Fashion's Night Out 2011

FNO was started in 2009 by VOGUE Magazine, CFDA, NYC & CO and the City of New York, as a way to restore consumer confidence during the recession. On September 8th, 2011, from Manhattan to Milan, Atlanta to Australia, the after hours shopping extravaganza Fashion's Night Out is back! For the third year in a row. Celebrities, designers, and stars will perform and mingle with shoppers as they will once again flock to their favorite stores for an extravagant night of shopping, champagne and exclusive FNO events, including some major live music acts. The celebration marks the kickoff to New York Fashion Week, a stylish way to start the season.

Events

September 8

Fashion's Night Out (FNO)

The annual celebration returns for a night of shopping, champagne and exclusive events, with an additional electronic commerce component this year.

September 8–15 

Tour de Fashion 

Broadway Plazas at West 40th Street

Bowery Lane Bicycles will offer free rentals from a fleet of bikes customized by designers like Diane von Furstenberg, Betsey Johnson and Prabal Gurung. It's all in the name of an eco friendlier Fashion Week, and it's a sure way to beat traffic between shows. 

Through September 26

Uniqlo High Line Roller Rink and Pop-Up 

The Lot at Tenth Avenue and West 30th Street 

Uniqlo rolls over to The Lot, beneath The High Line, with a pop-up shop and skating rink. The space features an 8,000 square feet skating area, benches made from original High Line beams and a Uniqlo Cube, where skaters can shop a collection of T shirts, cashmere selections and more. 

Through November 1

Sleep No More 

McKittrick Hotel, 530 W. 27th Street.

British theater troupe Punchdrunk presents a contemporary, voyeuristic and nearly wordless interpretation of Macbeth. For the interactive performance, directed by Felix Barrett and Maxine Doyle, the audience is required to wear masks as they silently wander the elaborate rooms, following whichever performers they choose, even interacting with props by, for example, rifling through a suitcase left behind by one of the characters. The cast is outstanding, but the venue takes the lead in establishing this production's eerie ambiance: when the McKittrick Hotel's construction was completed in 1939, it was set to be Manhattan's most lavish hotel. But days after it opened, World War II broke out and it was condemned and closed until now. One last note, if you're planning to attend this racy, violent show, leave the kids at home.

The luxury goods B2C industry is booming and also facing the channel bottleneck

According to the news of June 30, the China Venture has made a news report, and all kinds of data prove the fact that luxury consumption potential in China is emerging. The relatively limited consumption ability of Chinese middle class provid the opportunity for e-commerce mode. And the investment of luxury B2C industry will become the new hot point. But sales network could damage the interests of agents and distributors, and the simple shopping mode could influence the luxury orientation and the mystery feelings.

Not long ago, the world's largest luggage manufacturer Samsonite and Italy luxury brand Prada successively accomplished IPO in Hong Kong, each financed 9.73 billion and 16.719 billion HKD. The two companies choose to enter the market in HongKong. They are both because of their increasing business in Asia's emerging market, especially Chinese fast growing market. The story of "Chinese growing consumption market", and reality of becoming the second biggest luxury goods consumption country, makes the Chinese luxury consumption market prosperous.

In this background, the domestic luxury consumption and relevant industries, both have more imaginable space. Especially the 2010 Chinese e-commerce industry's booming development, makes the combination of luxury consumption and online shopping more practical. In 2011, as the investment of comprehensive B2C and group purchase industry have been saturated, the investment of luxury B2C industry tends to become the new hot spots.

The desirable consumption of the middle class is rising up and on line shopping caters the Chinese characteristic consumption

All kinds of data prove that the luxury consumption in China has a bright prospect. On June 9th the latest report of the world's luxury goods association said last year the total sum of luxury consumption market in domestic China has reached 10.7 billion US dollars, accounting for a quarter of the global share, which is expected to be the world's biggest luxury consumption country surpasses Japan next year. More than 8% of the GDP growing rate in China for several years and the residents increasing consumption expenditure year by year would undoubtedly construct the solid foundation of the growing domestic luxury consumption market. The subcompany database CVSource of ChinaVenture mastered a macroscopic economic data, it showed that in recent years, the domestic urban residents' consumption support is continuous growing, the average growing rate is over 10%, which has surpassed the average GDP growing rate, showing a strong national consumption power.

Among them, the rapid rising amount and the huge number of middle class has become the mainstream of the luxury consumption group. They need a car, luxury clothing, cosmetics, and watches and high-end products to reveal their leading position in wealth, taste and other personalized aspects. The Chinese luxury consumption is therefore to move into a fast growing stage. However, compared with the traditional retail stores, the Chinese middle class has relatively limited consumption power, so the on line shopping provides the opportunity for this new luxury shopping mode.

Generally speaking, in China people whose monthly income is between 20000 yuan to 50000 yuan are belong to a typical luxury consumers. In the future's years, the amount of these people will rise from the current millions to 250 million. However this group of people in China at present only belong to not very rich people. These rich people pursue the top luxury consumption, but they will be sensitive of the price, that is a typical phenomenon. In earlier time, people would solve this problem by shopping abroad or buy on somebody's behalf, this consumption account  for more than half of consumption scale. And with the mature of Chinese e-commerce industry  and the formation of network consumption habits, the on line shopping of luxury goods are accepted by more and more consumers because of its price advantage and convenient shopping. And it also has become an important part of Chinese luxury consumption.

Shopping style changes and the traditional retail encounter challenges

Sitting on the sofa at home is very comfortable. You can enjoy the beautiful music, while pressing the mouse leisurely. You can never leave home but can buy back the things you need. In stores you may try good clothes, shoes, but don’t directly pay for it. You may habitually return to home, open a computer for online shopping. You can buy the goods by 30% off or even cheaper price. If you pay enough attention to it, you will find that, this convenient online shopping way has been welcomed by more and more customers. This means that the traditional retail industry is suffering a new challenge.

The online shopping - a fashionable and new consumption

The number of Internet users in China is up to 500 million, the number of global online shopping users is more than 137 million. The online shopping is now showing a huge potential for market growth, and quickly become a kind of fashionable consumption. The large market demand has driven and resulted in the fashionable consumption.

When you are asked" are you shopping online today?" And this has become a pet phrase when two friends meet together. When the online shopping has become a fashionable consumption, one day we will suddenly discover and say: yes, the online shopping has entered our daily life. I connect the whole net, and purchase the world. This is not only an inspiring AD sentence, but also indicates the charm and the future of online shopping.

Geeks in fashion retail

Marx once said, the price depends on the value regulation of the commodity. In the traditional marketing mode, a commodity is ultimately owned by consumers. And this will suffer much exploitation of all kinds of agents. But the cost of online shopping is very cheap. The goods can be sent to the consumers’ hands through the national various express companies for just a few days. But the price is only half of the traditional price.

The China electronic commerce research center assistant and electronic business analysts said the competitiveness of online shopping price derives from "the single media and low operation price". Aim at the "global online brand flagship store", some websites will actively play its advantage of global supply chain. They will regularly choose the suitable goods from the most famous old store in the United States--Macy's Department Store. And at the same time the professional people will check and compare the global commodity price system of each commodity, thus will give more profits to the consumers, so it is not surprising when you see the goods that have 97% to 95% off discount.

Now, the cake of online shopping is bigger and bigger, the traditional retail has come into "small profit time". The online shop has no boundary of the mall stores, never close, never turn off the lights in the windows. The employees are never off the work, never shut down the checkout counter. All these advantages are rising abruptly. But the traditional retail stores are facing rent, the management cost and such problems. The traditional retail will how to break through the bottleneck of its development, and how to deal with the network challenge, we will wait and see!

Know more from www.wholesale-dress.net

Va-va-voom. Valentine's Day!

Hello, lover...

Zara online

Cork shoppers can now order from the Zara website (Zara.com) and collect their purchases at the Mahon Point outlet - woot! Behold our first order...

Buck skin clutch, €99.95, Zara

Trumpet Flare Trousers, €69.95, Zara

Feather necklace, €39.95, Zara

Coat of charms...

This cosy jacket, finished in luxe faux fur, will make a clever addition to your workwear wardrobe. Keep the belt tight to nip in your waist and finish the look with a prim Victorian white shirt. Jacket: €350, Style for Life, Grafton Mall, off Oliver Plunkett St. Cork. Call 021 4279289 for more information.

Here are three ways to wear it...

Coat tales

A single-breasted tweed coat pulls together a work look like nobody's business. This tweed version hits Penneys at the beginning of November -  a snip at €60.

Case in point

Boys, unless you're an intern or you work at a leisure centre, there's no excuse for carrying a rucksack to the office. Join the grown-ups by stowing your stuff in this sharp leather briefcase (€101, Next), which will look even better with age.

Shirt du jour

Wondering what to wear right now? Well wonder no more - this Soft Blouse, (€38 from Next) should be your first autumn purchase. Team with skinny jeans and nude heels or tuck inside a tapered trouser for laid-back glamour.

Warehouse returns!

Coat €130, Cardigan, €52, Trousers €65, Warehouse

Woot - Warehouse on Patrick Street opens its doors once again this Friday, October 1st with a sleek new fit-out and some of the brand's most fashion forward lines for AW10.
Expect to see fringing, feathers and faux fur adorning luxurious eveningwear; Mad Men-inspired fitted dresses, A-line skirts and princess coats for daytime as well as key pieces in this season’s hottest colour; camel.
City Style readers are invited to help Warehouse celebrate the reopening on Friday evening from 4pm. Mr. |an Galvin and three finalists from the hit TV3 show Style Wars will be making an appearance too. Pop by after work and be among the first to check out the new store and enjoy a drink while a DJ plays some chilled-out tunes, and as if that doesn't start your weekend the right way, Warehouse are offering guests a 20% discount and a Warehouse gift with every purchase over €50.
The Cork News has teamed up with Warehouse to offer three lucky readers the chance to win a €100 voucher to spend in the slick new Patrick St. store - don't miss Friday's Cork News Style pages to find out how to enter!

Ted Baker launches Leeside...

Style guru Stuart Roberts will be at Brown Thomas this Saturday, September 25th to exclusively launch the Ted Baker label in Cork. Customers are invited to enjoy a glass of champagne while Stuart offers style consultations and expert advice on choosing the perfect outfit from the brand's autumn winter collections. We love the graphic, zippy Herman dress, €175, Ted Baker @BT.

Lucky Magazine Predicts Fall Fashion

Last week everyone's favorite shopping magazine predicted the top looks for Fall 2010 based on current designer ads. According to Lucky, the four trends everyone will be wearing are Leopard Print, 50s-Inspired Dresses, Fur, and The Color Red. If you're searching for pieces to spice up your wardrobe, check out my picks for the hottest fall fashions.

Leopard Print

1.) Hunter Boots Cuff Welly Sock ($40)
2.) Ann Taylor Perfect Leopard Clutch ($138)
3.) Torn Leopard Miniskirt ($169.40)
4.) Tory Burch Wedge Pump ($295)

50s-Inspired Dresses

1.) Anthropologie Traced Twirls Dress ($158)
2.) Topshop Cross Bust Dress ($68)
3.) Laundry by Shelli Segal ($129.99)
4.)Tadashi Shoji Fan-Pleated Strapless Dress ($468)


(Faux) Fur

1.) Rachel Zoe for QVX Faux Fur Vest ($79.80)
2.) Topshop Faux Fur Stole ($50)
3.) Wink Leidy Faux Fur Coat ($288)
4. )Juicy Couture Faux Fur Vest ($228)


The Color Red

1.) Hermes Silk Twill Scarf ($375)
2.) Steve Madden Caryssa Pump ($129.95)
3.) Opi Red Nail Polish ($6.95)
4.) House of Harlow 1960 Leather Cuff ($63)

Readers, do you think Lucky's predictions are correct? What's your fall fashion forecast?

What I Didn't Know I Needed

You know when you go to the store and come home with everything except what you went to the store for? Well, today was one of those days. I ventured to Borders in search of a book for class and left with the following:

The September issue of Elle: I haven't had time to flip through the entire magazine, but in a sea of September issues, Elle stood out. I'm not sure whether it was Julia Roberts' charismatic smile or the promise of "562 Pages of Must-Have Dresses, Jeans, Jackets, and Heels," that convinced me to buy the issue, but  I'm excited to have some non-assigned reading on hand.

A pack of princess-themed silly bandz: As isolated as my college campus is, it has not escaped the silly band fad. My mom, trend hunter that she is, told me about silly bandz ages ago, and I have a handful of dinosaur and animal-shaped bands, but when I was waiting in line to check out, the princess pack caught my eye. Colorful rubber crowns, castles and magic wands--what could be better?

A Moleskine sketchbook: This semester, I'm taking two art classes to fulfill my Studio Art minor. Both require a sketchbook, and when I saw the familiar Moleskine label, I knew one had to be mine. Used by artistic greats like Hemingway and Picasso, Moleskine products are the epitome of understated excellence. If you're not interested in plain white pages, the brand carries multiple sizes of lined notebooks, calendars and themed journals.

While there was no copy of The New Conquest of Spain to be seen, I consider my trip to Borders productive. What are your favorite impulse buys?

 P.S. Check out my most recent articles in Wake Forest's Old Gold and Black and HerCampus!

Katy K and Local Honey

Non-Tennessee readers--sorry for all the Nashville-related posts lately. I'm trying to cram as many blog-worthy activities into my last week at home as I can! I can barely believe I leave for my senior year of college on Friday! Eek! Ok, onto the shopping.

The 12th South distract of Nashville is known as an up-and-coming area of town, full of unique stores and tasty restaurants (see a review of a couple here). Tucked away, down a residential street is Local Honey, an edgy boutique that sells a mix of vintage and locally-designed clothes and accessories. I walked away empty-handed, but not before I tried on half the store. Fit was my issue more often than not, and when it comes to vintage, if it doesn't fit me perfectly, I tend to pass. If you're in the market for a one-of-a-kind piece, I recommend the boutique's in-house label, White Rabbit. 

A little further down 12th Avenue is the iconic Katy K, home to all things western and fabulous. Seriously, if anyone has plans of being a cowgirl for Halloween, head over there ASAP. There are enough boots and hats to keep Hank Williams Jr. outfitted for the next 15 years. Again, I walked away empty-handed. Saloon chic was never really my style, but if I ever need to invest in some authentic cowgirl boots, Katy K's will be the first place I look.

Back to School Dream Shopping

If budgetary concerns weren't an issue, back-to-school shopping would be a dream come true. Unfortunately, I live in the real world where my wardrobe is more Target than Tibi.  Here's what I'd buy if I had a Bill Gates'-sized bank account:

1. Marc by Marc Jacobs Crossbody Bag ($228)
2. Anthropologie Fleur De Lys Dinner Plate ($16)
3. Tory Burch Leather Elle Boot ($495)
4. Kate Spade Bow Ring ($75)
5. Susana Monaco Billow Sleeve Dress ($172)

Readers, what big ticket items are on your wish list for fall? 

Tax-Free Shopping

Readers, I am counting down the days until this weekend. No, it's not my birthday, and I'm not going on an exotic vacation. It's tax-free weekend in Tennessee. With a 9.25% sales tax, Tennessee is less than shopper-friendly, so once a year the Volunteer state offers a sales tax holiday to help with back-to-school shopping. Sound too good to be true? Well, there are some limitations- It's not a free-for-all. The tax exemption applies to clothing under $100, school supplies under $100 and computers $1,500 and less. Click here for a complete list of items eligible.

I'll mostly be using this weekend to stock up on pencils, pens and other school supplies, but I wouldn't be surprised if I came home with an addition to my wardrobe, especially since I found out about local boutique Two Elle's Tax Free Extravaganza. Everything in the store will be under $100 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday!

Readers, would a sales tax holiday impact your back-to-school shopping?

Kate Spade Private Sale Starts Today!

We are very pleased to announce the Kate Spade online private sale. Your chance to purchase items at an exclusive discount perfect for all of your early holiday shoppers. Save up to 60% from November 11-14th. Be sure to act quickly, as inventory is limited.

All sales are final. Click the banner below. Happy shopping.

Private Sale Alert Kate Spade Starts Today!

Kate Spade for your eyes only private sale June 17-20 up to 60% off.

Fashion Designer: Roberto Cavalli at H&M