Limo heels

More Exclusive = Less Conspicuous Among the Populous

Today, I got called out on my conspicuous consumption of bebe clothes by a coworker. She told me that she and another coworker took a field trip to bebe after work to check out my new threads--and the prices. Suffice it to say that I got a good roasting this morning and not in a good way. I was outed for my excessive spending on new bebe clothes and accessories, including the fact that I purchased all three colors of the bebe 'Ali' pumps (fortunately, the heat wave that we have been having in the Bay Area the past few days caused me to change-up my wardrobe. I chose not to wear bebe today, but instead opt for my Sunhee Moon shirt dress in apple green with my Gucci espadrille wedges).

Yes, I admit to my numerous purchases at bebe, but I have taken advantage of the promotional coupons such as the $100-off the purchase of $300 (which I have used more than once).

I suppose the stars are aligned in terms of delivering me to a twelve-step program and placing me in recovery for my shopaholic behavior--I told my coworker on Friday that I had an addiction to buying clothes, but she just shrugged it off. Now, she knows.

It's funny, however. Not a week earlier, I had went to the Yves Saint Laurent retrospective at the de Young Museum (a must-see for anyone on the west coast or visiting San Francisco) with another co-worker who I learned was a fashion enthusiast, but with a more demure, less conspicuous approach than I.

I had commented to her that more exclusive, and not necessarily more expensive, or less well known brands tend to fly under the radar than those with gigantic advertising budgets.

Let's take my brand bebe for example.

bebe is home-town brand much like Levi's, The Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Georgiou, The Sak and others. As a result, the company buys a lot of advertisting in local San Francisco Bay Area publications, bus stop shelter signs and has the Bay Area fairly well covered with stores in areas that serves it demographic (for example, there is a bebe in Walnut Creek and San Mateo, but not in Berkeley).

As a result, the Bay Area is well saturated with the bebe brand. Anyone who shops for clothes in the malls or in chic, chic areas from Union Street in San Francisco to Valley Fair mall in San Jose to the bebe outlet at the Great Mall in Milpitas is aware of bebe even if they haven't shopped there themselves.

Like the Louis Vuitton monogram logo that I have ranted about in the past, the mainstream public can identify with bebe in the clothing brand ecosystem: sexy, young women-oriented--and expensive. Many women I interact with from the woman who does my manicures and pedicures to others say that bebe is expensive. And, it is.

However, more exclusive brands that are less well known and which (in my case), may be more expensive (read: Cesare Paciotti) tend to be largely ignored among the great populous (at least in the Bay Area in which I have commented numerous times).

This is exactly the strategy of my other coworker (who I went to the YSL exhibit).  She wears designs that are beautifully made and stylish, but are, to be blunt, nondescript to those not in the know. Only other fashionistas, or those exposed to fashion, would be aware of her fine, sartorial threads.

In other words, my coworker is hiding in plain sight.

I, on the other hand, intentionally draw the attention of others to myself (tt's my narcissism and vanity at work). In other cases, people are just as oblivious as to what I'm wearing. Take my outfit today. I did receive several compliments from other women in the office, but no one called me out on my espadrilles being from Gucci, let alone from Gucci's spring 2006 cruise collection.

It comes down to consumption communities.  A term I learned of from James B. Twitchell's 2003 book, Living it Up: America's Love Affair with Luxury. According to Twitchell, a person's consumption community is the price point of products that a person is exposed to by herself and those around her. If you're zip code is in Pacific Heights or Hillsborough or Atherton, it's a pretty good chance that you would have first-hand knowledge of brands such as Piaget or Hermes.

For many, including myself, it is the work of the media and celebrity that has democratized fashion and fashion brands--particularly luxury brands. Louboutin is wildly popular primarily due to the many celebrity women who wear his shoes and his saturation of the retail channel ( I believe his shoes are too available. Exclusivity by price is not the sole determinant of a luxury brand). Brand extension has also played a factor, which Twitchell writes about. Brand extension is where luxury brands create "entry-level" or lower-priced products to reach more customers. Mercedes Benz is a good example. The C230 series, particularly the company's latest itineration, is very popular. However, brand extension can work in reverse. Witness Toyota's Lexus division winning numerous J.D. Power and Associates awards for customer satisfaction over the company's European rivals.

I have once again rambled into territory that I have addressed before. I'll closely saying that I while the weather remains to be unseasonably warm, I'll take it as an opportunity to wear my less consipicuous brands.

Un-Boxed

What's in a box, I ask?

More than the contents if you are a devotee of Apple. Apple fans are well acquainted with the company's design philosophy which extends to not just the products themselves--the iPhone, the MacBook, or even the connecting wires such as the MagSafe power adapters--but to the product containers themselves.

 

Apple designers put a lot of thought into the design of product box that accompanies each and every Apple product--from computers to iPods to headphones. Each box is different and in so cases, even open differently than your average cardboard box.

In turn, Apple customers have recognized this effort. So much so that there are even people who collect Apple product boxes. On YouTube, you can find tons of videos showing the unboxing of products, typically technology gadgets. But, I believe these types of videos started with Apple products since Steve Jobs is so obsessive about marketing. The lowly product box demonstrates the marketing genius and savvy of Steve Jobs and company.

Well, what does this have to do with fashion?

As you all know, I recently purchased my first pair of Christian Louboutin heels. I've been pining for the 'Rolando' pumps since the style was introduced last fall. I was estatic when I found the style available on the Neiman Marcus web site. I waited with bated breath for my precious shoes to arrive in the mail and could not wait to see the pumps I so admired from afar.

So could you imagine my dismay when I open the cardboard shipping box and pulled out this?

This is the box that held what is now, by 2008 pricing, the most expensive pairs of shoes that I have purchased. It's an ugly brown box made of what appears to be the least expensve materials. It's Just your average brown box. Not even the shoe dust bag is all that great either. My Cesare Paciotti shoe bags are made from finer material.

Now, compare the Christian Louboutin shoe box shown above to the Louis Vuitton box shown below:

 

This is the box that holds my very cute Vuitton pony hair Mary Janes with the cream and brown check pattern design of Louis Vuitton. The design and materials of the box are evoke luxury and a well-crafted product (even if it was made by a machine). The inner box holding the shoes takes just a tiny bit of effort to pull out as it's a snug fit, not unlike closing the door to a luxury automobile.

It may not be immdiately apparent from my photograph, but I assure you that the people at Louis Vuitton have put nearly the same amount of effort designing their product boxes as Apple has.

However, my opinion of the Christian Louboutin box only intensifies my perception that while he is a great designer, his shoes speak to a mass-market, almost commodity product--a commodity product available to any and all who can afford them.

I don't dispute that the French designer creates some of the best, if not, the best designed shoes that women have had the opportunity to wear or covet lust. But, I don't fully buy into the illusion as his presentation is incomplete unlike Apple or Louis Vuitton.

The shoes point to outsourced manufacturing as all the Louboutin heels I have held in my hand all say: "Made in Italy" stamped into his trademark red soles.

I fear that Christian  Louboutin may be some marketing fabrication of Anna Wintour or some other fashion mogul. Could he be like Hagan Dazs ice cream: A German sounding name, but really just ice cream made in New Jersey.

Why are his shoes made in France? Are there no shoe manufacturing facilities in France? As someone of Italian heritage, I should be so honored that a presigitious French designer would chose Italy to manufactur his shoes--it's where my shoes from Cesare Paciotti, Gucci, and Dolce & Gabbana are made.

Or, is it simply that Monsieur Louboutin is no different that any other profit-driven mongul who wants to spend as little money and effort on the mere packaging that will be discard anyway.

Remember this: Steve Jobs of Apple is a BILLIIONAIRE. According to a business publication, Apple has about 18 BILLION dollars in the bank and is expected to surpass the cash holding of Microsoft.

Equally, Louis Vuitton is known for it's luxury status and is among the most expensive luxury products on the market. It's leather monogram handbag has to be the number-one selling purse of all time, world-wide. So much so that there is a thriving counterfeit market for knock-offs. As I have shown above, LVMH takes great care in how its products are presented to its customers and the world.

In short, I'm greatly disappointed that Christian Louboutin product presentation is so ordinary. Even my new trainers that I bought at the Skechers outlet in San Francisco came in a better and more thoughtfully designed shoe box.

I love the design of my new Rolando's and I am sure that I will buy more pairs of Christian Louboutins. However, I refuse to have blind faith and buy fully into the fantasy.

Down the Garden Path

On Monday, I got all dolled up for a morning meeting. My outfit included a camel BCBG cashmere turtleneck sweater paired with a bebe double-vented pencil skirt and my Dolce & Gabbana square-toe, brown patent pumps with eel skin trim. I paired the ensemble with my Dior saddle bag since the trim on both the bag and shoes was a somewhat similar shade of camel. I still had a decent faux tan left over from the past several days of back-to-back applications of self tanning instant-bronze lotion.

Of course, my shoes took center stage as the additional height made me look Amazonian (I stood in four-and-a-half inch heels!) That day I received two enthusiastic compliments from women at two different times. The latter of which I sensed a bit of envy.

Therefore, with a recession looming and the price of good shoes nearing four-figure price tags, let me issue a word of caution for all you would-be buyers:

Save your money. It would be much better spent if you invested it in the stock market or placed it a mutual fund.

I, however, have gone down the garden path in my compulsion to acquire high-priced footwear and build a great wardrobe.  I have acted not much different than the character Gollum from the Lord of the Rings: "my precious, my precious." Or, in my case, it's: "I want, I neeeeed, I HAVE TO HAVE IT!"

At this time, it appears that I’m not alone in this line of thinking. In the blog post, If You Stop Buying $800 Shoes, Their Price Will Lower, which recently appeared in New York Magazine’s fashion blog “The Cut,” the writer argues that price of luxury shoes--particularly those from Christian Louboutin, which are among the most expensive--might drop in price if consumers collectively stop buying them. What a thought!

I highly doubt it.

Luxury shoe prices have become like San Francisco real estate: prices never drop; they only remain steady before rising again. Also, Christian Louboutin is the “It shoe designer” of now who has superseded former must-have brands Jimmy Choo and Manolo Blahnik (both of which are conspicuously absent in my shoe wardrobe.)

Luxury shoes are no different that flying first class or driving a nice car versus a Toyota. As the saying goes: "It's hard to go back." And, it is.

The Job Interview: What to Wear, Part 2

This past week, I had another job interview. It was at the same organization that I had wrote about earlier, except this interview was for a different position. I had been given the opportunity to interview for this job after the my interviewer at the first position thought that my skills set might be better suited to a different position. I didn't disagree. She had given this feedback to the HR position who recommended this new job to me. I submitted my application and secured an interview a week later.

I pulled out all the stops for this one. My style would 100% business class as I opted for a suit. On the night before my face-to-face, I sifted through the inner depths of my closet, garment bag after garment bag, searching for my favorite pant suit: an Elie Tahari with light blue double pinstripes. I then picked out a baby blue button down shirt with elongated cuffs.

Now for the accessories.

Shoes: black Cesare Paciotti monk strap, pointy-toe, four and a quarter inch stilettos from spring 2004.

Bag: Lady Dior handbag with silver hardware (I had kept it concealed inside a larger shopper during the interview to prevent conspicuous display of bling.)

Timepiece: My favorite Gucci silver bracelet watch with a blue mother-of-pearl face.

Necklace: Tiffany & Company alphabet silver necklace with the letter "M" pendant.

Overall, I thought my interview went well. I have a few ideas for what I'll wear if I get asked back. Regarding content, I received a good idea for interview preparation from my career counselor (yes, I have one) who I met with yesterday.

 

The Job Interview: What to Wear

This afternoon, I cut out of work for a job interview. But let's rewind the clock to several days earlier a la Michael Clayton, which I recently rented on iTunes (Good movie. Loved Tilda Swinton.)

The big dilemma for my impending interview was what to wear. It's not too hard for me considering that suiting makes up the bulk of my wardrobe.  I could easily project the lawyerly look of a crisp, razor-sharp pant suit with creased pant-legs and jet-black pointy-toe stilettos (which I may just consider if I'm asked back).

However, I have come to learn in the laid back atmosphere of the Bay Area that one must analyze both the job and the employer--as with any locale, but particularly here--since overdressing can make interviewers uncomfortable. Many moons ago, at the onset of a job interview for a well-known high-tech vendor, I was told that I didn't need to wear a suit, an indication of the dress code, or the lack of one. If I don't don the suit, I can get by with nice button-down shirt and dress slacks. Not too formal and not too casual.

For the interview today, the question really boiled down to whether I would wear a skirt or pants, which depended on the weather. If it was warm, I was considering wearing a light brown skirt suit from Elie Tahari paired with my square toe Dolce & Gabbana pumps with monster 4 1/2 inch heels and generous amounts of instant bronzing lotion applied to my legs.

As luck would have it, however, the sunny California days of late were concealed by San Francisco's notorious fog along with the accompanying chill. As a result, pants it was. I opted for a pair demure bebe pants (yes, demure) that I bought a gazillion years ago. The top was my favorite Thomas Pink button-down with shades of pink and caramel brown stripes on white. Since it would be cool, I wore a deep-cut v-neck sweater from J. Crew. The shoes were my respectable Prada d'Orsay kitten heels in light brown with oversize silver buckles from spring 2006. Though bling is frowned upon during interviews, I brought along my striped Dior saddle bag with the Mexican rebozo motif, but kept it concealed inside my larger pink shopper that I bought in Oaxaca, Mexico.

As it turned out, my interviewer wore a similar outfit: a white short-sleeved button down with a blue, scoop neck sleeveless sweater, black pants and Mary Jane heels.

I thought the interview went well, but one never really knows since there are so many variables at work. If I make the cut, then I just may choose to wear one of my suits...maybe an Elie Tahari, or a D&G Dolce & Gabbana....

Elitism not accepted here

This past week, over Chinese at Eric's, my friend Dee was describing to me the impact France had on her after spending three monthes in Paris. I wanted to know if her experience living in Paris had a great impact on her as it had on the culinarian icons Alice Waters and Julia Child. I read books about both women (see my reading list), who described how the French people and culture had a profound impact on their respective lives and the experience helped to shape their outlook not only on food, but on life. My friend Dee had a similar experience as she had to improve her language skills and to become self reliant. This, she told, provided the foundation for appreciating Parisian life and being immersed in an impeccably beautiful city. However, she pointed out to me that the French are snobs, but in a good way.

Which, is a segue to the topic of designer clothes. I adore fashion and have come to enjoy well-made clothes and accesories. I make no excuse to hide that I'm a complete brand snob when it comes to fashion. My friend Madeleine, a style icon of mine, once told me that "it gets worse as you get older."

However, I do not impress my expensive tastes for clothes on other people. People who dress up in this town, let alone those who designer threads are in a small minority. As I wrote in a blog entry welcoming Julie Frederickson to my fair city, "Bloomingdales has nearly 340,000 square feet of retail space, but gosh if I know where all the clothes they sell goes since you'd never know it by walking down the street."

Just today, several people had complimented me on my Gucci wedges from the 2006 collection. But, in only one case (a former boss of mine who's a Gucci fanatic) did I mention the label. I was evasive or ambigious about the source in the other instances.

So I found it a bit disconcerting when a co-worker was telling me that he came upon a clothing snob one recent evening. I should say that my colleague is a family man, who is a San Francisco property owner (which is a feat in and of itself), and who has a kid in college, in which the tuition alone costs more than $40,000 per year. Though he is careful with his money, he is impeccably dressed every single day to work, a rarity in our office that has no formal dress code.

This self-described snob had the audacity to lift up my co-worker's tie in a bar one evening and sigh with disgust for him not wearing designer label neckwear. The snob shortly thereafter apologized for his unrestrained outburst and said that he didn't mean to embarras my co-worker. However, my co-worker replied to the the snob in question that it was not he who was embarrassed, but it was the snob who had embarrassed himself. Right on! If this happened to me, I would have probably reached for my four inch stiletto heel.

Years ago, I remember one instance where a woman came right up to my face to berate me over my expensive accessories. I had said nothing before or after. Obviously, it was her issue and I let it roll off my back.

I recall a fellow blogger confiding in me that she felt much more comfortable in San Fran than in New York where she felt compelled to wear the latest trends.

Thankfully, most Californians take the attitude of "Live and Let Live," which is why I have lived here so long.

Give the people what they want?

One of the benefits of being a TypePad customer is the ability to analyze one's traffic numbers and audience, some of whom find my blog via search--in other words, by accident. I haven't made a great effort to gear my content towards search engine optimization, aka SEO, or done much of any publicity. I suppose like retailing where it's location, location, location, on the web it's content, content, content.  In some ways, I like keeping a low profile.

A number of weeks ago, I heard an interview between Julie Fredrickson, author of Almost Girl and editor for the recently acquired Coutorture fashion blog network, for which I am also a member, mention how just one posting of an interview with Anna Wintour has resulted in a steady stream of traffic to her site.

Well low and behold, I have a similar story. This time last year, I posted a photo of the our newly imported royals, Posh and Becks (the photo was taken prior to Posh's much heralded bob) and to this day, I continue to receive hits to my site from people Googling the Beckhams.  It makes me think that I reformated my blog and wrote soley about Posh Spice (and Louboutin heels), I could have web site traffic second only to Perez Hilton. OK, maybe not since I'd probably have to include Britney and Lindsay too if I wanted to attain 60 MILLION HITS in one month.

I think I like my niche after all.

I never knew I owed my sense of style to Liz Claiborne

According to New York Times reporter Rebecca Johnson, I owe my sense of style to Liz Claiborne as she fostered the emphasis on "separates" as a means for women to put themselves together. In her piece for the Times' Sunday Magazine this past weekend, Johnson discusses how Claiborne, in the early 1970's, offered working women wardrobe options that did not exist previously--and who since built a fashion empire.

My entire wardrobe is built upon separates as I enjoy mixing and matching pieces, particularly suiting pieces. Suit jacket with jeans, dress pants with a button-down shirt or blouse or paired with a twin-set, etc. etc. I like the flexibility that separates offer and enables me to easily modify or alter an outfit from day into evening.

If you want to see a great example of how separates can be interchangeable to create different outfits and looks, then I suggest to visit the Coutorture blog Cuffington where you can see numerous photos of the author as she mixes and matches pieces.

Bringing out your inner fashionista: consumers demand stylish technology gadgets

According to a story on the BusinessWeek web site, That Computer is So You, technology hardware vendors are making a concerted effort today to meet the increasing consumer demand for more stylish computing products.

The fashion industry and the computer industry have been at polar opposites of the spectrum for years. And it probably still is today. But, it is nice to see technology hardware vendors respond to consumer interest for more interesting and more stylish product designs. Of course, Apple, Inc. has long recognized the importance of style and the user experience. As I wrote last January, the iPhone represents the confluence of tech geeks and fashionistas. The former gloating over the product functionality and the latter for the iPhone as a status symbol.

The BusinessWeek writer argues that  Apple's iPod has helped fuel this consumer demand, but I would also point to Motorola's Razr cell phone. The introduction of the Razr spawned numerous lookalikes from competitors much like emerging imitations of the iPhone's sleek look and touch screen interface. Consumers liked the Razr's super sleek and thin design as well as the numerous product colors. I am sure if you asked, a Razr owner would point to the product's "cool" factor or stylish for its design and fun colors.

The irony of this perceived consumer demand for more fashionable technology gadgets is, in many cases, the lack of interest by consumers towards wardrobe. I believe that is due to the stigma associated with fashion as too vain and as frivolous consumption--but consumer products (tech gadgets, appliances, TV's), home decor and automobiles are exempt.

Maybe all this style that is being placed into tech gadgets will cause consumers to accessorize themselves to match their new toys.

Is it possible for us to be happy with what we have?

Update: On Friday’s (12/07/2007) Daily Source Code, host Adam Curry said that he didn’t mean to “pick on the fashion industry,” but that the onslaught of new product introductions (thus making the existing ones obsolete) exists across many industries—THANK YOU!

As a jumping off point of Curry's discussion on conspicuous consumption, I pose this question:

Is it possible for us to enjoy (the clothes, accessories, etc.) that we have than always focusing on the next best thing?

Why do we submit ourselves to always wanting and buying shoes, purse, outfit, etc., particularly if we just bought a new shoe, new purse, or new outfit?

As a blogger of fashion and style, am I any less complicit than the writers and editors at fashion glossies in promoting conspicuous consumption by extolling the latest and greatest products?

I can only speak for myself and the answer is no. While I have amassed a sizeable wardrobe, I still feel the need to buy new pieces. I am also no different than any of the fashion glossy writers by feeding into our consumerist society.

I can’t blame the media entirely as I don’t subscribe to the fashion glossies (save for the monthly fashion spreads that appear in my subscription to Shape magazine) and I don’t watch much of celebrity or style shows on TV.

Much of the blame I attribute to my own compulsion to surf the web sites of clothing and accessory retailers. Unlike visiting the actual store, and braving the crowds, retail sites enable me to scan large numbers of clothing and accessories easily, quickly, and from the comfort of my own home.

[As I have mentioned before, I have what I consider a gift (or a curse depending upon your perspective) of being able to visualize outfits in my head. I can see the outfit in its totality in my mind—I don’t claim to have an extraordinary ability on par with Patricia Field, who did the costume design for The Devil Wears Prada and Sex in the City. But it is an ability nonetheless that I have put to good use (or abused) via Internet “window shopping.”]

The web enables me to zero in on what appeals to me and allows me to bypass the vast stuff (be it from Christian Louboutin or the many contemporary brands offered up online by Nieman-Marcus, Saks, Nordstrom or Tobi.com) that doesn’t.

I think I have an obsessive-compulsive personality as I tend to ruminate about things I want: I want, I neED, I HAVE TO HAVE IT!

I admit that I have had a mini-relapse with new purchases from bebe, after a hiatus from the brand after more than a few years. What I eventually bought I had scoped out online first—not by browsing at the store.

While I have bought a few new things, I have been trying to enjoy my existing wardrobe by wearing many of my favorite fall outfits in different combinations. Fall is my favorite season and I enjoy the many rich and vibrant hues such as chocolate brown, plum, orange, and graphite gray.

Of course, this enjoyment has not been without expense as my dry cleaning bill has skyrocketed and I have visited the department store makeup counters more than once in order to refresh or restock long dormant makeup, which I have since begun to use on an almost daily basis.

While I don’t give in to trends easily, I admit that I find it hard to go cold turkey. For the past several years, my goal has been to limit my consumption to select pieces rather than shopping with abandon. Still, I find it hard in a consumption-driven society such as ours where we are continually being bombarded by new products.