front(lines): luxe news

The Luxury Insitute recently conducted their 2008 Jewelry Brand study. The study was conducted by providing 500+ wealthy consumers (net worths averaged $15.1 million) with a predetermined list of 20 luxury jewelry brands and asked them to rank the names on four key aspects:

♥ superior quality
♥ uniqueness and exclusivity
♥ their social status
♥ which had excellent customer service

The top 10 most prestigious jewelry brands ranked by high net worth consumers:

[1] HARRY WINSTON
Overall Luxury Brand Status Index score: 8.14

[2] BUCCELLATI
LBSI score: 8.04

[3] VAN CLEEF & ARPELS
LBSI score: 8.04

[4] GRAFF
LBSI score: 8.01

[5] TIFFANY
LBSI score: 7.97

[6] PIAGET
LBSI score: 7.91

[7] CARTIER
LBSI score: 7.9

[8] CHOPARD
LBSI score: 7.89

[9] BULGARI
LBSI score: 7.87
"Bulgari is unique and exceedingly elegant"

[10] MIKIMOTO
LBSI score: 7.69

from thestylemusings.com

source: wwd

front(lines): louis vuitton commercial

I posted eariler this month that Louis Vuitton was going to advertise on the television for the first time ever. They are aiming to go more into their roots -- travel -- than the glitz & glam. Here is the first commercial,

from thestylemusings.com

idle(prattle): v-day

THIS is my Valentine's gift from my boyfriend. Jealous much?

One of the reasons that I love my boyfriend (as if THIS wasn't enough) is that when I elbowed and pushed him out of my path to get to the Jimmy Choo boutique, instead of getting upset, I am thinking that he took a mental note that this place might be an important priority. Or if I am looking through one of my magazines and shove a picture of whatever handbag/shoe/dress I am purring over because there isn't anyone else in arm length distance, instead of totally ignoring me...he tries his best to mumble something nice about it.. Now this is a man who does not know a platform from a wedge, but he knows his girl! I am not a huge jewelry person (though if given a piece, I will not turn it down...) but I do love me some shoes. Best. gift. ever.

Happy Valentine's Day!

from thestylemusings.com

photo cred: caw

intrigue(motif): denise dorrance

A cartoon from Denise Dorrance, just because it is Wednesday.

from thestylemusings.com

audio(deck): glow in the dark

I was going to wait until the actual schedule was posted, but I am checking my email & Kanye University like crazy everyday in anticipation. I have listened to Kanye's Graduation album every morning for the past two weeks during my morning commute and it has not yet gotten on my nerves. There are a couple of songs that I am using as my personal theme music to get me through the day. I like Rihanna's style. I have a N.E.R.D song as one of my ring tones and Lupe Fiasco in the car for the way home. I see a party bus in my future.

from thestylemusings.com

front(lines): lv on tv

A still from Vuitton's 90-second ad. It features ordinary people rather than celebrities. ( Louis Vuitton)

Last week, Louis Vuitton announced that it would launch their first ever TV campaign. The first will be a travel-themed 90-second spot that was shot in France, Spain, India and Japan. It will debut Feb. 15 and will run on cable and satellite television channels & in cinemas around the world. Vuitton states that the ads will be shown in "rigorously selected cinemas" and on cable and satellite channels that attract "well-traveled audiences", including CNN, BBC World, and the Golf Channel. And will not be shown on channels such as TF1, which has the biggest audience in France.

This is a huge step for LV and the luxury market, because they tend to advertise in magazines -- specifically to their taget market. By advertising on TV, they are taking luxury mass market. You probably would be hard pressed to find someone who hasn't heard of Louis Vuitton, but I bet if you were to dig deeper, fewer would really know the exact pattern, the history, and just the overall feel. I am definitely curious to see the first spot.

from thestylemusings.com

source

ciné(screen): fashion week sundance style

qui êtes-vous, polly maggoo?

Set your DVRs....This week is a going to be a huge fashion week....on the Sundance Channel. To correspond with Fashion Week, Sundance has a fashion lineup that is sure to turn you into a couch potato.


HOUSE OF BOATENG
Savile Row tailor and British design sensation Ozwald Boateng revolutionized the perception of menswear in Europe with his unique blend of traditional elegance and cutting-edge modernity. Now he's set his sights across the Atlantic. House of Boateng follows the fashion legend in an eight-episode documentary series as he launches his Bespoke Couture line in America. Go behind the scenes for the high-stakes launch of a high-end fashion brand that's anything but a sure thing.

WHO ARE YOU POLLY MAGGOO?
Influential expatriate American photographer William Klein worked for Vogue magazine from 1955 to 1965. When he made his debut feature film in 1966, he served up a caustic satire of worlds he knew intimately: high fashion and the media. Dorothy McGowan plays the titular Polly Maggoo, the latest supermodel of the Twiggy era, who is the subject of a TV documentary by a French journalist (Jean Rochefort). Cult actress Grayson Hall (“Dark Shadows”) costars as an American publisher, a character rumored to be closely based on Diana Vreeland.

*SIGNE CHANEL
Filmmaker Loïc Prigent’s fascinating, witty and infectiously joyous look within a leading fashion house focuses on the evolution of Chanel’s Fall/Winter 2004-2005 collection. From Karl Lagerfeld’s initial sketches and their first interpretation by veteran seamstresses to the climactic show as the models strut the catwalk, Signé Chanel presents a loving depiction of an enclosed, esoteric world.

MARC JACOBS & LOUIS VUITTON
Bringing the same intimate insight into the fashion world as his previous acclaimed documentary series SIGNE CHANEL, filmmaker Loïc Prigent focus on Marc Jacobs, called the most influential designer of his generation. This witty portrait follows Jacobs as he balances roles as artistic director of venerable French house Louis Vuitton and his own eponymous American line, in meetings, preparing collections and at high-profile shows. With Naomi Campbell, Sophia Coppola and Uma Thurman. "Artfully told with humor and panache" -- Vogue.

SEAMLESS
Overshadowed by the glamour and hype is the sobering fact that making it in the fashion industry is incredibly difficult. Concerned as to where the next generation of visionary designers will come from, a group of industry insiders established a mentoring prize competition for young designers. Filmmaker Douglas Keeve (UNZIPPED) follows four of the most promising finalists, who range from the shy daughter of dry-cleaner to a charming couple who sold their work to a major retailer while they were still in school.

**KARL LAGERFELD IS NEVER HAPPY ANYWAY
Designer Karl Lagerfeld, the man who defined high fashion at Chanel, Chloé and Fendi during the 1980s and 1990s, continues to be a major influence on international taste and style. Known for his bold and witty creations, Lagerfeld mixes the chic and the sensual to produce clothing with “intellectual sexiness.” German documentary filmmaker Gero von Boehm’s career profile and lively interviews present a creative snapshot, capturing of one of the last kings of the fashion world working tirelessly at what he loves.

YVES ST. LAURENT: 5 AVENUE MARCEAU 75116 PARIS
In this companion piece to his biographical profile YVES ST. LAURENT: TIME REGAINED, filmmaker David Teboul peers behind the doors of one of the world's leading fashion houses. As he prepared his last women's collection in 2001, St. Laurent allowed cameras to observe the evolution of his vision for the first time. During roughly eight weeks, St. Laurent's simple black-and-white drawings are transformed through many iterations into glorious, colorful reality. A rare and revealingly intimate glimpse of the creative process in action.

***UNFOLDING FLORENCE
While Australian filmmaker Gillian Armstrong is celebrated for dramatic features such as MY BRILLIANT CAREER and OSCAR AND LUCINDA, she has also concurrently created a notable body of documentary films. Here she delves into the fascinating enigma of flamboyant designer Florence Broadhurst, renowned for her colorful and inventive wallpaper patterns, who was found murdered in 1977. What Armstrong reveals in this innovative and spirited life examination is the story of a mysterious woman of many faces who was endlessly reinventing herself.


I am most excited to see Marc Jacobs & Louis Vuitton because it is the only one that I haven't seen, but heard a lot about. Let me know if you happen to catch any of these!

from thestylemusings.com

For the complete schedule, click here or here.
*Click here to see my post about Signe Chanel.
**Click here to see my post about Karl Lagerfeld is Never Happy Anyway
***Click here to see my post about Unfolding Florence

love(notes): versace

Prince @ V&A Golden Age of Couture Gala, Sept 2007

This picture is from last year, but when I saw it today, I immediately zoomed into the Versace pumps in the front...followed by Prince's heels, then the ashy knees in the back. But back to the Versace pumps. These shoes were definitely the highlight of my day. They have been all over Project Runway this season, which is probably why I can't find them. They were at Bluefly...

Versace black patent leather mary-jane pumps
Color: Black / Palladium • Glossy patent leather upper • Softly pointed toe • Side cut-out detail • Ankle strap with button closure • Leather lining • Leather sole • Silvertone plating at back of heel • 4¼'' covered heel ace mary-jane • Leather • Made in Italy

But are no longer available. These are these at ShoeMall...

Bobbi Blu Women's Gail Pump
Patent leather upper • Terry cloth lining • Cushioned insole • Rubber sole • 3-1/8" patent leather-wrapped heel • Adjustable buckle closure

But they just aren't the same. It is all about the sidecut and heel.

from thestylemusings.com