Tiffany: The Good, the Bad & The Ugly (Including That Discontinued China Fuss)

Hello-hello!

There are so many things going on all over the Preppy Planet, we are forced to do a one-topic-Tuesday. Today’s topic is one near and dear to the hearts of many readers: Tiffany.

We begin with The Good: news that the storied company is launching a handbag collection, along with small leather goods. Now some may be saying “Nay, nay oh Miss Princess, not so fast, there *have* been Tiffany handbags before!” And that would be accurate, we described them on more than one occasion, most tediously way back in this post (July of 2008). Remember these?

We were actually rather fond of the style, liking the contrast in texture and color between the canvas and the leather. The bags were only available online, something that frequently raises an eyebrow, and at $395 they didn’t seem to tip the Outrageous-o-Meter in the red zone. ( Some can still be seen online, although they are not available for purchase, it may be a case of someone simply not taking the page off the site.)

Elizabeth Holmes at the Journal did a splendid job sharing news of the jeweler’s new foray into leather in “Something New in Tiffany Blue” last week. (You do not want to contemplate the shriek the poor Consort had to tolerate, emanating from yours truly upon first spotting the story in the paper, the poor man really deserves hazardous duty pay.)

Tiffany & Co.

The Collection may be previewed on the Tiffany website, we are very fond of the tote shown above when done in another of the available color combinations seen below.

Tiffany & Co.

One of the best things about the new line? The designers: Richard Lambertson and John Truex, hired by Tiffany about a year ago when the duo shut down their own Lambertson Truex accessory line.  Below, two more styles.

Via BestFan

The Journal story points out the benefits of offering leather goods:

“Handbags have enjoyed sparkling sales in recent years and are in some ways easier for a retailer to move: Women are more likely to splurge on bags for themselves than on jewelry. “Unlike jewelry, which sometimes feels extravagant, handbags always serve a purpose,” says John Long, a retail strategist…”

Next, the Galaxy Clutch with Austrian crystals and semi-precious stones on silk, $1295, a style that dovetails with the Tiffany look.

Tiffany & Co.

Something that shrieks says “Tiffany”, the Avenue Tote.

Tiffany & Co.

The Tiffany East Side tote in leather, $1495.

Tiffany & Co.

The men’s products include a leather card case and top out at $1295 for a crocodile organizer.

Bryan Derballa for Wall Street Journal

More from Ms. Holmes’ story:

“Every piece bears an element of Tiffany’s signature robin’s egg blue, whether on a clasp, in a lining or all over a dyed-crocodile purse. Prices for women’s handbags start at $395 for a small suede tote and rocket up to $17,500 for a large crocodile handbag.”

Here is a look at that higher-end Manhattan satchel.

Stephen White for Tiffany & Co.

The Tiffany blue may be seen in the accent on the clasp.

Bryan Derballa for the Wall Street Journal

We are also impressed with several of the formal styles, the satin Camille ($1195) and the Morgan ($995).

The marketing campaign is in full swing, Tiffany has posted photos of Jennifer Aniston carrying the Reversible Tote on their Facebook page.

FAME via PopSugar

The firm also placed one of the new bags with Jessica Biel for the London première of The A-Team.

The collection will not be offered at all Tiffany stores; click here to see a list showing where the handbags will be available.

Bryan Derballa for the Wall Street Journal

We’re putting Tiffany’s new leather collection in the “Good” category.  We move on to the “Bad”.

Beyond the Rack

Yes, that is authentic Tiffany jewelry at discounter Beyond the Rack, one of those ubiquitous members-only (ahem) pop-up sale sites. (If in need of an invite, just email us at thepreppyplanet@gmail.com.) The sale was buried in a Saturday morning start, it ended yesterday at 11am.  We counted 32 different pieces that were offered, most sold out quickly, like the Atlas key ring (sold at $179 versus $235 at Tiffany).

Tiffany via BeyondtheRack.com

Pieces by some of the jeweler’s more notable designers were on sale, Paloma Picasso and Elsa Peretti.

Tiffany via BeyondtheRack.com

We harken back to the WSJ handbags story for this insight, applicable to the discount sale over the weekend.

“And Tiffany continues to walk a thin line as it tries to drive sales through accessibly priced goods while maintaining its uptown image.”

It can be very difficult to regain the luster in a consumer’s mind (and pocketbook) once a brand is cheapened or otherwise damaged.

This brings us, finally, to The Ugly.

The sad subject is best explained in a post receiving more comments than many others: the dreary “Tiffany Makes the Princess Pout” from back in March of 2009.  It involved Tiffany Blue Band china.

DISCONTINUED

Blue Band was/is our formal pattern, and ‘back in the day’ we were fortunate to receive many pieces from our wedding registry, also adding pieces over the years. The post was essentially a whine-a-thon of epic proportions about our deep disappointment in the company, we were never told about the pattern going away.

It turned out we weren’t alone in the situation, as seen by the comments left by readers:

• “I have just had the same thing happen with my pattern, Palm. I simply cannot fathom why Tiffany would not notify customers using their registry information!”
• “I now own an incomplete set of Platinum Band china and I had no idea it was being discontinued until last week. The girl on the phone said they would have sent me an email. I asked her when I would have received the email, and she said, “I wanna say…. like a year ago.” !”
• “… turned to Tiff for my bridal pattern AUDUBON and naively thought I would be able to add to my pattern at any time. That’s why you go with Tiffany, right?? Because of its long history of customer service and dependability??”

One comment was helpful in shedding some light on the situation:

“My mother squeaked to her connections and was informed that Limoges is closing the factory in France that makes certain Tiff patterns. Limoges is relocating that factory to a location that La Tiff feels will not have the same level of quality control.”

The story Ms. Holmes did on Tiffany’s new handbags also explains what has been going on:

“The new bag collection will take up display space in stores that has been vacated by tabletop china and silver. Tiffany says it has been trimming down its selection of tableware, which also includes crystal, for a “number of years.” For example, there are fewer china patterns offered today than five years ago.”

One would think yours truly might have figured this out, but it never occurred to us; it makes perfect sense.  The post has now created something akin to a tiny clearinghouse for those in need:

“Looking for the following to complete my Aunt’s DESIGNED BY TIFFANY & COMPANY PLATINUM BAND, LIMOGES-FRANCE china:

1 SUGAR BOWL WITH LID
1 CREAMER
1 CHARGER PLATE
5 RIMMED SOUP BOWLS
5 CREAM SOUP BOWLS WITH SAUCERS

If you have any of these items please notify me at lanceromancetroy@cs.com“

That is merely one example; we share all this because comments continue to be posted by those looking to purchase (or in some cases, sell) certain patterns.  We do not want to become a go-between for those engaged in buying or selling of Tiffany china, we simply offer a suggestion that those desperate and unable to locate pieces they need via Replacements, online auctions, or other resources, take a gander at the comments section to see if there is any hope.

We have received notes and comments, Tweets and Facebook messages in the 18 months since the post was published, and thank everyone for their kind input. We felt an update was in order as the comments and email inquiries continue to come in, and we thank everyone, especially those with no stake in the matter for their gracious indulgence with today’s post.  Hopefully this will serve to conclude our public discourse on the topic.

With that we say goodbye until next time!

PHOTO CREDITS:

• Ian Gavan/Getty Images

Lady Diana’s Dre$$ & Gucci Goes Young

Hello-Hello!

We begin with a quick follow-up to our previous post about this famous black party frock:

Princess Diana’s gown was auctioned yesterday for a price far exceeding the estimate of £30,000 – £50,000, ultimately selling for £192,000, approximately $276,000.

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Just a heads-up from the corner condo here at the Prepatorium:

snarky

Pronunciation: \ˈsnär-kē\
Function: adjective
Etymology: dialect snark to annoy, perhaps alteration of snark to irritate
1 : crotchety, snappish
2 : sarcastic, impertinent, or irreverent in tone or manner <snarky lyrics>
snark·i·ly \-kə-lē\ adverb

Fair warning.

Having issued the advisory above, we move on, with news of several new lines launching in the not-so-distant future:

Courtesy Image via StyleList.com

• Gucci’s new Childrens line debuts June 24; it will include apparel, accessories, shoes and sunglasses. (Because there aren’t enough logoed sunglasses available for the Young Miss and Master at your Palace.) We cannot resist part of StyleList’s take on the upcoming collection.

“… since most of its target audience can’t read, the designs…  will be marked with a gold teddy bear logo (how very Kanye!) so that little Susie’s playmates will know when to seethe with jealousy.”

The Consort also offered his insight: “Why don’t they do dogs, then we could have Gucci Poochie.”

Indeed.

• We have a backup plan for you just in case the Gucci childrenswear doesn’t pan out: the new Little Miss America collection.
  

  Courtesy Image via WWD

  Sized for both babies/toddlers and tweens/teens, all of the items will be priced at $25 or less. Again, we turn to StyleList’s report:

“So what does a mini Miss America dress like? There’s not as many sequins and flesh-toned pantyhose as you might expect — although it is very girlie. Initial sketches show ruffled tuxedo-style tops, bow-detailed skirts, lots of pink, and a onesie with an imitation pageant sash emblazoned across the front.

Hey, just because you’re still in diapers doesn’t mean you can’t get a head start on baton twirling or prepping those responses on world peace, kids.”

• One more launch to share today, although this one is more of an expansion; Men’s Wearhouse plans to open a chain of Women’s Wearhouse stores. As the Post put it in their exclusive story this morning: “Ladies, you’re gonna like the way you look.”

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This is the time of year when designers show their Cruise/Resort collections, and there have been some stunning pieces, beginning with Oscar de la Renta.  As seen in the following images, there is a nautical influence evident in some pieces from this collection.

The vibrant colors and elegant lines are delightful.

Natch, we are gaga for several of the party frocks.

In any length.

Perhaps our favorite:

George Chinsee/WWD

One quick advisory, the OdlR spring collection is currently on sale.

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The other resort collection we are sharing today is from Marc Jacobs.

The two styles shown above almost qualify as a Pretty in Pink… and Green, but it is a tad challenging to see the colors with images this size.

The WWD (Women’s Wear Daily, subscription req’d.) review described some of the looks as “…playful preppy.” We particularly like the dress on the left.

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Next on today’s hit parade, a few product updates, beginning with a fast glance at some of the springtime treasures recently added to the fab merchandise mix at Just Madras. The Girls dresses look darling…

As do the bow ties for your MOTH (Man of the House), or the always-popular Madras Skirts.

We do love the ladies at Just Madras, and too many of their goodies!

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We are tickled to share additions to our Preppy Ladybug line here at The Princess, here are more delightful designs by Shannon.

We have added patterns to our Flat Card selection ($15 for a set of 12), like the navy/red/lobster motif, as well as a new pink & green gator.

There are new designs ideal for the younger set. (It’s never to early to start them on the handwritten note concept, IOHO.)

There are also additions to the Ladybug’s Stickers and Labels line ( $4.50), including blue and pink perfect for announcing blessed arrivals, as well as that wonderful lobster.

One can even do a coordinated set for their little princess.

We adore the Ladybug and her fabulous eye.

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We leave you with an image that we understand has provoked some chatter about the watercooler, so to speak.

Getty Images via TMZ.com

When initially seeing this photo we knew two of the individuals pictured above. After all, they carry the distinction of being charter members in the Original AntiPrep Class of 2008. (Paris and Nicky Hilton.) It has been explained to us by TSU (The Spousal Unit, aka The Consort) that the other two creatures are named Snooki (sp?) and Jwoww(sp?). Our question to those in the know: are the latter two individuals solid candidates for the APHOS? (Anti Prep Hall of Shame.)

Do tell. We have an expiring mind dying to know.

Until next time, may your afternoon be filled with smiles!

ADD’L PHOTO CREDITS:

• George Chinsee/WWD: All Oscar de la Renta images
• George Chinsee/WWD: All Marc Jacobs images

J. Crew Bridal Store Open & 769 Collection Launch

Hello-Hello and happy almost-weekend!

We jump right in to things today, starting with a look at the new J. Crew Bridal store.

John Aquino/WWD

Frequent readers are familiar with our tedious whining concerns about Crew’s ‘disdain’ for preppy, but we remain favorably impressed with the firm’s bridal line.

Crew is also launching a new line, the 769 Collection, available only in the new store. This collection will feature cocktail dresses and evening gowns, as well as tuxedo jackets and harem pants, according to the Women’s Wear Daily review of the store today. The story quotes Crew’s president, Tracy Gardner, on the store’s niche.

“… J. Crew bridal fills a price niche between David’s Bridal and Vera Wang, offering a range from $229 for a silk tricotine Sophia gown or $350 for a Duchess bow monde satin cocktail dress, to sequin gowns for $1,500, or $3,500 for a metallic Twenties-inspired tulle gown. “We’re not fancy here. We’re still J. Crew, but it’s an elevated experience,” Gardner said.

The Times also has a review of the new shop:

“… has cocktail dresses from the 769 Collection that are exclusive to the store (the one at left is $795) and jewelry pieces like Lulu Frost mesh necklaces with vintage pins and brooches attached (below, $695).” (Here are the images referenced in the Times story quote.)

Courtesy Images via NY Times

There appears to be a solid commitment to customer service, more from the WWD story:

“The receptionist in front of the store is the tip-off to the high-service environment of the store. It’s manned with four personal shoppers and six wedding specialists equipped with hand-held technology and Wi-Fi to quickly answer questions about products and locate items that may be elsewhere in the J. Crew’s multichannel distribution network. “

Shoppers will also find products from Cosabella, Leah C. veils, jewelry pieces from the firm’s collaboration with Miriam Haskell, and cosmetics from Bobbi Brown.

The store officially opens Tuesday with an appearance by Darcy Miller from Martha Stewart Weddings, so if in the city anywhere near Madison and 66th, pop in for a visit.

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In other news from J. Crew Group, merchandise from their Madewell brand is finally now available online; the e-commerce site for Madewell is up and running.

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Yesterday we talked about the single most-popular post here as we hit the one-million blog views milestone; we’ll merely say that post involved the Hamptons and Gossip Girl.  Imagine our surprise when checking WWD (Women’s Wear Daily, subscription required) this morning, seeing a sizable story titled “Summer in the Hamptons: Better, But No Boom“.

The piece looks at the recession’s impact on the area, focusing on the retail sector, noting the departure of one luxury retailer, Gucci. But there is a lengthy roster of store openings: Balenciaga, Chico’s, Juicy Couture, and many more.  One way to gauge expectations for summer? Traffic on the Jitney, which a spokesperson described in the story:

““2009 was our best year ever as far as passenger counts, and currently for 2010, we are already surpassing those numbers, month to month,”

Good news for Jitney riders, the posh Ambassador service is returning, complete with on-board movies.

If in that corner of the globe on Saturday, fans of Hamptons Cottages & Gardens can meet the magazine’s new Editor in Chief, Kendell Cronstom; there’s a little get-together at the Maidstone from 5-7pm.

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We have a few more Sales & Savings opportunities, beginning with an important note we forgot to mention in yesterday’s list of fiscally-friendly offerings:

• Select LL Bean Signature merchandise is 30% off.

• Also, Saks is doing their online-only Home and Gourmet sale. (It looks like some fab goodies from the Macbeth Collection are included.)

• And Neiman’s is promoting a special on Cole-Haan, 40% off select styles; this is also an online-only promotion and runs today (Thursday, 5/27) only, ending at midnight.

NeimanMarcus.com

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We leave you with a special Pretty in Pink today in keeping with our wedding chatter, a piece from the new Cynthia Rowley Bridesmaid collection.

On that lovely image we say g’bye until next time!

A Brit Goes Prep on the Upper East Side & West Coast Preppies

Hello-Hello, and Happy Tuesday!

Today we ponder: is it time to create a new post category, something along the lines of “Preppy is Back“? Perhaps so, especially in light of this fall’s release of True Prep, the sequel to TOPH (The Original Preppy Handbook), an event adding to the topic’s popularity. (For more on the September release of True Prep click here or here; to learn about the fashion and accessories brands making an appearance in the upcoming book, click here.)

We begin with a little something from the far side of the pond in today’s London Times: “Slacks and the City: Trying out the Preppy Lifestyle“. Here is the subhead:

“As a new handbook marks a resurgence of the preppy lifestyle, our man in New York tries adopting the clean-cut collegiate look”

Tim Teeman’s story offers his British audience this description of male and female preppies:

“A truly preppy male works in finance or the law, wears polo shirts, nautical clothing, seersucker suits and Croakies (fashionable straps to keep your sunglasses on) and hangs out in frat-style drinking houses that preppies call “Irish bars”. The female works in or adjacent to charities, design, fashion or the arts, also wears nautical clothing, dons fitted pale pink rugby shirts with neat jacket, jeans and pumps, and holds Charlotte from Sex and the City as her icon.”

The writer undergoes a preppish style transformation. Two photos accompany the piece, along the lines of “before prep” and “after prep”.

As far as what Mr. Teeman dons to acquire his new look, we’ll only say it involves J. Press and J. Crew; we recommend reading the story in full for all of the wardrobe details. We did love the way he described reactions to his new look:

“New Yorkers are not fazed by challenging fashion but the glances on the subway are definitely pitying, at worst hostile. Once I’m on the Upper East Side things should improve but they don’t, because my preppiness is already fraying.”

We very much enjoyed this one.

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Another preppy feature in a mainstream media outlet comes via Sunday’s Los Angeles Times.

Mark Boster & Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times

The paper featured a delightful piece by Adam Tschorn, one of TP’s favorite writers. “A field guide to L.A. preppies” is a wonderful read, here is a snippet:

“When “The Official Preppy Handbook” was published in 1980, it didn’t just give the West Coast the short end of the lacrosse stick, it practically smacked the City of Angels upside the head with the milky white sole of a Sperry Top-Sider.”

There’s a visual for you – Muffy Martini’s ancestors raging through the streets brandishing their lax sticks and headbands at the offenders. The horror.

Mr. Tschorn’s story mentions several lesser-known brands discussed in this space, including Band of Outsiders (although we have been more prone to chatting up the Boy by Band of Outsiders line, the women’s arm of the company), and Trovata, along with more well-known lines like Polo Ralph Lauren and Brooks Brothers.

Per usual, Mr. Tschorn does another stellar job with his topic, the link is well worth a visit.

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We want to say ‘thank you’ to our friend Skip over at the Alexander Grant blog; as part of a series of posts he asked us to come up with style ideas for his real life Preppy Princess.

We were only too happy to waste take a little time to endlessly graze oodles of fun websites to studiously dedicate ourselves to this cause. Indeed.

With that, goodbye until next time!

The Mad Men Barbie Collection, “Future Prep”

Hello-Hello, happy rainy day! Yes, we are so gaga over the warmer weather we are happy about the rain, it is so much nicer than the snow!

We start with absolutely delightful news: the folks at Mattel have made our favorite Mad Men characters into Barbie dolls. As the Guardian put it:

“It is a move that would have the male denizens of Sterling Cooper reaching for their whiskey and cigarettes. Don Draper, a symbol of pre-sexual revolution male values from the hit TV show Mad Men, is to be made into a Barbie doll.”

Courtesy Photo via NYTimes.com

We think Joan Holloway and Betty Draper look simply smashing, their hair and makeup are captured perfectly, although Joan is nowhere near as curvaceous as on the show.

Unfortunately Don Draper and Roger Sterling aren’t as easy to depict, especially their clothing, an element key to the show’s success and cult following. Their suits just don’t translate well, they are not as well-tailored. Here is a comparison:

But then, these are merely 11-inch dolls, oui?

More on the wardrobe selections from amc’s Mad Men blog:

“Don Draper wears his classic, polished red-lined suit and comes accessorized with a hat, overcoat and brief case; Betty Draper’s classic look is captured with unparalleled detail, from her faux pearl necklace to her pumps; Joan Holloway looks chic in a purple skirt suit and perfectly styled coif with her staple accessory – a pen necklace; and Roger Sterling is looking dapper in his monogrammed shirt.”

Stuart Elliott’s column in today’s Times is excellent, loaded with interesting background on the Mattel deal and addressing almost every question that sprang to mind, including these:

“The dolls come with period accessories like hats, overcoats, pearls and padded undergarments, but no cigarettes, ashtrays, martini glasses or cocktail shakers.”

The dolls launch in July at a retail of $74.95, they will be available at the Barbie Collector site. (We apologize to our Facebook and Twitter friends for repeating this item, as we did Tweet and put the photo up on the Princess FB fan page as soon as we heard about the dolls, we simply couldn’t wait.)

We’re thinking a few bloggy friends may contemplate bringing Don home. So to speak. (You know who you are.)

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We have a few quick SOTTs (Signs of the Times) to share:

• It’s official, American Eagle is closing all 28 of its poorly performing Martin and Osa stores.
• Stationery and gift retailer Swoozie’s has filed bankruptcy but hopes to keep most stores operational. In looking for recent updates we noticed the last time Swoozie’s Twitter account was active was Feb. 3, the company’s Facebook page is more current.  We wish them the best, we always enjoyed a trip to Swoozie’s.

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We are intrigued by a line from across the pond, Polistas.

Courtesy Polistas

Described by Luxist as “… the first true polo lifestyle brand made for polo players by polo players…”, the company is now launching a Polo Dress.

Courtesy Polistas via Luxist

We enjoyed bouncing about the Polistas website.

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We close with a few more looks from Paris Fashion Week, beginning with the Balenciaga fall collection, characterized by at least one trade magazine as “future prep”.

We are guessing the crewneck sweaters from designer Nicolas Ghesquiere contributed significantly to this appellation.

While there was some lovely pink and green in the collection we wouldn’t exactly refer to it as preppish. But doesn’t it look pretty, like candy, or Easter eggs?

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We close with a bit of retail bliss:

Jason Squires/Getty Images for Sperry

Remember when we chatted about Sperry opening retail stores in select locations?  The Kansas City store celebrated its grand opening on Saturday and the liquid refreshments look dreamy.

Jason Squires/Getty Images for Sperry

The clothes are also easy on the eyes, as is the footwear.

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If interested in the company’s 75th Anniversary CVOs seen above right, they are now available online.  We initially stumbled on the party pix while gathering the info for today’s Pretty in Pink, the Seasonal Bahama.

Sperry Top-sider

We shall pray to the retail Pooh-bahs for a Sperry store in our corner of the globe someday.

Until next time dollfaces, grins and giggles!

ADDITIONAL PHOTO CREDITS:

• Balenciaga: Giovanni Giannoni/WWD