margiela exits stage right

To pour his energies into painting? That’s the story according to WWD. No successor will be named and his eponymous line will be left to run itself. Martin Margiela is completely walking away from fashion to pursue his art, which is not all surprising considering what a recluse he is.

The maison, which is breaking even with its ready-to-wear, is slated to expand with a fragrance collaboration with L’Oreal due out this spring, and a big push into interior design and home. (Office décor of a white table with an empty snow globe, an all-white set of Russian dolls, and a boot-shaped candle sounds kind of awesome.) Later this week Margiela will unveil a suite he decorated at Les Sources de Caudalie vinotherapie spa  near Bordeaux, France. On a related note, I’m going to take a bath in some wine later.

not in my backyard part II

I have mixed feelings about this. Less than two blocks from my office from this Friday-Sunday there will be a Target pop-up holiday shop, carrying, among other things, the Rodarte collection. Maybe the traffic will bring some business to the hood. That’s not so bad. But I am as yet undecided about whether I will be venturing over there. Entrance at the Highline entrance on Gansevoort + Washington. I’ll report back later with some pictures.

on couture

Ever since watching The Last Emperor I have a newfound appreciation for the craftsmanship that goes into making couture. Couture is difficult. Naysayers decry it as archaic, unsustainable – an overblown manifestation of waste and greed and excess. In the last decade, couture has lost Versace, Ungaro, Lanvin, and YSL. Fashion is flying faster and leaner these days. But to others, couture represents the pinnacle of industry’s imagination and craftsmanship. This year for the first time, Paris Couture Week is adding haute joallerie from Boucheron, Cartier, Chanel, and Van Cleef & Arpels, among others. Although there are thought to be only about 2,000 couture clients around the world, Chanel is buying up ateliers and enlisting them for their own customers. Couture is like a license to use the most expensive materials, and create the most spectacular dresses. And in the eyes of Karl Lagerfeld and Galliano, the fairy-princess dresses of couture shows are the best marketing tool of all.

So I was sad to hear this morning that Christian Lacroix’s eponymous label, after a few near-buys and an incredibly drawn-out process of bidding and bankruptcy, will be forced to abandon couture and restructure to a bare bones licensing operation. All this after he and his suppliers worked without pay for months to produce what would be the last collection, sending teary-eyed models down the runway. This restructuring will see the house reduced from more than 100 coutouriers, designers, and businesspeople to about ten. Lacroix’s business has never turned a profit, which obviously played a role in the downfall of Versace and Ungaro as well; even in good times, there’s only so long you can keep a brand alive on sentimentality. It is particularly bad for the artisan culture; as the opportunity of finding work gets narrower they will remain jobless and fewer designers will choose to uphold the standards of couture. Hopefully this is just an example of unfortunate financial planning and not another fallen house on the way to a Dior-Chanel celebrity deathmatch.

high-tech skincare

Some skin gadgets are just toys. On the other hand, we have this intriguing new product from Philips. It’s called Crystalize and it takes extreme closeup pictures of your face, then analyzes the results and recommends products for your skin type. Crystalize was developed with the advice of university dermatologists and is unbiased in its recommendations – Philips does not accept comission of any sort and recommends products across all price points.

Do women want to discuss their skin problems with online strangers?? Are you kidding me? Of course they do! Women jump at the chance to review and share on sites like MakeupAlley, and in forums where they communicate and share tips with total strangers. Philips is wise to bank on women using this product and then joining their social networking blog to talk about the results. For now, a Crystalize assessment costs $90 and is only available at one retailer in the world: Studio BeautyMix at Fred Segal. If anyone out there is a beta-tester, I would love to hear about it! Next time I am in California I will have to swing by and do some reconnaissance.

thanks Mattie

mark your calendars

Rodarte for Target / target.com and at select Target stores on December 20.

rent the runway

After reading my pal’s SK’s dilemma I was serendipitously invited to this dress rental service by a former buyer (thanks Jo!). Cool site started by two HBS grads. It already has 20,000 users after just a week. I think the idea has merit although $200 for a dress I would only wear once is still a lot ($800 for a one-night-stand is even worse but there is always ebay…). They carry high-end brands like Hervé Léger, Proenza, and Philosophy, as well as less designer-y ones like Alice + Olivia and Pencey, with prices ranging from $50-$250. I wonder if they will eventually do what Bag Borrow or Steal does and allow members to buy the dresses at a discount.

My favorite part of the website is the easy way that everything is assorted – by trend (asymmetrical, rocker chic, neon brights), by occasion (meet the parents, beach vacation, new year’s eve), by brand, by color, and by style – so you don’t waste time searching and discover new brands you may not have necessarily searched for.

Read all about this new venture in the NY Times. I have a few referrals left so if you are interested just shoot me an email at dtangleme@gmail.com.

yoox ipo

Yoox is American Beauty‘s corporate sponsor and I had the chance to chat with the CEO and founder at the event. Their initial public offering is hitting the markets sometime very soon and he said the outlook is positive. I remember Yoox as the place in high school where I could buy discount Prada, but now the site has expanded to eco-friendly products, vintage, and even has a division that exclusively designs other businesses’ off-price websites. Hopefully the IPO will be successful and continue the recent retail mini-boom.