Tag: womenswear

• The New Influencers: How Luxury Brands are Targeting Millennials

  In today’s internet-age, luxury brand’s most effective way to target millennials is through the certified use of ‘influencers’; these are young, like-minded individuals who have reached levels of fame through the use of social media. Gone are the days of becoming rich or famous through reality TV and leaked porn tapes – today’s influencers thankfully have some integrity. They are the social media stars, the taste-makers, the judge and the jury of what is hot right now.

  Brands now recognize the arrival of the “era of millennials,” who not only are about to become the largest spending generation in history but also confidently re-define the vision of luxury. With 47% of this group making their purchase decisions under the influence of social media, luxury brands have had no other choice but to rise to the challenge.  

  Research from Digital Luxury Group shows 40% of Google results for branded and technical watch brand terms are from blogs and forums. Chiara Ferragani from The Blonde Salad, Kristina Bazan of Kayture, Aimee Song from Song of Style, Leandra Medine of The Man Repeller, and many more have already collaborated with luxury brands in impactful ways.

  

  After ignoring digital for years, Rolex first graced Instagram at the end of 2015 by tapping into the pool of connections of its celebrity portfolio (Roger Federer alone boasting 2.3 million followers) and promptly overtook the competition in just weeks after the first post.

  Tiffany & Co. also generated great organic reach via its aspirational demographics by featuring a constellation of celebrity faces in #LegendaryStyle and #LoveNotLike campaigns.

  

  While hot off the press this week is Dolce & Gabbana’s Spring/Summer 2017 campaign which stars a cast of fresh-faced millennial influencers; featuring Cameron Dallas – a Vine star, Presley Gerber – son of supermodel Cindy Crawford, Gabriel Kane Day-Lewis – son of Daniel Day Lewis, Luka Sabbat – style influencer, Brandon Thomas Lee – son of Pamela Anderson & Tommy Lee, Rafferty Law – son of Sadie Frost & Jude Law, Zendaya Coleman actress & singer, Sonia Ben Ammar – model girlfriend of Brooklyn Beckham, and Thylane Blondeau model, who all together, accumulate more than 50 million social media followers.

• FAST FASHION: HOW LUXURY E-TAILERS ARE KEEPING UP WITH ONLINE DEMAND

  Online sales are set to triple in the next decade (McKinsey & Co). By 2025, the online share of total luxury sales is predicted to be 18%, and a whopping £70 billion annually. As a result, luxury e-tailers are still finding their feet when it comes to meeting high consumer demand, especially during the busy festive season.

  Announced on Monday, Matchesfashion.com has introduced a new delivery service that allows customers across London to receive their purchase only 90-minutes after they have placed an order. Chief executive Ulric Jerome told the Evening Standard: “This new service means a City worker who has just pulled an all-nighter can order a fresh set of clothes for that important first meeting of the day, or a last-minute invitation in the evening with nothing to wear won’t be a problem anymore.” The service is already available on the site with a £12 charge, adding one more option to the retailer’s available delivery services that also include Next Day and Express delivery. Customers who wish to purchase using 90-minute delivery have to place their orders from 6.30am to 10pm.

  The service is already available on the site with a £12 charge, adding one more option to the retailer’s available delivery services that also include Next Day and Express delivery. Customers who wish to purchase using 90-minute delivery have to place their orders from 6.30am to 10pm.

  In collaboration with leading same day courier CitySprint, the couriers will pick up the products from Matchesfashion.com’s Wembley distribution centre and deliver them to customers.

  Major mass-market names, including Amazon and Walmart, have been investing heavily in research into done-based delivery but it is unclear how such a service would sit with a luxury offer and how amenable public opinion would be to the prospect of a massive number of drones occupying urban airspace.

  

  Meanwhile Net-a- Porter currently runs their own branded fleet of vans and offers same-day shipping in three cities, Everlane ups the ante with one-hour shipping.

  ContactLab CEO Massimo Fubini said: “There is definitely work to be done in the luxury sector. Consumers pay a lot of money for products from these luxury brands and they expect the whole experience to have that luxury feeling, from the moment they order the item to the moment it arrives at their door. Brands must go that bit further at every single stage of the consumer journey, but very few are fulfilling their full potential.

  “Many brands are missing the little touches which make all the difference, such as covering the product in standard parcel paper rather than delivering it in a more luxurious manner. Some brands, such as Fendi, Cartier, Tod’s and Net-a-Porter do show best practice when it comes to packaging and focus on maintaining that feeling of luxury throughout the whole consumer journey.”

• SYBARITE SELECTIONS: VELVET AW16 TREND

  Trending from the autumn/winter ’16 catwalks to appearances in must-see shows such as ‘The Crown’, take in this season’s most sumptuous and regal fabric of choice through our top picks below…

  Aquazurra Velvet Boots
  Following in the footsteps of Taylor Swift, Rihanna and Kendall Jenner, Sybarites should try on these thigh-high velvet beauties for size. Straight off the Aquazurra Autumn/Winter ’16 catwalk, the crimson design is crafted entirely from soft stretch-velvet for a truly luxe look. Use them to add a sharp burst of colour to a chic monochrome look.

  

  Ralph Lauren Ruffled Dress
  Add some drama this party season with this mini dress from Ralph Lauren, featuring a black velvet body with asymmetric ruffled sleeves. Pair with minimal stilettos and elegant poise.

  Alberta Ferretti Robe Jacket
  Crafted from the softest velvet, this terracotta pink Alberta Ferretti velvet robe jacket will instantly make you feel like royalty. Detailings include with long sleeves, two front external pockets, yellow contrasting piping and classic lapels.

  Dolce & Gabbana Vanity Bag
  This gorgeous bag takes its design cues from the glamorous styles of days gone by. The structured shape is covered in sumptuous velvet, and decorated with gleaming gold-tone hardware. Carry it against sleek monochrome looks come evening.

  Alexander McQueen Velvet Slippers
  For the every-day, you can rely on Alexander McQueen. These velvet slippers are embellished with crystal star, moon and butterfly motifs, inspired by the AW ’16 collection’s ‘Obsession’ theme – the idea of collecting trinkets and charms in a dreamlike state. Masterfully made in Italy, this pair is pristinely finished with grosgrain piping and a quilted satin insole.

  

  Originally appeared on The Sybarite: http://www.experienceluxury.co

• SS17 TRENDS FROM PARIS, MILAN, NYC & LONDON

  From the unsure shores of post-brexit Britain to the ruffled feathers (and tulle) of a heated political debate across the pond, next season’s collections offered a provocative reply to what is going on in today’s cultural climate.

  

  Bra-vo

  Riding on the hemtails of underwear as outerwear, the bra takes centre stage in this seasons provocative collections; Miucca Prada took on a fun and plenty of frills take with her beachy collection at Miu Miu, in the form of ruched Fifties bikini tops worn over utilitarian dresses. Alexander Wang flirted with wraparound bralettes while Victoria Beckham’s crushed satin mini bustiers looked chic paired with a matching suit trouser.

  

  Think Pink

  But not as you know it. This seasons rosey-hue takes on a brighter, fuchsia tone; an in-your-face, almost punk saccharine if you will. “Colour is always important for me – used almost like a pigment,” says the Hermes designer,Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski. “I would love to think about the purest form of colours. You really think about which fabric or material you are going to use, sometimes it’s very instinctive.” An exciting move forward from Hermes with their new out and loud attitude to the pink shade. Meanwhile Valentino’s fuchsia cape/dress hybrid won the audience over and Balenciaga took to using spandex in bold colours.

  

  Ballerina-esque

  Tulle ruled the catwalks for this season, from Dior’s feminist yet feminine show, a debut from Maria Grazia Chiuri; long tulle skirts were paired with statement tee’s, proving that once more, girls rule the world. Molly Goddard’s love for tulle knows no bounds, and for spring/summer she made it fit for raving in, creating a swathe of neon tulle in crinoline skirts paired with graphic tees, whilst Alessandro Dell’Aqcua ran with it assiduously at Rochas, too. Veiled over Devoré velvet patterned dresses in a dual-colour layered effect, the result was a pretty one.

  

  Ruffles

  Here, there, everywhere. Holding onto the very romanticised looks of the season, ruffles were seen all over the major cities; in London, Sarah Burton sent down black leather ruffles for Alexander McQueen, embroidered and printed. In Paris, Jacquemes placed ruffles in southern France, where Victoriana undertones matched the white ruffle overdose, and in New York, both Dries Van Noten and Philip Lim 3.1 were floral, flowing and flirtatious.

• DEATH OF THE LOGO

  The logo to be spotted with this season is no logo at all.

  Forget labels. The fashion mantra for autumn/winter 2016 seems to be if you’ve got it – don’t flaunt it.

  For while designer logos were popular in the eighties, nineties and noughties – when celebs and civilians alike used them as a way of showing off their status and wealth – fast forward to today and every self-respecting Sybarite knows that true luxury doesn’t need to shout about its status.

  We’re still purchasing luxury brands – take a bow Louis Vuitton, Bottega Veneta, Burberry, Hermes et al – but whereas once we would have splashed the cash on monogrammed belts and bags, now we’re purchasing clothes and accessories by the aforementioned labels, sans logos.

  

  So why are are we all showing off by, erm, not showing off? The answer, I think, is two-fold.

  Our desire for discreet branding is one way to distance ourselves from tacky reality TV stars, with whom we don’t want to be aligned – say hello to Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian, both of whom shot to fame (and fortune) on the back of leaked ‘home’ video tapes and thus have the cash, if not the class, to kit themselves out in high end labels. Ditto WAGs and Russian oligarchs…

  It’s also because in this uncertain post-Brexit era where consumers are already being hit in the pocket, with prices for everything from craft beer to cars rising, understated luxury – or stealth wealth to give it, its new name – is a much more appropriate option than screaming logos and obvious branding.

  The plane truth of the matter is that, in these tough, turbulent times, ostentation is it out – it’s just not good taste given the world refugee crisis – and conspicuous consumption is in. Plus as Tomas Maier – creative director at Bottega Veneta – puts it: “People should always be in charge of their clothes. It shouldn’t be the clothes that are in charge of you.”

  Maier’s Bottega Veneta, together with The Row and Céline are the brands we are coveting – specialising as they do in subtle labelling that makes it harder to gauge how much a garment really cost.

  Or, as the hotelier Gordon Campbell Gray, once famously remarked: “The reality is, if you have wealth, you don’t need glitz. You want understatement. It’s got to be low key and it’s got to be lovely.”

  Let’s raise a (discreet) cheer to that…

• Haute Couture AW16: New Age Romantics

  Haute couture week never ceases to amaze and this season was no different. Embodying a nostalgic and romantic melody, Autumn/Winter ’16 looked back to days of old, where fast fashion hadn’t yet come to fruition, where the women of the ateliers were acknowledged for all their efforts and time-consuming labours and city-dwelling lovers weren’t driven by the likes of on-screen dating apps.

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• Diamonds & Pearls

  Showcasing the finest jewellery from Bentley & Skinner, Chopard, Chaumet, De Grisogono & David Morris, we bring you ‘Diamonds & Pearls’; every sybarites dream. Shot at location at the opulent Cafe Royal, London.

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• Diana Vreeland

  Today, she is still considered to be the ‘Empress of fashion’. As the 20th century’s most formidable arbiter elegantiarum who pre-dates the likes of Anna Wintour, Diana Vreeland’s life was that of the utmost Rakishness. An editor of influence and inspiration, with many movies attempting to adapt her persona (see Maggie Prescott in 1959’s Funny Face), countless women have tried to fill her shoes. The Devil wears what now?

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• Chopard’s Happy Diamonds

  Since 1976, Happy Diamonds have been joyfully lighting up the eponymous creations from Chopard. Over the years, the famous moving diamonds have been staged through a myriad of a precious and joyful watch and jewellery creations. To mark their 40th birthday, Chopard is revisiting the iconic model in which they were first introduced.

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• Les Liaisons Dangereuses

  This season, we turn our eyes to the hedonistic underworld of voyeurism and erotic pleasure seekers. Inspired by the story of the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont.

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