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Fashion36 www.un iquees tates.com.au

by Tracey Porter

WOMeN’s

Traversing new ground at home and abroad is the way forward for the big international fashion houses looking to

capitalise on a successful fall winter 2015 season.

BurberryCreative head Christopher Bailey is crediting the British fashion house’s decision to embrace new digital and mobile media applications as a key plank in helping it connect with its customers.

Widely recognised as the first fashion brand to sell products through the Twitter Buy Now functionality a year ago, Burberry continues to lead the way when it comes to digital and social networking capabilities with a recent trial to stream two of its new season fashion shows via Snapchat and Periscope generating what the brand called its “best ever consumer engagement”.

The performance came as a result of Burberry’s decision to stream two fashion shows earlier this year, resulting in an astounding 100 million impressions worldwide.

Burberry has a mobile offering the envy of many luxury retailers to the point where it is believed that a fifth of Burberry’s digital sales are now collect-in-store while an additional 25 percent of sales are made on iPads.

And while we’re on the subject of sales: those in the market for a new pair of glasses or sunglasses need not concern themselves with trying to locate a new favourite brand with news Burberry has extended its existing licensing agreement with eyewear manufacturer Luxxotica Group for another decade.

Burberry’s agreement with Luxottica, which also produces and distributes the eyewear collections of a range of fashion labels including Giorgio Armani, Bulgari, Chanel, Coach, Dolce & Gabbana, DKNY, Polo Ralph Lauren, Prada, Michael Kors, Starck Eyes, Tiffany and Versace, runs until 2025.

Suede fringe camouflage clutch in dark green ochre- $2,050The bucket bag in camouflage print suede in dark green ochre - $3,395

Patchwork suede over-the-knee boots in dark pewter black/bronze - $3,295

www.Burberry.comStockists: 02 8296 8588

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Prada

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Glasses - $450Tartan print Saffiano leather bag - $2,210Buckle Mary Jane Pump - $1,070

www.Prada.comStockists: 02 9223 1688

Prada’s march into the Middle East has continued with a new store opening in Jeddah, Saudia Arabia.

The store, the first for the brand in the country’s commercial capital, was designed by the global group’s go-to architect, Roberto Baciocchi, whose handiwork can be seen across several projects for the Prada Group already – in particular the brand’s property portfolio across Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

The space, inside the prestigious The Boulevard mall, blends into the mall’s modern composition with a white metal curtain, flanked by two entrances, windows and light boxes.

Covering a total area of 335 square metres on a single level, the new store houses the women’s and men’s leather goods, accessories and footwear collections.

Featuring green fabric-clad walls and crystal tables, the women’s area is embellished with white and black marble flooring and green velvet sofas while the display counters are defined by coloured saffiano leather detailing. The area housing the footwear collection is characterised by green fabric-clad walls with cut-in alcoves exalting the product display.

The space devoted to men features more masculine finishes including marble flooring and ebony-clad walls with black metal display units hosting the leather goods, accessories and footwear collections. Wood and metal counters and green ostrich leather sofas complete the setting.

Other locations targeted by the brand for store openings in recent months include: Maui, Panama, Johannesburg, Salzburg and Wuhan in China.

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Louis VuittonThe famed multi-colour monogram which for years has been one of the key signatures of the Louis Vuitton collections will no longer be seen following the news the French fashion house has ended its 13-year relationship with Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami.

At the invitation of Vuitton’s former designer Marc Jacobs, Murakami begin collaborating with the fashion house in 2002, the result of which saw him produce an amazing multicolore monogram artwork that Vuitton released as a print on a series of handbags and accessories.

The design, which incorporated the fashion house’s signature monogram, was a huge commercial success and led to the collection becoming the “it bag” of the mid-2000s.

As a result of this success, the Murakami-created prints were heavily copied in the years following with Vuitton forced to undertake many noteworthy lawsuits over the past decade in defence of the copyrighted works.

Stating only that the brand would like to “move forward”, Vuitton began removing the collection from store shelves in July.

Having said goodbye to the Jacobs’ era at Vuitton, his replacement Nicolas Ghesquière has been busy selecting old friends and new to shoot the fashion house’s Fall/Winter 2015 campaign. Continuing the collection’s theme centred around art and travel, Ghesquière paired with photographers Juergen Teller and Bruce Webber for the third time to shoot the promotional spots whose locations included an architect’s house in Barcelona and a private airport in Miami.

American actress Jennifer Connelly and 26-year-old Swedish actress Alicia Vikander joined models Freja Beha, Lya Kebade and Julia Merklebach in the campaign, which Ghesquière said embodied the “multiple facets of the Louis Vuitton woman”.

Essential V Necklace - $510Twist Bag (Leather) - $4,750

Explorer Flat Ankle Boot (Calf Leather) - $1,760

www.louisvuitton.comStockists: 1300 883 880

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Christian Dior

“Dioring The Jungle” necklace, coat of mail in metal with palladium finish and multicolour lacquer - $2,600Diorama bag in crocodile marquetry - $48,000Stretch low boot in black patent leather, high heel with metallic structure and paved with crystal - $2,600

www.dior.comStockists: (02) 9229 4600

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A project four years in the making finally come to its natural conclusion as Dior opened the doors of its newest boutique in the heart of Seoul’s Cheongdam-dong district recently.

Architect Christian de Portzamparc was chosen to create the space and first began work on the project in 2011 by delving into the Christian Dior archives.

The first French architect to be awarded the prestigious Pritzker Prize in 1994, de Portzamparc was also behind the LVMH Tower in New York and the Chai sur la Colline winery for Château Cheval Blanc in Saint-Emilion.

Inspired by the precision with which Monsieur Dior constructed his gowns, de Portzamparc attempted to incorporate this into the building’s exterior by designing a building featuring eleven white sails falling in soft folds, emulating the plain “toiles’ from which Dior sculpted his designs.

The building itself features six floors of exquisite Dior product including a dedicated accessories space, the first ever exclusive Dior Homme boutique as well as dedicated area for women’s ready-to-wear, watches and jewellery.

The fourth floor of the building features an art gallery with its private salons displaying a selection of artworks chosen by Dior. Opening onto a terrace on the top floor is a Dior Café with a menu composed by French baker Pierre Hermé, who has been dubbed the “Picasso of pastry”.

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Miu MiuThe skills of Miu Miu muse Stacy Martin clearly extend a lot further than merely acting with the French-English actress named as the face of the fashion house’s first fragrance.

Fans of the brand will recognise Martin as a longtime favourite of the house, with the 24-year-old stunner having already featured prominently in Miu Miu’s Fall 2014 campaign. The campaign was shot by high profile American fashion photographer Steven Meisel, a favourite of the house of Prada and the man responsible for each Prada photography shoot since 2004.

Miuccia Prada’s signature is fully realised across the latest addition to the fashion house’s product collection with the brand of Prada helping design the attractive flacon.

It has been a long 18-month wait for fans of the brand that first learnt of the debut of the fragrance back in early 2014.

Its official launch was celebrated in July with the French fashion house staging an exclusive cocktail party in a Parisian nightclub.

Timed to coincide with the unveiling of the brand’s 2016 Croisière collection, the launch included an exclusive dinner, fashion show and musical performances.

The perfume is expected to hit stores this month and will be available in 30, 50 and 100ml Eau de Parfum bottle varieties.

Leather cap - $740Madras goat leather top handle bag - $2,010

Button buckle shoe - $1,140

www.miumiu.com Stockists: 02 9223 1688