Dualité

A lot of casual onlookers complain about two things when they see fashion shows from the capitals: elaborate clothes aren’t practical for real life and the outfits are too expensive for the average consumer. How in the world do they break even at the end of each season?

Again, fashion shows are mere theatrics for magazine and newspaper editors to talk about the creativity of the designers. But like yesterday’s Wall Street Journal article, the deal breakers are in the showrooms.

Showrooms, in case you didn’t know, are where buyers get the styles they want for their stores. Like say, Holt Renfrew is in search of a new crop of designer clothes, they visit showrooms where participating designers set up booths with their collections for buyers to see. Each store has their own set of standards on what to offer their clients, so just because you’re in love with a bunch of Chanel or Givenchy outfits doesn’t mean your favorite stores will carry them. Many of the runway looks are scaled down in showrooms and price points affect their sale factor. If a designer wants to sell the shoes for $800, one buyer might say it’s too expensive for their clients to spend.

The details in RTW Fall/Winter 08 are intricate, theatrical, beautiful, and all for show.
From left: Alexander McQueen, Rodarte, Prada.

That’s why you’ll rarely find the looks magazine gush about in your high end stores, because they were either deemed too expensive to sell or not salable at all.

Generally, a mere 20% to 30% of the designer clothes sold in stores come from the runway. The rest come from so-called pre-collections — clothes sold ahead of fashion week — that are less dramatic, made to be sold rather than photographed. But store buyers still want to buy from the runways — partly to maintain good relations with designers, but also to offer eye-catching looks for store displays. Looks that have walked the runways still have a certain cachet.

For Montreal Fashion Week though, I’ve noticed designers taking on a different approach. They opt to show wearable designs (save for a few like Helmer) on the runway rather than elaborate pieces. Thus comparing runway photos from Montreal and the more commercial Paris, London, New York and Milan runways, Montreal lacks star power. However, the majority are wearable, facilitating the job for buyers looking on. From my experience last year, I saw a lot of office looks such as cropped jackets, knee length skirts, vibrant colors, pant suits, streetwear, denim, etc. Perhaps it could explain why stores like Ogilvy and Holt Renfrew don’t hold the lines from some of our local designers because the targeted demographic isn’t focused on the wealthier Montrealers but mass market consumers, where the money is.

This type of method on Montreal’s part is quite smart, however, if they wish to attract international buyers who travel to many different cities, I would think the buyers would expect the same grade of showmanship on the Montreal runway. I’ll be touring the showroom floors at the end of the month, and will report back on my observations. With some luck I’m hoping to talk to some buyers and ask what they’re looking for.

Quote credit: The WallStreet Journal, Christina Binkley
Image credit: Style.com

This book should be a lesson to everyone. In fact, I think it should be mandatory for anyone with a serious interest in fashion to read this amazing book that I gobbled up in a mere 3 days.

“The End of Fashion,” written by veteran Wall Street Journal reporter Teri Agins, feels like the equivalent of 100 NY Times or Wall Street Journal articles. Journeying through several examples of popular fashion designers, she shows an evolution in the business of fashion up until the very end of the 1990s. From the flamboyant Isaac Mizrahi to the brutally honest persona of Zoran, she details in great lengths of the struggles of fashion businesses throughout the last 20 years.

Establishing a fashion brand is more than crafting designs. In today’s standards, you have to be as much as a savvy salesman with great marketing skills in order to break even in the industry. Fashion magazines will rarely give you a look of the other side of the moon. Should you wish to further expand your knowledge on fashion, pay attention to the business section of your newspaper, you might find some interesting tidbits.

What I loved about this book are some of the spectacular failures and shortcomings of powerhouses who thought they would be unstoppable.

Read the rest of this entry »

I know some of these high fashion designers didn’t invent the wheel or made the most innovative designs, but it takes a lot of galls to knock them off and sell them as your own.

Like these glittery pairs I found on Zappos.com knocking off Christian Louboutin‘s pair at a fraction of the price. So far I’m glad I have never bought any knock offs of any sort, (I love shoes, I just can’t afford them) but I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing these if I knew the real thing was out there.

Sandals by Coloriffics on the left, the real Loubous on the right.

Unfortunately, Nine West is a major convict when it comes to knock offs. They’ve blatantly copied last season’s Louboutin with the knotted slingblacks and Prada‘s blocky looking banana heeled sandal.

Nine West on the left, Prada on the right.

With fashion being disposable within 6 months time, I believe it’s time to invest into some quality clothing that are classic and never out of style, even if that means buying expensive clothing. I’m tired of fast fashion.

Image credits to Christian Louboutin’s website, Style.com, and Zappos.com.