Laren/Elite, Freja/IMG staggering out in Balenciaga's disgustingly brilliant Fall/Winter 10 collection. Image via nowfashion.com

Methinks Mr Ghesquiere just put every last directional fashion house on blast.

Balenciaga SS 09 invite via nytimes.com/themoment

Everybody knows everything these days

More than ever, there seems something dated in the existence of these people, publicists who glory in their task as guardians of precedence. Like the eunuchs of the Ming dynasty, they tend to forget their place as servants of the imperial luxury goods industry. And, like the eunuchs of the Forbidden City, they may wake up one day to find that those with real power — in this case, Bernard Arnault, Robert Polet, François Pinault — have noted that the bottom line is not being well served by lackeys with attitude.

Guy Trebay in The NY Times on fashion show publicists and their Marie Antoinette complex

Iselin Steiro makes a rare runway appearnce at Balenciaga SS 09; Image via Women Mgmt blog

Aline Weber: One Mgmt: in ID Sept 08 PH Richard Bush via tfs

Marc Jacobs gives Hot Trannie Mess in the new Interview

The name alone must sell

Is it me or has this been happening to you too? You absorb so much information daily, you start to forget where you read/saw/heard what. For instance, I know this week I read that sales at Gucci have been exploding,and that the company moved product past the 2 billion dollar mark. I remember reading that the new store on 5th Ave at Trump Tower was a sumptuous extravaganza of unmatched awe and spectacle with a stunning view of the avenue from all of it's floors. Most of all we were assured Frida Giannini knew what she was doing. She had feminized the brand. Made it warmer and more spontaneous and accessible. The message of the PR spin was, (and it was written this bluntly in the article)... “Tom who? “.
Now weigh all that information against the reviews the last Gucci show has garnered. The general temperature? Lukewarm, much of it on the order of “This Will Sell Well. Especially In Russia” In her diplomatic review of the show , Cathy Horyn in the NY Times made reference to Gildo Zegna, the chief executive of Zegna, as saying this week that 20 percent of his company’s sales now come from new markets such as Russia, India and Brazil with profit margins said to be higher than those of the “ established markets."
This then leads me to a thought that has been bugging me as a dedicated consumer of designer fashion. What is it that drives me to buy? The reviews of fashion critics? (In my case, no) . The packaging and PR done in the glossy fashion magazines (Somewhat, especially if the magazine is “renegade/independent” like Fantastic Man).

Hotel Raphael: Can you spot the Turner ?

Hotel Raphael on Avenue Klebler in Paris will be the official TI/Hiss Squad HQ for this season's shows precisely because it is located between the Grand Palais and Palais de Tokyo. But here are the 10 other reason's why we love it so.

Balenciaga SS08: First Look

For TI the Paris booking sweepstakes came down to one crucial moment. The first exit at the Balenciaga SS08. The honor, as is visible, went to one Kasia Struss at Women, the nicest Polish nineteen year old you could ever hope to meet. Given all the girls who came out after her, I think that was a little bit genius of Monsieur. Give that girl another season of model currency! The clothes,as was the case at Prada, served as a kind of summary of the the last three collections. Coloration that reminded you of SS 07, shapes seen at the FW 06 and the global pattern recognition strategy from FW 07. Its all I kept thinking in my blissfully jet-lagged state..."pattern recognition system" at the mad chintzs and super-70's fabric treatments that poured out. Stylists will be mixing the Prada and Balenciaga pieces with maximum ease thise season. Look, after that rapid rush of ideas over the last two years, the guy is allowed to provide a summary collection. And god bless him for that 7am call time