener declared it the most beautiful island in the world. Today, most of Bora Bora’s 4,650 inhabitants live on a thin, flat coastal strip, many around the small port of Vaitape.

On a private motu, Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora offers a South Seas escape in a lush world of unsurpassed tropical beauty.

The Resort offers 121 spacious hideaways nestling around Bora Bora lagoon and its outer beaches. The 100 over-water bungalows perch on stilts above the turquoise lagoon. On the shore, seven beachfront villas nestle along a stretch of private beach. All overlook the pristine waters and views of spectacular Mount Otemanu.

Guest accommodations offer a restful, airy ambience inspired by local architecture – with traditional teak wood furnishings, high ceilings and roofs thatched with pandanus leaves. To accentuate the feel of Polynesia, special touches include striking works of art, private pools and deep bathtubs beside doors that slide open to reveal panoramic fresh-air views of the lagoon.

If you want to taste paradize, just connect to www.fourseasons.com/borabora. Prices are from 650 to 1000$ per night, depending on the package and the stay chosen.
LA

Lady Gaga for Polaroid… incredible!

LuxuryActivist
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Lady Gaga is everywhere. The question is where is she not? Here is a video where Lady Gaga is presenting the new Polaroid products at Las Vegas CES.

It is amazing how pro she is. Have a look, we could say she has been working for Polaroid for the past 10 years. A part from that, she presents the first Sunglasses by Polaroid with a camera inside. This object was inspired by Lady Gaga Video glasses. The second object is a less cool one, it is a portable printer… the more commercial part.
Just check and see the amazing world where we live…
LA

Victorinox Slim – A “cutting-edge” elegance.

Arsene Wargas
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Reading Time: 2 minutes

I will not add a new article about the Las Vegas CES 2011 show. But we can say that this year all records were broken. The Las Vegas show in figures:

  • 30,000 attendees
  • 2,700 hightech companies exposed
  • 80 different delegations
  • 22 top CEO participating in keynotes.
  • 250 sessions with 900 speakers

This just sound amazing. I could choose to talk about the 80 new tablets launch (and I am not talking about the iPAd2) but I prefer to talk about a small, I should say Slim beautiful pieces of luxury technology. These little wonders are called the Victorinox Victorinox_Slim_with_BladesSlim and the Victorinox Slim Duo. The maker of the original Swiss Army knife place himself as the Prince of Multi-functionality. It is amazing to see what you can have out of a Swiss Army Knife! We are far away from camping or hunting. Here Victorinox is opening the path of a new type of product, both elegant and useful. Most of the time, either we have a great USB drive with great technology and reliability but it is ugly or we can have beautiful Swarovski USB keys but the technology behind is out-dated. Here Victorinox presents what we could call Practical luxury.

The Slim and Slim Duo is a beautiful USB Drive built in a Swiss Army Knife shelf. They are waterproof, shock resistant and available in a range of colors including red, blue, orange, pink, green and silver. The memory capacity is up to 64GB for the Victorinox Slim and 128GB for the Victorinox Slim Duo. Note some interesting additional features:

  • Automatic Back-up Function
  • Zero-Footprint capability to ensure anonymity while web surfing
  • Bookmarks and Favorites Manager
  • Synchronize your documents and folders between more than one computer
  • Synchronize Office Outlook or Outlook Express files
  • Password Manager

Victorinox-Slimvictorinox_slim

 

The slim metal-dressed usb drive reveals an exquisite elegance. Who said technology goes with lack of taste?

Totally Geek or Design freak?

This tool is essential in todays world. The Victorinox Slim and Slim Duo are simply a piece of great technology with a cutting-edge design. Available in April 2011.

I want one!
LA

http://www.victorinox.com

Guerlain – Shalimar Parfum Initial

José Amorim
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15
Reading Time: 2 minutes


After the success of Chanel n°5 and its Eau Première, Guerlain is launching Shalimar Parfum Initial.
The Fragrance was composed by Thierry Le Vasseur the In-house perfumer.
All these first “chapters” give us a feeling of purity, of back to the Origins, to the truth, to the pure creation. There is something of divinity in this Fragrances, like revealing the true inspiration of this incredible creations. We hope by these means to get some revelation, to understand part of the Artist true idea… like a mystery revealed. So each time a brand reveals “chapter one” we can only feel excited about it. When Chanel N°5 launched Eau Première, we discovered a true creation, like a ray of light in the true heart of the historical creation. Chanel N°5 was in 1921, and here Shalimar evoques 1925. It is an invitation to explore eastern fantasies, orientalism, the richness of Arts and the incredible signature of a legendary scent… Shalimar.
From the perfumer work, we can see an enlightenment of things. Fresher, brighter and yet sensual. Let’s hope it is not just a marketing tactic but more an artistic testimonial. The Print ad shows Natalia Vodianova totally naked, between the sacred and the pagan,
sensuality or virginity, power or devotion…. the Shalimar mystery still remains for the beauty of our senses…
IT will be launched in Europe this spring.
LA

Dior Resort collection 2011

Arsene Wargas
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Reading Time: < 1

This year the Resort Collections are under the glamourous inspiration of the 60’s.

Chanel, Dior… they all decided to get some glamour under the sun. I specially liked the Dior Cruise collection. by looking to the silhouettes, I had the feeling of sunshine. This 60’s touch was a delightful idea that would take us out of the cold winter. I could imagine Brigitte Bardot walking around in Buzios, Saint Tropez or Punta del Este…

Amy Winehouse or Duffy could just arrive and start singing…

If the Show started with a glamourous chic “Nouvelle vague” touch, we can see that Mr Galliano ended with his unforgettable signature on beautiful and majestic party and cocktail dresses. A summer fantasy.
LA

Thierry Mugler Men, The Anatomy of change

Arsene Wargas
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5
Reading Time: 2 minutes

The big question on everybody’s mind going into the Thierry Mugler menswear show on the opening night of Paris Fashion Week was whether Lady Gaga would be present, because it was the debut collection for the new creative director, Nicola Formichetti, who has helped shape some of the entertainer’s more distinctive looks.

Unless she was well disguised, she wasn’t evident in the front of the house — but she was definitely heard. Listed in the show notes as “the musical director of this menswear project,” she created the soundtrack that played during the show.

But the possibility of such an A-level celebrity sighting was enough to pack the house (well, a concrete-floored automotive garage in Paris’ 3rd Arrondissement, actually) with a standing-room only crowd, which witnessed the rebirth of the label.

Rebirth because in addition to new creative blood at the helm, there’s been a name change. From now on, the clothing collections will be known simply as “Mugler” and be accompanied by a new logo, both signifying, according to the notes, “a new chapter in the history of the brand.” (It should be noted that  one thing has not changed — the Mugler menswear design director with whom Formichetti collaborated on the collection remains Romain Kremer.) Source: LATimes

Here is my preferred look. I just loved it!!!

Though Formichetti may be best known as the man behind Lady Gaga’s show-stopping style, Nicola Formichetti will make his debut as Thierry Mugler’s new creative director on January 19 at the Paris men’s shows. And like most designers, he’s found himself a muse. Meet Rick Genest, a twenty-something model known more for his skeletal body art than his portfolio. He also goes by the name Zombie Boy.The main model is an extreme tattooed artist-performer. His name is Rick “Rico” Genest and he has a facebook fan page. Dark Angel or Gentle Devil? LA

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