Fashion Snippets

For those on the trot that have the interest, but not enough time to read in detail the weekly rise and fall of fashion, so we’ve chronicled a week of events that help shape things to come; here you will find past, present and future.

“Inside-Outrage” street wear brand fails to impress. Buyers are showing extra caution stocking new brands, especially during a faltering economy. Besides the street wear market is crowded and I-O styles would just add to the generic flavour.

Saint Laurent was one of the most influential designers on the Paris fashion scene and took the helm at Christian Dior after the designer's death when he was aged just 21.

In 1962 Yves Saint Laurent presented his first collection under his own name and in 1966 he introduced the ready-to-wear Rive Gauche collection which revolutionised the industry, making fashion more accessible to a wider audience.

He went on to design trouser suits for women including his famous "le smoking" tuxedo and safari jackets and was credited with sexing up women's working wardrobes. He was also well known for his supreme cutting skills and extraordinary use of colour.

Saint Laurent retired from his atelier in 2002 and had rarely been seen in public since. He had suffered from ill health throughout his life but became wheelchair bound in the last year of his life.

Saint Laurent was born in Algeria in 1936. He moved to Paris to study art in 1953 aged 17.

The resurgent popularity of silver cufflinks indicates a return to classical forms as men shun whimsical styles that have dominated the market for almost twenty years. Even so they still play second fiddle to ties men’s most popular choice of accessories….. Simon Case NYT.

A report entitled UK e-Retail 2008 surveyed 4,059 online shoppers and revealed that the online market accounted for 4.2% of all clothing and footwear spend in 2007.

The report said that online shopping was becoming an integral part of UK retail with total online retail spend worth £14.7bn in 2007, up 35% year on year, and a rate of growth almost 10 times higher than that experienced by the total UK retail market.

Last year's growth was driven by a 5.9% increase in internet users – to 33.1 million - and a 24.7% increase in online shoppers – to 22.6m.

Online shoppers are also purchasing more regularly (an average of 16.9 times per year, an increase of 2.7 trips on 2006) and each spent an average of 7.8% more than 2006.

Verdict Research predicts that with internet access growing and users purchasing more frequently online, this strong growth is set to continue, with online retail sales set to reach £44.9bn by 2012.

Shane McCoubrey, fashion designer, ventures into jewellery for women. A natural progression after launching his range of men’s accessories in 2006 and featured for the first time online the same year. In a career spanning twenty years, Shane has quietly achieved status through sheer hard work and the eye of a great designer.

To end on a really bright note: The Nielsen/BRC Consumer Confidence index, which polls 1,000 consumers about their thoughts and feelings on job prospects, personal finances and spending intentions, now stands at a score of 79. This compares with a rating of 91 this time last year - then the lowest score the survey had recorded since it began in 2003.

Just don’t believe all the hype about fledgling economies, go out and buy yourself a nice silk tie or maybe a pair of designer cufflinks. A little shopping therapy will wash away the blues.

About the Author

A practitioner of strategic planning in business alignment: He is developing a new brand of fashion accessories as a truly independent alternative, concurrent with purveying Designer Silk Ties handmade silver, crystal and enamel Designer cufflinks plus fine leather wallets