London's Oxford Street Reins Supreme

Forget New York's Fifth Avenue, Paris' Champs Elysee, Milan's Via Torino and Tokyo's Omotesando.  In the latest edition of the UK fashion industry magazine Drapers, Oxford Street of London was highlighted as the fashionistas' favourite shopping mecca of the world.  This week Oxford Street hosts what is set to be the biggest week for High Street Fashion Sales ahead of Christmas, with £140 million expected to ring through the tills.  Let's hope the current tube strike will not dampen consumers' enthusiasm.

Tomorrow night (8 September) UK fashion retail chain River Island together with British Vogue magazine will host Fashion’s Night Out for customers to shop the new Autumn/Winter collection. Vogue’s in store style team who will be offering fashion advice throughout the night.   There is also a beauty zone where customers will be treated to free makeovers from Bourjois, manicures from Models Own, catwalk-inspired hairstyling by Toni & Guy, haircare advice from label.m. and expert skincare consultations from Dermalogica.
Martini will also be hosting a complimentary cocktail bar, and there will be a free photobooth, and with live DJs and flash mob dancers providing the entertainment for the night.
If you fancy coming to join the Fashion’s Night Out fun then pop into River Island on Oxford Street in London between 6pm and 10pm on the 8th September.


Meanwhile on Monday, eight of Oxford Streets leading retailers reined glory and were named winners of Oxford Street Fashion Week inaguaral Glammy Awards, following a vote of over 5,000 West End shoppers. 

The winning retailers of the respective prizes are:-
- French Connection for A/W 10 looks
- Debenhams for Perfect Plus Size - Best for size 14+
- People Tree as Eco-Warrior - Best for ethical green living
- Office for Finishing Touch - Best accessory
- Bhs for Fabulous 40 - Best for women over 40
- Moss Bros for Boy Wonder – Best menswear
- John Lewis for Dream Dressing Room - Best dressing room and level of service
and Selfridges for Power Window - Most inspirational window
Retailers were surprised by one final secret Glammy for the fashion powerhouse who offers the best value for money. It was H&M who took away the prize for their offering of exceptional quality at affordable prices.


Jace Tyrrell of New West End Company, which represents retailers on Oxford Street, said: “The Glammy awards have successfully showcased how fashion forward, affordable and trend led London’s Oxford Street is, and the retailer entries only serve to prove the level of diversity on offer.”

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Depreciated British Pound lures Oscar de la Renta to London

I have been following on-line the Reuters Global Luxury Summit and at the event currently held in New York, I find it interesting that the US-based fashion house, Oscar de la Renta, best known for ultra-luxurious cocktail dresses and evening gowns, and high-end women's sportswear, is choosing London over Paris to open a new store in the British capital.  According to chief executive Alex Bolen, Oscar de la Renta is actively looking into opening a store in London, as the depreciation of the British pound has made doing business here more affordable. He said, Oscar de la Renta would like to have a greater presence in Paris as the U.S.-based fashion house seeks to boost its overseas sales, but high rents preclude it from opening a store there for now. I think Mr. Bolen will find his brand will be in good company.  He just needs to look at Bond Street, Regent Street and Westfield shopping centre in London.  Besides, London also has got high-end prestigious department stores for luxury brands like Harrods, Harvey Nichols and Selfridges, that compete well with the likes of Le Printemps, Galeries Lafayette and Le Bon Marche.  He is right that the weak Pound is luring tourists by the bucket loads to the UK although the Euro has depreciated as well lately. 
"Paris makes tremendous sense for us as a fashion capital, visibility-wise, but rents in Paris are really still very tough," he said, adding that Europe 's current debt crisis and the uncertainty in global stock markets was also giving him pause about the impact on luxury spending.  Expansion abroad should help Oscar de la Renta increase the ratio of sales from international markets. In the medium term, Bolen said he would like to see overseas sales account for about half of total sales, up from roughly a third now.
Other top executives at the Reuters Luxury Summit also held in Paris this week warned that the luxury industry's recent recovery is likely to be short-lived in Europe if governments' new austerity measures prompt consumers to rein in spending. Bulgari Chief Executive Francesco Trapani said he expected higher taxes and budget belt-tightening to really start biting next year.  As a result, European shoppers, traditionally big consumers of luxury goods, were likely to become increasingly thrifty.  
Europe is the biggest manufacturer of luxury goods in the world and makes up about a quarter of worldwide luxury sales, with a significant part coming from visitors.  The recent Greek debt crisis and fears of contagion have precipitated talks of spending cuts and pension reforms throughout Europe and raised fears of a double-dip recession.  German data earlier this week showed consumer sentiment was likely to fall in June, as the euro zone crisis weighed on households' view of the economy and income expectations.  Meanwhile, French consumer confidence fell to its lowest level in a year in May, as households worried about their future finances and living standards.  But until now, the somber mood has not affected the luxury industry.

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London's Iconic Carnaby Street Turns 50!

This year, London's iconic Carnaby Street celebrates 50 years of fashion and music, with a unique exhibition 'Carnaby Street: 1960 – 2010' to take you on a trip down memory lane.   I went to 38 Carnaby Street to take a look at the exhibition put up to commemorate the half-century anniversary.   I've posted the oldie-looking slide presentation directly above to show you a few things seen at the exhibition.  It is hard to imagine that some 500 years ago, the area where Carnaby Street now occupies in London was just a green field site with a well and scarecrow.  I'm too young to remember but in the Swinging 1960s, when London was the place to be for musicians, Carnaby Street was associated with the iconic characters linked to such music heritage as The Rolling Stones, Sex Pistols and Jimi Hendrix.     The central feature of the exhibition (set up in a shop space at  38 Carnaby Street) is a unique 3-D timeline which illustrates key people, events and happenings in the area from 500 years ago, to the iconic characters associated with Carnaby’s music heritage of the 60s, and the way it is today.  It remains today a fashion destination, combining grass-root exuberance with big business success as independent boutiques co-exist alongside major brands, and their flagship and concept stores, to form a unique, international space.    A limited edition book of the same title: ‘Carnaby Street: 1960 - 2010’ marks the occasion, featuring images from ‘60s photographer Philip Townsend and exclusive interviews with people who have lived and worked in Carnaby Street including The Who’s Pete Townsend.  Hope you'll enjoy the slide shows above.
The exhibition and book are the work of acclaimed curators and fashion historians Judith Clark and Amy de la Haye, who have curated exhibitions at major international museums including the V&A and Mode Museum in Antwerp.  The exhibition will run until the beginning of April 2010 and is FREE admission. It will be followed by a series of events throughout 2010 to celebrate Carnaby’s 50th Anniversary including a live music weekend in June and a unique fashion show in September.
Today the area spans from Kingly Street in the West (a block behind Regent Street and including Kingly Court) to Marshall Street/Broadwick Street in the East, and from Fourbert's Place in the North, encompassingNewburgh Quarter, to Beak Street in the south.  Take a look at my slide presentation above of how Carnaby Street looks today.

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JUST A WEEK TO GO UNTIL LONDON'S AW10 COLLECTIONS

The London Fashion Week will open soon.



Womenswear catwalk shows, presentations and exhibition will take place Friday 19th - Tuesday 23rd February and the Menswear shows will take place on Wednesday 24th February 2010.


I always find it fascinating that fashionistas attending the events are just as inspiring as the new looks on stage.
Well of course, it's the time to show off your unique personal style.

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