The Syrian opposition somehow got hold of emails detailing her extensive purchases – such as handmade furniture, expensive jewelry, ornate candlesticks, a pair of Christian Louboutin patent-leather pumps with towering heels for $1,230, a custom dining-room table with seating for eight.
After 12 previous rounds of sanctions, these purchases persuaded the European Union and Turkey to finally get tough. “It is perhaps this that persuaded us to toughen the sanctions,” said French foreign minister Alain Juppe.
Her credit cards, and those of the other womenfolk in the Assad family, have been blocked in the EU and they, with the exception of Asma, are barred from traveling there.
Asma, British-born but of Syrian descent, is a British citizen and can still travel there, however. She just can’t spend any money. A look at her purchases indicated that this might be a real hardship.
The Guardian posted online some of her shopping trophies. Not that she was totally profligate. She boasted of her agent getting a 15 percent discount on a $3,445 glowing red Ming Luce vase. Just what one needs, along with a silver fondue set and a gold-leaf mirror decorated with butterflies, to ride out a revolution.
Only twice do her purchases indicate any sense of danger – a bulletproof twill blazer and bulletproof barn coat for her husband.
The woman is no dummy. Born in England, her father was a London cardiologist. She graduated from a prestigious college with a degree in computer science and went on to a successful career as an investment banker.
She married Bashir in December 2000, and the couple have three children. But her husband’s tight cocoon of family members and fellow Alawite tribesmen, plus that unlimited expense account, seems to have divorced the entire Assad clan from what was happening in the Arab street.
According to an email obtained by The Guardian, she sought a friend’s opinion of a pair of $4,900 shoes with crystal-encrusted 6-l/4-inch heels. The friend replied, perhaps presciently, “I don’t think they’re going 2 B useful anytime soon unfortunately.”
May we suggest a good pair of running shoes instead? Better for beating the mob to the airport.
2012年3月31日星期六
2012年3月30日星期五
Woman at the revolution
The Arab Spring appears to have produced its own Marie Antoinette ― brighter and better educated than the original and with a much tougher husband, but with the same acquisitive tastes.
She is Asma al-Assad, 36, wife of Syrian dictator Bashir al-Assad, and all through the yearlong uprising that has left more than 9,000 of her countrymen dead in the indiscriminate shelling of neighborhoods, whole cities even, Asma has been ordering tens of thousands of dollars' worth of luxury goods from Europe.
The Syrian opposition somehow got hold of emails detailing her extensive purchases ― such as handmade furniture, expensive jewelry, ornate candlesticks, a pair of Christian Louboutin patent-leather pumps with towering heels for $1,230, a custom dining-room table with seating for eight.
After 12 previous rounds of sanctions, these purchases persuaded the European Union and Turkey to finally get tough. "It is perhaps this that persuaded us to toughen the sanctions," said French foreign minister Alain Juppe.
Her credit cards, and those of the other womenfolk in the Assad family, have been blocked in the EU and they, with the exception of Asma, are barred from traveling there.
Asma, British-born but of Syrian descent, is a British citizen and can still travel there, however. She just can't spend any money. A look at her purchases indicated that this might be a real hardship.
The Guardian posted online some of her shopping trophies. Not that she was totally profligate. She boasted of her agent getting a 15 percent discount on a $3,445 glowing red Ming Luce vase. Just what one needs, along with a silver fondue set and a gold-leaf mirror decorated with butterflies, to ride out a revolution.
Only twice do her purchases indicate any sense of danger ― a bulletproof twill blazer and bulletproof barn coat for her husband.
The woman is no dummy. Born in England, her father was a London cardiologist. She graduated from a prestigious college with a degree in computer science and went on to a successful career as an investment banker.
She married Bashir in December 2000, and the couple have three children. But her husband's tight cocoon of family members and fellow Alawite tribesmen, plus that unlimited expense account, seems to have divorced the entire Assad clan from what was happening in the Arab street.
According to an email obtained by the Guardian, she sought a friend's opinion of a pair of $4,900 shoes with crystal-encrusted 6-l/4-inch heels. The friend replied, perhaps presciently, "I don't think they're going 2 B useful anytime soon unfortunately."
May we suggest a good pair of running shoes instead? Better for beating the mob to the airport.
She is Asma al-Assad, 36, wife of Syrian dictator Bashir al-Assad, and all through the yearlong uprising that has left more than 9,000 of her countrymen dead in the indiscriminate shelling of neighborhoods, whole cities even, Asma has been ordering tens of thousands of dollars' worth of luxury goods from Europe.
The Syrian opposition somehow got hold of emails detailing her extensive purchases ― such as handmade furniture, expensive jewelry, ornate candlesticks, a pair of Christian Louboutin patent-leather pumps with towering heels for $1,230, a custom dining-room table with seating for eight.
After 12 previous rounds of sanctions, these purchases persuaded the European Union and Turkey to finally get tough. "It is perhaps this that persuaded us to toughen the sanctions," said French foreign minister Alain Juppe.
Her credit cards, and those of the other womenfolk in the Assad family, have been blocked in the EU and they, with the exception of Asma, are barred from traveling there.
Asma, British-born but of Syrian descent, is a British citizen and can still travel there, however. She just can't spend any money. A look at her purchases indicated that this might be a real hardship.
The Guardian posted online some of her shopping trophies. Not that she was totally profligate. She boasted of her agent getting a 15 percent discount on a $3,445 glowing red Ming Luce vase. Just what one needs, along with a silver fondue set and a gold-leaf mirror decorated with butterflies, to ride out a revolution.
Only twice do her purchases indicate any sense of danger ― a bulletproof twill blazer and bulletproof barn coat for her husband.
The woman is no dummy. Born in England, her father was a London cardiologist. She graduated from a prestigious college with a degree in computer science and went on to a successful career as an investment banker.
She married Bashir in December 2000, and the couple have three children. But her husband's tight cocoon of family members and fellow Alawite tribesmen, plus that unlimited expense account, seems to have divorced the entire Assad clan from what was happening in the Arab street.
According to an email obtained by the Guardian, she sought a friend's opinion of a pair of $4,900 shoes with crystal-encrusted 6-l/4-inch heels. The friend replied, perhaps presciently, "I don't think they're going 2 B useful anytime soon unfortunately."
May we suggest a good pair of running shoes instead? Better for beating the mob to the airport.
Titanic exhibit explores historic ship’s story, local connections
It has been nearly 100 years since Titanic sank after hitting an iceberg, claiming more than 1,500 lives.
The ship, touted as “practically unsinkable,” left port at Southampton, England, April 10, 1912. It stopped in France and Ireland before it set off on its maiden voyage to New York City. The White Star Line, which owned Titanic, knew that the sheer size of the ship wouldn’t make it one of the fastest passenger ships, so they settled for making it the most opulent. Cruising on Titanic meant spending a week in luxury, especially for first-class passengers.
The ship was traveling at top speed through waters the crew had heard were especially icy. The ship hit an iceberg at 11:39 p.m. April 14. It sunk at 2:20 a.m. April 15, 1912.
In observance of the disaster, the Spokane Valley Heritage Museum has created an exhibit chronicling the ill-fated vessel and some of the lives lost.
The event captured the imagination of the world. There have been movies, Broadway plays and books about what could have happened that night. Those of a certain age may remember a time when no one knew where the wreckage lay at the bottom of the ocean. Explorers didn’t find it until 1985.
This year James Cameron is re-releasing his Oscar-winning movie, “Titanic,” in 3-D. One cruise ship company is offering a Titanic Memorial Cruise that will stop in each port and offer lectures about the disaster and a memorial service at 2:20 a.m. April 15 over the site of the wreckage.
Volunteer Jeff Danner, who sort of looks like Capt. Edward Smith who went down with his ship, has been researching Titanic for six or seven months.
“Day by day by day, I was just amazed,” he said of what he learned.
Titanic was one of three Olympic-class ships – with Britanic and Olympic – built around the same time. More than 3,000 people worked for four years to build Titanic – the size of the ship was unlike anything anyone had seen before.
“Nothing had ever approached something like this,” Danner said.
But there are local connections to Titanic.
John Bertram Brady, 41, was traveling in first class when the ship went down. He was from Pomeroy, Wash., and his body was never recovered.
The ship, touted as “practically unsinkable,” left port at Southampton, England, April 10, 1912. It stopped in France and Ireland before it set off on its maiden voyage to New York City. The White Star Line, which owned Titanic, knew that the sheer size of the ship wouldn’t make it one of the fastest passenger ships, so they settled for making it the most opulent. Cruising on Titanic meant spending a week in luxury, especially for first-class passengers.
The ship was traveling at top speed through waters the crew had heard were especially icy. The ship hit an iceberg at 11:39 p.m. April 14. It sunk at 2:20 a.m. April 15, 1912.
In observance of the disaster, the Spokane Valley Heritage Museum has created an exhibit chronicling the ill-fated vessel and some of the lives lost.
The event captured the imagination of the world. There have been movies, Broadway plays and books about what could have happened that night. Those of a certain age may remember a time when no one knew where the wreckage lay at the bottom of the ocean. Explorers didn’t find it until 1985.
This year James Cameron is re-releasing his Oscar-winning movie, “Titanic,” in 3-D. One cruise ship company is offering a Titanic Memorial Cruise that will stop in each port and offer lectures about the disaster and a memorial service at 2:20 a.m. April 15 over the site of the wreckage.
Volunteer Jeff Danner, who sort of looks like Capt. Edward Smith who went down with his ship, has been researching Titanic for six or seven months.
“Day by day by day, I was just amazed,” he said of what he learned.
Titanic was one of three Olympic-class ships – with Britanic and Olympic – built around the same time. More than 3,000 people worked for four years to build Titanic – the size of the ship was unlike anything anyone had seen before.
“Nothing had ever approached something like this,” Danner said.
But there are local connections to Titanic.
John Bertram Brady, 41, was traveling in first class when the ship went down. He was from Pomeroy, Wash., and his body was never recovered.
2012年3月28日星期三
Fakes, fame and films
The world's finest shoe designer talks to Luke Leitch about fakes, fame and the decision to make his home in Somerset.
With a casual flourish of his hands, Manolo Blahnik reveals disturbing news: "In the last few days I did, oh, 350 shoes."
This is a Stakhanovite shoe-output statistic to excite all aficionados of the world's finest footwear designer - and simultaneously terrify their bank managers. What's remarkable, too, is that this productivity level is, for Blahnik, practically languid. Not only is he tired - "exhausted!" - from work trips to Hong Kong (to meet retailers) and Milan (to meet suppliers), but he designs, he says, more slowly these days than he used to.
This is not because of his advancing years - "In a year's time I'll be 70. And it makes me happy that Armani is 80 because I'm not going to be retiring!" - but thanks to a consciously fastidious deceleration. "I do and re-do things that I used to do in a flash, because I want to be more perfectionist about these things. Maybe it sounds pompous and pretentious, but that's the way I feel."
That lasciviously scarlet sole-flasher Christian Louboutin is a high-profile parvenu, and Jimmy Choo (long-divorced from Choo himself) has grown into an impressive beast of a global brand. Yet no other women's shoe designer affects women quite so powerfully as Manolo Blahnik. Madonna compared his shoes to sex - then pronounced the shoes superior. And Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman cited them as proof of a higher power's preference for high heels, saying: "If God had wanted us to wear flats he wouldn't have invented Manolo Blahnik." Sex and the City feels dated already, but the shoes that the programme's fetishising made famous continue to look as classically current - and sell as briskly - as they have since Blahnik started designing 40 years ago.
Despite some megabucks offers over those years, Blahnik has never sold his company, so only grants interviews when he wants to. And because his sister Evangelina and niece Kristina oversee the business from its London headquarters, he is free to live where he wants, too. Since he fell in love with Bath, Somerset, on a trip with Grace Coddington in 1983, Blahnik has lived here, in a grand John Eveleigh townhouse, "beautiful, with columns, in a crescent", that's at present swathed in scaffolding. "We are repairing," he says regretfully to explain why we are meeting over tea today in a hotel on the Royal Crescent where he often dines, and is politely accosted for autographs by star-struck American tourists who, to his great chagrin, often call him "Manilla": "Oh! I hate that! Call me Magnolia, anything - but not Manilla!"
With a casual flourish of his hands, Manolo Blahnik reveals disturbing news: "In the last few days I did, oh, 350 shoes."
This is a Stakhanovite shoe-output statistic to excite all aficionados of the world's finest footwear designer - and simultaneously terrify their bank managers. What's remarkable, too, is that this productivity level is, for Blahnik, practically languid. Not only is he tired - "exhausted!" - from work trips to Hong Kong (to meet retailers) and Milan (to meet suppliers), but he designs, he says, more slowly these days than he used to.
This is not because of his advancing years - "In a year's time I'll be 70. And it makes me happy that Armani is 80 because I'm not going to be retiring!" - but thanks to a consciously fastidious deceleration. "I do and re-do things that I used to do in a flash, because I want to be more perfectionist about these things. Maybe it sounds pompous and pretentious, but that's the way I feel."
That lasciviously scarlet sole-flasher Christian Louboutin is a high-profile parvenu, and Jimmy Choo (long-divorced from Choo himself) has grown into an impressive beast of a global brand. Yet no other women's shoe designer affects women quite so powerfully as Manolo Blahnik. Madonna compared his shoes to sex - then pronounced the shoes superior. And Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman cited them as proof of a higher power's preference for high heels, saying: "If God had wanted us to wear flats he wouldn't have invented Manolo Blahnik." Sex and the City feels dated already, but the shoes that the programme's fetishising made famous continue to look as classically current - and sell as briskly - as they have since Blahnik started designing 40 years ago.
Despite some megabucks offers over those years, Blahnik has never sold his company, so only grants interviews when he wants to. And because his sister Evangelina and niece Kristina oversee the business from its London headquarters, he is free to live where he wants, too. Since he fell in love with Bath, Somerset, on a trip with Grace Coddington in 1983, Blahnik has lived here, in a grand John Eveleigh townhouse, "beautiful, with columns, in a crescent", that's at present swathed in scaffolding. "We are repairing," he says regretfully to explain why we are meeting over tea today in a hotel on the Royal Crescent where he often dines, and is politely accosted for autographs by star-struck American tourists who, to his great chagrin, often call him "Manilla": "Oh! I hate that! Call me Magnolia, anything - but not Manilla!"
2012年3月27日星期二
Magazines' celebrity profiles take exposure to another level
LOS ANGELES - On the cover of the current GQ, a beaming Drake strides confidently toward the reader, fit and fearless in a $3,100 Gucci suit and $1,590 Tom Ford shoes. Inside, the 25-year-old rapper greets the magazine's reporter poolside at his "lady-fantasy" (her words) compound in the San Fernando Valley.
Writer Claire Hoffman gets Drake to reveal cover-worthy morsels about his womanizing (prodigious, now purportedly regretted), his fragile paternal ties and his Internet-fueled entree into the music world. After wine spritzers, dinner and a look at the projection system above his bed, the story ends with the young star asking the journalist: "Are you or are you not sleeping with me?"
The proposition may have been hypothetical, as Hoffman wrote, but it lent a telling zing about Drake's ample feeling of oats. The 1,500-word magazine piece, in fact, gave the star and his interlocutor something of what they both wanted. Drake got the chance to be confirmed as a lord of the pop culture moment, if stumbling a bit on his own swag and swagger. Hoffman got to demonstrate her skill at getting famous people talking and misstepping - as she previously did, more dramatically, with profiles of the boorish "Girls Gone Wild" kingpin Joe Francis coaxing underage girls into his videos, and of the ill-starred singer Amy Winehouse, smoking crack and flirting with the abyss in her London flat.
"Drake Is Living the High Life" represents one of the latest iterations of an apparently unsinkable, occasionally intriguing, media vehicle. The celebrity magazine profile - especially the ones suggesting an intimate view inside a hidden world - survives even as many luminaries seize control of their own stories via blogs and social media, even as uber-controlling publicists parse out less and less time with the stars.
"Whether it's a private meeting, or something like a date, many readers fantasize about going out with a big celebrity. These journalists are still their surrogates," said Meryl Gordon, director of the magazine writing program at NYU. "I don't have trouble with the conceit, as long as you don't take it too far."
Gordon thinks Hoffman's Drake profile got it about right. "She does it with a wink and a nod," Gordon said. "In the end, it just made me smile."
The magazine industry, which has struggled for years with declining newsstand sales, leans heavily on the allure of celebrities. And men's magazines have used the conceit of date-as-interview for at least 30 years, cranking up the lust-meter with each ensuing year. But by many accounts, the stars have gotten more parsimonious about access. And the challenge for writers and editors never wanes: presenting hyper-public figures in a fresh way.
"It's not brain-surgery hard, but it's hard," said Hoffman, previously a staff writer at the Los Angeles Times and now a freelancer who has written for GQ, Rolling Stone and other publications. "The conceit is always that you are going to get in there and discover them in some way they haven't been discovered before."
"Drake is a creature of the Internet and social media. He has been blogging since long before he became famous and he tweets pictures of himself," Hoffman said. "He is constantly already exposing himself and the idea is, I am going to expose him anew."
Hoffman's had to make that happen largely based on the 90 minutes she had been granted to visit Aubrey Drake Graham at his home. She stretched that to maybe two hours and mostly let the performer do the telling, and showing - his house, the abundant waterfalls, the pool filled with statues of nude women, all forming a scene, Hoffman wrote, akin to "one of those late-night Lifetime soft-core romance flicks."
Hoffman suggests it is her host who has decided to offer something more than a simple conversation. "He's going to ignore my pen and my tape recorder and my list of questions," she writes, "and open up his soft, emotive heart as if we were on the most amazing first date ever."
When it launched "Esquire Goes on a Date" in the early 1980s, the unusual pretext was all the magazine's idea. The magazine's once and future editor, Lee Eisenberg, wrote the un-bylined stories.
"There would always be this conversation at the beginning of the date," Eisenberg recalled. "Often, the women would say, 'This is not a date, right?' and I would say, 'It's not, because we know it's going to be written up.'" But, Eisenberg added with a laugh: "I would say, 'Can you Method act a little bit and get it in your head this is a bit of a date?'"
The evenings with stars like Susan Sarandon and Charlotte Rampling - a trip to a ball game or a circus or, once, a flight to San Francisco for dinner - would end with, at most, a kiss on the cheek. Men complained the unnamed writer wasn't getting enough action; women found the gentlemanly stance sweet, or so Eisenberg recalled.
Since then, profiles in Esquire and other magazines have been considerably less subtle. A 2006 "Sexiest Woman Alive" piece on Scarlett Johansson by A.J. Jacobs begins with the "scientific study" that found she had the best breasts in Hollywood. In 1999, writer Tom Junod tells Tom Cruise (as noted in Gawker last week) that the actor's then wife, Nicole Kidman, is "right here, in my hotel room. In my bed."
Writer Claire Hoffman gets Drake to reveal cover-worthy morsels about his womanizing (prodigious, now purportedly regretted), his fragile paternal ties and his Internet-fueled entree into the music world. After wine spritzers, dinner and a look at the projection system above his bed, the story ends with the young star asking the journalist: "Are you or are you not sleeping with me?"
The proposition may have been hypothetical, as Hoffman wrote, but it lent a telling zing about Drake's ample feeling of oats. The 1,500-word magazine piece, in fact, gave the star and his interlocutor something of what they both wanted. Drake got the chance to be confirmed as a lord of the pop culture moment, if stumbling a bit on his own swag and swagger. Hoffman got to demonstrate her skill at getting famous people talking and misstepping - as she previously did, more dramatically, with profiles of the boorish "Girls Gone Wild" kingpin Joe Francis coaxing underage girls into his videos, and of the ill-starred singer Amy Winehouse, smoking crack and flirting with the abyss in her London flat.
"Drake Is Living the High Life" represents one of the latest iterations of an apparently unsinkable, occasionally intriguing, media vehicle. The celebrity magazine profile - especially the ones suggesting an intimate view inside a hidden world - survives even as many luminaries seize control of their own stories via blogs and social media, even as uber-controlling publicists parse out less and less time with the stars.
"Whether it's a private meeting, or something like a date, many readers fantasize about going out with a big celebrity. These journalists are still their surrogates," said Meryl Gordon, director of the magazine writing program at NYU. "I don't have trouble with the conceit, as long as you don't take it too far."
Gordon thinks Hoffman's Drake profile got it about right. "She does it with a wink and a nod," Gordon said. "In the end, it just made me smile."
The magazine industry, which has struggled for years with declining newsstand sales, leans heavily on the allure of celebrities. And men's magazines have used the conceit of date-as-interview for at least 30 years, cranking up the lust-meter with each ensuing year. But by many accounts, the stars have gotten more parsimonious about access. And the challenge for writers and editors never wanes: presenting hyper-public figures in a fresh way.
"It's not brain-surgery hard, but it's hard," said Hoffman, previously a staff writer at the Los Angeles Times and now a freelancer who has written for GQ, Rolling Stone and other publications. "The conceit is always that you are going to get in there and discover them in some way they haven't been discovered before."
"Drake is a creature of the Internet and social media. He has been blogging since long before he became famous and he tweets pictures of himself," Hoffman said. "He is constantly already exposing himself and the idea is, I am going to expose him anew."
Hoffman's had to make that happen largely based on the 90 minutes she had been granted to visit Aubrey Drake Graham at his home. She stretched that to maybe two hours and mostly let the performer do the telling, and showing - his house, the abundant waterfalls, the pool filled with statues of nude women, all forming a scene, Hoffman wrote, akin to "one of those late-night Lifetime soft-core romance flicks."
Hoffman suggests it is her host who has decided to offer something more than a simple conversation. "He's going to ignore my pen and my tape recorder and my list of questions," she writes, "and open up his soft, emotive heart as if we were on the most amazing first date ever."
When it launched "Esquire Goes on a Date" in the early 1980s, the unusual pretext was all the magazine's idea. The magazine's once and future editor, Lee Eisenberg, wrote the un-bylined stories.
"There would always be this conversation at the beginning of the date," Eisenberg recalled. "Often, the women would say, 'This is not a date, right?' and I would say, 'It's not, because we know it's going to be written up.'" But, Eisenberg added with a laugh: "I would say, 'Can you Method act a little bit and get it in your head this is a bit of a date?'"
The evenings with stars like Susan Sarandon and Charlotte Rampling - a trip to a ball game or a circus or, once, a flight to San Francisco for dinner - would end with, at most, a kiss on the cheek. Men complained the unnamed writer wasn't getting enough action; women found the gentlemanly stance sweet, or so Eisenberg recalled.
Since then, profiles in Esquire and other magazines have been considerably less subtle. A 2006 "Sexiest Woman Alive" piece on Scarlett Johansson by A.J. Jacobs begins with the "scientific study" that found she had the best breasts in Hollywood. In 1999, writer Tom Junod tells Tom Cruise (as noted in Gawker last week) that the actor's then wife, Nicole Kidman, is "right here, in my hotel room. In my bed."
2012年3月26日星期一
Why Are Designer Shoes So Damn Expensive All Of A Sudden?
Any dedicated observer of shoe culture knows that over the last decade or so, something very strange and concerning happened to designer shoes: they got really fucking expensive. In the early 2000s, a pair of Pradas or YSLs could be had at full price for around $400. In this clip from Season 4 of Sex and the City, Carrie laments the loss of a pair of Manolos that cost $485, which is implied to be a staggering sum. At the most recent Barneys Warehouse Sale, many of the sale prices were higher than that. One struggles to name a consumer item whose price has inflated more dramatically in recent years than the designer shoe (and it's not like $400 is "cheap," as baselines go, to begin with). Basic designer pumps now often hit in the $700-$900 range. Even newer designers, like Brian Atwood and Camilla Skovgaard, feel justified in pricing some of their offerings at over $1000. Christian Louboutin's zippered heels will set you back nearly $1600. Anything with embellishment or exotic leather might top $2000. What. The. Fuck?
First of all, no, you're not imagining things.
"The observation is correct, the prices have shot up dramatically," says Daniella Vitale, chief merchant and executive vice president of Barneys New York. "We still open up at $395 in designer ballet flats" — Fendi, FYI — "and Rochas has a loafer at $395, but I would say that those are really becoming the anomaly."
Barneys' average designer shoe price is now $770, a situation even the store admits is "concerning." The C.E.O. of Christian Louboutin claims his company's shoes have risen in price because the cost of raw materials has gone up by "30 to 40 per cent" in the last 18 months. George Malkemus, C.E.O. of Manolo Blahnik, says the price hikes are unwise.
"When a young lady says to me, ‘I went shopping for shoes and the average price point was $900' — $900 used to be a coat," says Malkemus. "I think that people may have taken advantage of the notion that ‘It's all about accessories right now.' When [designer] ready-to-wear priced itself out of the realm of most consumers, shoes and bags were still affordable. Now, what's happened is the shoe people and the bag people sort of lost control of that, and they are scaring off a certain consumer."
First of all, no, you're not imagining things.
"The observation is correct, the prices have shot up dramatically," says Daniella Vitale, chief merchant and executive vice president of Barneys New York. "We still open up at $395 in designer ballet flats" — Fendi, FYI — "and Rochas has a loafer at $395, but I would say that those are really becoming the anomaly."
Barneys' average designer shoe price is now $770, a situation even the store admits is "concerning." The C.E.O. of Christian Louboutin claims his company's shoes have risen in price because the cost of raw materials has gone up by "30 to 40 per cent" in the last 18 months. George Malkemus, C.E.O. of Manolo Blahnik, says the price hikes are unwise.
"When a young lady says to me, ‘I went shopping for shoes and the average price point was $900' — $900 used to be a coat," says Malkemus. "I think that people may have taken advantage of the notion that ‘It's all about accessories right now.' When [designer] ready-to-wear priced itself out of the realm of most consumers, shoes and bags were still affordable. Now, what's happened is the shoe people and the bag people sort of lost control of that, and they are scaring off a certain consumer."
2012年3月25日星期日
All Business: Sharp Suits
It began – as so many things do in fashion – on the Prada catwalk, way back when during the January menswear shows.
Whereas Miuccia Prada's recent seasons have seen her blokes kitted out in technicolor floral bri-nylon, lurex cardigans and stack-soled wedges, this time we saw suits... and suits... and suits. Grey, black, single and double-breasted, some with natty astrakhan collars, some seemingly sans trousers (but with flapping boxers and over-the-calf City Boy socks). It was all about the suit – but they were suits that could be worn anywhere and by just about anybody. Prada wasn't the only one proposing that men be permanently suited and booted for winter: the power of this label is in epitomising what's making fashion tick at any one moment. Hence Italian cohorts Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana proffered a parade of braid-embroidered gabardines, Tomas Maier's Bottega Veneta showed sleek, single-breasted styles and Christopher Bailey at Burberry Prorsum put a new twist on the Sloane Ranger with jewel-toned corduroy and whipcord two-pieces (Mellors flat-cap optional). Even Roberto Cavalli's usually navel-gazing, flesh-flashing catwalk was buttressed with Savile Row quality tailoring, give or take the odd odd chartreuse tux.
Is this really so surprising? The suit, after all, has been the linchpin of the male wardrobe for about two hundred years. What's rare is to see fashion designers embracing that conservatism with quite so much gusto.
The Italians, of course, have a tailoring tradition to rival Savile Row's – although their craftsmen dotted about Rome, Milan and Florence cannot compare with the world's only true "disguisery" (the wonderful plural noun for a group of tailors) on "The Row". But the suit reigned supreme during Paris fashion week too, Lanvin's muscular and full-shouldered, Louis Vuitton's sleek in camel and grey, and leather-bound at Stefano Pilati's final menswear show for Yves Saint Laurent (Raf Simons showed that over in Milan for his penultimate Jil Sander collection, too).
So what does the suit represent in the menswear landscape of today?
Power on the one hand and conservatism on the other. Mere months before The Iron Lady nabbed Meryl Streep an Oscar for her depiction of Margaret Thatcher, it feels as if this could be fashion's return to Wall Street's "Greed is good" Eighties ethos. These suits may be relatively sombre, even staid at times, but they scream "money" in a way a sweatshirt never could. A suit today can be the perfect sartorial palimpsest for rebellion; a language of dress every man understands but which can be utilised to say something revolutionary.
That's the way the American designer Thom Browne has always looked at the suit, using its "rules" to fight against the conventions still evident in male fashion. Browne's suit, less skinny than shrunken, single-breasted with trousers cropped high on the ankle, has dominated male style for the past half-decade. "My goal for my collection is to be provocative and to make people think," says Browne. That's the purported aim of much flamboyant modern menswear, the difference with Browne's work being that the basis for these experiments are classic grey wool suits that could have been worn by bankers in the fifties. Turn a blind eye to the attention-grabbing "skorts", beaded kaftans and tulle puffs Browne often favours: it's the proportions of the suit that are the most controversial and interesting thing.
Browne's combination of an ultra-trad base with subtly radical details finds echoes throughout menswear today. It's there in a poplin men's shirt by young London label Palmer//Harding, tucks and spiral pleats giving it a third dimension; and equally in Lucas Ossendrijver and Alber Elbaz's cross-breeding of a down jacket and officer's greatcoat at Lanvin.
"The mix between tradition and newness is the story of this collection," said Elbaz backstage. And, for many men, raised on Casual Fridays and sportswear as everyday wear, there is a newness in the tradition of the suit, full stop.
The omnipotence of the suit for autumn/winter 2012 is part of fashion's standard flash-in-the-pan seasonal volte-face, but men are universally reclaiming the classic suit as a means of dressing up for the everyday. "What we're seeing more and more of is younger customers buying into suiting," says Adam Kelly, buying manager of men's formalwear at London's Selfridges. "The look is in no way just about workwear or occasionwear any more – I think British guys in particular just have an increasingly vested interest in looking sharp." The cold hard facts back that assertion: at Selfridges, suiting sales to date have increased 28 per cent on last year. "I look for something classic and timeless in dress," says Constantin Bjerke, the dapper founder and CEO of media website Crane.tv, who buys his suits from London's Turnbull & Asser. "A well-cut, beautifully-detailed and constructed suit will last a lifetime and always look stylish."
Nick Lazarus, a treaty underwriter with Hiscox in the City, concurs that in his clothes he seeks "an emphasis on quality and not visual impact. Save the odd unfortunate incident, I have never really been one to stick my head above the parapet on account of an outlandish wardrobe".
Those characteristics – stylish, timeless, quality – are endlessly assigned to suits, especially in the bespoke bracket. The latter is suiting at its most traditional, time-consuming and expensive – ready-to-wear (or, as tailors often disparagingly term it, "off the rack") cannot compare to bespoke, where a pattern is drafted to a customer's individual measurements. Savile Row tailor Richard James describes the bespoke process as "indulgence... time spent considering fabric,working on style, discussing small but important details to devise a unique suit that not only fits you perfectly and makes you feel great, but is also something you helped create". Even made-to-measure is a poor substitute in the eyes of the tailoring trade. "It's not quite the same as having someone actually take a set of measurements and alterations for your figure. You can't improve on the fittings... distilling the pattern down till it actually fits," says Ritchie Charlton, managing director of Hayward of Mount Street. Charlton has been in the tailoring trade for three decades, working at high-profile establishments including Kilgour French Stanbury and the tailoring workrooms of Her Majesty's choice dressmaker, Hartnell, under former Christian Dior designer Marc Bohan in the early 1990s. In short, he knows his stuff – today, his custom-made, four-figure suits clothe dedicated followers of style, rather than fashion, including Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie and perennially pin-neat photographer Nick Knight. When asked about seasonal changes in bespoke, Charlton shrugs his shoulders and responds "there are seasons as far as the weather goes". But he does concede that "bespoke tailoring moves with men's fashion... a young guy who comes into the shop, generally he's going to want a neater, shorter-fitting jacket at the moment than perhaps he would have wanted in 2002."
That's possibly one of the most seductive things about suiting: the subtlety.
Whereas Miuccia Prada's recent seasons have seen her blokes kitted out in technicolor floral bri-nylon, lurex cardigans and stack-soled wedges, this time we saw suits... and suits... and suits. Grey, black, single and double-breasted, some with natty astrakhan collars, some seemingly sans trousers (but with flapping boxers and over-the-calf City Boy socks). It was all about the suit – but they were suits that could be worn anywhere and by just about anybody. Prada wasn't the only one proposing that men be permanently suited and booted for winter: the power of this label is in epitomising what's making fashion tick at any one moment. Hence Italian cohorts Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana proffered a parade of braid-embroidered gabardines, Tomas Maier's Bottega Veneta showed sleek, single-breasted styles and Christopher Bailey at Burberry Prorsum put a new twist on the Sloane Ranger with jewel-toned corduroy and whipcord two-pieces (Mellors flat-cap optional). Even Roberto Cavalli's usually navel-gazing, flesh-flashing catwalk was buttressed with Savile Row quality tailoring, give or take the odd odd chartreuse tux.
Is this really so surprising? The suit, after all, has been the linchpin of the male wardrobe for about two hundred years. What's rare is to see fashion designers embracing that conservatism with quite so much gusto.
The Italians, of course, have a tailoring tradition to rival Savile Row's – although their craftsmen dotted about Rome, Milan and Florence cannot compare with the world's only true "disguisery" (the wonderful plural noun for a group of tailors) on "The Row". But the suit reigned supreme during Paris fashion week too, Lanvin's muscular and full-shouldered, Louis Vuitton's sleek in camel and grey, and leather-bound at Stefano Pilati's final menswear show for Yves Saint Laurent (Raf Simons showed that over in Milan for his penultimate Jil Sander collection, too).
So what does the suit represent in the menswear landscape of today?
Power on the one hand and conservatism on the other. Mere months before The Iron Lady nabbed Meryl Streep an Oscar for her depiction of Margaret Thatcher, it feels as if this could be fashion's return to Wall Street's "Greed is good" Eighties ethos. These suits may be relatively sombre, even staid at times, but they scream "money" in a way a sweatshirt never could. A suit today can be the perfect sartorial palimpsest for rebellion; a language of dress every man understands but which can be utilised to say something revolutionary.
That's the way the American designer Thom Browne has always looked at the suit, using its "rules" to fight against the conventions still evident in male fashion. Browne's suit, less skinny than shrunken, single-breasted with trousers cropped high on the ankle, has dominated male style for the past half-decade. "My goal for my collection is to be provocative and to make people think," says Browne. That's the purported aim of much flamboyant modern menswear, the difference with Browne's work being that the basis for these experiments are classic grey wool suits that could have been worn by bankers in the fifties. Turn a blind eye to the attention-grabbing "skorts", beaded kaftans and tulle puffs Browne often favours: it's the proportions of the suit that are the most controversial and interesting thing.
Browne's combination of an ultra-trad base with subtly radical details finds echoes throughout menswear today. It's there in a poplin men's shirt by young London label Palmer//Harding, tucks and spiral pleats giving it a third dimension; and equally in Lucas Ossendrijver and Alber Elbaz's cross-breeding of a down jacket and officer's greatcoat at Lanvin.
"The mix between tradition and newness is the story of this collection," said Elbaz backstage. And, for many men, raised on Casual Fridays and sportswear as everyday wear, there is a newness in the tradition of the suit, full stop.
The omnipotence of the suit for autumn/winter 2012 is part of fashion's standard flash-in-the-pan seasonal volte-face, but men are universally reclaiming the classic suit as a means of dressing up for the everyday. "What we're seeing more and more of is younger customers buying into suiting," says Adam Kelly, buying manager of men's formalwear at London's Selfridges. "The look is in no way just about workwear or occasionwear any more – I think British guys in particular just have an increasingly vested interest in looking sharp." The cold hard facts back that assertion: at Selfridges, suiting sales to date have increased 28 per cent on last year. "I look for something classic and timeless in dress," says Constantin Bjerke, the dapper founder and CEO of media website Crane.tv, who buys his suits from London's Turnbull & Asser. "A well-cut, beautifully-detailed and constructed suit will last a lifetime and always look stylish."
Nick Lazarus, a treaty underwriter with Hiscox in the City, concurs that in his clothes he seeks "an emphasis on quality and not visual impact. Save the odd unfortunate incident, I have never really been one to stick my head above the parapet on account of an outlandish wardrobe".
Those characteristics – stylish, timeless, quality – are endlessly assigned to suits, especially in the bespoke bracket. The latter is suiting at its most traditional, time-consuming and expensive – ready-to-wear (or, as tailors often disparagingly term it, "off the rack") cannot compare to bespoke, where a pattern is drafted to a customer's individual measurements. Savile Row tailor Richard James describes the bespoke process as "indulgence... time spent considering fabric,working on style, discussing small but important details to devise a unique suit that not only fits you perfectly and makes you feel great, but is also something you helped create". Even made-to-measure is a poor substitute in the eyes of the tailoring trade. "It's not quite the same as having someone actually take a set of measurements and alterations for your figure. You can't improve on the fittings... distilling the pattern down till it actually fits," says Ritchie Charlton, managing director of Hayward of Mount Street. Charlton has been in the tailoring trade for three decades, working at high-profile establishments including Kilgour French Stanbury and the tailoring workrooms of Her Majesty's choice dressmaker, Hartnell, under former Christian Dior designer Marc Bohan in the early 1990s. In short, he knows his stuff – today, his custom-made, four-figure suits clothe dedicated followers of style, rather than fashion, including Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie and perennially pin-neat photographer Nick Knight. When asked about seasonal changes in bespoke, Charlton shrugs his shoulders and responds "there are seasons as far as the weather goes". But he does concede that "bespoke tailoring moves with men's fashion... a young guy who comes into the shop, generally he's going to want a neater, shorter-fitting jacket at the moment than perhaps he would have wanted in 2002."
That's possibly one of the most seductive things about suiting: the subtlety.
2012年3月22日星期四
EU Sanctions Asma's Louboutins
There are a few women in history who have been famous for their shoes. Imelda Marcos, widow of the late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos, owned approximately 2,700 pairs. Stacy London of TLC's What Not To Wear converted a hallway to hold half her collection of nearly 400 pair. The rest are at the studio. But as much as Marcos' shoes shocked the world and London's are the subject of numerous jokes, never before has a government or international group sanctioned a woman's shoes….until now.
On Friday, the European Union is expected to cut off Syrian First Lady Asma al-Assad's access to her beloved Christian Louboutins, the ones that are “…not made for the general public!” according to her e-mails to a friend. No retailer in Europe will be able to accept orders from the First Lady, and probably not from within Syria at all because she could always do her lavish shopping through a friend or servant. We can expect the United States for follow suit, so Mme. al-Assad can't shift to Nieman Marcus for a Blahnik fix or Nordstroms for Jimmy Choo. Imelda Marcos still holds the record of known First Lady shopping sprees, running up a million dollars on her credit cards in a single shopping trip to Europe. Mme. al-Assad hasn't plunked down over $150 million for buildings in New York City, declining to buy the Empire State Building for $750 million because it's “too ostentatious,” as Mme. Marcos did.
The private al-Assad e-mails that were hacked and released a couple of weeks ago show a First Couple very much out of the reality loop. She's buying furniture and shoes while 8,000 of her citizens are being killed by her husband's security forces. He's delusional about the rebellion, absolutely convinced that foreign terrorists are rebelling against him instead of his own people. His people love him, don't you know, almost as much as he loves his wife, for whom he downloaded the song “God Gave Me You.” Their love affair would be cute if it weren't for all the dead and dying men, women and children in their country. Well, maybe not cute. After all, she wrote to a friend that he is not the dictator, she is. Presumably, that means she wears the pants in that family, because all reports are she is not trusted by Bashar's advisors to participate in the government in any way.
It is moments like this when I feel like Dr. Reed on Criminal Minds. What is it with women and shoes?
Don't answer that. My daughter has tried. I still don't get it.
On Friday, the European Union is expected to cut off Syrian First Lady Asma al-Assad's access to her beloved Christian Louboutins, the ones that are “…not made for the general public!” according to her e-mails to a friend. No retailer in Europe will be able to accept orders from the First Lady, and probably not from within Syria at all because she could always do her lavish shopping through a friend or servant. We can expect the United States for follow suit, so Mme. al-Assad can't shift to Nieman Marcus for a Blahnik fix or Nordstroms for Jimmy Choo. Imelda Marcos still holds the record of known First Lady shopping sprees, running up a million dollars on her credit cards in a single shopping trip to Europe. Mme. al-Assad hasn't plunked down over $150 million for buildings in New York City, declining to buy the Empire State Building for $750 million because it's “too ostentatious,” as Mme. Marcos did.
The private al-Assad e-mails that were hacked and released a couple of weeks ago show a First Couple very much out of the reality loop. She's buying furniture and shoes while 8,000 of her citizens are being killed by her husband's security forces. He's delusional about the rebellion, absolutely convinced that foreign terrorists are rebelling against him instead of his own people. His people love him, don't you know, almost as much as he loves his wife, for whom he downloaded the song “God Gave Me You.” Their love affair would be cute if it weren't for all the dead and dying men, women and children in their country. Well, maybe not cute. After all, she wrote to a friend that he is not the dictator, she is. Presumably, that means she wears the pants in that family, because all reports are she is not trusted by Bashar's advisors to participate in the government in any way.
It is moments like this when I feel like Dr. Reed on Criminal Minds. What is it with women and shoes?
Don't answer that. My daughter has tried. I still don't get it.
2012年3月21日星期三
Malaysian Shoe Dating Scheme Offers Shoppers 'Free Man' With Purchase
A Malaysian shoe store is offering to help shoppers meet their Mr. Right—and no, we're not talking about Christian Louboutin.
Shoes Shoes Shoes, a footwear boutique based in Kuala Lumpur, is making headlines thanks to its Shoe Dating campaign, which throws in a "free man" with every shoe purchase, The Huffington Post reports. (Can we get our travel agent on the line?)
In a marketing ploy straight out of Sex and the City, the store has teamed up with online dating site Lunch Actually to have its single male clients select 20 shoe styles that they would like to see a date wear. Each man then offers to pay for a percentage—from 10 to 100 percent—of the shoe's costs in exchange for a date with the lovely lady who buys that particular pair.
When a female shopper purchases a pair, she is given her online dating matches and can set up a date with the suitor of her choice, who will then reimburse her for the cost of the shoe. And they say romance is dead.
"Why sit and wait for Mr. Right to drop from the sky," the store says on its Facebook page.
"Go do what you like most first—shop for shoes and live out your Sex and the City dreams (think Carrie!) and leave it to the professionals to find you your Mr. Big. with a possible discount of 100% to boot."
But while some ladies are leaping at the chance to land a man and a (free) killer pair of heels in one fell swoop, others are blasting the scheme as "unethical" because it puts women at the mercy of so-called sugar daddies.
Then again, even Prince Charming had to come calling with a glass slipper ...
Shoes Shoes Shoes, a footwear boutique based in Kuala Lumpur, is making headlines thanks to its Shoe Dating campaign, which throws in a "free man" with every shoe purchase, The Huffington Post reports. (Can we get our travel agent on the line?)
In a marketing ploy straight out of Sex and the City, the store has teamed up with online dating site Lunch Actually to have its single male clients select 20 shoe styles that they would like to see a date wear. Each man then offers to pay for a percentage—from 10 to 100 percent—of the shoe's costs in exchange for a date with the lovely lady who buys that particular pair.
When a female shopper purchases a pair, she is given her online dating matches and can set up a date with the suitor of her choice, who will then reimburse her for the cost of the shoe. And they say romance is dead.
"Why sit and wait for Mr. Right to drop from the sky," the store says on its Facebook page.
"Go do what you like most first—shop for shoes and live out your Sex and the City dreams (think Carrie!) and leave it to the professionals to find you your Mr. Big. with a possible discount of 100% to boot."
But while some ladies are leaping at the chance to land a man and a (free) killer pair of heels in one fell swoop, others are blasting the scheme as "unethical" because it puts women at the mercy of so-called sugar daddies.
Then again, even Prince Charming had to come calling with a glass slipper ...
2012年3月20日星期二
Caterpillar Shoes: buy them on site NetWalk
It's called workwear and is one of the latest fashion trends. Is to follow a style of clothing and footwear inspired by the world of work. There are those of the footwear and materials engineers has made its trademark and has strongly influenced millions of consumers. We are talking about the Caterpillar brand that starting from the classic suede boots with metal tip, has evolved trying to adapt the idea of ??starting to make footwear for every occasion.
The technology, Caterpillar has developed devices for every need, from technology to waterproof, anti-slip shoes to dissipate electro-static energy. The brand has also designed innovative footwear for women, while using the latest technical materials, maintain a focus on shapes and the latest trends.
From the site you can buy not only NetWalk Caterpillar shoes for men, women and children, but also many other quality brands at affordable prices. Among the best known brands include, for example CAFèNOIR, Birkenstock, Stonefly and Replay.
What aspects of your trust in NetWalk for your purchases of shoes!
The technology, Caterpillar has developed devices for every need, from technology to waterproof, anti-slip shoes to dissipate electro-static energy. The brand has also designed innovative footwear for women, while using the latest technical materials, maintain a focus on shapes and the latest trends.
From the site you can buy not only NetWalk Caterpillar shoes for men, women and children, but also many other quality brands at affordable prices. Among the best known brands include, for example CAFèNOIR, Birkenstock, Stonefly and Replay.
What aspects of your trust in NetWalk for your purchases of shoes!
2012年3月19日星期一
Megyn Kelly's classic fashion style
Whether you're an avid viewer of Fox News or have only a passing acquaintance with the network, it's been nearly impossible not to notice anchorwoman and "America Live" host Megyn Kelly. Particularly during the GOP primary round of debates and Super Tuesday coverage, Kelly's position in the lead anchor chair along with co-anchor Bret Baier has put the 41-year-old blond front and center at Fox News as the network's fresh face and opinionated voice of this election season.
Kelly, a former lawyer and subject of a rather racy 2010 GQ photo shoot (for which she makes no apologies), is known for direct, no-nonsense reporting, which has drawn commentary from fans, critics and comedians alike. She's been famously ridiculed, for instance, for calling pepper spray "a food product, essentially" and lauded for defending Chaz Bono's turn on "Dancing With the Stars." Her in-studio interview Wednesday with presidential contender Mitt Romney drew commentary from across the political spectrum.
For Kelly, it's all in a day's work.
The confidence she displays on air isn't just reserved for the camera. It translates into her TV and real-life wardrobes, which she describes as "tailored, classic and never frilly."
It's this sharp look and strong sense of on-air style that set her apart sartorially from the rest of the pack of reporters and commentators. Though she says, "I still don't consider myself a fashion girl," her fans and viewers might think otherwise, taking notice of her reworked traditional suits, the peep-toe or T-strap stilettos that sometimes peek out from under the news desk, the length of her hair and even the shade of her lip gloss.
The morning we meet in her Midtown Manhattan office, she's in her off-camera "uniform": dark skinny jeans (Citizens of Humanity and Joe's "Honeycut" style are favorites), a long-sleeved white cotton top and black Prada boots topped off with a plush faux fur vest from Elizabeth and James. Her chin-length blond hair is pulled back into a low ponytail and her face is makeup-free.
"Before I got into TV, I wasn't fashionable at all," says Kelly, who practiced law for nine years before making a career change at age 32 and going to work in Washington, D.C., at ABC News affiliate WJLA-TV as a general assignment reporter. There, she covered state and presidential elections before joining Fox in 2004 and eventually taking on a more visible role in the national spotlight.
As a lawyer, "I was more about getting into my legal clothes — navy, brown or black suits; that was it," she says. "Though I did make the executive decision to not wear sneakers with those suits while on my way to and from work. I didn't think about it that much. I was overworked and overwhelmed."
These days she still sticks to a conservative color palette during her down time. Navy, black and ivory basics are her go-tos and define a style she calls "New York casual."
"I'm not big on the hot pinks, bright reds," she says. "I just don't have a lot of that in my wardrobe. I like black, white and navy. I think navy looks good with blond hair and dark blue eyes."
Accessories, especially statement necklaces, are something she shuns both on and off camera. On TV, accessories can be distracting. Off the air, Kelly factors in the impracticality jewelry can pose while raising young kids — she and her husband, Douglas Brunt, have two, a 3-year-old son and an 11-month-old daughter. "I'm still getting spat up on," she says. "And my son is whipping things across the room."
Her approach to career dressing has changed significantly since she practiced law. She pays more attention to the role her clothes play in her overall image. A wall of dark wood closets lines one side of her office, housing brightly colored shift dresses, blazers and knee-length skirts from DVF, Elie Tahari and Chiara Boni. Color is a style hallmark of Fox News anchors.
Fashion stylist Gwen Marder, who has been dressing the on-air talent for 12 years, favors pops of solid, bright color, and there's no shortage of it in Kelly's wall of closets, despite her propensity for sticking to neutrals in her private life.
Kelly, a former lawyer and subject of a rather racy 2010 GQ photo shoot (for which she makes no apologies), is known for direct, no-nonsense reporting, which has drawn commentary from fans, critics and comedians alike. She's been famously ridiculed, for instance, for calling pepper spray "a food product, essentially" and lauded for defending Chaz Bono's turn on "Dancing With the Stars." Her in-studio interview Wednesday with presidential contender Mitt Romney drew commentary from across the political spectrum.
For Kelly, it's all in a day's work.
The confidence she displays on air isn't just reserved for the camera. It translates into her TV and real-life wardrobes, which she describes as "tailored, classic and never frilly."
It's this sharp look and strong sense of on-air style that set her apart sartorially from the rest of the pack of reporters and commentators. Though she says, "I still don't consider myself a fashion girl," her fans and viewers might think otherwise, taking notice of her reworked traditional suits, the peep-toe or T-strap stilettos that sometimes peek out from under the news desk, the length of her hair and even the shade of her lip gloss.
The morning we meet in her Midtown Manhattan office, she's in her off-camera "uniform": dark skinny jeans (Citizens of Humanity and Joe's "Honeycut" style are favorites), a long-sleeved white cotton top and black Prada boots topped off with a plush faux fur vest from Elizabeth and James. Her chin-length blond hair is pulled back into a low ponytail and her face is makeup-free.
"Before I got into TV, I wasn't fashionable at all," says Kelly, who practiced law for nine years before making a career change at age 32 and going to work in Washington, D.C., at ABC News affiliate WJLA-TV as a general assignment reporter. There, she covered state and presidential elections before joining Fox in 2004 and eventually taking on a more visible role in the national spotlight.
As a lawyer, "I was more about getting into my legal clothes — navy, brown or black suits; that was it," she says. "Though I did make the executive decision to not wear sneakers with those suits while on my way to and from work. I didn't think about it that much. I was overworked and overwhelmed."
These days she still sticks to a conservative color palette during her down time. Navy, black and ivory basics are her go-tos and define a style she calls "New York casual."
"I'm not big on the hot pinks, bright reds," she says. "I just don't have a lot of that in my wardrobe. I like black, white and navy. I think navy looks good with blond hair and dark blue eyes."
Accessories, especially statement necklaces, are something she shuns both on and off camera. On TV, accessories can be distracting. Off the air, Kelly factors in the impracticality jewelry can pose while raising young kids — she and her husband, Douglas Brunt, have two, a 3-year-old son and an 11-month-old daughter. "I'm still getting spat up on," she says. "And my son is whipping things across the room."
Her approach to career dressing has changed significantly since she practiced law. She pays more attention to the role her clothes play in her overall image. A wall of dark wood closets lines one side of her office, housing brightly colored shift dresses, blazers and knee-length skirts from DVF, Elie Tahari and Chiara Boni. Color is a style hallmark of Fox News anchors.
Fashion stylist Gwen Marder, who has been dressing the on-air talent for 12 years, favors pops of solid, bright color, and there's no shortage of it in Kelly's wall of closets, despite her propensity for sticking to neutrals in her private life.
2012年3月18日星期日
Osimo: drugs hidden in the soles of shoes
Osimo: drugs hidden in the soles of shoes, young man in trouble Filottrano
The Carabinieri of Osimo They stopped in the area Casenuove a Renault Megane which carried a young couple.
The military has noticed the nervousness of the boy driving the car. The two boys were transferred to barracks for the control of ritual and the young was found in possession of two wraps of marijuana hidden inside the inner soles of shoes. A quantity of "grass" of approximately 20 grams.
F. A., Born in 1991 in Jesi, but resident in Filottrano (with some previous drug-related) was sued in a state of freedom for trafficking and possession of narcotics with intent to sell.
The Carabinieri of Osimo They stopped in the area Casenuove a Renault Megane which carried a young couple.
The military has noticed the nervousness of the boy driving the car. The two boys were transferred to barracks for the control of ritual and the young was found in possession of two wraps of marijuana hidden inside the inner soles of shoes. A quantity of "grass" of approximately 20 grams.
F. A., Born in 1991 in Jesi, but resident in Filottrano (with some previous drug-related) was sued in a state of freedom for trafficking and possession of narcotics with intent to sell.
2012年3月15日星期四
Bristow collects shoes for developing nations
For the Bristow Elementary School community, having a Shoes For Water drive meant getting rid of old shoes. But for communities in developing countries, it will mean a lot more.
During the past month, Bristow Elementary collected nearly 1,300 pairs of shoes for Shoes For Water, a program run by EDGE Outreach in Louisville. Wes Reece, logistics director for Shoes For Water, collected the shoes from Bristow on Tuesday morning.
EDGE Outreach aims to solve water and sanitation issues in developing countries, Reece said. The nonprofit sells the shoes to an exporter, who in turn sells them to vendors in developing countries, he said. They recycle the materials from any shoes that can't be reused.
“There are very few shoes that can't be reused or recycled,” Reece said.
EDGE Outreach uses the money they get from the sale to buy water purification systems for developing countries and train people in those communities to maintain the system, he said.
Reece said he travels all over Kentucky collecting shoes when they're ready for pickup.
“A trip like this is well worth the journey,” he said. “The young people here did a tremendous job.”
Nichole Simpson, coordinator for Bristow's Family Resource Center, organized the Shoes For Water drive after a student was cleaning out her closet and approached Simpson about donating shoes.
Simpson remembered that Bristow's assistant principal had participated in Shoes For Water with his church and learned more about the program. She liked that it helped developing communities in several ways, she said.
“You get shoes on people's feet who wouldn't normally have any, and it stimulates the local economy,” Simpson said.
At first, she didn't know whether she could pull it off, she said. The shoes were donated into a disorganized pile and had to be tied together and collected into trash bags.
“It seemed like I was in over my head,” Simpson said.
But students on the school's leadership team really stepped up, and in just a few weeks, about 30 trash bags full of shoes filled the storage room at Bristow, she said.
“It smelled like rubber and feet for so long,” Simpson said.
Maegan Rogers, 12, a sixth-grader at Bristow, is a member of the school's leadership team. The group organized the shoes as they were donated each day.
“It gets us involved with other kids instead of just being in class all day,” Maegan said.
She said Shoes For Water is the best project the leadership team has participated in so far. She has younger sisters, so knowing the shoes would be going to little kids in need made it worthwhile, Maegan said.
During the past month, Bristow Elementary collected nearly 1,300 pairs of shoes for Shoes For Water, a program run by EDGE Outreach in Louisville. Wes Reece, logistics director for Shoes For Water, collected the shoes from Bristow on Tuesday morning.
EDGE Outreach aims to solve water and sanitation issues in developing countries, Reece said. The nonprofit sells the shoes to an exporter, who in turn sells them to vendors in developing countries, he said. They recycle the materials from any shoes that can't be reused.
“There are very few shoes that can't be reused or recycled,” Reece said.
EDGE Outreach uses the money they get from the sale to buy water purification systems for developing countries and train people in those communities to maintain the system, he said.
Reece said he travels all over Kentucky collecting shoes when they're ready for pickup.
“A trip like this is well worth the journey,” he said. “The young people here did a tremendous job.”
Nichole Simpson, coordinator for Bristow's Family Resource Center, organized the Shoes For Water drive after a student was cleaning out her closet and approached Simpson about donating shoes.
Simpson remembered that Bristow's assistant principal had participated in Shoes For Water with his church and learned more about the program. She liked that it helped developing communities in several ways, she said.
“You get shoes on people's feet who wouldn't normally have any, and it stimulates the local economy,” Simpson said.
At first, she didn't know whether she could pull it off, she said. The shoes were donated into a disorganized pile and had to be tied together and collected into trash bags.
“It seemed like I was in over my head,” Simpson said.
But students on the school's leadership team really stepped up, and in just a few weeks, about 30 trash bags full of shoes filled the storage room at Bristow, she said.
“It smelled like rubber and feet for so long,” Simpson said.
Maegan Rogers, 12, a sixth-grader at Bristow, is a member of the school's leadership team. The group organized the shoes as they were donated each day.
“It gets us involved with other kids instead of just being in class all day,” Maegan said.
She said Shoes For Water is the best project the leadership team has participated in so far. She has younger sisters, so knowing the shoes would be going to little kids in need made it worthwhile, Maegan said.
2012年3月13日星期二
All the Buzz from Paris
Footwear designers took center stage in Paris last week — literally. Christian Louboutin wowed the fashion crowd with his hit show "Feu" at Crazy Horse. "It's a fun opportunity to work with a whole little cabaret, but really I see this as the entry point. ... I also really want to concentrate on doing a real [performance] I've been writing with The Royal Ballet," Louboutin said. Nicholas Kirkwood also captured the spotlight with a takeover of the windows at Colette. Not only were his own shoes front and center, but his Pollini styles got serious attention, too. Elsewhere in the City of Light, a number of multitasking designers made a statement on the runway including Chanel's Laurence Dacade and Pierre Hardy, front man for Balenciaga and Hermès, who were seen running around between studios throughout the week.
Getting Inspired
Spy hit the streets of Paris for a glimpse into top designers' inspirations. Bruno Frisoni showcased the latest Roger Vivier collection inside the panoramic Musee de l'Orangerie. He played with a late-1970s vibe, complete with color-blocking and clever embellishments such as a "mustache" on a peep-toe pump and allover rainbow paillettes on a knee-high boot (below). "It's disco bohème," the designer said of the boot. "A cool take on the style of [late fashion icon] Loulou [de la Falaise]."
Christian Louboutin also was all about embellishments, with a focus on metals and strass. "This season is a collage of details. The elements were conceived to explore light and the reflections they create," he mused.
Taking a slightly different tack, Rupert Sanderson got rough and tumble for fall, inscribing Western boots with a guns-and-roses tattoo. "I wanted something with a Western motif, but I wanted to do it in a different way," he said.
Although girl-about-town Tabitha Simmons showed in a posh Rue du Rivoli apartment with an Eiffel Tower view, she tapped into her British roots this season. Simmons created velvet sandals and booties with pearl button details that pay homage to the [U.K. charity organization] Pearly Kings and Queens. "The symbols on the shoes are traditional to the pearlies: the hearts mean charity, the anchor means hope and the horseshoe is luck," she said.
Meanwhile, Charlotte Olympia Dellal and Chrissie Morris were both seeing stars for fall, adorning select styles with a star and moon motif. Morris, who has lately gotten into cosmologist documentaries, claimed, "We're at a pivotal point in time. But this [collection] is a celebration of the future, not a look back."
British Invasion
Speaking of the not-so-distant future, Dellal said she was hopeful her new uptown Manhattan store would open in the next several weeks after some unexpected construction delays. "I'm just waiting for that call," she said. "It will be nice to have an excuse to go to New York more."
Nicholas Kirkwood is similarly anticipating the debut of his Big Apple digs, and the designer plans to christen the space with a bash this month. But between his designer collabs with Erdem, Peter Pilotto and Suno, and his full-time gig at Pollini, Kirkwood hasn't had much time to worry about delays. But, he admitted, there have been some obstacles: "They had to totally redo the floor," he lamented. In the meantime, Kirkwood continues to plot expansion, including a men's collection for Pollini. Kirkwood sported gray suede laceless oxfords at the label's Paris presentation, perhaps to get some early reads on the product. The designer also is moving forward with a long-awaited men's launch under his namesake brand, and handbags are on the agenda as well.
Making Connections
Walter Steiger has been impressing the retail crowd with his avant-garde designs for nearly four decades, and he still knows how to get plenty of attention. Steiger held court in his Paris showroom, where he greeted longtime fans such as the team from Davids in Toronto. "We've been buying his shoes for 35 years, and his original styles are still some of our best sellers," Davids President David Markowitz said while writing an order. And the designer is about to get a whole lot more stateside recognition this fall, when Bergdorf Goodman relaunches his shoes.
First Impression
Up-and-comer Eugène Riconneaus might have found a new way to capture the hearts of top retailers. The French designer named all his fall '12 shoes after some of luxury's biggest names, from Barneys New York and Colette to Lane Crawford and The Webster in Miami (see sketch below).
Other relative newcomers popping up on the Paris circuit included Kerrie Luft, formerly of Roger Vivier; Zoe Lee, who cut her teeth at Vivienne Westwood and Te Casan; and Inga Savits, who worked with Brian Atwood and also designed the runway shoes for Alexis Mabille. A former model, Savits added a slight platform to the higher runway styles. "I've been there and I know it's much better for the girls," she said knowingly.
Urban Adventure
Emerging British designer Atalanta Weller — who has previously collaborated with fellow Brits Gareth Pugh and Henry Holland, among others — has unveiled a partnership with Urban Outfitters in Europe. Weller, now in her fifth season, designed a cut-out ankle boot and a heeled style that takes inspiration from the Mexican festival "Day of the Dead." "I've been thinking about doing a secondary line, so this was a perfect way to start," Weller said of the collaboration, called Atalanta by Atalanta Weller for Urban Outfitters.
Getting Inspired
Spy hit the streets of Paris for a glimpse into top designers' inspirations. Bruno Frisoni showcased the latest Roger Vivier collection inside the panoramic Musee de l'Orangerie. He played with a late-1970s vibe, complete with color-blocking and clever embellishments such as a "mustache" on a peep-toe pump and allover rainbow paillettes on a knee-high boot (below). "It's disco bohème," the designer said of the boot. "A cool take on the style of [late fashion icon] Loulou [de la Falaise]."
Christian Louboutin also was all about embellishments, with a focus on metals and strass. "This season is a collage of details. The elements were conceived to explore light and the reflections they create," he mused.
Taking a slightly different tack, Rupert Sanderson got rough and tumble for fall, inscribing Western boots with a guns-and-roses tattoo. "I wanted something with a Western motif, but I wanted to do it in a different way," he said.
Although girl-about-town Tabitha Simmons showed in a posh Rue du Rivoli apartment with an Eiffel Tower view, she tapped into her British roots this season. Simmons created velvet sandals and booties with pearl button details that pay homage to the [U.K. charity organization] Pearly Kings and Queens. "The symbols on the shoes are traditional to the pearlies: the hearts mean charity, the anchor means hope and the horseshoe is luck," she said.
Meanwhile, Charlotte Olympia Dellal and Chrissie Morris were both seeing stars for fall, adorning select styles with a star and moon motif. Morris, who has lately gotten into cosmologist documentaries, claimed, "We're at a pivotal point in time. But this [collection] is a celebration of the future, not a look back."
British Invasion
Speaking of the not-so-distant future, Dellal said she was hopeful her new uptown Manhattan store would open in the next several weeks after some unexpected construction delays. "I'm just waiting for that call," she said. "It will be nice to have an excuse to go to New York more."
Nicholas Kirkwood is similarly anticipating the debut of his Big Apple digs, and the designer plans to christen the space with a bash this month. But between his designer collabs with Erdem, Peter Pilotto and Suno, and his full-time gig at Pollini, Kirkwood hasn't had much time to worry about delays. But, he admitted, there have been some obstacles: "They had to totally redo the floor," he lamented. In the meantime, Kirkwood continues to plot expansion, including a men's collection for Pollini. Kirkwood sported gray suede laceless oxfords at the label's Paris presentation, perhaps to get some early reads on the product. The designer also is moving forward with a long-awaited men's launch under his namesake brand, and handbags are on the agenda as well.
Making Connections
Walter Steiger has been impressing the retail crowd with his avant-garde designs for nearly four decades, and he still knows how to get plenty of attention. Steiger held court in his Paris showroom, where he greeted longtime fans such as the team from Davids in Toronto. "We've been buying his shoes for 35 years, and his original styles are still some of our best sellers," Davids President David Markowitz said while writing an order. And the designer is about to get a whole lot more stateside recognition this fall, when Bergdorf Goodman relaunches his shoes.
First Impression
Up-and-comer Eugène Riconneaus might have found a new way to capture the hearts of top retailers. The French designer named all his fall '12 shoes after some of luxury's biggest names, from Barneys New York and Colette to Lane Crawford and The Webster in Miami (see sketch below).
Other relative newcomers popping up on the Paris circuit included Kerrie Luft, formerly of Roger Vivier; Zoe Lee, who cut her teeth at Vivienne Westwood and Te Casan; and Inga Savits, who worked with Brian Atwood and also designed the runway shoes for Alexis Mabille. A former model, Savits added a slight platform to the higher runway styles. "I've been there and I know it's much better for the girls," she said knowingly.
Urban Adventure
Emerging British designer Atalanta Weller — who has previously collaborated with fellow Brits Gareth Pugh and Henry Holland, among others — has unveiled a partnership with Urban Outfitters in Europe. Weller, now in her fifth season, designed a cut-out ankle boot and a heeled style that takes inspiration from the Mexican festival "Day of the Dead." "I've been thinking about doing a secondary line, so this was a perfect way to start," Weller said of the collaboration, called Atalanta by Atalanta Weller for Urban Outfitters.
2012年3月12日星期一
Analysis: Indonesia's rich bulge on commodities boom leaves many behind
Fitria Yusuf is a bag lady, but you won't find her sleeping rough in Jakarta.
Her bag of choice is Hermes, a French brand so coveted in the Indonesian capital it can cost as much as a luxury car. Yusuf owns five of them, having cut down from the early days of her infatuation with the products.
"Back in 2006, seeing a Hermes bag was like seeing Halley's comet," said Yusuf, the 29-year-old co-author of "Hermes Temptation," which chronicles how the bag made by French luxury group Hermes International SCA has become "a must-have item" for Jakarta's burgeoning high society.
The Hermes obsession is one sign of how Indonesia's economic revival is set to produce the fastest-growing ranks of millionaires in Asia as the country enjoys a sweet spot of political stability, strong demand for its plentiful commodities and renewed investor interest.
That is also adding to economic tensions in a country with a history of social upheaval and where tens of millions still live a hand-to-mouth existence despite hefty recent falls in poverty and a rising middle class.
With presidential elections looming in 2014, workers have held a series of strikes in recent months, driven by high commodities prices and a growing sense that the fruits of the economic boom have not been widely shared.
As Southeast Asia's largest economy leaves its basket-case reputation behind with annual growth of about 6 percent and basks in its newly won investment grade credit status, it is minting dollar millionaires at a rate of 16 a day, consulting firm Capgemini says.
The number of millionaires will triple to 99,000 by 2015, according to wealth management firm Julius Baer, the quickest pace of any Asian country.
That is making Indonesia -- a country with ambitions to join Brazil, Russia, India and China in the BRIC group of big emerging economies -- a must-have market for luxury firms such as Hermes and for a rapidly growing wealth management industry.
"The middle class is gaining wealth and becoming extremely rich. I would say that's the growth market now, a million dollars (in assets) and up," said Jan Richards, managing director and market manager for Southeast Asia at J.P. Morgan Private Bank, which manages more than $700 billion globally.
The profile of Indonesia's new rich has been heavily shaped by the surge in demand from China and India for the country's commodities. The world price for a tonne of palm oil, of which Indonesia is the largest producer, has more than doubled since 2006, for example. Gold, of which Indonesia is a major producer, has tripled in the same period.
Eight of the 10 wealthiest Indonesians in Forbes' annual rich list have substantial holdings in the commodities sector, including palm-oil magnate Eka Tjipta Widjaja and coal billionaire Low Tuck Kwong.
DBS Private Bank said its wealth management business in Indonesia is growing at an "exceptional" annual pace of 40 percent, much of it fuelled by the mining industry in resources such as coal, gold, iron, nickel and bauxite.
"We believe there are more than 20 billionaires with interests in coal and mineral mines, as well as oil palm plantations in the country," said Chan Kwee Him, Indonesia country head for the bank.
GROWING WEALTH GAP
The surging ranks of millionaires and the concentration of wealth in the commodities sector highlights how the benefits of Indonesia's revival are far from being evenly spread among classes and regions in the huge archipelago.
While Hermes bags change hands for up to $50,000 and buyers face a six-month wait for a $1 million Lamborghini super car, far-flung regions like Papua and Maluku struggle to provide basic public services.
About 100 million Indonesians -- about 40 percent of the population -- live on less than $2 a day, the World Bank says. Average wages at $113 are a third of China's.
About 60 million of Indonesia's 133 million-strong "middle class" spend between $2-4 a day, the World Bank says. A 1,500 rupiah ($0.17) per liter cut in fuel subsidies being considered by the government would push 2.4 million people below the poverty line, a study by the University of Indonesia found.
"I don't feel middle class, I feel poor," said 21-year-old Siti Aisah, who runs a shack selling snacks to construction workers that is almost in the shadow of Yusuf's sprawling house in a Jakarta suburb. She said her family can afford to spend about $10 on good days - middle class by some measures.
Since the 1998 fall of President Suharto following widespread rioting in Jakarta, broad inequality measured by the Gini index has risen to 0.38 from 0.32. That is still below many regional neighbors, but some economists question the accuracy of the surveys it is based on. A paper by Harvard's Kennedy School of Government estimated Indonesia's real Gini score at 0.45, putting it on a par with the Philippines and Cambodia.
Corruption-prone governance, poor infrastructure, low spending on social welfare and health and the business dominance of a relatively few families contribute to entrench inequality.
"Indonesia's tiny stratum of ultra-wealthy citizens continues to be plumped up by a process of wealth extraction from natural resources rather than by wealth creation through industry and production," said Jeffrey Winters, an associate professor at Yale University.
LUXURY BOOMS
Consultancy firm McKinsey sees the number of households earning $7,000 a month rising to 25 million by 2020 from around 17 million now as Indonesia's broad middle class continues its expansion.
But sustained growth in the middle class depends on how well Indonesia improves its low productivity and poor infrastructure to help bridge huge regional differences. Just six of Indonesia's 350 cities account for about 30 percent of GDP, said Arief Budiman, a partner with McKinsey in Jakarta.
There are some signs that the wealth is spreading, said Chan of DBS.
"While many of these billionaires are from old wealth, some are newcomers who are small planters or mine owners who benefited from the commodity boom. This segment of new wealth is also the fastest growing," Chan said.
While the luxury market is small compared to China or Japan, companies like France's LVMH and Britain's Rolls Royce Holding PLC are jockeying to be in place for the country's coming of age.
Sales of "premium" cars soared 27 percent last year, despite clogged roads in Jakarta and other big cities that reduce speeds to a crawl on week days. At a Jaguar and Bentley showroom nestled between Louis Vuitton and Bulgari stores at one of Jakarta's swankiest malls, a sales manager said he had sold about 10 of the cars priced up to $300,000 in February.
At the only Jakarta store of French luxury shoe and bag maker Christian Louboutin, sales of the precariously high-heeled stilettos priced up to $7,800 are up 25 percent over the past year. Compared to women in Singapore or Hong Kong who are more likely to use public transport, Indonesia's upper crust prefer higher heels because they get around in chauffeur-driven cars, said store manager Budi Santoso.
"The ones who can afford these don't really walk."
His best customers buy 20 pairs a season and he has steady mail-order demand from areas such as the resource-rich Kalimantan region on Borneo island.
Sales are surging despite a sales tax of up to 200 percent on luxury goods that adds to the usual headaches of doing business in Indonesia. French group PPR's luxury division, whose brands include Gucci and Alexander McQueen, said such concerns were preventing it from having a direct presence despite "double-digit" sales growth at its franchise stores.
If Yusuf's tales from the front lines of Hermes bag obsession are any guide, luxury firms have a bright future in Indonesia.
There is the general's wife desperate to get her hands on a limited edition sky-blue "Birkin" bag. The women who book a table for six at Jakarta restaurants -- three for them and three for their bags. And the attempt by Yusuf's co-author to sweeten a Hermes saleswoman in Paris with a diamond necklace.
Spotting a gap in the market caused by long waiting lists for some Hermes bags in Jakarta, Yusuf and her partner set up a thriving black market for the products through message groups on Blackberry cell phones.
They made about $40,000 in the first six months, according to their breathlessly written book, profiting from womens' willingness to pay well over the retail price to avoid a long wait for their dream bag. "Birkin" bags start at around $5,000 and go up to $50,000 for some crocodile-skin models.
The immaculately groomed Yusuf, who is also a commissioner for transport and energy firm PT Mitra Rajasa Tbk and is married to a chief executive, said the Jakarta market for Hermes bags was showing signs of saturation.
"Everyone has one."
But she saw growing demand from lower-income groups and from other regions for the status symbol.
"If you own a bag with a price tag of 100 million (rupiah) you probably have a home and a nice car. It's triggered by peer pressure," she said.
Her bag of choice is Hermes, a French brand so coveted in the Indonesian capital it can cost as much as a luxury car. Yusuf owns five of them, having cut down from the early days of her infatuation with the products.
"Back in 2006, seeing a Hermes bag was like seeing Halley's comet," said Yusuf, the 29-year-old co-author of "Hermes Temptation," which chronicles how the bag made by French luxury group Hermes International SCA has become "a must-have item" for Jakarta's burgeoning high society.
The Hermes obsession is one sign of how Indonesia's economic revival is set to produce the fastest-growing ranks of millionaires in Asia as the country enjoys a sweet spot of political stability, strong demand for its plentiful commodities and renewed investor interest.
That is also adding to economic tensions in a country with a history of social upheaval and where tens of millions still live a hand-to-mouth existence despite hefty recent falls in poverty and a rising middle class.
With presidential elections looming in 2014, workers have held a series of strikes in recent months, driven by high commodities prices and a growing sense that the fruits of the economic boom have not been widely shared.
As Southeast Asia's largest economy leaves its basket-case reputation behind with annual growth of about 6 percent and basks in its newly won investment grade credit status, it is minting dollar millionaires at a rate of 16 a day, consulting firm Capgemini says.
The number of millionaires will triple to 99,000 by 2015, according to wealth management firm Julius Baer, the quickest pace of any Asian country.
That is making Indonesia -- a country with ambitions to join Brazil, Russia, India and China in the BRIC group of big emerging economies -- a must-have market for luxury firms such as Hermes and for a rapidly growing wealth management industry.
"The middle class is gaining wealth and becoming extremely rich. I would say that's the growth market now, a million dollars (in assets) and up," said Jan Richards, managing director and market manager for Southeast Asia at J.P. Morgan Private Bank, which manages more than $700 billion globally.
The profile of Indonesia's new rich has been heavily shaped by the surge in demand from China and India for the country's commodities. The world price for a tonne of palm oil, of which Indonesia is the largest producer, has more than doubled since 2006, for example. Gold, of which Indonesia is a major producer, has tripled in the same period.
Eight of the 10 wealthiest Indonesians in Forbes' annual rich list have substantial holdings in the commodities sector, including palm-oil magnate Eka Tjipta Widjaja and coal billionaire Low Tuck Kwong.
DBS Private Bank said its wealth management business in Indonesia is growing at an "exceptional" annual pace of 40 percent, much of it fuelled by the mining industry in resources such as coal, gold, iron, nickel and bauxite.
"We believe there are more than 20 billionaires with interests in coal and mineral mines, as well as oil palm plantations in the country," said Chan Kwee Him, Indonesia country head for the bank.
GROWING WEALTH GAP
The surging ranks of millionaires and the concentration of wealth in the commodities sector highlights how the benefits of Indonesia's revival are far from being evenly spread among classes and regions in the huge archipelago.
While Hermes bags change hands for up to $50,000 and buyers face a six-month wait for a $1 million Lamborghini super car, far-flung regions like Papua and Maluku struggle to provide basic public services.
About 100 million Indonesians -- about 40 percent of the population -- live on less than $2 a day, the World Bank says. Average wages at $113 are a third of China's.
About 60 million of Indonesia's 133 million-strong "middle class" spend between $2-4 a day, the World Bank says. A 1,500 rupiah ($0.17) per liter cut in fuel subsidies being considered by the government would push 2.4 million people below the poverty line, a study by the University of Indonesia found.
"I don't feel middle class, I feel poor," said 21-year-old Siti Aisah, who runs a shack selling snacks to construction workers that is almost in the shadow of Yusuf's sprawling house in a Jakarta suburb. She said her family can afford to spend about $10 on good days - middle class by some measures.
Since the 1998 fall of President Suharto following widespread rioting in Jakarta, broad inequality measured by the Gini index has risen to 0.38 from 0.32. That is still below many regional neighbors, but some economists question the accuracy of the surveys it is based on. A paper by Harvard's Kennedy School of Government estimated Indonesia's real Gini score at 0.45, putting it on a par with the Philippines and Cambodia.
Corruption-prone governance, poor infrastructure, low spending on social welfare and health and the business dominance of a relatively few families contribute to entrench inequality.
"Indonesia's tiny stratum of ultra-wealthy citizens continues to be plumped up by a process of wealth extraction from natural resources rather than by wealth creation through industry and production," said Jeffrey Winters, an associate professor at Yale University.
LUXURY BOOMS
Consultancy firm McKinsey sees the number of households earning $7,000 a month rising to 25 million by 2020 from around 17 million now as Indonesia's broad middle class continues its expansion.
But sustained growth in the middle class depends on how well Indonesia improves its low productivity and poor infrastructure to help bridge huge regional differences. Just six of Indonesia's 350 cities account for about 30 percent of GDP, said Arief Budiman, a partner with McKinsey in Jakarta.
There are some signs that the wealth is spreading, said Chan of DBS.
"While many of these billionaires are from old wealth, some are newcomers who are small planters or mine owners who benefited from the commodity boom. This segment of new wealth is also the fastest growing," Chan said.
While the luxury market is small compared to China or Japan, companies like France's LVMH and Britain's Rolls Royce Holding PLC are jockeying to be in place for the country's coming of age.
Sales of "premium" cars soared 27 percent last year, despite clogged roads in Jakarta and other big cities that reduce speeds to a crawl on week days. At a Jaguar and Bentley showroom nestled between Louis Vuitton and Bulgari stores at one of Jakarta's swankiest malls, a sales manager said he had sold about 10 of the cars priced up to $300,000 in February.
At the only Jakarta store of French luxury shoe and bag maker Christian Louboutin, sales of the precariously high-heeled stilettos priced up to $7,800 are up 25 percent over the past year. Compared to women in Singapore or Hong Kong who are more likely to use public transport, Indonesia's upper crust prefer higher heels because they get around in chauffeur-driven cars, said store manager Budi Santoso.
"The ones who can afford these don't really walk."
His best customers buy 20 pairs a season and he has steady mail-order demand from areas such as the resource-rich Kalimantan region on Borneo island.
Sales are surging despite a sales tax of up to 200 percent on luxury goods that adds to the usual headaches of doing business in Indonesia. French group PPR's luxury division, whose brands include Gucci and Alexander McQueen, said such concerns were preventing it from having a direct presence despite "double-digit" sales growth at its franchise stores.
If Yusuf's tales from the front lines of Hermes bag obsession are any guide, luxury firms have a bright future in Indonesia.
There is the general's wife desperate to get her hands on a limited edition sky-blue "Birkin" bag. The women who book a table for six at Jakarta restaurants -- three for them and three for their bags. And the attempt by Yusuf's co-author to sweeten a Hermes saleswoman in Paris with a diamond necklace.
Spotting a gap in the market caused by long waiting lists for some Hermes bags in Jakarta, Yusuf and her partner set up a thriving black market for the products through message groups on Blackberry cell phones.
They made about $40,000 in the first six months, according to their breathlessly written book, profiting from womens' willingness to pay well over the retail price to avoid a long wait for their dream bag. "Birkin" bags start at around $5,000 and go up to $50,000 for some crocodile-skin models.
The immaculately groomed Yusuf, who is also a commissioner for transport and energy firm PT Mitra Rajasa Tbk and is married to a chief executive, said the Jakarta market for Hermes bags was showing signs of saturation.
"Everyone has one."
But she saw growing demand from lower-income groups and from other regions for the status symbol.
"If you own a bag with a price tag of 100 million (rupiah) you probably have a home and a nice car. It's triggered by peer pressure," she said.
2012年3月11日星期日
Kim Kardashian puts her little sisters in the shade by wearing curve-hugging burgundy gown
Dressed for success: Kim Kardashian puts her little sisters in the shade by wearing curve-hugging burgundy gown
It looks like Kim Kardashian has no plans to surrender her crown as queen of reality television any time soon.
For she made sure she put her little sisters Kylie and Kendall in the shade by wearing an eye-catching burgundy dress when the trio went for a stroll in Beverly Hills today.
Kim, 31, made sure all her assets were on show when she picked out the figure hugging dress for her shopping trip.
And she made sure she looked even more stunning by topping off her outfit, not to mention drawing attention to her legs, with an attractive pair of Christian Louboutin shoes.
Kylie, 14, had an advantage in the height stakes, but scored a fashion own goal by twinning her turquoise dress with purple high heels.
Kendall, 16, meanwhile made the shrewd move of walking several steps behind her more famous sibling, obviouslty realising she could not compete in a drab outfit of leggings, boots and white top.
It has just emerged Kim's short lived marriage to basketball journeyman Kris Humphries could end up costing her $7m.
He is reportedly asking for the eye-watering sum in return for keeping silent on their marriage, but the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star has supposedly rejected the offer.
And if she was thinking about an upcoming courtroom battle she was not letting it show, and looked in good spirits as she walked with her half-sisters.
Kim also made sure she kept her legion of male admirers amused by tweeting a picture of herself in racy leopard print lingerie tonight.
Kylie and Kendall looked far removed from the pigtail sporting pair that appeared in America's Next Top Model earlier this week.
The pair channelled the twins from legendary horror movie The Shining as they posed up alongside their mother Kris Jenner and several hopefuls in the latest series of the modelling talent show.
It looks like Kim Kardashian has no plans to surrender her crown as queen of reality television any time soon.
For she made sure she put her little sisters Kylie and Kendall in the shade by wearing an eye-catching burgundy dress when the trio went for a stroll in Beverly Hills today.
Kim, 31, made sure all her assets were on show when she picked out the figure hugging dress for her shopping trip.
And she made sure she looked even more stunning by topping off her outfit, not to mention drawing attention to her legs, with an attractive pair of Christian Louboutin shoes.
Kylie, 14, had an advantage in the height stakes, but scored a fashion own goal by twinning her turquoise dress with purple high heels.
Kendall, 16, meanwhile made the shrewd move of walking several steps behind her more famous sibling, obviouslty realising she could not compete in a drab outfit of leggings, boots and white top.
It has just emerged Kim's short lived marriage to basketball journeyman Kris Humphries could end up costing her $7m.
He is reportedly asking for the eye-watering sum in return for keeping silent on their marriage, but the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star has supposedly rejected the offer.
And if she was thinking about an upcoming courtroom battle she was not letting it show, and looked in good spirits as she walked with her half-sisters.
Kim also made sure she kept her legion of male admirers amused by tweeting a picture of herself in racy leopard print lingerie tonight.
Kylie and Kendall looked far removed from the pigtail sporting pair that appeared in America's Next Top Model earlier this week.
The pair channelled the twins from legendary horror movie The Shining as they posed up alongside their mother Kris Jenner and several hopefuls in the latest series of the modelling talent show.
2012年3月8日星期四
Shine not look directly at: Secret of Hollywood ladies shoe
The Holy shoes!
Whether she wants to admit it or not, Kim Kardashian is totally and completely obsessed with shoes. Not only is this evident by the crazy designs she wears both on the red carpet and to run errands, but also in the several Instagram photos she recently shared of the inside of her shoe closet.
"In honor of fashion week I'm posting pics inside my closet!" The 31-year-old, who's currently in Paris for the high-fashion event this week, posted to her blog Monday.
In the photos, the extremely organized star shows off her extensive footwear collection: racks of every style from peep-toe stilettos to booties in every color, finish, and glitter shade under the rainbow.
Among her favorite shoe designers: Yves Saint Laurent, Giuseppe Zanotti and dozens upon dozens of Christian Louboutin heels.
Whether she admit it or not, Hollywood socialite Jinka Dai Shan, 31 years old but love shoes. This week she released a few photos of their precious shoe internal people can not help but exclaim, after reading! At least a five-storey shoe dense, neatly filled with all kinds of brand-name design high-heeled shoes, colorful shining rainbow of brilliant colors in the lens. I believe that after seeing the brightest female jealousy envy hate Oh!
Whether she wants to admit it or not, Kim Kardashian is totally and completely obsessed with shoes. Not only is this evident by the crazy designs she wears both on the red carpet and to run errands, but also in the several Instagram photos she recently shared of the inside of her shoe closet.
"In honor of fashion week I'm posting pics inside my closet!" The 31-year-old, who's currently in Paris for the high-fashion event this week, posted to her blog Monday.
In the photos, the extremely organized star shows off her extensive footwear collection: racks of every style from peep-toe stilettos to booties in every color, finish, and glitter shade under the rainbow.
Among her favorite shoe designers: Yves Saint Laurent, Giuseppe Zanotti and dozens upon dozens of Christian Louboutin heels.
Whether she admit it or not, Hollywood socialite Jinka Dai Shan, 31 years old but love shoes. This week she released a few photos of their precious shoe internal people can not help but exclaim, after reading! At least a five-storey shoe dense, neatly filled with all kinds of brand-name design high-heeled shoes, colorful shining rainbow of brilliant colors in the lens. I believe that after seeing the brightest female jealousy envy hate Oh!
2012年3月7日星期三
Nude Jessica Simpson: Been there, done that
Jessica Simpson is naked on the cover of April's Elle magazine, cradling her pregnant belly with one hand and covering her mammary glands with the other. It's a beautiful photo, but we've seen this pose so many times we're kinda over it. (Demi Moore on the cover of Vanity Fair, Britney Spears on the cover of Harper's Bazaar. Yada yada yada.)
In the meantime, Jessica drops a little baby bomb of her own in the issue: She's having a girl. And it sounds like she's hoping that she doesn't give birth to a tomboy.
“I swear, I will croak if she asks me for a pair of Nikes instead of Christian Louboutins!” she says.
But wait! There's more from Jessica, who apparently has been so busy designing clothes and shoes that she hasn't heard that girls can love sports, too.
She goes on to say that she hopes her baby doesn't - gasp! - catch her fiance Eric Johnson's love of sports.
“Eric is so athletic. We’re gonna have this athletic girl and I won’t even be able to take her shopping.”
Sigh.
In the meantime, Jessica drops a little baby bomb of her own in the issue: She's having a girl. And it sounds like she's hoping that she doesn't give birth to a tomboy.
“I swear, I will croak if she asks me for a pair of Nikes instead of Christian Louboutins!” she says.
But wait! There's more from Jessica, who apparently has been so busy designing clothes and shoes that she hasn't heard that girls can love sports, too.
She goes on to say that she hopes her baby doesn't - gasp! - catch her fiance Eric Johnson's love of sports.
“Eric is so athletic. We’re gonna have this athletic girl and I won’t even be able to take her shopping.”
Sigh.
2012年3月5日星期一
FN Spy: 'Smash'-ing Style… Jimmy Takes on Jimi
Smash Hit
With endless dance numbers, shoes take center stage in NBC's new show "Smash." Armed with high-tops, biker boots or heels, costume designer Rita Ryack helps lead characters Katharine McPhee and Megan Hilty dance their way through a battle for the key role in a Marilyn Monroe musical. Here, Spy lifts the curtain on this TV hit.
What were your footwear inspirations for the pilot of "Smash?"
"Most of [the footwear for the Julia character] came from Debra Messing's closet. She has the most incredible wardrobe of shoes. [The styles are] beautifully organized and it's a treat to look through her closet. Anjelica Huston's character [Eileen] certainly has the most expensive style, but we didn't want to get costume-y, except in the musical numbers."
Was heel height a consideration when picking footwear for the dancing scenes?
"I didn't want the shoes to be dangerous, but Hilty [playing Ivy] is so fantastic and she loves wearing heels. She won't go without them. McPhee [Karen] wore biker boots and high-tops at some points and little ballet flats with jeans in an audition scene. [But] she's wearing some strappy gold shoes at the very beginning where she's having the fantasy about ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow.'"
Why did you decide to choose costume pieces from the personal closets of the actors?
"For a pilot, the time is so limited. When you're doing the series, you build a closet for each character. With a pilot, you really start from scratch. We do rely on certain things from the actors' own closets. What could be better? Certainly pre-worn clothing has more vitality than new clothing."
Full-on Milan
What would happen if Jimi Hendrix and Kate Moss got together? That's the question the Jimmy Choo brand was asking in Milan last week, as creative directors Sandra Choi and Simon Holloway described their inspiration for fall '12: rock 'n' roll meets romance. "When Kate got married, she looked different, especially beautiful," Choi said. "That's the look — feminine with a backdrop of rock 'n' roll." Among the featured elements are guitar straps, fox fur fringe, a custom glitter python skin and couture details such as semi-precious stones and hand-cut lace. Elsewhere, Stuart Weitzman was on top of his game while fêting his new line, SW1. "SW1 [in London] is the postcode where I've always sold the most shoes," Weitzman confessed. But despite headquartering his new endeavor in Milan, the designer is still in a New York state of mind, as he prepares to give ping-pong maven Susan Sarandon a run for her money. Weitzman will move his New York showroom to a bigger space, one that includes a table tennis room. "Watch out, Spin Club," Weitzman said of Sarandon's New York bar. On the ground floor of the same building, at 15 Via Spiga, Nicholas Kirkwood was in town to toast Pollini's new boutique there. The creative director was on hand to show off the new store design. "The large light fixtures and mirrored elements are meant to make the space warm and more like home," he said. Meanwhile, fresh off the Academy Awards, Sergio Rossi Creative Director Francesco Russo debuted a short film of his own: "Skin to Skin," depicting model Diana Dondoe arming herself in bondage-inspired leather, crocodile and metal accessories from the fall collection. "I am a shoe person, but I start to move up the body, extending my emotions to all the accessories. They are a second skin," Russo explained. Finally, at Bruno Magli, it was all about fresh perspective. Creative Director Max Kibardin showed off his translation of "Bruno Magli saddlery," including mustard boots and crimson loafers, while highlighting the redesigned logo, which appears as a seal of quality on the soles. "The idea is to treat luxury like it's nothing," Kibardin said, "with classic styles in brave colors that are shocking and chic."
Shining Shoes
While Oscar statues were highly coveted at the Academy Awards last week, footwear was also a standout performer. Fan favorite Melissa McCarthy (a Best Supporting Actress nominee for "Bridesmaids") donned a look by BFF Brian Atwood, who flew from Milan to hand-deliver a pair of specially made, Swarovski crystal peep-toes inscribed with a personalized message. "I have known Missy since we were teenagers," said Atwood. "When I moved to New York, I made her move in with me [from Colorado]. I knew she was a star and needed to be where things were happening. I started booking her for various stand-up venues and the rest is history." The designer added that he will reunite with McCarthy next month in Los Angeles. Also at the awards, Best Actress winner Meryl Streep had a shoe moment of her own as she walked the red carpet in Salvatore Ferragamo peep-toe pumps because the designer was a favorite of politician Margaret Thatcher (who Streep played in "The Iron Lady"). And before the show, Stuart Weitzman shone in several pre-show specials, where he chatted on camera about the history of his million-dollar shoe and the updated Millionairess style.
Curtain Call
It's showtime for Christian Louboutin. The designer kicks off his cabaret shoe "Feu" at the Crazy Horse theater in Paris today, after serving as a guest creator and, as expected, supplying the dancers with shoes. And the footwear definitely makes a statement, including some looks with oversized spiked heels and a series of half-shoes consisting of just a heel and straps connecting at the ankle and foot. "Designing shoes for women to walk in the street is one thing, but designing shoes for dancers can bring out different aspects," Louboutin told Spy. "You have a lot of restrictions — like anything with even a tiny heel, you just can't [do it] because it breaks."
With endless dance numbers, shoes take center stage in NBC's new show "Smash." Armed with high-tops, biker boots or heels, costume designer Rita Ryack helps lead characters Katharine McPhee and Megan Hilty dance their way through a battle for the key role in a Marilyn Monroe musical. Here, Spy lifts the curtain on this TV hit.
What were your footwear inspirations for the pilot of "Smash?"
"Most of [the footwear for the Julia character] came from Debra Messing's closet. She has the most incredible wardrobe of shoes. [The styles are] beautifully organized and it's a treat to look through her closet. Anjelica Huston's character [Eileen] certainly has the most expensive style, but we didn't want to get costume-y, except in the musical numbers."
Was heel height a consideration when picking footwear for the dancing scenes?
"I didn't want the shoes to be dangerous, but Hilty [playing Ivy] is so fantastic and she loves wearing heels. She won't go without them. McPhee [Karen] wore biker boots and high-tops at some points and little ballet flats with jeans in an audition scene. [But] she's wearing some strappy gold shoes at the very beginning where she's having the fantasy about ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow.'"
Why did you decide to choose costume pieces from the personal closets of the actors?
"For a pilot, the time is so limited. When you're doing the series, you build a closet for each character. With a pilot, you really start from scratch. We do rely on certain things from the actors' own closets. What could be better? Certainly pre-worn clothing has more vitality than new clothing."
Full-on Milan
What would happen if Jimi Hendrix and Kate Moss got together? That's the question the Jimmy Choo brand was asking in Milan last week, as creative directors Sandra Choi and Simon Holloway described their inspiration for fall '12: rock 'n' roll meets romance. "When Kate got married, she looked different, especially beautiful," Choi said. "That's the look — feminine with a backdrop of rock 'n' roll." Among the featured elements are guitar straps, fox fur fringe, a custom glitter python skin and couture details such as semi-precious stones and hand-cut lace. Elsewhere, Stuart Weitzman was on top of his game while fêting his new line, SW1. "SW1 [in London] is the postcode where I've always sold the most shoes," Weitzman confessed. But despite headquartering his new endeavor in Milan, the designer is still in a New York state of mind, as he prepares to give ping-pong maven Susan Sarandon a run for her money. Weitzman will move his New York showroom to a bigger space, one that includes a table tennis room. "Watch out, Spin Club," Weitzman said of Sarandon's New York bar. On the ground floor of the same building, at 15 Via Spiga, Nicholas Kirkwood was in town to toast Pollini's new boutique there. The creative director was on hand to show off the new store design. "The large light fixtures and mirrored elements are meant to make the space warm and more like home," he said. Meanwhile, fresh off the Academy Awards, Sergio Rossi Creative Director Francesco Russo debuted a short film of his own: "Skin to Skin," depicting model Diana Dondoe arming herself in bondage-inspired leather, crocodile and metal accessories from the fall collection. "I am a shoe person, but I start to move up the body, extending my emotions to all the accessories. They are a second skin," Russo explained. Finally, at Bruno Magli, it was all about fresh perspective. Creative Director Max Kibardin showed off his translation of "Bruno Magli saddlery," including mustard boots and crimson loafers, while highlighting the redesigned logo, which appears as a seal of quality on the soles. "The idea is to treat luxury like it's nothing," Kibardin said, "with classic styles in brave colors that are shocking and chic."
Shining Shoes
While Oscar statues were highly coveted at the Academy Awards last week, footwear was also a standout performer. Fan favorite Melissa McCarthy (a Best Supporting Actress nominee for "Bridesmaids") donned a look by BFF Brian Atwood, who flew from Milan to hand-deliver a pair of specially made, Swarovski crystal peep-toes inscribed with a personalized message. "I have known Missy since we were teenagers," said Atwood. "When I moved to New York, I made her move in with me [from Colorado]. I knew she was a star and needed to be where things were happening. I started booking her for various stand-up venues and the rest is history." The designer added that he will reunite with McCarthy next month in Los Angeles. Also at the awards, Best Actress winner Meryl Streep had a shoe moment of her own as she walked the red carpet in Salvatore Ferragamo peep-toe pumps because the designer was a favorite of politician Margaret Thatcher (who Streep played in "The Iron Lady"). And before the show, Stuart Weitzman shone in several pre-show specials, where he chatted on camera about the history of his million-dollar shoe and the updated Millionairess style.
Curtain Call
It's showtime for Christian Louboutin. The designer kicks off his cabaret shoe "Feu" at the Crazy Horse theater in Paris today, after serving as a guest creator and, as expected, supplying the dancers with shoes. And the footwear definitely makes a statement, including some looks with oversized spiked heels and a series of half-shoes consisting of just a heel and straps connecting at the ankle and foot. "Designing shoes for women to walk in the street is one thing, but designing shoes for dancers can bring out different aspects," Louboutin told Spy. "You have a lot of restrictions — like anything with even a tiny heel, you just can't [do it] because it breaks."
2012年3月4日星期日
Nael Coce's Eco-Friendly Stiletto Heel Hides a Built-in Ballet Flat
Ladies, how many times have you donned a pair of what you thought were killer heels for a night out only to find that they were actually murder on your feet? Well, Sheena Young, a Baltimore chemist, has come up with a solution that will give our tootsies a break. Called the Nael Coce Ambi Collection, the new line of high heels (and we mean high – 4″) have built-in liners that turn into flats when you simply can't take it anymore. We've seen portable flats that you can slip in your bag on the market before but this is the first one we've seen that's both built-in and made from eco-friendly materials. Oh and did we mention that the liners will be anti-bacterial too? So smart!
Young, who is currently working on her Ph.D., got the idea for the shoes pretty much exactly how you might think. “This project all came about one New Year's Eve when I grew tired of wearing my high heels, but didn't want to walk barefoot,” explains Young. “This is the perfect solution for all of us women who want to wear trendy, fashion-forward high heel shoes and want the comfort of wearing flats. They provide a simple solution to painful high heel shoes.” We don't think there's a woman out there who would disagree to that.
The versatile heels are made from earth friendly materials and conceal an inner flat shoe that you can slip in and out of the outters whenever your feet need a break. The insoles have anti-bacterial properties and are made from natural fibers that are hypoallergenic and non-toxic.
Nael Coce Ambi is already on the market in two versatile colors – black or gold glitter. Even though they cost $70-$75 each, we think that's a very fair price for what is essentially two shoes in one. Factor in the relief from all of that foot pain, and it seems like a downright bargain!
Young, who is currently working on her Ph.D., got the idea for the shoes pretty much exactly how you might think. “This project all came about one New Year's Eve when I grew tired of wearing my high heels, but didn't want to walk barefoot,” explains Young. “This is the perfect solution for all of us women who want to wear trendy, fashion-forward high heel shoes and want the comfort of wearing flats. They provide a simple solution to painful high heel shoes.” We don't think there's a woman out there who would disagree to that.
The versatile heels are made from earth friendly materials and conceal an inner flat shoe that you can slip in and out of the outters whenever your feet need a break. The insoles have anti-bacterial properties and are made from natural fibers that are hypoallergenic and non-toxic.
Nael Coce Ambi is already on the market in two versatile colors – black or gold glitter. Even though they cost $70-$75 each, we think that's a very fair price for what is essentially two shoes in one. Factor in the relief from all of that foot pain, and it seems like a downright bargain!
2012年3月1日星期四
Niche store provides sole solutions
The narrow Family Shoe Repair shop in Aurora is satisfyingly aromatic with the musk of leather.
Neatly displayed in the cramped quarters are polishes, cleaners and accessories. The shelves are lined with re-heeled stilettos, re-soled boots and polished oxfords and handbags, new and rehabilitated.
Owner and master craftsman Boris Isailove greets customers with an Eastern European-flavour.
With the pragmatism of a busy triage physician, he lays ailing footwear on the counter, performs an expert diagnosis, offers a prompt prescriptive remedy, often surgical, a prognosis and price.
Since 1989, the native of Georgia in the former Soviet Union has been plying his Old World craft in the Aurora Shopping Plaza, first isolated in the back, but, since 1995, in the more prominent front.
The tiny, tidy shop has become a beacon for the well-heeled and those who will be, once Mr. Isailove and his three employees have worked their sole revival magic.
The artistry of their services draws customers from across York Region and Ontario, he said. Cobbler-client confidentiality keeps names under wraps, but considering the designer labels and high-end riding boots awaiting their owners, he confirms patrons include plenty of recognizable celebrities, politicians and athletes.
The retail Canadian footwear market, valued at $3.7 billion in 2008, according to Trendex, declined 3.2 per cent a year later. The sluggish economy has been a boon for artisans such as Mr. Isailove. Repair, rather than replace, is the mantra of the newly frugal and fiscally wise. It makes sense.
A replacement lift costs a fraction of a $1,200 Jimmy Choo pump. A re-line of a $1,500 signature red lacquer-soled Christian Louboutin sling makes it new.
When the economy is bad, people don't think twice about investing $20 to $50 to repair a $200 or $300 pair of shoes, Mr. Isailove said. The motivation to mend for the majority of his customers is a reluctance to part with comfortable, broken-in shoes.
Old school craftsmanship is a dying art. The Shoe Service Institute of America, a trade group, said there are just 7,000 shoe-repair shops left in the U.S., down from more than 120,000 during the Great Depression.
As a 13-year old, Mr. Isailove worked part-time in a Georgian shoe repair shop. By 15, he was apprenticing as a shoemaker and leather worker in Vienna, Austria. He was also learning to be a plumber.
“It was a big decision,” he said. “But, I was drawn to the shoe trade.”
Mr. Isailove proudly displays a binder with his apprenticeship certificates and several all-European first prize awards for shoe and leather work competitions.
After years of learning his trade, his elderly Viennese boss approached him and handed him the keys to the shop.
“The only condition was that I treat the customers as he did,” Mr. Isailove said with a smile.
He learned from the best and continued to do so after arriving in Canada in 1988 and opening his own shop a year later. He hired two retirees who wanted to keep their hands in the craft.
“They were brilliant,” he said wistfully. “Both were holocaust survivors. I learned so much about life and the trade from them. Without them, I'd only be half of what I am now.”
His staff totals three, each an expert in some aspect of shoemaking, repair, tannery and dyeing.
Once a person experiences a top notch shoe repair, they tend to stay with the mending regime, he said. A quality shoe can undergo a quality repair. Cheap synthetic shoes, he said, can be difficult to fix. Leather is a live, organic product and lends itself to stitching, grafting, dyeing and strengthening.
He estimates thousands of pairs of shoes pass through his doors annually. Many equestrians and polo players entrust their speciality boots to Mr. Isailove. His crew will change soles, heels, lining and colours, repair zippers, clean and polish. It's standard duty, he said. Some footwear, however, requires meticulous attention. A “one-in-a-million” pair of Italian lady's shoes, valued at $26,000, and a pair of custom-made men's dancing shoes encrusted with Swarovski crystals drew a bead of sweat.
His best advice to customers is to buy quality, properly fitted footwear. To prolong a shoe's life, keep the uppers clean, polished and protected. Invest in a good cedar shoe tree that will keep it fresh and formed.
“It's a 50-50 deal,” he said. “You take care of the uppers, we'll take care of the rest.”
The local shoe repair fraternity is friendly, Mr. Isailove said. Most refer to each other's specialties. Craftsmanship and customer service reign supreme and beget fierce loyalty and plenty of humorous anecdotes.
There's the tale of a busy executive with major sock — destroying holes in his favourite shoes. Eventually, he made time for repairs when he calculated it would be cheaper than buying new socks every day.
Then there's his friend, Pasquale, a retired barber, who visits, puts his feet on the counter and has his shoes polished.
“For 10 years he's been coming in,” Mr. Isailove said. “His father was a shoemaker in Calabria. We give him a polish and hand him some change. He turns around and hands it back and says, ‘Keep the change'. He gives us so much love and energy.”
Neatly displayed in the cramped quarters are polishes, cleaners and accessories. The shelves are lined with re-heeled stilettos, re-soled boots and polished oxfords and handbags, new and rehabilitated.
Owner and master craftsman Boris Isailove greets customers with an Eastern European-flavour.
With the pragmatism of a busy triage physician, he lays ailing footwear on the counter, performs an expert diagnosis, offers a prompt prescriptive remedy, often surgical, a prognosis and price.
Since 1989, the native of Georgia in the former Soviet Union has been plying his Old World craft in the Aurora Shopping Plaza, first isolated in the back, but, since 1995, in the more prominent front.
The tiny, tidy shop has become a beacon for the well-heeled and those who will be, once Mr. Isailove and his three employees have worked their sole revival magic.
The artistry of their services draws customers from across York Region and Ontario, he said. Cobbler-client confidentiality keeps names under wraps, but considering the designer labels and high-end riding boots awaiting their owners, he confirms patrons include plenty of recognizable celebrities, politicians and athletes.
The retail Canadian footwear market, valued at $3.7 billion in 2008, according to Trendex, declined 3.2 per cent a year later. The sluggish economy has been a boon for artisans such as Mr. Isailove. Repair, rather than replace, is the mantra of the newly frugal and fiscally wise. It makes sense.
A replacement lift costs a fraction of a $1,200 Jimmy Choo pump. A re-line of a $1,500 signature red lacquer-soled Christian Louboutin sling makes it new.
When the economy is bad, people don't think twice about investing $20 to $50 to repair a $200 or $300 pair of shoes, Mr. Isailove said. The motivation to mend for the majority of his customers is a reluctance to part with comfortable, broken-in shoes.
Old school craftsmanship is a dying art. The Shoe Service Institute of America, a trade group, said there are just 7,000 shoe-repair shops left in the U.S., down from more than 120,000 during the Great Depression.
As a 13-year old, Mr. Isailove worked part-time in a Georgian shoe repair shop. By 15, he was apprenticing as a shoemaker and leather worker in Vienna, Austria. He was also learning to be a plumber.
“It was a big decision,” he said. “But, I was drawn to the shoe trade.”
Mr. Isailove proudly displays a binder with his apprenticeship certificates and several all-European first prize awards for shoe and leather work competitions.
After years of learning his trade, his elderly Viennese boss approached him and handed him the keys to the shop.
“The only condition was that I treat the customers as he did,” Mr. Isailove said with a smile.
He learned from the best and continued to do so after arriving in Canada in 1988 and opening his own shop a year later. He hired two retirees who wanted to keep their hands in the craft.
“They were brilliant,” he said wistfully. “Both were holocaust survivors. I learned so much about life and the trade from them. Without them, I'd only be half of what I am now.”
His staff totals three, each an expert in some aspect of shoemaking, repair, tannery and dyeing.
Once a person experiences a top notch shoe repair, they tend to stay with the mending regime, he said. A quality shoe can undergo a quality repair. Cheap synthetic shoes, he said, can be difficult to fix. Leather is a live, organic product and lends itself to stitching, grafting, dyeing and strengthening.
He estimates thousands of pairs of shoes pass through his doors annually. Many equestrians and polo players entrust their speciality boots to Mr. Isailove. His crew will change soles, heels, lining and colours, repair zippers, clean and polish. It's standard duty, he said. Some footwear, however, requires meticulous attention. A “one-in-a-million” pair of Italian lady's shoes, valued at $26,000, and a pair of custom-made men's dancing shoes encrusted with Swarovski crystals drew a bead of sweat.
His best advice to customers is to buy quality, properly fitted footwear. To prolong a shoe's life, keep the uppers clean, polished and protected. Invest in a good cedar shoe tree that will keep it fresh and formed.
“It's a 50-50 deal,” he said. “You take care of the uppers, we'll take care of the rest.”
The local shoe repair fraternity is friendly, Mr. Isailove said. Most refer to each other's specialties. Craftsmanship and customer service reign supreme and beget fierce loyalty and plenty of humorous anecdotes.
There's the tale of a busy executive with major sock — destroying holes in his favourite shoes. Eventually, he made time for repairs when he calculated it would be cheaper than buying new socks every day.
Then there's his friend, Pasquale, a retired barber, who visits, puts his feet on the counter and has his shoes polished.
“For 10 years he's been coming in,” Mr. Isailove said. “His father was a shoemaker in Calabria. We give him a polish and hand him some change. He turns around and hands it back and says, ‘Keep the change'. He gives us so much love and energy.”
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