Fun: Take Two
And since we can’t resist fun fashion news, we report that Betsey Johnson, the always-cartwheeling, fun-loving designer, is celebrating her brand’s 30th anniversary. WWD.com reported that Johnson finished off her Fall 2008 show on February 4, 2008 at New York Fashion Week with 15 of her favourite looks from the past three decades. Beyond this month, the party will continue, as it always does, in Betseyville: August 10, 2008 marks the actual anniversary of her first collection, Resort 1978, and the date is also her birthday and wedding anniversary.
Another Commemoration
Meanwhile, WWD.com also reports that the late Isabella Blow, who was a champion of young designers (including the early work of Alexander McQueen, Philip Treacy, and Hussein Chalayan), is now being commemorated with a scholarship in her name. The annual Isabella Blow Memorial Scholarship will provide a fashion student at North London’s Middlesex University with financial support during his or her fashion schooling. The first recipient of the award is Liesamarie Schulte-Kitzing, a 22 year old fashion student whose work was apparently “what Isabella would have wanted,” according to fashion illustrator Richard Gray and Lee Lapthorne.
A New Way to Shop
We wrap up February’s fashion news with one of the industry’s most noteworthy stories. Earlier this month, according to WWD.com, luxury e-commerce site Net-a-porter.com teamed up with American design brand Halston to deliver two looks from its Fall collection to consumers. The catch? It all happened the day after Halston's runway show on February 4, 2008. Same-day delivery was offered to buyers in London and New York, while consumers elsewhere were able to get their hands on the goods the day after. Said Natalie Massenet, founder and chairman of the website, “As the collection goes down the runway on Feb. 4 and the press and buyers are seeing it for the first time, two of the key pieces will be sitting, wrapped, packed, and ready to go in our distribution centres in Manhattan and London for worldwide delivery.” She continued, “We will go live within 24 hours of the show…. [and] customers can log on and be the first women around the world to wear the new Halston.”
The move has been hailed as groundbreaking, particularly at a time when online fashion sites make runway looks accessible within hours (and sometimes minutes) of the actual show. In addition, runway clothing is not available for retail purchase until several months after the shows, long after media buzz has subsided and mass-market, “copycat manufacturers” have produced similar looks at reduced quality and price. While granted, not every consumer will be able to shop the way Net-a-Porter.com is suggesting, the move signals a momentous possibility in the world of fashion retail. Will it stick? Stay tuned. |
