Paris fashion houses are like banks - who to back?

Seeing the merry-go-round of designers (good and bad) at the Paris houses over the last week or so has made me think that they are like the ups and downs of the global financial market and so now the question is - who to back?

On one side you have the risk investments: most are new, some are hot and some are so cold they're out.

So with the possibility of high return we have Hannah McGibbon at Chloé - solo and back at the helm after sharing the golden years with Phoebe Philo, this time around with a girly fresh summer's day mood; Christophe Decarnin at Balmain - all bling and rock chick fabulousness; Olivier Theyskins at Nina Ricci - lost in a romantic Edwardian dance of flowing dresses and flyaway fabrics; Riccardo Tisci at Givenchy who is carving out quite a name for himself at the house especially this season with his take on "Western Bondage"; Esteban Cortazar at Emanuel Ungaro, who is relatively new to the house but a bit lost in a Southern Belle ruffle bubble; Stuart Vevers at Loewe - all hardware and serious grande dame accessories; and unfortunately for Alessandra Facchinetti it was a very short tenure at Valentino (how last season is that, already?) who was replaced just hours after her second collection by the long standing house accessories designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Picciol. Facchinetti, who was fired via the press no less, was on the way to being a modern, elegant and contemporary shot in the arm for the house but where was the courage in their conviction? Too much intrinsic value placed in the creator's vast archive of design and not much else is the answer. A similar fate happened this season for Ivana Omazic at Celine, who after a more respectable four season tenure at the LVMH house so beleaguered by unsuitable designers it seems, sent out a credible bourjois tribal last collection, and knowing her fate to boot, was replaced by the probable sure fire hit of Phoebe Philo.

But looking forward for a fashion-land nano-second, just this week there was news of beauty giant P&G re-firing its fashion house Rochas with ex-Halston designer Marco Zanini at the helm of a Gibo-backed label. Meanwhile outside bets are being taken on where the considerable talent of Giambatista Valli will end up? Valli's vintage prom dress fest of a show, drew in a packed social-set front row this season and he is surely waiting for the right offer. Previously connected with Valentino rumours, he didn't get the job but then with all that Facchinetti bad blood floating around the Rome atelier, the promotion of the new creative directors seems like it was always going to happen.

And on the other side you have the safe bets. The old guard rule the successful Parisian houses with an iron creative hand and not to mention years of experience. The fact that some of them have, this season been accused of playing it safe only goes to show their wealth of talent - maintaining a credible house signature as well as pan-global appeal.

From Nicolas Ghesquiere at Balenciaga - who can do no wrong with his vision of sci-fi couture (despite his runway-only-production collections), to Alber Elbaz at Lanvin who keeps on re-inventing modern glamour and want-it-now eveningwear meets daywear that women lust after. That he attempted to say "Bonjour Saudi" with a sparkling and colourful range of bejewelled dresses and shoes in preparation for his new Middle Eastern backers only goes to show his attitude to embrace the new and keep the cash tills ringing. John Paul Gaultier is another genius designer turning equestrian heritage and understated luxury into an ever louder shrill at the cash tills for Hermés. His take on gaucho cowgirl will blaze across the retail desert for spring. And what about commercial king Kaiser? The retail dream that is Chanel continues a very real and global appeal for the Paris wardrobe of choice. This season's homage to the House of Chanel and all its manifestations was a message that this fashion label is unlikely to be touched by the economic downturn - everyone still wants to dress in Chanel non? And let's not forget the king of couture John Galliano at Dior. His RTW collection for the house has to be the jewel in LVMH's global crown. This season's offering of tribal chic will appeal from Moscow to Dubai to Shanghai and every other luxury-conscious fashion capital that respects his particular take on conspicuous consumption that maintains its relevance in the global credit crunch.

Mind you Louis Vuitton has to be mentioned in the same breath for global aspirational appeal - Marc Jacobs maybe the darling of New York fashion but his RTW collection for the house put a final celebratory line under the season in one of his most successful, widely appealing and wholly Parisian yet still sublimely luxurious collections for the label for some time.

Designers play it safe in Paris & bon anniversiare!

The early part of Paris Fashion Week has seen a few designers playing it safe by feting their well earned anniversaries as part of a celebratory show.

Maison Martin Margiela added fuel to speculation among the fashion media that the designer may hang up his mysterious creative persona at the house (bought by Diesel's Renzo Rosso five years ago) by sending out a retrospective collection celebrating 20 years of MMM. The collection was pure Margiela and of course was largely put together by his talented team. As Maria Luisa told me at her new boutique launch later on this week: "Martin is an exceptional designer and I have been a big fan of his work since he started out - but now he has reached a stage where he can do what he wants - his fashion house is in very capable hands and for an artist such as himself I wouldn't be surprised if he wants to pursue other creative avenues. It's a loss to the industry but after selling your business, well you would try something new wouldn't you?"

Meanwhile British designers Mark Eley and Wakiko Kishimoto showed their second collection for French house Cacharel with a lavish show celebrating the label's 50th anniversary. The first half of the presentation was full of models who paraded in easy, breezy summer dresses and pyjama-style slacks in upbeat shades of mustard, turquoise and purple, some featuring printed or crocheted motifs of migrating birds for a retro tinge. Then, in a surprise finale, dozens of models emerged in the label's vintage Liberty floral print cotton shirts and dresses, before taking a bow with 76-year-old founder Jean Bousquet. "We wanted a show with a newness, a new direction of the next 50 years with us as a starting point, and also to celebrate and embrace the need and desire for the vintage aspect of the fashion world, so they can live in harmony," Eley said after the show.

And surely the most elevating 'feel-good' moment of the week has to be care of Sonia Rykiel or more specifically her daughter - Nathalie - who helped her mother celebrate 40 years in the business with a show at the Park of Saint Cloud. The rampant show was full of Rykiel classics such as striped lurex sweaters and slinky silky dresses - true Gallic charm and gamine chic. And in a surprise gesture Nathalie had invited a handful of designer friends (Paris family really) including John Paul Gaultier, Martin Margiela, Karl Lagerfeld and Jean Charles de Castalbajac to create homage designs to the iconic Left Bank designer. How sweet is the knit-it-yourself-while-wearing dress by JPG and the red fringed hair and face print dress by JCDC. Ahh tres chic and bon anniversaire indeed.

The French chic set

Parisian fashionistas have that certain "gamine-ness" and look effortlessly chic whether in Saint Germain or the hip Marais area. They are an inspiration and while all eyes are on the runways it's the French labels that embody this spirit that retailers are homing in on.

Of course French department stores have known about the likes of Les Prairies de Paris and Madame a Paris for ages but now the French chic set of labels are multiplying and going overseas.

The Paris trade show Tranoi is an excellent place to hunt for these new Parisian spirit labels, hot new one Heimstone is setting the cash registers alight at Selfridges and Henri Bendel, where fashion director Ann Watson says it's "super cute" and she loves the peek-a-boo cut out detailing on the signature dresses this season. Eurythmic is another newbie, set up by ex-Paul & Joe founder Frank Albou - check out the light as silk print blouses, shirt-dresses, come-hither knits and strict tailoring.
Another fresh looking brand that has been around for years is Le Mont St Michel - I loved the Riviera-chic breton knits and tiered Liberty print mini-skirts.

Many of this set hail from the Paris garment district, Le Sentier in the 2nd arrondisement. Names to watch on the Paris "high-street" include Maje and sister brand Le Sandro, Zadig & Voltaire and Ba&Sh.

But really it's that certain je ne sais quoi of Paris rock-chick meets gamine elegance that is in the DNA of these labels. Check out these girls on the stands at Tranoi - tres chic! The French have been quietly honing this new wave for several seasons but it's time to share! Let's hear it for the likes of Julia Restoin-Roitfeld or Lou Dillon who have garnered enough international press attention to make us all want to look tres chic.

Eyeballing denim branding

It must be hard for denim giants and their marketing departments to come up with new and innovative ways to spend their huge budgets, and in an increasingly grass roots focused on-line world denim brands are coming at you on the web, in clubs and on the catwalk.


In the midst of London Fashion Week, Levi's chose hip man about town Henry Holland (not to mention his supermodel side-kick Agyness Deyn) to launch a designer collaboration on the catwalk and exclusive retail distribution at Selfridges. These holey, slightly pop-art limited edition pairs of jeans retail for £200 each and embody the "of the moment" cache that the House of Holland brand has right now. At the same time Levi's premiered its four new iconic TV ads on-line via its 501 website which was a bit of a first after decades of impactful television and cinema advertising; everyone’s got a favourite, from the days of Nick Kamen in that launderette scene to the more recent US ads that took "impact" to a new level. The Knockout ads resonate with a Youtube generation in need of instant hit laughs and brand appeal. All this and for what? Oh the product - Levi's has reinvented the 501 with a more modern fit that includes a tapered leg, a straighter waistband and a lower backrise - all with three new "vintage-inspired" washes. Contemporised if you will via research in eight capital cities. About time! Better be sure otherwise the wall to wall tube ads at Oxford Circus will be a complete waste of eyeballs!

Meanwhile over in the Italian camp at Diesel it's all about the brand's 30th birthday.
Diesel is celebrating 30 years of denim "by giving something back to its customers" on October 10 with the Dirty Thirty jean at a bargain bucket price of 75% off the normal £200 price tag (=£guess). Available worldwide the special edition dirty wash jean is a one day wonder featuring limited edition hardware, leather tab embroidery and anniversary logo. And to help Diesel fans celebrate the brand has organised a global club night XXX in 18 major cities around the world: Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Beijing, Copenhagen, Dubai, Helsinki, London, Milan, Munich, New York, Oslo, Paris, Sao Paulo, Stockholm, Tel Aviv, Tokyo and Zurich.

The London event, The Creative Experiment, will take place at new venue, Matter, situated in the O2 site but with its own separate entrance on The Thames. Designed by experts to offer a "unique, state of the art proposition for live music and club nights in the UK", Matter will have opened its doors only three weeks before Diesel's birthday. Yes you guessed it, 30 of the hottest musical acts are booked to perform unique and exciting collaborations throughout the night. Diesel friendly artists include, Cock’n’Bull Kid, Disco Bloodbath, Friendly Fires, Hannah Hanra, Lethal Bizzle, Mark Ronson, Mystery Jets, New Young Pony Club, Ox.eagle.lion.man, Pete Doherty, Rob Da Bank, The Lovely Jonjo, These New Puritans, The Souljazz Records Soundsystem, The Teenagers, The View and many more... Partygoers can experience this amazing evening for just £5 a ticket, with all proceeds going to the Youth Intiative Livity.

Andy Griffiths, Head of Communications at Diesel UK, commented “In celebration of 30 incredible years of Diesel, we will be putting on the biggest party of 2008, spanning the globe. London’s unique celebration will focus on 30 one of a kind collaborations from music’s most exciting and groundbreaking artists."

So in true Diesel style the denim brand is a lifestyle choice not just a pair of jeans.

Pop-in is the new pop-up

Pop-up retail has been a driving force on the retail landscape (so much so that I've decided to write a book about it!) so it's with excitement that I've discovered the "pop-in" variant. As in a pop-up store that exists for a limited period like its older sibling but is housed within a bigger store - like a department store.

Trust good old Selfridges to champion the latest retail brand love-in from b-Store. During fashion week the edgy menswear store launched its pop-in store on the first floor with a quiet scenester party and a celebration of the boutique's expansion into own-label. Matthew Murphy, buyer and manager of b-Store told me: "Pop-up shops are a good opportunity for relatively niche people to reach a wider audience, and it’s a great way for us to show people internationally - customers and other store owners - what we’re about and how what we do can work in other stores. About 60% of the space will be the latest collection from our own b clothing label, and the rest are limited edition pieces which have been created specifically by five of our designers. The idea is that if we do this again, in the future, we will use five different designers, to keep things different each time."

This crop of designers includes kooky undies from Bernhard Willhelm, Siv Stoldal’s chinos digitally printed with images of denim jeans, plus Hans Christian Madsen’s hand-knitted cardigan-meets-dressing gown creations, or silk denim-look blazers via Soar, not to mention Ute Ploier’s shirts with dinky bomber jacket details.

Meanwhile b-Store Wardrobe held a back-to-back menswear show, during fashion week with fellow bought in label Soar - also on sale at b-Store. Murphy said: "The b-store wardrobe spring collection is inspired by a picnic by Henley on Thames Temple Island. So it's all about being outside in the English country summer and pursuits like boating - so straw hats and gingham checks with easy chambray denim shirts and pleat front trousers."

And Tim Soar designer for Soar said this collection is called 'And the sun shone straight in all directions' identifying his latest rockabilly styled meets cowboy with a range of descriptions such as "puckered mesh herringtone, vented pleated, work play" meaning fans are created by finding the label themselves.

And giving the new pop-in store's seal of approval, Gary Mason, senior menswear buyer for Selfridges said things couldn't be better with regards B-Store's sales: "It's the reason we decided to do the dedicated store in menswear (call it "pop-in" Gary), B-Store has quite a following after only a year - they seem to capture that quirky, neat gentlemanly take on country styling, our guy loves it."

Trends that sell: London's winning looks

There were plenty of ideas at London Fashion Week and not all of them crazy! The 80s was the decade du jour with many designers referencing the time that style forgot. 20s, 30s and even 40s or 50s were also mentioned in dispatches but whatever the era there were a handful of winning looks that London designers did well and will, in time also do well for retailers. Here's the best looks to start researching now:



It's all about the headgear for spring, where it's a good time to be in accessories. Especially hats.

Leader of the pack has to be the granny-chic jaunty net affairs at Luella, who set the tone for the age-old ladylike instant glamour hit. Polka dots and bows are de rigeur with great looking net and full on party hats at PPQ.

Meanwhile at Temperley London, more romantic headgear was the order of the day, with the top-hat meets cloche or Grecian floral crowns for her "Romantic Odyssey" collection.

And there was more than a nod to Madonna's 80s film Desperately Seeking Susan with bows-as-hairbands at Danielle Scutt, Emma Cook and Topshop.





And as for colour, well it's time for neon pastels or candy-box inspirations: check out PPQ, Richard Nicoll, and Josh Goot for clear purveyors of new colour options. Topshop had a go while Luella takes the crown for best and liberal use of colour full stop.
Metallics are a recurring summer option as are spring florals - take your pick from the best looks for night and day from Nathan Jendon, Marios Schwab and Roksanda in shimmering form while House of Holland, Luella and Erdem should join forces at the Chelsea Flower Show.

Sheer layering is here to stay after New York's lead, and it looks set to confuse everyone with new lengths and proportions, so start practicing early with the likes of Meadham Kirchhoff, Aquascutum, and Louise Goldin or Christopher Kane.

Scallops are the new ruffles - so says Christopher Kane and Emma Cook and Roksanda Ilincic.

Gekko-chic gave London dinosaur appeal with Christopher Kane and Eley Kishimoto both references reptiles while Kane continued the beast appreciation society with Planet of the Apes style photo-print dress, Flintstones inspired leopard cashmere along with Emma Cook's elephant skin ruffled print dress.


The boyfriend jacket looks like it's here to stay too - add an accentuated rever for tuxedo style at Todd Lynn or an elongated line from Topshop and Ann Sofie Back.

Grey jersey was everywhere - and not that boring! Try newbie Natascha Stolle, Peter Jenson and Luella for the best marled looks.

Suits galore - all in ones that is. Try a romper, play or utility suit from Marios Schwab, Topshop or Danielle Scutt for effortless workwear options.

"Subtle sexuality" was the overall theme for Harvey Nichols' fashion director Averyl Oates, who liked the undercurrent of S&M and peek-a-boo looks creeping through, while womenswear director at Selfridges Anita Barr like the energetic video game references at Giles or 3D volume touches from scallops and frilled edging at Christopher Kane.

New talent maybe the reason they come to London but new trends is the reason people buy London design and why shopping here is worldclass.

Reinventing the wheel: British fashion houses have their day (again)

Avsh Alom Gur at Ossie Clark has quickly stepped up to the mark, it seems after a somewhat shaky start. In his second collection for the reinvented label, Gur captured that quintessential 70s bohemia mood that the original designer was so revered for. And he harnessed it in a kaleidescope of bright colours for a modern take on effortless dressing. Yes there were the commercial tailored pieces and the "order one in every colour silky draped dresses"; but let's hear it for the sprig and leaf print kaftans or the floor length crepe jump-suits - it's what modern day hippy chicks will want to wear not to mention a legion of Ossie fans. Talking backstage Gur told us: "I wanted the collection to be really simple and elegant. Minimalism in block colours and pared down prints. It's a modern femininity."


Meanwhile over at Mulberry it's ex-Marc Jacobs designer Emma Hill's turn for a spin at the creative helm most recently left by Stuart Vevers. For spring, Hill has given the British leather goods and clothing label a "warm fuzzy" feel (her words) - as befits the brand's classic heritage, that's like a national treasure according to Hill. With a girlfriend/boyfriend vibe at the youthful presentations during LFW there were playful denim shirt dresses and beige safari-esque pocket shifts among silky halter dresses with warm paisley prints in raspberry or tobacco and plenty of leather. As for the continuation of the Mulberry "it-bag" phenomena; all the editors will mostly be wearing the new Bayswater clutch in a range of mouth-watering shades for chic summer dressing.


Oh and if you didn't know edgy British menswear designer Kim Jones takes over as creative director at Dunhill next season. The classic menswear brand has just unveiled its brand new flagship location: Bourdon House on Davies Street in the heart of Mayfair. And it just happens to be steeped in a healthy amount of reinvented history, from the underground humidor to the rather authentic and therefore slightly scary Sweeney Todd-esque barber, not to mention a light and airy bespoke tailoring room and the Discovery Room - full of vintage delights and a range of "collectibles" such as art-deco lighters, monogrammed pens and backgammon sets. And this is only Jones' first foray into designing for the classic menswear brand, we can expect much more to come.

Whoever said you can't teach an old dog new tricks hasn't heard of the new designer teaching an old house new tricks.