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Win
Daily Mail, Monday, March 10, 2008
Freebies of the week
Nahm in Belgravia. Then a limousine will take you to a top West End show, before you can rest your tired limbs at a luxury Central London hotel. The next morning you will be given a Hangover Kit to reinvigorate you, plus you’ll each receive a complimentary beauty therapy. You will also receive three months WIN A LUXURY free membership with Sincura.com. WEEKEND AWAY WE ARE offering you and a friend Sincura.com is a service that creates time, allowing busy people the chance to win a fabulous to outsource, delegate or simply weekend in London courtesy of get rid of everything getting in the Sincura.com, the lifestyle way of the more important things management company. This fantastic package includes a in life. Available 24/7, 365 days a year, our personal shopping and style highly skilled team will ensure consultation with Nicky your request is met in a timely and Hambleton-Jones’s company Tramp2Vamp and €450 spending cost-effective manner every time. Visit www.sincura.com for more money, followed by dinner at Michelin-starred Thai restaurant details.
■ FOR a chance to win, phone
151 350 0518 and answer this simple question: ‘What is the name of the previously mentioned Thai restaurant in Belgravia?’ Leave your name and number where you can be contacted tomorrow. Calls cost 60c (from a landline, other networks and mobiles may vary). All entries must be received by 11.59pm tonight. The dates to take the prize are strictly subject to availability. There is no cash alternative. For full terms and conditions, go to www.dailymail.ie.
‘Seeing the same bags in FROM PAGE 31 use it for a lifetime.’ Silva is one of a growing flock of disillusioned fashionistas, turning to new channels to pursue their love of accessories. ‘There’s been a backlash,’ says Stephanie Phair, vice president of business development at Portero.com, a luxury accessories auction site. ‘They’ve been so coveted that they now have mass appeal and have pushed themselves out of the market. Celebrities have been part of both the It-bag’s rise, and decline. It’s now obvious to everyone that Lindsey Lohan, Sienna Miller, Lily Allen, or any other celebrity isn’t carrying a Balenciaga Lariat or a YSL Downtown because they chose it. The bag was probably one of many handed over for free. Lily Allen regularly boasts about her flood of designer freebies and Sienna gets sent up to 40 bags a month. So where’s the cachet? Images of low-grade celebrities such as Paris Hilton and Britney Spears (complete with unkempt make-up and tracksuit) have also tarnished their untouchability. ‘It’s like, if Britney is wearing it then they must be gifting it to everyone,’ jokes Silva. ‘Brands are realising it’s not the best form of publicity now,’ says Phair. ‘They can’t control it,’ particularly when celebrities are known to spread their bounty among friends, assistants and even their cleaners on occasions. Designer labels have responded to the shift by broadening their accessories ranges. The It-bags are still part of the terrain, but they are also catering to more discreet clients who love the label, but don’t want to broadcast it to the world. They are upping the exclusivity credentials by producing superlimited edition versions. This season Louis Vuitton launched a limited range of bags designed by artist Richard Prince. These, though moderately priced by Louis Vuitton standards, at e1,800-e2,250, have been made in strictly small quantities to protect their status.
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EANWHILE, for new markets such as the burgeoning billionaire landscape of the Middle East, Russia and China, they have upped the ante of cult styles with ultra-luxury versions in limited editions. In January, Burberry hit the headlines with the launch of its own budget-busting limited edition e19,500 Warrior bag made from alligator skin. Similarly, last March Louis Vuitton launched the limited edition Tribute Patchwork bag made from 15 of its previous styles for a whopping e29,355. ‘In terms of the recession, they are focusing on their long-term customers. The ones who the downturn doesn’t effect,’ says Phair. Although, catering to these superrich markets has its downsides, particularly where bling and status overrides fashionsense. ‘If you place yourself where only certain groups can buy the product, you are catering to groups who don’t necessarily have the best style,’ says Kate Schelter, New York-based fashion consultant who’s client roster includes Christian Lacroix, Saks Fifth Avenue, Vanity Fair and Zac Posen. Department stores and boutiques, meanwhile, have been moving the It-Bag phenomenon along by injecting their own individuality to It-styles, through their own versions. For the past two Christmas seasons, Selfridges in London has launched exclusive designer bag ranges in unique styles. Last season
their range — dubbed Bejeweled — drew crowds for the limited edition gold McQueen Evie. They’ve also begun exploring the lesser-known independent labels. Designers such as Kara Ross, Mary Norton, Zadig and Voltaire, Safor, Corto Moltedo and Devi Kroell are becoming the new coveted names. Others are curbing It-styles altogether. Luxury London boutique Koh Samui, which counts Keira Knightley, Natalie Portman and Kirsten Dunst among its fans, has ceased to stock Marc Jacobs Stams, Chloe Paddingtons, and Balenciaga Lariats, focusing instead on less obvious styles by the designer brands.
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HERE was so much over exposure, and so many copies floating around, that they lost something,’ says Zoe Thorne, associate buyer at the store. ‘In fashion terms, It-bags didn’t show any creativity.’ Concept store Augustina, launched in London in March last year, has already made a name for itself for shunning designer brands in favour of hip labels including Carlos Falchi, Treesje, and ex-Marc Jacobs designer Joy Gryson. The store has a loyal following including Yasmin le Bon and Thandie Newton. ‘My clients look for longevity,’ says owner and creative director Cristina Burgess. ‘Big brands are so mainstream now, they are not catering to the fashion-forward anymore. The fact that every season you see the same bags in the same adverts on the same celebrities is a real turn off, the market has become flooded.’ While in most instances the lust for It-bags is waning, there is one exception. The It-bag concept started with Hermès in the Fifties with the Kelly (named after Grace Kelly), and has continued with the Birkin, the paragon of chic that still causes heart rates to rise among the sanest of fashion-lovers. So, what’s the secret? ‘Hermès make it difficult for anyone to get anything,’ laughs Schelter. ‘That’s how they control their image. Brand value is so linked to their associations. My friend lined up to buy a Birkin and was interviewed by the sales person before she could put her name on the list. ‘They asked her where she was staying, what hotel, a whole load of questions. They make you wait years to get one!’ adds Schelter, concluding: ‘Getting an Hermès is like getting into a private club.’ And if the It-bag is over, will we see the lust transferring to any new accessory? ‘It’s already happening,’ says Schelter with the deadpan gravitas. ‘Shoes.’ So what should baglovers be investing in this year? ‘The look has to be functional and classic — too much hardware or overt logos place the item clearly within a specific season,’ advises Phair. ‘Good pieces are some of the classics that retain their value; Chanel, Hermes come to mind. Bottega Veneta keeps its value because the craftsmanship is so good. Valentino is also producing some good bags this season that are likely to be good investment pieces since they coincide with his retirement and people always like to buy a piece of history.’ And if you’re loyal to the big names, clutches are a hot style at the moment, as are bags free from obvious branding — Miu Miu’s simple quilted Totes, Jimmy Choo’s blue shoppers, YSL’s blue crocodile satchel. In the panel opposite, Lifestyle presents some of the best.
Fully armed: Sienna Miller weighed down with It-bags Picture: BIG PICTURES.COM