10. Balmain dark blue sequined dress with peaked shoulders.
How chic is that Daphne in the window? Daphne Guinness made a much publicized vitrine debut yesterday at Barneys, where the fashion-forward social took to the windows to prepare for the Met gala and show off some truly covetable wares from her collection and from Isabella Blow’s. She’s shared the full list of pieces that co-starred with her behind glass exclusively with Style.com. Read on for the enviable closet stock.
17. Hogan McLaughlin deep red catsuit.
10. Philip Treacy black veil hat.
1. L’Wren Scott green and gray striped satin coat.
4. Vintage Moroccan gold-embroidered cream silk vest.
22. Daphne Guinness’ own blue platform shoes.
9. Philip Treacy black coil hat with crystals.
20. Alexander McQueen black cap-sleeve dress with padded shoulders and belt.
22. John Galliano black and white velvet coat.
1. Chanel long black silk coat with red lining.
19. Oscar de la Renta sleeveless silver and gold sequined dress.
23. Nina Ricci light magenta platform shoes.
17. Embroidered red and gold Chinese kimono.
16. Rick Owens pale gray crepe jacket with cascading neckline.
19. Philip Treacy straw and neoprene “A” hat.
6. Alexander McQueen long, black sequined cape with a red-lined hood.
6. Alexander McQueen antiqued gold-embroidered dress.
14. Vintage gold-sequined three-quarter-length coat.
13. Daphne Guinness’ own black feather cape.
20. Comme des Garçons black silk jacket.
24. Daphne Guinness’ own gold-studded and rhinestone red platform shoes.
5. Daphne Guinness’ own three-quarter-sleeved, ivory satin cape with train.
4. David Koma ivory long-sleeved dress with peplum and sheer insets.
14. Alexander McQueen black lace dress with trailing headdress. Fall 1996.
10. Alexander McQueen rhinestone catsuit.
12. Alexander McQueen mirror dress composed of overlapping paillettes.
Renowned for creating his own fabrics, designer Yoshiki Hishinuma pairs the workmanship, attention to detail, and labor-intensive processes of traditional Japanese textile-making with innovative techniques and the synthetic materials to produce stunning results. In the 1980’s, he designed a series of garments he called Kite Clothes and Air Clothes that incorporated the element of wind as part of the design. This concept led to the evolution of unique and fantastic shapes as displayed in this parachute dress from the collection of Isabella Blow.
2. Purple, coiled plastic and chiffon wrap.
3. Daphne Guinness’ own blue tuxedo jacket.
8. Alexander McQueen long iridescent blue silk cape.
16. Alexander McQueen gown with green feather and sequined bodice and tulle skirt.
13. Philip Treacy hat with turquoise spikes.
9. Chanel black satin dress with sequined sleeves and fringe trim.
2. Alexander McQueen black satin hourglass dress.
12. Alexander McQueen gray wool short-sleeved pencil dress.
Window #5: Daphne Guinness
16. Blond horse-hair outfit with tresses.
6. Gareth Pugh black vinyl pantsuit.
11. Teerable Sondvitch shoulder cape and matching skirt of red ombré paillettes.
4. Gold and cream embroidered Chinese kimono and scarf.
15. Yoshiki Hishinuma red and white dress.
7. Haider Ackermann charcoal ostrich-feather sleeveless dress.
9. Vintage Chinese dragon-embroidered kimono.
14. Threeasfour long gray robe with lace detail.
13. Daphne Guinness’ own gray satin coat with cropped sleeves.
18. Chanel metallic silver three-quarter-length coat.
5. Philip Treacy pink squid hat.
2. Daphne Guinness’ own red tuxedo jacket.
19. Natacha Marro gray glitter platform shoes.
Window #1: Isabella Blow
1. Alexander McQueen mauve silk brocade and black lace appliqué evening jacket with lock of hair in a transparent pocket. Dante Collection.
12. Alexander McQueen gold sequined gown.
22. Natacha Marro blue glitter platform shoes.
8. Philip Treacy gold horn hat.
7. Alexander McQueen seamed leather coat.
7. Alexander McQueen tweed jacket with shawl collar and red paint details.
3. Hogan McLaughlin corset with chains and spikes.
20. Natacha Marro blue floral platform shoes.
Window #3: Daphne Guinness
15. Hogan McLaughlin mirror winged shoe.
15. Gareth Pugh two-tone gray cap-sleeved dress.
21. Nina Ricci black lace-up platform boots.
18. Chanel ivory floral-embroidered long-sleeved minidress.
8. Vintage Pauline Trigère red chiffon dress.
21. Massarro metallic silver platform shoes.
11. Alexander McQueen dress with pale green and blue paillettes.
11. Threeasfour ruffled black tulle dress.
21. Viktor & Rolf black Lurex pantsuit with oversized pompom trim.
3. Alexander McQueen ruched, pale pink chiffon dress with leather bodice.
17. Daphne Guinness’ own black wool jacket with long tails.
Window #4: Isabella Blow
23. Hogan McLaughlin red leather platform shoes.
5. Gareth Pugh black ribbed dress.
18. Alexander McQueen black cowhide dress with seaming and tulle underskirt.
The weekly rock party at Bardot draws David LaChapelle, Theory’s Oliver Theyskens, stylist B. Akerland, designer Loree Rodkin and makeup artist Kathy Jeung in its second outing. 9:20 PM PDT 4/20/2012 by Merle Ginsberg
Penney said on Tuesday that it plans to tweak its ads to better spell out the new plan, including how much lower the everyday prices are from last year. The retailer also said that starting in the fall 47 percent of its merchandise will be new — the result of it dumping some brands while redesigning others.
“We had to make the bold step,” in pricing, he said. “It’s one big year we have to go through. It’s really hard but we’ll get through it.”
Analysts say that Penney will have an easier time conveying the everyday pricing plan once shoppers start to see new brands and other changes that the retailer is making in the stores.
The department-store chain on Tuesday reported a larger-than-expected first-quarter loss largely because customers were turned off by the retailer’s new plan to get rid of big sales throughout the year in favor of everyday low pricing.
It also announced a slew of new popular designers including Vivienne Tam and Betsey Johnson who will be selling affordable versions to Penney. Additionally, the company plans to launch a new brand under the “JCP” label this fall.
“Consumers want deals, and they’re willing to wait for them,” said C. Britt Beemer, chairman of America’s Research Group, a consumer research firm. “When you train customers to shop at big discounts, that customer is not going to change.”
J.C. Penney Co.’s first-quarter results just affirm that customers have been slow to warm to its pricing plan. The company, based in Plano, Texas, lost $163 million, or 75 cents a share, in the three months ended April 28, compared with a profit of $64 million, or 28 cents a share, in the year-ago period.
Revenue dropped 20 percent to $3.15 billion for the quarter as customer traffic slipped 10 percent. Meanwhile, revenue at stores opened at least a year — a figure used to measure a retailer’s health — was down 18.9 percent. That’s a much steeper fall than the 11.4 percent drop Wall Street was expecting.
Johnson has said he wants to transform every aspect of the department-store chain, from the brands it carries to the way it displays them in stores. Investors had put a lot of faith in Johnson, who was behind both Apple’s successful retail stores and Target’s move toward cheap chic before that. But they’ve increasingly soured on his pricing plan.
Those changes are in addition to ones Penney previously announced. The chain plans to add about 100 shops within each of its stores by 2015 that will either focus on one brand or a variety of labels. The company also is planning to add areas in its stores called Town Squares to offer services and advice.
The first hint that Penney’s new pricing plan wasn’t resonating with customers came last week when Macy’s CFO Karen Hoguet told analysts that sales were rising at Macy’s locations that share the same mall as Penney stores.
“The closest J.C. Penney is about a half hour away from me,” said Ruud, who has been shopping more at Target and Wal-Mart. “If I don’t get a special discount, it’s not worth the trip.”
The company has run ads to explain to shoppers its three-tiered pricing strategy, which features everyday prices that are about 40 percent less than a year ago, monthlong sales on select items and clearance events during the first and third Friday of each month.
Ron Johnson, a former Apple Inc. executive who became Penney’s CEO in November, acknowledged that the first quarter was “tougher than anticipated.” At a meeting with analysts and investors on Tuesday, Johnson said that he expects 2012 to be a difficult year.
“I am rooting for Ron Johnson to hit a home run,” said Ronald Friedman, the head of the retail group at Marcum LLP, an accounting firm that works with clothing companies. “But it won’t happen overnight. This is a process. It will take between 12 to 18 months.”
Wendy Ruud, 49, used to visit the Penney store near her home in Boca Raton, Fla. every two weeks. But Rudd hasn’t been back to the store since early this year when she stopped getting coupons from the retailer in her email inbox.
In order for Penney’s pricing plan to succeed, analysts say the retailer will need to do a better job communicating it to customers. Penney’s plan is more complex than Wal-Mart’s iconic everyday low pricing strategy: It doesn’t aim to undercut competitors, but rather focuses on offering customers predictable prices.
But some observers say Penney’s ads — which mimic rival Target’s whimsical style — are confusing. In one TV spot, for instance, a dog donning a birthday hat continuously jumps through a hula hoop that a young girl is holding. The text reads: “No more jumping through hoops. No coupon clipping. No door busting. Just great prices from the start.”
“I think they’re trying to be too cute and entertaining,” said Laura Ries, president of Atlanta-based brand strategy firm Ries & Ries, which has worked with Walt Disney and Microsoft. “I think a more direct message would work better.”
Penney has said that it will take time for the pricing plan to work. But the first-quarter results put pressure on Johnson to deliver results at Penney, which has been hurt by the economic downturn as its core middle-income shoppers have cut back on spending.
Investors aren’t the only ones watching Penney’s plan closely. If the everyday pricing strategy does well, other chains could follow. Indeed, many clothing chains are desperate to wean shoppers off the big discounts that have become commonplace since the Great Recession began in late 2007.
The lackluster reception to Penney’s new pricing strategy underscores how difficult it is for a company to change the way consumers behave. Industry watchers say Penney faces an uphill battle in attempting to shift the mindset of its shoppers, who increasingly have become accustomed to and spoiled by fat discounts during the economic downturn.
“This is an ambitious task,” said Chris Donnelly, managing director of Accenture’s retail practice. “If Penney succeeds, (stores) will have to decide whether they’ll follow.”
The idea of the strategy, which was rolled out on Feb. 1, is to discourage shoppers from waiting for the nearly 600 sales Penney used to offer each year. But the move has backfired: It seems many faithful Penney customers have stopped shopping altogether.
Penney shares soared 24 percent to about $43 after Johnson announced the strategy in late January. But since the middle of February — after the new pricing was rolled out in stores— investors have sent shares back down to around $34. After Penney reported the disappointing first-quarter results after the markets closed on Tuesday, its shares fell 12 percent to $29.30 in after-hours trading.
NEW YORK (AP) — Turns out, J.C. Penney shoppers don’t prefer predictable pricing over blockbuster bargains — at least not yet.
The Faith Connexion
Photo: Courtesy Photo
Of the Faith Connexion lexicon, brand ambassador Maria Buccellati says, “Chic, glamorous girls with a strong sense of rock ‘n’ roll.’” That’s a fitting description of the brand’s loyal shoppers, a group that includes Jennifer Lopez, Géraldine Saglio, and Karolina Kurkova. The “Left Bank cool” line from Paris brings Balmain to mind, with its glam-rock metallic gold pants and leather jacket offerings in the Spring 2012 collection. There’s a reason for the similarities to the storied French house; the Faith Connexion design team is made up of designers hailing from Balmain, along with Lacroix and Azzaro.
For Spring, “the collection follows the Faith girl on a Paris-to-L.A. route,” Buccellati says. The result is reflective of their “boyish versus feminine” aesthetic that is both nonchalant and glamorous. There are cotton T-shirts and light, distressed denim shirts that look fit for a stroll down Melrose, and cigarette pants and button-up blouses that make the French connection clear. As for the gold sequined pieces, “glammed-up clubber looks,” as Buccellati calls them, those are fit for nightclubs on all continents.
Faith Connexion($120 to $1,500) is available in select stores and on Net-a-Porter.com.
—Kristin Studeman
Tory Burch, The Style.Com Way
Photo: Courtesy of Tory Burch
To celebrate her new denim collection, Tory Burch turned to the pros—a handful of online fashion editors and bloggers, that is, who descended on her Meatpacking District store on Tuesday to check out the new goods. Each one styled an outfit on a model, and in a bout of friendly competition, Tory’s put the results on her Facebook page and is encouraging readers to vote for the ensemble they like best. Call us partial, but we like the look our senior market editor, Marina Larroude, put together. She’s paired a plaid ruffled blouse with a cropped-sleeve black leather jacket, overdyed skinny jeans, and embellished boots. The cuff, Larroude says, is from Burch’s first collaboration with her longtime friend, jeweler Kara Ross, and the blouse is said to be Tory’s own favorite top. Click here to go to the Tory Burch Facebook page to vote—the winner will be announced on Monday (and, in full disclosure, will get their entire outfit).
On The Beach With Jason Wu
For his Resort ‘12 collection, Jason Wu channeled the vivid colors of Puerto Rico, glimpsed during a New Year’s vacation last year. Now that the weather in New York is turning chilly, a return to the beach sounds pretty appealing. That’s where Wu and photographer KT Auleta went to shoot their new Resort video. “KT has really been innovative with the way she’s worked with moving imagery,” Wu said of his collaborator. “I think movement is such an important part of clothes that it made complete sense to collaborate on a video that not only showed the Resort collection, but also told a vividly compelling story.” This story in particular was inspired by the slightly creepy mood of The Talented Mr. Ripley, although with Hailey Clauson taking on model/actress duties, it’s hard to see anything but sunshine. The video, which debuts exclusively here on Style.com, goes up on NeimanMarcus.com next week, along with an interview with Wu and Auleta. The Resort collection pieces pictured hit the floor at the end of November, but if you can’t wait until then, there’s always the exclusive Miss Wu bag on sale today as part of Style.com/Print’s Instant Get program. Click here to ogle.
Recessionista Booty Call!
For imformation, visit Forever 21 Web page.
Check out more of Hollywood’s wildest shoes!
Our fashion editor Suzanne Marchese sent a picture via camera phone of these super-cool open-toed booties that she found at Forever 21. It’s like what a caged bootie would look like if YSL shoes and Givenchy shoes had a baby. They’re fabulous faux leather, completely modern, sexy and hello? $26.80!!!!!!! Not all of us are willing or able to shell out a cool grand for a boot that only Beyonce and Rihanna could afford. But these? No problem.
Update: Get off your butt and schlep over to Forever 21 because this boot is sold out online, but there are tons to be had in the store.
Here, the Forever 21 version is black leather, 4.5 inch platform booties, and zip up the back to keep you snug. They can be worn now with jeans or going into fall with opaque tights and mini skirts. There are only a few sizes left, so you better run while they last!
our editor recommends
Robert De Niro’s industry sushi sanctum will take over a space at a Pacific Coast Highway parcel developed by software billionaire Larry Ellison just in time for Hollywood’s summer high season.
Nobu Malibu, which has been ensconced for 13 years in a charming, low-key corner of the Country Mart shopping center, will soon depart for larger, more dramatic new beachfront digs a few minutes further south at 22706 Pacific Coast Highway, the restaurant’s director of operations, Santiago Rodriguez, tells THR.
Boy, oh boy. Dehydration has never been so … chic!
Check these New Moon water bottles out! Not only are celebrities like Emmy Rossum, Kristin Cavallari and the Kardashians (Kim and Khloe) all needing to quench their thirst — everyone is going completely bananas for these 1-liter, BPA-free bottles featuring our favorite boy toys of the moment. This is the type of situation where you will lay out $9.99 twice because, well, why get just one? And if you’re like me and can’t decide, here’s some incentive: The second bottle ships free.
Is there any reason why you need to stay loyal?
Buy it here.
Dressed-Up De Pinto
In the past few seasons, jewelry designer Arielle de Pinto has been refining the look of her crocheted metal accessories, reining in her experimental side to create pieces that are both avant-garde and easily wearable. For Fall, the designer took another step in that direction, churning out structural chain and brass necklaces, earrings, and cuffs, all with a newfound elegant sophistication.
“I spent a lot of time in Toronto in the suburbs when I was making this collection,” says the designer, who splits her time between Montreal and New York. “I think that definitely influenced the collection,” she added, citing the building materials and the lichen-colored carpet in her parents’ condo as reference points. And while de Pinto jokes that suburban life isn’t for her, she translated her surroundings into cool, conceptual elements, like riveted brass tubing and brick motifs that bring shape to her organic steel threads. Crisscross scaffolding-inspired necklaces and bracelets are also an eye-pleasing interpretation of her unlikely influences.
In addition to her Fall offerings, de Pinto has created a palladium-plated capsule collection, which features her favorite pieces from past seasons in charcoal. Coming up next from de Pinto: a shoe collaboration with designer Simona Vanth, which features chunky sandals, boots, and platforms garnished with de Pinto’s delicate chain webs.
—Katharine K. Zarrella
Photo: Courtesy of Arielle de Pinto