Lanvin has landed in New York!

Finally! The extremely luxurious Paris-based fashion house has never had a boutique in the Big Apple until now! The new store is poised to open at the end of July at 815 Madison Avenue near 68th Street.

Looking at the photos of the flagship store, it looks very art deco. There are benches covered with black fox fur, dark gray Carrara marble floors and mannequins with red lips holding bird cages. Decadence to the max!


The store will occupy 3,550 square feet and the first three floors of a 6,875-square-foot, five-story town house. The two upper floors will become the company’s corporate headquarters in September.
I personally love the new store. It looks so comfy that I could stay there for hours and buy everything they have. So this is old 2009 news but I only just saw this article about Lanvin recently - did you know Michelle Obama was wearing a pair of $540 bucks Lanvin sneakers while volunteering at a food bank in Washington DC? Talk about inappropriate! I thought she's all about J. Crew and affordable clothing. Even so, love her style and her h, she always look so effortless. Nothing wrong with a pair of nice shoes once in a while!

Burberry in China

Burberry recently announced its decision to buyback their store operations in China from Franchisee Kwok Hang Holdings. for 70 million pounds. I personally think it's a great move. You have full control over your brand delivery, but more importantly, the entire profit is yours. Burberry over the last few years have been extremely successful in building an aspirational brand but it is definitely moving younger and Chinese youths have spending power.


Other brands / retailers who have declared this recently included GAP, Pumpkin Patch, Forever 21 and I'm sure there are many more. It's even more interesting to see brands like Levi's pulling out of China and then re-entering it. Have we reached a point where businesses would seriously lose out by not being in China? Google was just approved its renewed license to operate in China, another fine example of a company succumbing to China.

There is no doubt that the luxury market is growing double digits annually in the Middle Kingdom but the question is, how many of these fashion houses will actually be profitable? Chinese customers are much more sophisticated than they used to be so it's not just about owning a status symbol but also about the quality, material, cut, craftsmanship etc. Do all these brands know what the Chinese consumers want?

Since many of these foreign brands actually have their products Made in China, will the Chinese consumers still fall for them? We can argue that there are millions and millions of consumers in tier-3 or tier-4 cities in China who are still aspiring to own a Louis Vuitton bag no matter where it is made but how long will this last?

Ideally what I would personally would love to see is whether a Chinese brand can grow global and become a premier brand for style, quality and luxury. Do you think it's ever possible? I personally believe so. Shanghai Tang is a great example of a Chinese brand expanding globally. They are focusing on the Chinese heritage combined with a Western style of Service and Store Environment. I think there is room to mass market this brand and make it more affordable.

What do you think of fashion brands moving in China? Why are some of these brands acting so late in the game? Would they be able to survive this late into the game? Is it too late?

Style blogger - Bryan Boy

The age of digital media has brought a new bunch of fashion pioneers to the fashion industry... there are so many influential bloggers nowadays we have blog overloads. I have like bookmarks of 100blogs which I read and the list is building... but at the same time i'm starting to delete some of the boring ones... same old style, same old poses... (not to name any names :P)

So... my fav style blogger no. 1 : www.bryanboy.com

I know I dont need to actually need to name him here cos everyone would know who he is and blah blah...but I just feel the need to congratulate him on his success which he gained from the amount of effort and dedication. His blog shows variety, from runway pics, videos and reports to his own personal style to everything that happens. He manages to show his personality and creates a very personal experience for the reader. On top of all this, I personally think his success lies on the fact that even after all these years, his blog is never boring, always new and vibrant! Great Work!!

Fall trends

According to Style.com, here are the fall trends 2010 with additionally my point of view :)

1. Flares - shown in Balmain's collection

comment: a little bit of flare is ok like boot leg jeans but not in the shape of lamp shades... main concern is i will need to stock in new jeans and finding the perfect pair of boot leg jeans cost A FORTUNE!

2. something velvet -

comment: brands have always been trying to heat velvet over the past few years but never succeeded... im personally never a fan but do have a nice velvet blazer in case velvet comes back this year :P

3. Camel Coat - show in Celine and Chloe

comment: YESSSSS J"ADORE!! always loved camel colour stuff... just such a graceful, classy and elegant colour...

4. a shearling -

comment: have one of those at the back of my wardrobe as well ... from kids gap!! to petite ladies out there who arent shopping in kids departments...you are missing out... BIG TIME!

5. statement gloves

comment: gloves are a classy accessory and to make it wild and adventurous is just not right.. its like making a worn/destressed denim birkin bag... doesnt make sense!

6. fur bag

comment: at the risk of being splashed with paint!

7. short cuffed jeans

comment - no please... makes people short and fat look short and fat, please no more trends for model only bodies!

8. a cropped sweater - shown in Proenza Schouler's collection

comment - i wouldnt consider this as a new trend cos been happening last year?

9. the longer skirt - as worn by the Olsen sisters

comment: honestly who can pull of the Olsen sisters look most of the time? as above comment for no. 7

10. double breasted jacket

comment: love love love as well...... hmmmmm ok.... shopping time!!!

let me know your comments as well... and add in more trends if you like!

Loewe's Fall 2010 / 11 Campaign

I am in love with the latest Loewe Fall 2010 /11 campaign! Looks amazing! I especially like how all the Victoria's Secret supermodels featured in the campaign (Rosie Huntington Whiteley - look out for her in Transformers 3, Alessandra Ambrosio, Adriana Lima) looking so graceful, elegant and gorgeous. So high-fashion and yet so simple.

The bags are displayed in such an interesting way too. The campaign was shot entirely in Spain. Makes me want to go visit NOW!

For more pictures, visit the Loewe website www.loewe.com

Fashion DIY

i love to DIY when i have time... best time killer and provides maximum satisfaction !!

Here is something that I am working on : http://www.newyorkdesignshop.com/diy_tutorials/2146

Check out all their tutorials if you have time, all pretty easy to do and produces really good results!

Birkin at a budget

Remember the jelly birkin days?? Everyone had to get a jelly birkin for only one obvious reason.... the birkin is just not affordable amongst us normal citizens... so i guess a jelly birkin was the next best option!

Now there are fake print birkin bags.... basically its a canvas bag in the shape of a birkin and the whole bag is printed with all the details of a birkin bag! I personally think its a pretty cool idea and its those items when you actually dont feel guilty or embarassed for for buying fakes cos fake is the selling point!!

But......(here comes the bad part) this is not those cheap jelly birkin bags... the price is ranging from USD300-400!!! ok.... thats a bit too much... its still a fake bag afterall... i dont think i wanna be paying that much money for a canvas bag! However comparing with the real birkin, its prob just 5% of the price! arrrgghh !!

Anyway, i wont buy it... will you?