Handbags That Stand The Test Of Time

In tough times, accessories, most notably handbags, aren't just an easier way to look good, they're delivering profits for the companies that make them.Last month, British luxury fashion label Burberry reported accessories sales up 32% year-on-year, with plans to invest an estimated 10 million dollars over this year and next in developing and strengthening its accessories offer.

In Pictures: Eight Handbags That Stand The Test Of Time
Italy's Giorgio Armani has been working hard since the late 1990s to guide his customers toward accessories, but the big gains have come relatively recently. Armani registered an unprecedented accessories sales growth of over 30% in the year ending March 2008. Behind the numbers? Throughout the fashion business, the view is that consumers are rethinking their spending and indulging on relatively affordable luxury goods.Unlike most clothing, some handbags are on trend for multiple seasons, making then a worthy investment.

The $2,000 Louis Vuitton Speedy cube bag, for example, is an innovation of the classic speedy bag, an LV best seller. The Fall/ Winter 2008 version is a must have, merging trend with tradition, allowing for a useful and beautiful bag that will outlive seasonal trends."When times are tough, you spend more on accessories," says British fashion consultant and journalist Roger Tredre. "It's clothing that suffers."Behind The Bags Part of the secret is in the implementation of new logistics programs.



These treat accessories like ready to wear clothing, where the traditional two seasons have been scrapped in favor of smaller capsule collections. Now accessories, too, are produced in a number of flash collections, delivered at short intervals throughout the year. This kind of rethink is prompting increments in sales, with customers enticed to visit stores more regularly to browse for fresh designs. Of course retailers still have to work hard for their customers.

The key for design teams is to strike the right balance between innovation and tradition. "You've got to take forward the fashion element step by step without alienating your core--and potentially more conservative--customer," says Tredre.Prada's recently refurbished Florence store is an example of what strategic lengths retailers will go to in order to reinforce their accessories sales.



The new shop floor features accessories right at the front, next to the entrance. "This is a way for Prada to push their core and most profitable products," says Sandra Halliday, global managing editor for business reporting and analysis at Worth Global Style Network, a trend analysis company. What are you spending on? Weigh in. Post your thoughts in the Readers Comment section below. It shows.



Analysts say that Prada Group's results for 2007 should be in line with luxury market trends. The Prada label, the dominant brand within the group, is expected to report a double-digit growth year-on-year in its accessories segment. At Louis Vuitton, some 75% of profits are accounted for by accessories. Overall LV accounted for 50% of total LVMH group revenue of 3.226 billion euros in 2007.Rogerio Fumigori, analyst for Credit Suisse, ascribed the runaway performance of Louis Vuitton to the enduring popularity of the brand's traditional products, such as the timeless LV monogram collection.



There has been no cannibalization of the core products by the fashion-driven collection, he notes. The arrival of hip New York designer Marc Jacobs in the 1990s to design the ready to wear line and oversee the seasonal leather goods collections has proved a master stroke.



Thomas Chauvet, an analyst at Citigroup, says the "Marc Jacobs collections are a medium through which LV pushes [its] core categories." Jacobs himself, meanwhile, is keeping one step ahead, developing innovative new footwear and jewellery in addition to the best-selling handbags. And where LV's Jacobs goes, the market is sure to follow.Further investment in the accessory sector could prove to be a safety net for luxury goods companies in a climate where downturn is the ultimate trend.



While handbags have been leading the way in recent years, the fashion media are now eulogizing the allure of designer shoes. When movie star Gwyneth Paltrow was recently photographed in sky-high platforms, newspapers worldwide had a feeding frenzy. And big statement jewellery, as seen at the Oscars, is also on a roll.Still, during difficult times, says Claudia D'Arpizio, a partner at Bain, "bags are a commodity and will continue to drive the luxury market."



BY: Valentina Zannoni 06.26.08, 5:25 PM ET

Trend watch: Saltwater pools

They're the hottest technology in cooling off to come along in years. And they could make the stinging eyes, itchy skin and bleached bathing suits of old-fashioned chlorine pools a thing of the past.

First introduced in Australia in the 1960s, saltwater pools have taken off in the last few years to become the fastest-growing technology in new pool installation, even though the initial cost is considerably higher than a standard chlorine system. But converts say that once you've tried it, you can never go back.

Just ask Priya Mohan, a secondary school teacher and mother of three who lives in Burlington, Ontario. "When we did our backyard renovation a few years ago, we definitely knew we wanted a saltwater pool," she says. "It's better, in almost every way, than a chlorine pool. It's easier on your eyes, the water is much softer and less irritating, and maintenance is much easier too -- you add a bit of chlorine at the beginning of the season, and that's just about it.

"Click to see photos of Priya's pool.

The merits of saltwater pools

Though the water in a saltwater pool is saline, it's actually nothing like swimming in the ocean. The salt concentration in the pool tops out at about 2800 to 4000 parts per million, compared to 50,000 parts per million in ocean water. Saltwater pools are less salty than tears (you usually can't even taste the salt) but the soft, luxurious feel of the water, not to mention freedom from the burning feeling of too much chlorine, is immediately noticeable.

Understanding how the technology works requires a quick review of Grade 10 chemistry. Standard chlorinated pools rely on an erosion feeder system, whereby chlorine pucks are inserted into a canister to melt or "erode", adding chlorine to the water.

Apart from the costs involved with regularly replenishing the chlorine pucks, the danger of spikes or dilution after a rainstorm requires that you test and adjust the chlorine levels regularly, as well as "shocking" the pool from time to time with larger infusions of chlorine.

Saltwater pools also use chlorine as a disinfectant, but in a lower concentration, and it's supplied to the water in an entirely different way. Instead of an erosion system, a built-in generator uses a form of electrolysis to separate water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen, and then combine them with salt (sodium chloride) to form sodium hypochlorite (chlorine), which sterilizes the water.

At the same time, the chlorine thus created is also constantly recombining with the sodium, becoming good old salt again. It's a closed, continuously regenerating process that once started -- with an initial application of chlorine and salt at the beginning of the season -- needs adjustment no more than once or twice a season at most.

Less costly long-term

According to Markus Brunner of Forest City Pool and Patio in London, Ontario, initially installing a saltwater system can cost as much as two to four times as much as a standard chlorine erosion system. But once you factor in the savings in chlorine pucks and other chemicals, as well as reduced maintenance and wear and tear on the pool itself, he estimates that a saltwater pool can pay for itself in as little as three years.

Existing chlorine pools can be converted to saltwater relatively easily as well, by simply adapting the existing plumbing to accommodate the generator. Brunner claims the only possible risk is to metal ladders, that if not properly grounded, can oxidize over time when exposed to the electrolyzing process. As for the Mohans, they couldn't imagine any other way to beat the heat. "We're spoiled," says Priya. "None of us will even go in a regular chlorine pool any more."

Source: MSN

Offensive Caricature...

WASHINGTON - Barack Obama's campaign says a satirical New Yorker magazine cover showing the Democratic presidential candidate dressed as a Muslim and his wife as a terrorist is "tasteless and offensive."

The illustration on the issue that hits newsstands Monday, titled "The Politics of Fear" and drawn by Barry Blitt, depicts Barack Obama wearing traditional Muslim garb - sandals, robe and turban - and his wife, Michelle - dressed in camouflage, combat boots and an assault rifle strapped over her shoulder - standing in the Oval Office.

The couple is bumping fists in front of a fireplace in which an American flag is burning. Over the mantel hangs a portrait of Osama bin Laden.
"The New Yorker may think, as one of their staff explained to us, that their cover is a satirical lampoon of the caricature Senator Obama's right-wing critics have tried to create," said Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton.

"But most readers will see it as tasteless and offensive. And we agree."
In a statement Monday, the magazine said the cover "combines a number of fantastical images about the Obamas and shows them for the obvious distortions they are."

"The burning flag, the nationalist-radical and Islamic outfits, the fist-bump, the portrait on the wall? All of them echo one attack or another. Satire is part of what we do, and it is meant to bring things out into the open, to hold up a mirror to prejudice, the hateful, and the absurd. And that's the spirit of this cover," the New Yorker statement said.

The statement also pointed to the two articles on Obama contained inside the magazine, calling them "very serious."
Republican John McCain's campaign spokesman, Tucker Bonds, agreed that the cover was "tasteless and offensive."

Already the cover was generating controversy on the Internet.

The Huffington Post, a left-leaning blog, said: "Anyone who's tried to paint Obama as a Muslim, anyone who's tried to portray Michelle as angry or a secret revolutionary out to get Whitey, anyone who has questioned their patriotism - well, here's your image."

Ok, that is just sad - Why are people so stupid? Yes, definitely offensive...

Source: yahoo

The At-Work Workout

Do you end up feeling far too fatigued at the end of your workday to even think of working out?
Sitting for extended periods of time, holding awkward postures, repetitive movements, driving and lifting can have a negative impact on your energy and your health.

They can all contribute to tight and imbalanced muscles, reduced circulation and stress and strain on muscles and joints. Although it takes a bit of effort initially, adding exercise in to your workday can help to boost your energy and your morale.

Top 5 office energizers:

A 10-minute walk. Walking is quick, easy and packed full of benefits. Walking at just a moderate pace increases your heart rate and delivers more blood and oxygen to your body. Increased oxygen means increased energy. In addition, movement helps to relieve mental and physical stress, helps to lengthen tight muscles and promotes synovial fluid production around joints for more comfortable movement. Squat ups.

Squats are one of the most commonly used exercises used in fitness and sport to work the lower body. In the gym, we often use dumbbells or machines, but you can easily adapt this exercise to the office. Shift to the front edge of your chair and sit in a tall posture. The feet of the chair need to be firmly planted on the floor. If your chair has wheels or the floor has a slippery surface, brace the chair against a wall or your desk or find an alternative chair just for your workout. With your feet flat on the floor, press in to your feet and stand up; lower back down so that you just graze the seat of your chair and stand back up. Repeat this up and down movement 10-20 times; take a break for 30 seconds and repeat.

Triceps dips. Triceps dips work the upper body, primarily targeting the triceps. Sit on the edge of your chair and place your hands on the seat beside your hips. With your feet flat on the floor, slide your hips forward just off the chair. If your chair has wheels or the floor has a slippery surface, brace the chair against a wall or your desk or find an alternative chair just for your workout. Keeping your torso long, bend at the elbow lowering your body down and up. You can star with small movements and just a few repetitions and gradually increase as your strength improves. Triceps dips are a great way to work the upper body and help to promote good posture.

Desk push-ups. Push-ups are another great upper body exercise. People are often intimidated by a "full" push up or that intense version we typically picture from the hands to the toes. The good news is that you can do more comfortable and less conspicuous push ups in your kitchen or your office. Stand about 2-feet from a counter, desk or railing. Lean forward from your toes placing your hands on the surface. Bending from the elbows, lower the body down and up. A great target is 10-20 repetitions, but if you're just beginning, start with a few and build up your strength and endurance. Reverse posture. This is a great way to figure out what kind of stretches or movement are good for your specific needs.

Reverse posture means that to give your body a break, you do the opposite of what your work demands – if you stand all day, sit; if you sit all day, stand and move; if you lean forward over a computer, lean back and open your arms and chest. Always keep movements fluid and controlled, but what I love about this concept is that it can help you identify your direction. You can do these exercises individually or combine in to a mini office circuit. Once you start to incorporate exercises and breaks in to your day that promote physical balance and blood flow, you'll end up with more energy during and after work.

Source: MSN