A Lack of Logos? Yes, Please!

Hello-Hello! We enjoyed a glorious weekend and hope you did as well.

We begin today with what can only be described as good news, a story about These Challenging Economic Times and logos disappearing from upscale merchandise. The Financial Times recently ran a piece titled “No Logo – Luxury products without overt branding are the new mark of exclusivity“.

The appeal of living large hasn’t disappeared but it seems the logos associated with lavish lifestyles have.

Below we share two higher-end bags, the Valentino Aphrodite and Fendi Leopard-Print Peekaboo.

Valentino (L) & Fendi (R) at Bergdorf Goodman

Frequent readers are painfully aware familiar with the topic, we do blather on incessantly occasionally chat about the issue. This isn’t the first time we have heard about the disappearance of logoed-up (rather like tarted up, no?) merchandise, we did a post on the topic almost exactly one year ago.

In that post we used this screen grab from the Girls’ section at Burberry to demonstrate that perhaps the company wasn’t on board  with the logo-free movement.

Burberry Online October 2010

How refreshing to visit that same children’s department today.

Burberry Childrenswear October 2011

A look at the Girls’ section online reveals a positive scene indeed.

Burberry Girls

Jim Shi’s story talks about Valextra, exclusively sold at Barneys.

Emanuele Carminati Molina, president of the Italian luxury leather goods company Valextra, says the rich have “found satisfaction in rediscovering private luxury”.”

The brand is carried only at Barney’s, below we show the Valextra Caju Mirror Tote and Namaste Big Hobo.

Valextra Bags at Barneys

Another brand mentioned in the story is Hermès.

During the downturn, high-end brand Hermès known for timeless bags rather than a new, trinket-laden style every season – has thrived. It posted an increase of 50 per cent in its first half profits this year and is looking to hire 400 staff to boost production.

Hermès bags are not completely devoid of logos, as seen with the pink Clou de Selle below right, but it is a far more discreet look than many other brands. On the left we show the Picotin Lock, elegant and understated.

Hermès

Not all companies are entering the logo-free zone, here is an email that arrived this morning from Saks, showcasing the Gucci Resort line.

Saks Fifth Avenue

To be fair, not everything Gucci offers is a walking advertisement for the brand. We only wish the trend would filter down to more brands, allowing merchandise to speak for itself.

Not everyone got the memo, including Juicy Couture; on the left we show the Scottie Daydreamer ($198) and on the right, the High Drama Daydreamer ($248).

Juicy Couture

However, it *appeared* the percentage of bags sans the Juicy logo was higher than I recall, perhaps the company’s not-so-fabulous performance has positively impacted its designs.

We do want to share two items we stumbled on while wasting time window shopping researching things for the post. Both are by Bottega Veneta at Bergdorfs and both are insanely expensive. The Two Tone Deerskin Tote and Woven Lambskin/Linen Tote are today’s Pretty in Pink.

Bottega Veneta at Bergdorf Goodman

We would have to hold quite a few bake sales here at the Prepatorium to come up with the $$$ for either. Sigh.

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One quick Sales and Savings note:  J. Crew is offering an extra 30% off sale merchandise.  Additionally, Crew is leaving its online Factory Outlet ‘open’ through Thursday, especially good news for parents as the company just added childrenswear to the outlet this month.

J. Crew

Use promo code OURTREAT at checkout to receive the discount.

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Finally today, a look back at this weekend’s Head of the Charles.

Elise Amendola/AP Photo

The annual Regatta looked like another fabulous event.

Michael Dwyer/AP Photo

It was a good weekend for the Crimson, Harvard had a stellar showing. Several friends were on hand and/or actually competing, including the Queen Bee, a tip of the hat to them.  We also applaud several preptastic retailers, Brooks Brothers continued its sponsorship of the event, Smathers and Branson partnered with North River Outfitters for limited edition HOC goods like the flask shown below.

Smathers & Branson/North River Outfitters

Until next time, may all of your oars be pulling in the same direction!

Is Prep Dead? (More Importantly, How Did We Miss This?)

Hello-Hello, is everyone ready for a weekend?

We thought it was time for another True Prep update, the volume of media surrounding the book is significant, including multiple declarations that ‘prep is dead’; in at least one instance responsibility for this hypothetical occurrence is linked directly to the book.

We begin with this headline from a September NPR story:

We haven’t heard the entire NPR story, but did read what is posted online and were unable to decipher exactly how the book’s existence translated into a sign that prep was dead.  The NPR story does carry a lengthy quote from this story in The Atlantic:

As always, the Atlantic review is very well done, essentially positing that ‘prep’ has  been absorbed by a larger, international class.  From the piece by Benjamin Schwarz:

“Whereas OPH was crammed with fine-grained analysis— defining, say, the subtle distinctions between Brooks Brothers (mainstream), J. Press (old guard), and Paul Stuart (urbane)—True Prep’s analysis seems vague and flabby. Whereas OPH’s preppies belonged to a distinct and inward-looking subculture, the preppies of True Prep, defined largely by what they buy and wear, are in many ways indistinguishable from fancily educated professionals.”

The writer doesn’t fault the skill set of authors Lisa Birnbach and Chip Kidd, looking instead at the consumption habits of the era, particularly those of the conspicuous kind.

“Cracked heirlooms, threadbare antique rugs, sturdy L.L. Bean boots, duct-taped Blucher moccasins, and workhorse Volvo station wagons defined OPH’s aesthetic. True Prep’s preppies, armed with BlackBerrys and iPods, wear Verdura jewelry and Prada and vintage Gucci loafers, tote Goyard and Tory Burch bags, and adorn their desks with tchotchkes from Smythson (a firm whose success, Ian Jack notes in The Guardian, has been built “on selling baubles to the impressionable rich”).

It’s no secret we whined struggled with some of the brands featured in True Prep. (For Ms. Birnbach’s comments regarding the J. Crew metallic Top-siders at J. Crew, simply click here.) We have been vocal about the volume of J. Crew & Burberry products showcased in the book.  Frequent readers know the tragic truth: TP and The Consort are two boring, old-school preps.  Our style is basically no style.

However, we do take issue with this claim from a column in the Journal, the headline reads “Preppy Pitfall: All That Madras, Not Enough Effort.” It is the subhead that is irksome:

Did Lisa Birnbach’s original ‘Handbook’ drive people lazy?”

Eric Felten cites TOPH (The Official Preppy Handbook) as a factor.

“One simply mustn’t try too hard. A key principle of what Ms. Birnbach called the Preppy Value System was Effortlessness: “If life is a country club, then all functions should be free from strain.”

The notion that Ms. Birnbach is responsible for the work ethic of a generation is ludicrous.

“Unless you actually have a fat trust fund to underwrite your nonchalance, an aversion to effort is hardly a strategy for success. Which may explain some of our national woes.”

We like Ms. Birnbach; she is talented, witty and loads of fun, but while wielding significant influence, she is not quite so powerful as to be responsible for this:

“Over the last couple of decades we’ve seen the contempt for effort spread far beyond the original preppy demographic. Now it’s commonplace for middle-class kids to go to college and behave as though they are scions of the gentry—abjuring studies and indulging in the bottomless kegger that a recent book dubbed “The Five Year Party.”

Blaming These Challenging Times on any single author just doesn’t work for us.

Next on the review list, AOL’s Daily Finance offers this:

Bruce Watson’s story takes a more reasoned approach:

“…she attached a philosophical component to the look, explicitly wedding the preppy style to a hodgepodge of social values, including traditionalism, thrift, and brand loyalty. In Birnbach’s analysis, preppies buy Brooks Brothers and Orvis because these companies have been in business for over a hundred years and have proven reliability.”

As the monolithic 1980’s preppy culture has fractured into a variety of brands and styles, from Gossip Girl to hip-hop Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren to Vineyard Vines, it’s worth wondering if this explosion of prep may also signal its demise.”

Mr. Watson points to the efforts at updating the fashions offered by some of the stalwarts, like LL Bean’s Signature and Black Fleece at Brooks Brothers, a necessity if such establishments are to compete against trendier, “hipper” (ahem) offerings at retailers like J. Crew. Unfortunately the writer misses an important point in this portion of his story:

“In True Prep, however, conversation positively drips with references to the signs of wealth, as Birnbach instructs readers: “Your car wasn’t in the shop; your Mercedes was getting fixed. You didn’t wear shoes; you wore Manolos.”

The book isn’t instructing readers to converse in this fashion. To the contrary, this specific segment laments the way people speak these days, bemoaning the ostentation and name-dropping and label flashing.  Melanie Spencer’s story in the Austin Statesman illustrates this distinction with a quote from the author:

“”People are oft misbehaving and name-dropping and talking about money,” she says. “It is vulgar. It’s becoming normal. I’m here to help correct. Something as benign as ‘Sex in the City’ sort of sanctioned gross materialism. Instead of saying, ‘Oh, my shoes hurt,’ it’s, ‘My Manolos hurt.’ You are sending all kinds of messages. You can say ‘My car is in the shop.’ You don’t have to say, ‘My Jaguar is in the shop.’ It would be so refreshing for people to go back to those basics.”

We had to laugh aloud at this part of the story, it seems not everyone in Austin was fond of the prep aesthetic. (Gasp!)

“”Preppy fashion was the lowest point in the history of women’s attire,” says longtime Austinite, style and design writer and Austin Monthly Home editor Helen Thompson.”

Oops.  Hopefully Melanie, I Pick Pretty and other notable Austin denizens won’t tell Ms. Thompson next time we visit.

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Enough of the deep thinking, we have an eye-popping Pretty in Pink & Green to share:

The Argyle Pullover is available at Elegant Baby, and there is also a version in blues if looking for something a little more sedate.

With that, we are off to enjoy the weekend, and hope you are able to do the same!

The Princess Picks Her Next Step & 3 Target Collaboration Updates

Hello-Hello, what a gorgeous day it is here in The Great Midwest!

Heavy volunteer activities mean we must soon grab our broom pop into the PrincessMobile and fly to an appointment, so we’ll be mercifully brief today.

We begin with big news: we have decided on a post-graduate course of study. We are thinking about matriculating in this location.

With news that the University of Monaco if offering a Masters degree in luxury, how could we not ponder the possibilities…? After all, the program is only ten months in durations, and is even taught in English.

Here are the Selection Criteria:

• Undergraduate degree required
• Must have had a prior internship in a luxury setting
• Academic performance assessed
• Candidates should be highly passionate about at least one luxury sector
• Ability and willingness to work in a diverse, international environment

What do you think? After we finish painting the planet pink, wouldn’t it be fun?

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If pursuing a luxury degree, presumably we would learn about things like the recent Journal of Marketing study on “brand loudness,” as discussed in this story from Australia’s News.com.

“LUXURY goods may sell the dream of mixing it with the rich and famous, but the bigger the branding the more you identify yourself as a “cashed-up bogan”.

And in a case of less is more expensive, luxury goods manufacturers have been charging a premium for the more discreetly-branded goods of similar quality, according to a US study into brand status.”

The point is explained with this photo:

“The Gucci bag on the left, costing $US1150, was rated 1/7 for brand loudness and would be preferred by “elite” consumers, according to a Journal of Marketing study. The bag on the right, costing $US640, was rated 7/7 for brand loudness and would be preferred by “cashed-up bogans”.

We were intrigued to read about the four kinds of consumers listed in the study.

• Patricians: “Wealthy consumers low in need for status” who “pay a premium for… products that only their fellow patricians can recognise”;
• Parvenus: “Wealthy consumers high in need for status” who “use loud luxury goods to signal to the less affluent that they are not one of them”;
• Poseurs: Poorer consumers who can’t afford luxury goods and seek counterfeit items to “emulate those who they recognise to be wealthy”; and
• Proletarians: Poor consumers who are not concerned with status

Click here for more on the study.

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Frequent readers are forced to endure the bloviating familiar with occasional references to changes in style direction at J. Crew; today we must share a bit of the “Dear J. Crew” post on the topic from our friend Megan over at her blog, PIPM.

J. Crew Taffeta Seine Vest

Megan has a question about the Taffeta Seine vest:

“… do you really think people would pay 650 dollars for a vest that resembles wet toilet paper? And what’s even more scary is that this vest is SOLD OUT!!! Seriously, who bought this?”

These comments come from a young lady *far* more fashion-forward than yours truly, so we don’t feel quite so out of step on J. Crew’s direction.  The post made us laugh aloud, it is a fun read for those interested in the topic.

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A quick note about the challenges encountered by those shopping the Lilly Pulitzer Sale.

The sale offered very healthy markdowns (for example, the $398 Tenley shift at $99, the $228 Lee Cashmere Cardigan at $89), but the heavy traffic from Lilly’s Facebook fans made for some very…. slow….. shopping.

Lilly kept shoppers who are fans advised of things via Facebook; for those who are not fans presumably the site’s error message sufficed.  More examples of the stellar Sales and Savings opportunities: the Eliot Shirt (originally $98, now $49), and on the right the Jonnie shirt (was $98, now $49).

Clearly underestimating the response to the sale, the company responded as quickly as they could, working with their technical people and adding more phone reps. Hopefully by the time you read this, everything will be back to normal online.

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A final note, this one on three upcoming collaborations Le Boutique Targét is launching Friday.  All three are debuting online at Gilt.com before they hit Target stores or the retailer’s website.

For those not familiar with Gilt, it is one of those ubiquitous ‘members-only’ discount sites. The lines slated to launch include: John Derian for Target, Tucker for Target by Gaby Basora (more on that here), and Mulberry for Target (more on this here).

From the Gilt website:

“Pick up a lushly colorful dress by Tucker, the acclaimed label from Gaby Basora, a designer who has been crafting her artful prints since 2005. Then add a kicky cross-body bag by Mulberry, a British heritage brand that’s known worldwide for its craftsmanship and classic silhouettes. And bring it all home with the witty, nature-inspired statement housewares by John Derian, New York’s master of decoupage.”

Racked.com has more on the pros and cons of Target’s method for introducing the partnerships.

The preview sales begin at noon (EDT) Friday; if in need of an invitation to the Gilt shopping site, just click here.

With that, g’bye until next time!

When Logos Go Bad & Hamptons Habitats

Hello-Hello!

We are brief today, in large part because The Consort and I the Princess Elves must deal with this:

Princess InterGalactic HQ

That is but a portion of the 300+ pounds of Lilly Pulitzer Fall 2010 goodies, along with ribbon belts, preppy totes and other treasures the UPS man dropped off today.  Sadly, Tilly doesn’t quite seem… well… she doesn’t appear to be engaged with the task at hand.

"Where's my biscuit?"

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We begin with a follow-up to a previous post about the topic of a hypothetical decline in the popularity of designer logos; today’s story comes via the Telegraph, on the far side of the pond.  We offer the following from the paper’s story, “Designer logos are a fashion no-go“:

“Handbags and accessories with large logos are being removed from designers’ collections to be replaced with more subtle designs as part of a move for “antibling” fashion.”

The Telegraph story uses an image featuring one of our original AntiPreps, below we see Paris Hilton with her Louis Vuitton handbag and bathing suit in 2006 and on the right, a new bag from Louis Vuitton.

REX Features via The Telegraph

The story is pegged to a quote from the CEO of Vuitton’s parent company suggesting logos are shrinking and/or disappearing. (That quote was mentioned briefly in this post.)

“His admission was an extraordinary turning point in the top-tier designer industry, where design labels have made billions of pounds by having accessories with big logos showcased by rappers, footballers’ wives and socialites.”

Below, Farandole Strass rings by Vuitton.

In the story, the Telegraph’s fashion director is quoted:

“This really began the day Daniella Westbrook was pictured head to toe in the Burberry check. The shift has been taking place for some time.”

Below, Ms. Westbrook in the ensemble under discussion.

PHOTO: MrPaparazzi.com via The Sun

To be sure, this….

Chanel

is a vast improvement over this.

Chanel

The subject seems to be gaining traction, another UK paper had a story on the topic today; The Mail’s story is titled, “Stealth wealth: Why the label to have this season is no label at all as consumers turn their back on logo-heavy designers”.  That story also uses a photo of another member of the Anti-Prep Wall of Shame, “Snooki” and her Gucci handbag.

PHOTO: Xposure via The Daily Mail

Clearly we are intrigued to see how this plays out, do let us know your thoughts on the topic, and what you are seeing in your corner of the globe. We are guessing this isn’t exactly your vision of the ideal decor for your domicile.

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ModerneKunst.no

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One other quick note we meant to include yesterday, spotted when perusing Vanity Fair; the magazine has a pretty feature, “Behind the Hamptons Hedges“. The piece showcases eight individuals who spend significant time in the area, like polo player Nic Roldan….

Alix Smith/Vanity Fair

… and Dylan Lauren, photographed at the Dylan’s Candy Bar in East Hampton.

Alix Smith/Vanity Fair

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We’re off to have a little talk with Tilly about her work ethic.

We’ll see you next time, probably Monday!

American Apparel Plans on Preppy (Seriously) & Royalty Hits the Hamptons

Hello-Hello, and happy Monday!

Today we begin with a Sign of The Times that we hoped would herald a return to sanity when it comes to logos. Below, a snippet from this story in Women’s Wear Daily about luxury merchandise and markets:

“…Gucci Group would move away from logos, “adjusting to this new perception of luxury, which is more subtle, more sophisticated.”

The comments come from Gucci’s parent company, PPH; we can only hope this movement points to a diminution in the number of Logophobia attacks one suffers when in close proximity to most Gucci merchandise. Unfortunately, the “move away from logos” doesn’t appear applicable to all Gucci items.

‘Subtle’ and ‘sophisticated’ those are not. Nor are two handbags from the Fall 2010 line.

Perhaps we didn’t fully understand the company’s intent when it comes to this topic.

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Next, reports that American Apparel is moving toward more ‘traditional’ styles.  Sunday’s Chronicle carried a story entitled “Can Preppy Look Save American Apparel Empire?”

“After outfitting the world of 18- to 30-year-olds in all manner of T-shirts and leggings, American Apparel is going preppy, diving into more sophisticated garments such as blazers, pleated pants, button-down shirts and more formal lace tops.”

We would find the notion laughable were it not obvious this is the firm’s direction; it certainly goes in the “You Can’t Make This Stuff Up” category. But when visiting the company’s online store one notices the home page touting “Classic Guy” styles.

American Apparel

“Preppy” from the firm that the story notes “… remade the hipster wardrobe, sensing the demand for neon nylon bike shorts and lace-thong leotards…”?  Not to mention the firm known for its overtly racy ads featuring scantily clad (or unclad) young people? (If unfamiliar with this marketing maneuver, all one need do is visit the company’s online Photo Archive to see examples.)

One of the most surprising items we saw in the men’s section, the Red Wing shoe, similar to many boat shoes, albeit with trendier lines.

American Apparel is contending with a number of issues, not the least of which is possible delisting on the New York Stock Exchange; this is compounded by its own accounting firm quitting, citing concerns over some of the company’s financial data.

Other challenges are explained in the story (which also appears in Bloomberg Business Week):

“Before the financial concerns intensified, Charney had been contending with damaging sexual-harassment allegations followed by an immigration bust. Fifteen hundred workers at the Los Angeles factory had to be let go owing to lack of documentation and 1,000 more quit over concern of being swept up for immigration violations.”

(To learn more about American Apparel’s CEO Dov Charney, click here, he has his own web page.)

One mystery amid the style changes: we don’t understand why the new direction appears targeted only to male shoppers. Visiting the women’s section of the website doesn’t indicate any evidence of a newly conservative or traditional approach.

American Apparel

Indeed, items the company is known for abound; most are NSFW (Not Safe for Work viewing).

American Apparel

To be fair, there are some basics available, like the Unisex Collared Shirts and Unisex Tees.

But by and large it seems that American Apparel’s new ‘preppy’ clothing styles are intended for the gentlemen, not the ladies.

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We close with a quick look at this weekend’s benefit for the Princess Grace Foundation in the Hamptons.

Astrid Stawiarz for The Wall St Journal

On hand for the festivities (and also a co-host), Monaco’s Prince Albert II and fiancée Charlene Wittstock. Louis Vuitton was the other primary host, the event was held at the Water Mill home of Anne Hearst McInerney and Jay McInerney.  Below we see Ms. Hearst and Mr. McInerney, the latter is an author we very much enjoy reading.

Monaco’s royal wedding is scheduled for July 11, 2011. For more on how Ms. Wittstock is approaching that event, we turn to Women’s Wear Daily:

“But Wittstock seems very low-key about her upcoming nuptials, scheduled for next year, even if the rest of European society isn’t. “I’m not one of those girls who imagined themselves walking down the aisle in a big dress,” she said. “My style is very easy.” Wittstock was wearing gold flip flops with her gown.”

With that we say G’bye until next time!