A Grace Kelly…Pen? Also, Edgy Prep Styles & A Cute Kitty

Hello-Hello, happy middle of the week, we are having a splendid early fall day, hopefully you are enjoying the same.

We begin today with a look at a new “Grace Kelly Collection,” this one from luxury pen purveyors Montblanc. The new line was launched earlier this month at a gala in Monaco.

Patrick Aventurier/Getty Images for Montblanc

Below we show one of Princess Grace’s daughters, Princess Caroline, with Princess Charlene as they look at pieces from the collection at the party.

Pascal Le Segretain for Montblanc via Women's Wear Daily

Also on hand at the gala, loads of celebrities, including Olivia Palermo and Johannes Huebl as well as actress Daryl Hannah.

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images For Montblanc

Montblanc donated $1 million to the Princess Grace Foundation as part of its arrangement to use the late Princess’s name and likeness, the Foundation helps support young musicians, actors, designers and dancers.

The collection includes a watch with hundreds of diamonds.

Montblanc

As well as a necklace, if looking for this in your Christmas stocking it will set your savings account back a bit, $226,100 if you would like to hang it about your neck. (We admit to liking the pink sapphires, we have those in our engagement ring and wedding band.)

 

Montblanc

Of course there are writing instruments,below we show one of the pens, a limited edition of 29 have been created.

Montblanc

Full disclosure: The Consort has carried the same Montblanc pen since 1972. However, there are not any diamonds on it, nor will there be.

Prince Albert and Princess Charlene will actually make their first official visit to the US in November on behalf of the Foundation, they will officially award scholarship recipients.

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Next today, a fast glance at a label we previously hadn’t been aware of, Sandro.

Sandro Fall 2011

The Parisian company is opening its first US stores next month and we thought we would share a few styles from its fall collection.

Courtesy Photos

Definitely not what we think of as classic preppy style, much more along the lines of what we call edgier prep, the styles offer strong, clean lines.

Sandro is not carried at a broad variety of outlets, two standalone stores (womenswear and menswear) will open on Bleecker St. in October, an ecommerce site also will open this fall, in November.  The company plans to open several more stores in the US. Right now a very few Bloomingdale’s offer Sandro, you can also find a limited selection at Net-a-Porter.

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Also today, having established our inexplicable adoration of all things fondness for Hello Kitty we wanted to bring you up to speed on two additional collaborations. Previously we wrote about the partnership with Liberty London on a makeup collection, now more products featuring the cute kitty are available at the venerable retailer, including some of the label’s famous fabric line.

Liberty London via Elle Decor

Hello Kitty has also partnered with retailer Forever 21. (You know, the place yours truly is afraid to enter, for fear there will be a booming announcement over the loudspeaker “Attention eviction crew, we have an unhip older woman on aisle five, please remove her immediately!”)

 

Hello Kitty Forever 21

The collection launches November 21,

Courtesy Photos via Racked

Some of the styles look darling for the younger set, we can see the sweaters on any number of young ladies we know.

Courtesy Photos via Racked

In keeping with Forever 21’s pricing policy all pieces will be priced at less than $30.

With that we say goodbye until next time!

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!