JC Report: RSS

The California Pant From Franklin + Gower

jasoncampbell — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:33:49 -0600

Franklin and Gower is a prominent intersection on the way to the iconic Hollywood sign, but the name has now acquired a new cultural meaning. Though the symbolic address is home to some of the oldest studios in Hollywood, the name has also been adopted for a newly launched, LA-based label. Spearheaded by Eduardo Braniff and Christopher McCauley, Franklin + Gower is a mostly menswear line that offers more than 1,200 combinations of pants and shorts.

The duo took their shared interest in printed pants of the preppy Palm Beach-meets-bespoke variety and spun it into something distinctly Californian. Of the label’s own intersecting influences, Braniff explains: “There’s that in-between point of a well-dressed, well looked after man with a California sensibility”—it's this happy crossroad that defines Franklin + Gower's style.

The concept is relatively straightforward: choose a base fabric in two different cuts, then put your own character on display by mixing and matching a selection of tuxedo stripes (or more subtle) piping down the leg with a smattering of fantasy colors. Comparisons to Bonobos, which has also recently found success with a similar concept in the pant business, are inevitable, but Braniff insists that the difference is in the fundamental aesthetics. “We’re going for a much more expressive audience, much more colorful, targeting a guy that’s a little bit more comfortable with his own style and the clothes he wears,” he explained of the distinction.

Inasmuch as the collection demands a certain self-confidence, Franklin + Gower is also a sartorial story—it brings a made-to-order sensibility to every piece. The line promotes sharp tailoring and slim, asset-enhancing cuts in the tradition of old “tailoring partnerships,” as Braniff describes. “Men have gotten comfortable with tailoring. We’re bringing it to a broader space by allowing more of your personality to the story: our vision combined with our wearers',” he adds. And with pants running under $200, the price point is as attractive as the creative impetus.

From unexpected colors that can be used for a playful wedding party, golf getup, cocktail attire or just casual wear, Franklin + Gower's multi-functioning clothing is all about catering to the offbeat style predilections of “the LA man, about those cues that make a guy LA.”

It was only a matter of time before women began to covet the sweet tart colors and funky prints that characterize Franklin + Gower’s combination of California casual chic. It has responded with a few satiating styles available exclusively on the site, but at this rate there should be more options in the future. The label sells its full suite of offerings online, blurring the brick-and-mortar model by also distributing to specialty retailers such as Inno in Los Angeles and Massimo in New York’s meatpacking district.

This is one aesthetic intersection you're not likely to forget.

—Jason Campbell

Daily News: A Global Round Up

chelsea — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:05:55 -0600

Burberry a/w '09-'10 ad campaign

Burberry plans to expand its presence in India's promising market via a joint venture with a local retailer called Genesis Colors. (UK Times)

"While consumers will spend less on presents this year, they’ll be indulging in decadent goodies—i.e., food and drink—as a coping mechanism." (FT Beat)

"The growing demand for tangible assets and portfolio diversification has led to the launch of a number of diamond investment funds this year, which believe they can achieve double-digit returns for investors." (WSJ)

—Staff

Weardrobe And Like.com Join Forces For Optimal Street Style Shopping

chelsea — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:34:33 -0600

Street style websites are a bittersweet phenomenon. On the one hand it’s exciting to marvel over an outfit worn in Helsinki or Cape Town or Dubai, but, on the other hand, there’s no attainable way to get a hold of the pictured items. Until now, that is. Like.com’s recent acquisition of Weardrobe, an already popular street style site, is taking the trend to a new level by introducing a visual search technology that will scan the internet for items to match the snapshot fashion you select.

Munjal Shah, Like.com’s CEO and the mastermind behind this new product launch, observes: “In many ways [street fashion] is the democratization of style—no longer is style just something that trickles down from royalty or celebrities.” Though websites such as Weardrobe have helped to encourage this newly egalitarian fashion discourse, Shah also noted that his company’s initiative was compelled by the underlying inaccessibility of the clothes themselves. “Street style sites are a bit of a tease,” he explained. “They show you great looks but you can't buy them.”

Weardrobe’s founder, Suzanne Xie, echoes this dual need for interactivity and accessibility: “Our community is looking not only to inspire and be inspired but also to replicate creations in their own closet.” The website already pairs street fashion photos with links to comparable styles, making Weardrobe a perfect fit for Like.com’s new product. “Joining Like.com is exciting because the additional resources and technology create a more satisfying experience for Weardrobe users,” Xie adds.

Using its patented Likesense™ technology, Like.com’s innovative move will open the door to greater availability and communication among fashion lovers the world over. “I think this is a major step forward in how you shop for fashion,” Shah says. “Like.com's visual search was a significant step forward when we launched it three years ago, but it only let you find aesthetically similar items. It didn't let you find an item from an outfit in a photo.”

With the increasing intersection of fashion and technology, this is one new initiative that will appeal to everyone.

—Chelsea Bauch

Daily News: A Global Round Up

chelsea — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:04:11 -0600

Merchandise at Saks, photo courtesy of NYT

A year after the massive discounts major retailers were forced to make in order to get rid of merchandise, many are now keeping their merchandise low. (New York Times)

Belgrade, Serbia, is the spot for a new Burberry store. (CPP-Luxury)

"It is probably not inaccurate to say that luxury brand marketers and brand managers aren’t looking only at the raw figures, but are probably looking even more closely at the qualitative breakdown of the emerging Chinese luxury consumer." (Jing Daily)

"Since stores began scaling back their inventories in anticipation of flagging customer demand, some customers have actually been inspired to buy." (New York Times)

Lifetime of Lucky Finds, Tina Turner’s Castoffs, Fendi in Hollywood

jasoncampbell — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:23:36 -0600

It’s a satisfying job to sniff out fantastic fashion finds on the backstreets and boulevards of any city in the world. Some of the best finds though are just for myself, and I have a stellar personal track record of scoring big. I remember right after university my friend William Keh casually mentioned to me that his father had closets full of Gucci he hadn’t worn in years and he was about to get rid of everything. Forty pieces of gorgeous silk shirts, leisure suits, leather jackets and a 5-figure priced maxi fox Gucci coat later and just like that I was singlehandedly on track to resuscitating the still out-of-fashion house at the time. I’ve found $3,000 Carol Christain Poell boots on sale in London for $100 and equally breath-stopping suits for peanuts at a Lane Crawford closeout store in Hong Kong. Over the years, I've happened upon to-die-for-vintage YSL, Versace, Lanvin, Alaia—all at rock bottom prices in the most unexpected places on the planet. I was lucky again in Zurich this weekend. On the hunt for some great deals for designer clothes, I headed to the Trois Pommes outlet stores at Trois Pommes Luxury Vintage at Seestrasse 463. Not totally satisfied with the discounts at the store, one of the attendants who was charmed by my interest in a pair of John Galliano pumps clued me in to a drop off that Tina Turner made at one of their other boutiques at 27 Schaffhauserstrasse. Apparently Tina and Trudi Goetz, Trois Pommes' owner, are best friends and when Tina wanted to unload some of her castoffs, Trudi suggested she put them in her boutique that doesn’t normally sell used clothes. As the second person to check out the selection, I scored big time: a below the knee length Issey Miyake brown leather coat, elephantine sized Dior pants from a recent collection, a Bolero Yohji jacket, and other covetable pieces from Tina’s private collection. Who knew that Tina was into all the oversized looks from the Japanese? Back in LA, Rona Gaye of Coquette, the appointment only vintage outpost invited me to a gathering at Toni Wald's house in the Sierra Towers for a viewing of furs and accessories. I don’t buy furs and I explained that to whomever would listen, but I do buy select high-end bags, day dresses and tops from the house. The amount of furs was shocking and while I couldn’t deny the beauty of the natural animal patterns, I was more enthralled by the Peekaboo croc bag and the unusual view of the Wald’s home overlooking the Hollywood Hills.