Cheap chic

Melie Bianco Cheap Chic

from Gainesville.com
The Wal-Mart Metro7 line of clothing.
By VANESSA GARCIA
Sun staff writer

In her most exaggerated faux french, 24-year-old University of Florida student Lauren Parigi dropped the name of her favorite local clothing store.

Continue to 2nd paragraph "Tar-zhay," she laughed. That's what Parigi and her friends call discount retail giant Target when they're combing the clothing department for trendy dresses and tops. When they're in the market for, say, a toaster or economy-sized pack of toilet paper, the store retains its common name.

Parigi and her friends didn't coin the nickname. Fans of the retailer - best known for launching the "cheap chic" design concept - have associated Target's bull's-eye with affordable style since 2003 when Isaac Mizrahi raised industry eyebrows with an exclusive line of affordable apparel. Since then, Target has teamed up with dozens of high-end designers who offer everything from throw pillows and candles to bikinis and maternity tunics at budget-friendly prices. Now, every other discount retailer on the block is rolling out star-studded competition.

See our cheap chic shopping guide for local examples.

Why are A-list designers so eager to swap their Manhattan boutiques and well-heeled clientele for racks next to Slushy machines and soccer mom customers?

The appeal is three-fold, said Barton Weitz, executive director of UF's Miller Center for Retailing Education and Research.

For up-and-coming designers, these high-traffic chains offer the rare opportunity to upgrade from relatively unknown to household name overnight. For "over the hill" designers, it's a chance to reinvent their brand and market it to a group of consumers who may not have had access before.

At the heart of the cheap chic phenomenon is social conscience, the desire to make quality design affordable and accessible, Weitz said. Several established designers and celebrities (think Vera Wang for Kohl's and Shaquille O'Neal for Payless) deliberately use these partnerships to challenge the notion that sophisticated style requires gobs of money.

From a retail perspective, it's about keeping up with smarter, more fashion-savvy consumers. With more magazines, blogs, Web sites and how-to television shows dedicated to design and celebrity style, Americans of all budgets know more, want more and expect more, he said.

Ready to usher in the warmer weather seasons with a snazzy new wardrobe? Use this local guide to discount designer shopping to keep your budget intact as you upgrade.

TARGET

GO International: Every few months Target teams up with a Vogue-worthy designer to create a fresh line of clothing and accessories that reflect current runway trends. The products, which range from denim jeans to party dresses, sell for a fraction of the designer's usual triple (and even quadruple-digit) department store price. Just look for the racks marked GO.

More good news: Every garment is offered in "real women" plus and petite sizes (0-16). Shop online at target.com if you can't find your size in store.

Designer spotlight: Jovovich-Hawk; At Saks Fifth Avenue a sun dress from this ultra-chic design duo runs for about $495. At Target, snatch a spring ensemble by Jovovich-Hawk for about $30.

For real steals: Comb the clearance racks (usually located in the back corners of the women's clothing department) for past GO designers. Rumor has it, you can score marked down designer duds for as little as $10.

Design For All campaign: Target brings designer accessories, cosmetics, furniture and home decorations to the masses. The store currently works with about a dozen designers who create everything from funky throw pillows (Victoria Hagan) to fine jewelry (Justin Giunta) and - beginning April 6 - luxury handbags (Joy Gryson).

Save vs. splurge: At Bergdorf Goodman, Gryson's trendy bags (often toted by actress Jessica Biel) sell for about $800. Her limited-edition Target line, which will hit shelves Sunday, will offer faux-leather bags beginning at $19.99.

URBAN THREAD

Find unused catalog returns from top clothing and home decor designers. Prices are marked down 50 to 70 percent depending on overstock. A second location (13th Street at NW 16th Street) opened in February. The University Avenue store exclusively offers clothing from J.Crew and Anthropology. The 13th Street store offers discounted items from Free People, Crewcuts (J.Crew's children's line), Anthropologie Home and Urban Outfitters (clothing and home decor).

Guaranteed fresh: A vast majority of the store's offerings come from the current design season, which means you won't miss a single style step.

Something for everyone: Shop for discounted business suits and work-appropriate separates, special occasion dresses (including J.Crew bridal wear), clothing for kids and gift-worthy home decorations in the same store.

In Gainesville: Shop at 1117 W. University Ave. or NW 13th Street (at the intersection of NW 16th Street).

Simply Vera Wang: Wedding gown guru, Vera Wang, adds her signature design touches (subtle pleats, feminine fabrics, sophisticated details) to affordable home decor and a casual apparel line for Kohl's.

Dress like Avril Lavigne: This Grammy award winner will soon share her pop punk style with the masses. Her junior clothing line, Abbey Dawn, will hit Kohl's stores in July. Items will range for $24 to $48.

Coming soon: No need to worry. A Kohl's is on its way to Gainesville. The department store will replace the vacant Winn-Dixie shopping center on Archer Road. If you can't wait, visit the retailer in Orlando or Jacksonville.

WAL-MART

Norma Kamali: Hot off the pages of Vogue and Elle, Norma Kamali, a Manhattan-based clothing designer known for her mod take on sportswear and swimwear, is planning a line exclusively for Wal-Mart shoppers. Items will hit shelves Fall 2008.

J.C. PENNEY

Chris Madden for Home Collection: Find Moroccan-inspired area rugs, embroidered bedding and embossed dinnerware from this host of HGTV's Interiors by Design.

American Living: Style icon Ralph Lauren launched this apparel and home decor line in February. Get quality, sophisticated clothes, accessories and footwear for men, women and kids.

PAYLESS SHOESOURCE

Dunk like Shaq: Basketball star Shaquille O'Neal developed Dunkman, a line of athletic shoes, that sells for as little as $15.

Abaete: While Laura Poretzky's dresses run for about $500 at Saks, all of her sunglasses, shoes and handbags for Payless sell for less than $30.

Lela Rose: This Texas native's whimsical collection of pumps and flats is now available.

Shop online: Designer items are only sent to select stores. If local Payless locations don't carry what you want, check out payless.com.

Year of the designer handbag

Melie Bianco's Pleated Patent New Age Bag $59 at DesignersLA

By Raphael Minder

Hong Kong is bracing itself this week for a French battle of the handbags, as Louis Vuitton and Chanel vie for the limelight with grand openings that underline Asia's growing importance to the fashion industry.

Tomorrow Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel's pony-tailed designer, will attend the official launch of a moveable museum before it heads off on a world tour of fashion capitals. Housed in a 700 sq m structure designed by architect Zaha Hadid, the Mobile Art Museum - which looks more like a spaceship than a fashion gallery - brings together 20 leading artists and their interpretation of the classic Chanel handbag.

Across the Hong Kong harbour on Canton road, Louis Vuitton is re-opening a store that it has overhauled and expanded. The outlet will be its second-largest worldwide, after its flagship Champs Elysées store in Paris. Louis Vuitton's event will close on Friday night with a party for 2,500 guests held in a golden tent and hosted by Bernard Arnault, chairman of parent company LVMH, or Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.

Beyond this week's extravaganza, almost every leading fashion house has earmarked 2008 as the year of expansion in Asia, much of it focused on China. Louis Vuitton is turning its attention to second-tier Chinese cities, which will boost its mainland presence from 19 stores to 25 by year-end. "Today we see demand in every provincial city in mainland China," says Yves Carcelle, chief executive of Louis Vuitton.

The switch to second-tier cities is a telling sign of China's emergence as a key fashion market. Thibault Villet, a former L'Oréal executive who is now Greater China president of Coach, the US maker of handbags and other accessories, says: "When I worked in cosmetics in Asia, the development of second and third-tier cities happened five to seven years ago, but it's only just now happening for fashion. That shows that it's really the right time and a market that is reaching a new dimension."

The company will soon inaugurate a Hong Kong store with the biggest Coach façade worldwide and a lavish interior adorned with white Italian marble floors. Meanwhile Salvatore Ferragamo, the luxury goods group, plans to celebrate its 80th anniversary with a fashion show in Shanghai later this month.

The Asian growth story goes well beyond China, argue executives. Louis Vuitton's revenues rose "more than 300 per cent" last year in Vietnam, according to Mr Carcelle, who describes the Communist country as "a new dragon".

Alain Li, regional chief executive for Richemont, the Swiss-based luxury goods group, says: "China is of course a significant part of the story but we're really seeing the whole region as having very strong momentum and that hopefully will continue."

The thrust into Asia is not just about business. Nathan Jenden, a leading figure among the new generation of British designers, says: "The energy I get from Asia is something that I can't find anywhere else in the world. I think that New York is definitely not as exciting as Shanghai right now . . . Chinese ladies are in some cases much more elegant than some of the people back home . . . The local designers there are also incredibly avant-garde."

The scale and number of fashion events scheduled this year also underline another leitmotiv among fashion executives - the "new sophistication" of their Asian clientele. Louis Vuitton's Canton road store, for example, will feature a bookstore and will be the first to host an art exhibition area.

"I think the fashion world is beginning to realise that Asian customers are getting more sophisticated by the day," says Mr Jenden. "Yes, there are cultural differences. Europeans don't pick their teeth. But it's very important not to be jaded or patronising when in Asia."

Brenda Wang, founder of Brandxcel, a Hong Kong-based consultancy firm that advises luxury and fashion brands planning to enter the Asian market, also warns against a blanket approach to Asia. "If you try to hit three or four countries at the same time, there is a tendency to spread yourself too thin . . . People tend to view Asia as one country, but this is a place with different buying patterns and distribution landscapes across the key markets."

As an example, Mr Villet from Coach points to the importance of footwear in China, as well as the male focus on accessories. "Luxury in China started with men and historically-speaking they have a tradition of purchasing leather-wear accessories for themselves as well as for gifts," he notes. "Chinese men represent a very different market that you have to study and understand."

As to how immersed they should become in Asian culture, fashion executives point to a difficult balancing act between nurturing their brand and embracing the local culture. Coach, for example, will be relying on Asian celebrities to help promote its launches but is counting on a Hollywood actress, Kate Bosworth, to lead its media advertising campaign.

"We are clearly a New York brand and so we need to communicate an image in accordance with our DNA,'' says Mr Villet. "But the right way for us to go local is when we do events, where we certainly want to be working with the local celebrities."

Similarly, fashion brands are seeing opportunities in contributing to the development of the local fashion scene. Next month Yohji Yamamoto will fly into Beijing an entire cast of models for Y's fashion show, which will be held in a World Heritage site. But the event is also being combined with the launch of a foundation that will sponsor new Chinese designers and offer them education opportunities outside China.

Growth in some Asian markets, notably India, is constrained by a lack of property in the right locations or disproportionately expensive sites. On the other hand, store leases tend to be shorter while furniture and shop-fitting costs are much cheaper. "If a location is not working as well as expected, it is financially easier to get out of," says John Durnin, Asia chief executive for Alfred Dunhill.

Another challenge for Asia's fashion development is one shared across many other industries - a shortage of skills. Ms Wang, the consultant, says: "Finding a prime location is certainly difficult, but you may end up with the right location and inexperienced sales staff and as such, maximising sales or increasing repeat business will be limited."

Will image-conscious fashion houses join the outsourcing bandwagon by shifting production to Asia? Most insist that production there will concern specific products and remain on a small scale.

Last year Louis Vuitton made its first manufacturing foray outside of Europe by establishing a shoe production venture in Pondicherry, India. About 100 people are employed in its workshop there, which is "very limited," Mr Carcelle stresses. "We have no intention to go further."

India's couture honey-pot that may take time to sweeten

India's increasingly affluent society could turn into another honey-pot for the fashion industry - but patience may be required. Executives warn that India's traditional tastes in clothing and its poor infrastructure mean China is likely to continue to outpace it as a profitable fashion market for the foreseeable future.

The differences are also stark when it comes to women's wear. Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones, chairman of L'Oréal, recently described witnessing China's transition in just a few years from "the Mao uniform to miniskirts" as one of the most "magical" experiences of his career.

In contrast, the sari remains de rigueur in India for women looking to impress. Vijay Murjani, managing director of Murjani Group, which distributes brands such as Gucci and Jimmy Choo in India, says: "The market is ready for accessories but it's definitely looking much tougher for ready-to-wear. The high-end couture market is going to remain very limited because when women here get dressed for a big evening out, they still wear Indian."

However, more property is now coming on to the market and Louis Vuitton is scheduled to open stores this year in two malls, in New Delhi and Bangalore.

Yves Carcelle, Louis Vuitton's chief executive, recognises that India's fashion development will be "slower than China". But he sees a silver lining to this time gap: "We don't need all the markets to explode at the same time."

Melie Bianco is crazy for couture

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