Читать книгу The New Fashion Rules: Inthefrow - Victoria Magrath - Страница 12

4

April 2001

Luxury for the masses

Whether or not you like to buy your new designer handbag from a boutique, you technically no longer have to. Chanel is one of the only stores to hold out entirely when it comes to selling anything online, and the company apparently doesn’t have any plans to change that any time soon. But every other brand, from Aquazzura to Zuhair Murad, stocks most, if not all, of their latest collections somewhere online. The iconic French luxury house of Hermès was surprisingly ahead of the market in April 2001 when they became one of the first luxury brands to launch their own e-commerce site. While back then it was perfumes and small leather goods that you could grab online, after a website refresh and a new strategy in 2017, the heritage brand now stocks almost everything that you can buy in their boutiques – apart from the famous Birkin and Kelly bags, which they will happily help you fall in love with instore.

(@harrison)

I understand why some may prefer to purchase their latest luxuries online. Shopping in designer stores can often be an intimidating experience. Even when I know I have money to spend, there are times when the eyes of the security guard(s), shop assistants and store manager just feel like they’re burning through your not-brushed-this-morning hair. When I was at university, my friends and I would feel out of place going into the Manchester Selfridges store, because we were students and didn’t have Gucci hanging off our arms.

It’s a big factor for a lot of people. Have you ever felt put off buying an item of clothing or an accessory from a store, because you were on your own and didn’t want to venture inside for fear of feeling uncomfortable? I’m sure there would be a show of hands. So many times, my other half, Alex, and I have wandered around luxury houses that I was intending to buy from, and a security guard has followed us because Alex – covered in tattoos, no hair and often in a band T-shirt – doesn’t look like a typical designer-brand wearer. Stereotyping at its best.

While Hermès was an early online adopter, the majority of luxury houses only started to move online in around 2012, ultimately making luxury fashion easier to access. A reason, I think, why so many were staying offline as long as they could. Accessibility often equals affordability, and that’s not what these stores were selling. Luxury items are supposed to come with an experience, an expectation and a high-quality display. How could the audience obtain those things via an image on a website? But the audience wanted it, and the retailers knew they needed to keep up with the consumer’s demand to shop anywhere and at any time.

The service from the majority of these sites is impeccable. I’ve bought online from Gucci, Dior, Max Mara, Stuart Weitzman and Self-Portrait and my purchases have all been perfectly wrapped and delivered for that perfect luxury, at-home experience. No shopping assistants or awkward glances included.

I adore shopping in luxury boutiques – Dior on Bond Street in London is my favourite store in the world. The interiors, the staff and the layout are just wonderful. But luxury buying has increased dramatically in the past six years or so due to the availability and ease with which you can purchase a pair of £600 shoes and have them delivered to your doorstep. And we will undoubtedly reach a point where everything, even that Hermès Birkin, can be customised, personalised and ordered from your couch at home.

(@inthefrow)

(@harrison)

Luxury shopping FAQs

As a blogger with a lust for luxury fashion and beauty, I often get asked about tips for buying and wearing designer accessories and clothing. So this is what I often reply to the top three FAQs:

How should I mix luxury and high street?

Buying an entire wardrobe of designer is not at all necessary. Great, if you have the disposable income, but not possible for probably 95 per cent of the world. Plus, you’ll be forever worrying about how best to wash everything you wear. Who has time for that when you just want to throw a white wash in the machine? My favourite way to wear designer clothing is to buy items that you know you will use extensively, that won’t need washing every time you wear them and can really enhance your look. For me, this includes bags, shoes and outerwear. The perfect dress I’d add in here too. So blend in your high street pieces: an amazing pair of trousers from ASOS, Topshop or All Saints, throw on a beautiful blouse from Reiss or Whistles and then layer over your new luxury jacket, add that designer bag to your arm and slip into those new designer heels. It’s my favourite way to enhance my whole look.

What is it worth spending your money on if you can only afford one luxury item?

If you’re looking to buy your first designer item, opt for a bag. It’s something you can wear every day, and if you choose the right colour, it will go with everything you own. I would usually suggest a robust, textured leather, black luxury handbag for the first item you invest in, as you can’t go wrong. It won’t pick up dirt easily, it won’t scratch significantly, it will match all of your outfits and you can wear it in any season. Either that or a navy or tan, depending on the colour tones you often wear.

(@inthefrow)

If you’re not a bag person, go for a pair of shoes. A pair that is appropriate for a lot of weather conditions and won’t ruin in the rain if you’re caught out without an umbrella. So stay away from suede and choose something in a slightly darker colour if you’re spending a lot of money. But if neither shoes nor bags are your thing then I’d suggest a coat. That coat you’ll always wear and get so much use out of. I have a navy Gucci wool coat that I couldn’t be without and it’s seen me through a number of seasons. I also own a few Balmain blazers, including a beautiful white tweed, which add a confident vibe to any outfit and go with pretty much anything in my wardrobe. And then I have a Burberry trench coat that works well in any weather. They’re bigger investments, but you’ll keep them in your collection forever, and probably hand them down later.

What’s your favourite luxury item you’ve ever bought?

This is a difficult question to answer, as I have only regretted one or two items I’ve ever bought. I have a Max Mara camel coat that has become a wardrobe staple. When I was younger, I would always look up to the women I saw strutting around in the most sophisticated camel coats, belted at the waist with the collar popped, and I dreamed of a day when I would own one. When that day came and I walked away with the coat of my dreams, I’d never loved an item of clothing more in my life. In my opinion, everyone, male or female, should have a camel coat in their collection.

(@harrison)