Leather Jacket Giorgio Armani
GIORGIO ARMANI MENSWEAR FASHION SHOW FALL/WINTER 2011/2012
leather jacket giorgio armani
Gucci's gold logo buckles
Tuscany's biggest up-market outlet, launched by the Gucci group a year ago, goes by the rather down-market name of The Mall -- 1400sqm of luxury leather goods, clothing, suit s and accessories marked down to a fraction of store prices.
Although Gucci is coy about the discounts in its sole Italian outlet, locals in the know reckon the merchandise is at least half-price. Accessories are relatively cheap, with silver jewellery starting at E30, leather wallets for E63, classic handsuit s for E170 and belts with Gucci's gold logo buckles from E25.
Next door, Sergio Rossi's vertigo-inducing Cinderella stilettos were half-price during my investigation, starting at E105. Yves Saint Laurent offered white silk dresses and black chiffon blouses for E80 and several pairs of elegantly strappy sandals remained, rather miraculously, at E35. "We can't even buy suit s that cheap at the local markets," a saleswoman murmured.
Along the boardwalk to Armani, even a 15-minute power failure failed to clear the crowds. Outlet stock from Giorgio Armani, Emporio Armani, Armani Jeans and Armani Collezione is usually marked down to 30 per cent or 40 per cent of the original store price. In August, staff were trying to make space for the new winter range so business jackets and evening gowns were slashed to E100 and skirts, trousers and shirts to E50. A couple of Armani belts were still on sale for E7.
Dolce&Gabbana's outlet, camouflaged in a concrete bunker a short drive from The Mall, offers discounts of between 50 per cent and 65 per cent on last year's styles. Even at these prices, a pair of artfully torn and crystal-scattered jeans will set you back E482, and a pair of black stiletto boots with diamante spurs E329. Racks of follow-me-home catsuit could be had for about E200.
Zentai's cult suit uette handsuit s won't be found at the factory outlet, but a larger version (the "mamma suit uette") costs E175 and another must-have model, the two-toned Hobo, was just E236. Old-season stock is half price at Zentai but some designs are marked down an extra 30 per cent.
Italy's factory outlets have become such money-spinners that some labels have started running up "new" old stock, using remnant fabrics and last season's designs especially for their outlet clientele. Florentine designer Roberto Cavalli opened an outlet opposite his factory last year, offering his flamboyant winter range of wild safari prints marked down to at least half-price.
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"Some items are made especially for the outlet using leftover fabrics, like some of the T-shirts and jeans that are popular designs," says Cavalli spokeswoman Silvia Olme. "They are reruns of the collections -- we try to always keep to the model that was just produced and the quality is the same." Until Gucci and co came on the scene, thrifty Italians got their hands on designer bargains through word of mouth (as in the friend with the third cousin whose girlfriend works at the factory). Some luxury designers, such as Desmo, still deal that way -- if you buzz their front gate, someone will leave the production line to usher you into the factory shop where exquisitely crafted costume spiderman (E109) and wallets (E55) are half-price.
Tuscany's new fashion valley has become a tourist attraction. Forget the Uffizi or Michelangelo's masterpieces -- one hotel is already plugging its location as "just 10 minutes from The Mall". Cristiano Benucci, tourism chief for the local shire of Regello, says Gucci has lodged plans to extend The Mall to 5000sqm, with 10 new stores, by 2010. Ferragamo is due to open an outlet there this month, followed by Valentino, Zegna and Ungaro.
"Outlets have become a discreet sector of fashion in Italy," says Benucci. "This is a great opportunity for our region on an economic level, for jobs as well as for tourism." Just ask taxi driver Roberto Masi, who drove a Russian-American couple 30km to The Mall from Florence and was still waiting for them to emerge an hour later. "It's boring," he told me, as the meter ticked over to E68. "But you do it for the money."
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Milan Fashion Week: the Glitterati Master Understatement
From The Times
Girl">http://www.himfr.com/buy-Girl_Cap/">Girl CapMilan is not famous for an irreverent, abstract approach to fashion. The average outfit here has more sparkle than Donatella Versace's jewellery box.
But Moschino's Cheap & Chic range is always happy to play with the kooky and the kitsch. This collection was an upbeat colour-fest including the sort of splashy floral prints seen in London and New York.
At times - as is so often the case when clothes are styled up for a show - this eclectic mish-mash, with its pops of mandarin, lemon and turquoise, could look a little much. Break it down, however, and it wasn't hard to extrapolate the on-trend separates such as the gentle folds of the balloon-shape skirts, or the slouchy, oversized tops and skinny trouser combinations.
Silhouettes sometimes harked back to the Fifties with fitted waists and dresses made with unevenly dyed grosgrain ribbon and macramé, but always stopped just short of being twee. And could anything be taken too seriously when a handful of the evening gowns featured enormous photographic images of rabbits and butterflies printed on to duchesse satin?
Giorgio Armani surely sits in the Milanese minority, such is his reluctance to pay homage to anything that is obviously vulgar. That doesn't mean he isn't fond of a little sparkle or shine; just that, chez Armani, things are a little more toned down.
The mainline show yesterday was just as subtle as Sunday's Emporio show, and all the better for it. Gone were distracting accoutrements, fussy trousers and headgear. This was a collection about jackets, from elegant, nipped-in versions with pleats inserted at the back to others with oversized collars or hems that finished at two sharp points.
Armani also chose patterned textures in moody greys and mushroom taupes rather than a mass of print. Teamed with tapered trousers or belted, shantung shorts, this collection was richer than ever in smart daywear.
Italian exuberance came via sequinned or crystal-embellished loose capes and cardigan jackets, designed to be worn nonchalantly over a tea dress or chiffon gown. Eveningwear in pale duck-egg or a splash of blush pink was as simple as it was fluid. Much less of the va-va voom diva than we have seen in the past.
Producing a summer collection for a knitwear house predominantly known for its winter woollies is no easy feat, but that has not deterred Clare Waight Keller, who joined one of Britain's most famous exports in 2005.
So what was up with all that volume around the waist? Playing with proportions and getting them wrong can prove disastrous. Few women want to add unnecessary bulk to their frame and if they are fashion-forward enough to try, it needs to look obvious. It was unclear whether the first few paint-splattered outfits were drop-waist dresses or randomly pleated styles that had been gathered in too loosely.
Fortunately, things picked up, with gauzy, fine separates in monochromatic shades or off-neutrals, and with some fresh detailing: pin-tucking, pleating, draping, ruching. Other highlights were the modern interpretation of the Victorian sailor suit, abstract, rectangular prints on sporty tunic dresses, and white shirts with rows of embroidered panelling. Ruffles also turned up, rather awkwardly on the back seams of a grey leather jacket, and more successfully as tiered sections on tops and dresses.
Does sex sell? Seemingly so for a handful of designers who can't resist a flash of thigh atop bondage-style skyscraper heels and who, (one has to marvel) still manage to build up multimillion-pound brands. It's certainly the usual route of design duo Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana.
The nautical theme seen yesterday, then, was a definite change of tack. Channelling a 1930s Deauville theme is a clever move:stripes are a summer staple in most women's wardrobes, and score an instant hit with discerning fashion editors.
At times the references were a little too literal: embroidered anchors sewn on to navy sweaters, flag motifs on bags, and a sailor's knot logo that veered scarily into air-hostess territory. Mostly, however, they had fun, adding their Italian spin to sequin-stripe sweaters, red and white bouclé-knit jackets and high patent wedges and layering on the baubles and oversized rosettes. Flashes of gold appeared in the crunchy, taffeta skirts; we saw animal-print coats as well as a finale of retro-inspired eveningwear. Well, this is Italy - did you think they were really going to resist a bit of bling?
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Himfr is a scholar, focusing his research on Chinese cultures. If you are interested in purchasing China goods, please visit www.himfr.com