Victor´s Secret?

[castiglione]

From El Pais today.
- Masculine fashion industry likely to overtake lady´s fashion industry by 2012.
- Masculin growth 14%; ladies growth 8% past fiscal year. (source: Bain and Co)
- France rules. Luis Vuitton and PPR (whatever) have bought Berluti and Brioni.
- 190 billion euros profit (2011).
- China, Russia and Brasil help to weather the market crisis in Europe.
And to top it all Gary Oldman, Daniel Defoe and Adrien Brody walk today in Milan for...Prada! What´s next Victor´s Secrets?
The link for those who read Spanish
http://www.elpais.com/articulo/Tendenci ... itdc_1/Tes
PS.- I stick to bespoke.

[NJS]

It is indeed curious to me that the bankrupt UK is still playing a kind of philanthropic 'Mabap' to the world and sending charitable funding to, inter alios, Brazil! Time to get real!

[andreyb]

English-language article on the same topic: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/14/fashi ... nted=1&hpw

Apparently, LVMH plans to produce a whole range of menswear under "Berluti" brand. For this, they hired Alessandro Sartori, former curator of fashion-forward "Z Zegna" line. So much for a bespoke shoemaking atelier...

Andrey

[Costi]

What´s next Victor´s Secrets?

Makes no difference - issue solved brilliantly long ago...



...and very much in style!

[castiglione]

What´s next Victor´s Secrets?

Makes no difference - issue solved brilliantly long ago...



...and very much in style!

I was not exactly meaning cross dressing. Have a look at the real thing. Gary Oldman on the catwalk. Milano.

oldman.jpg

[Simon A]

The celebrity catwalk model is a well established business practice in East Asia. As explained to me by a Chinese girlfriend, "The first generation out of poverty don't know which clothes are good and which are not. So they need someone famous from the entertainment world to tell them what to buy." It applies not only to luxury menswear, but TV's, cameras, watches, and even bidets and shampoo in the East. A minority do their homework to find out what is truly well-regarded internationally by discerning people, which represents good value for money and will last. Many of them are LL members.

Despite all the doom and gloom in Europe, it is worth reflecting that the past twenty years have seen an unprecedented number of young people in Europe claw their way into middle and upper income brackets from poverty. This is an avowedly good thing. Sadly, they have had fewer role models to imitate in dress than was the case before (pre-1945 in Central Europe and pre-1919 in the former Soviet Union). So to some extent the West may be following the East in its marketing tactics; celebrity catwalk models and spokesmodels.

[hectorm]

Despite all the doom and gloom in Europe, it is worth reflecting that the past twenty years have seen an unprecedented number of young people in Europe claw their way into middle and upper income brackets from poverty. This is an avowedly good thing. Sadly, they have had fewer role models to imitate in dress than was the case before (pre-1945 in Central Europe and pre-1919 in the former Soviet Union). So to some extent the West may be following the East in its marketing tactics; celebrity catwalk models and spokesmodels.

This is an interesting line of thought that is worth while exploring more. Unfortunately the first two basic observations regarding i) welfare of young people and ii) fewer role models, do not seem to hold that well.
Young Europeans in the last 20 years have been hit by record unemployment and have had a tough time escaping poverty and climbing to the upper brackets. Meanwhile role models (good and bad) in fashion/dressing/lifestyle are more abundant than ever thanks to the internet and the revolution in communication technology.
If West seems to follow East in celebrity marketing, It may be due more to the fact of changing demand patterns amongst young people and the need of suppliers to get a better brand definition helping their potential clients to sort through a myriad of role models.

[castiglione]

Despite all the doom and gloom in Europe, it is worth reflecting that the past twenty years have seen an unprecedented number of young people in Europe claw their way into middle and upper income brackets from poverty. This is an avowedly good thing. Sadly, they have had fewer role models to imitate in dress than was the case before (pre-1945 in Central Europe and pre-1919 in the former Soviet Union). So to some extent the West may be following the East in its marketing tactics; celebrity catwalk models and spokesmodels.

This is an interesting line of thought that is worth while exploring more. Unfortunately the first two basic observations regarding i) welfare of young people and ii) fewer role models, do not seem to hold that well.
Young Europeans in the last 20 years have been hit by record unemployment and have had a tough time escaping poverty and climbing to the upper brackets. Meanwhile role models (good and bad) in fashion/dressing/lifestyle are more abundant than ever thanks to the internet and the revolution in communication technology.
If West seems to follow East in celebrity marketing, It may be due more to the fact of changing demand patterns amongst young people and the need of suppliers to get a better brand definition helping their potential clients to sort through a myriad of role models.

The explanation of the East wind is welcomed. But East is East and West is West. Guys in Milan do not need anybody to tell them what to wear, believe me. I think there is a cultural change going on and it goes well beyond geography or globalisation. It has to do with gender roles. Come to think of that. Guys are more fashion minded than dolls!. That means industry and not bespoke therefore it has to involve shopping, attention to trends and constant change of garments. The opposite of the usual masculine approach which is to have a suit cut forever-or until weight do you part. Quite frankly I do not see myself on a shopping spree with buddies to top it all in a gent´s club late at night. Call me old fashioned, I am.

[hectorm]

Guys in Milan do not need anybody to tell them what to wear, believe me.

Judging after this slide show of Milanese guys strutting their city streets, I believe you.
I'm wondering whether these are "normal" gentlemen going about their own business or if they are related somehow to the fashion industry or Milan's fashion week.
http://www.gq.com/style/street-style/20 ... 11#slide=1

[castiglione]

Guys in Milan do not need anybody to tell them what to wear, believe me.

Judging after this slide show of Milanese guys strutting their city streets, I believe you.
I'm wondering whether these are "normal" gentlemen going about their own business or if they are related somehow to the fashion industry or Milan's fashion week.
http://www.gq.com/style/street-style/20 ... 11#slide=1

Obviously some of the shots smell of professional models, insiders, aficionados and the like. But many if not most of the guys in the pics look perfectly real. I have not been living in Milan of the late (only occassional hits) but back in the nineties I lived there four years. As you can see their approach to fashion or masculine apparel departs from tweed and chinos or tweed and flannel though in my days they tended to be more like the "normal" model. It seems they have jumped to another paradigm but there is something definitely familiar in them. A flair for harmony lingers. Whether you can abide by this kind of harmony in your trade or not is THE question. I can´t (and I am not quoting Queen Victoria) .
I enclose a very recent pic of Prince Haakon of Norway in Cordova very much in the spirit of Milanese masculine fashion (IMHO).

Haakon.JPG

Or if you prefer in negative terms, not in the spirit of the present POW. (Moleskin included)

[andreyb]

Breaking news: LVMH purchased Arny's and plans to "fold it into" Berluti brand.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... 92454.html

Another

Andrey

[hectorm]

Another

I'm not sure there are reasons to be really sorry here, Andreyb.