Pierce Mattie Public Relations New York & Los Angeles

Louis Vuitton's signature luggage is made of leather, the kind of skin you expect to see in one of their stores. However, at the recently opened emporium on the Champs Elysees in Paris, you can now see a different kind of skin - naked human skin.

The Espace Louis Vuitton, a separate area for contemporary art and culture, was inaugurated this month with a photograph exhibition called Alphabet Concept, by Vannessa Beecroft, a New York photographer. The 13 pictures portray nude women wearing clown wigs and with their bodies entwined, shaping the letter of Louis Vuitton's name.

Retailer Barneys New York has chosen the Grove, Rick Caruso's 575,000-sf retail and entertainment venue, as the location for a new 9,200-sf store that will be among the largest of the retailer's stores and one of only two freestanding Barneys Co-Op locations in California. The Co-Op stores carry the latest styles and newest designers in men's and women's clothing and accessories.

The new Barneys New York Co-Op is slated to open in March 2007 on Bow Street at the Grove, across from the Whisper Lounge and an outdoor dining area. Construction on the two-level store will begin this fall following the relocation of Amadeus Spa and Tracy Allen Jewelers within the Grove.

French designer Sonia Rykiel, right, appears at the end of her men's Spring-Summer 2007 fashion collection in Paris, Friday June 30, 2006.

Superbrand Louis Vuitton referenced 1960s screen idols like Alain Delon and Terence Stamp with a sophisticated collection that ran the gamut from velvet jackets to slim trench coats. Sonia Rykiel paid homage to French singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg, who died 15 years ago but remains an emblem of cool for younger generations. Yohji Yamamoto, meanwhile, riffed on pinstriped gangster suits inspired by the Italian mobsters of film classic "The Godfather." Vuitton held its show against a video backdrop of a shimmering blue pool that left sweltering guests hankering for a cold swim. This heralded a Hawaiian theme that ran from hibiscus flower prints to Elvis Presley crooning on the soundtrack.

"I think it created such a lovely spring and summery vibe, without being in any way kitsch or silly," designer Marc Jacobs told reporters after the show. Indeed, if the show set a cinematic mood, it was less "Blue Hawaii" and more "Catch Me If You Can." Think Leonardo DiCaprio in a trim suit and trilby hat. Crisp cotton shirts were worn unbuttoned over loosely tied silk scarves, while a cotton pique jacket and matching waistcoat came accessorized with a large rhinestone pin that spelled "Louis."

Jacobs, looking exceptionally svelte as a result of his strict new diet ("no sugar, no butter, no milk all the things I adore"), said the label's new menswear designer Paul Helvers and his team had combined exotic influences with Victorian tailoring.

In case you have yet to notice the latest Jimmy Choo ad campaign in the August issues of W and Vogue, then you have not yet been told the story of music industry legend Quincy Jones and Cover Girl model Molly Simms.

The new ads feature Simms and Jones lurking conspicuously around a black 1960’s Lincoln Continental somewhere in the desert. The last photo of the campaign (created by Hollywood playboy Brett Ratner) shows Simms (I’m assuming dead) in the trunk of the car, (looking flawlessly beautiful), while Jones is nearby, digging a hole with a shovel. If you’ve seen the movie Casino, you can surmise that Jones killed the sexy broad and was in the middle of digging her corpse a hole when we stumbled upon him somewhere in a (most likely Las Vegas) desert.

In reference to the new ads, Jimmy Choo president and founder Tamara Mellon says “We like to tell a story in our campaigns. I like to evoke the emotion out of people.”

What kind of emotion is the question. Choo’s last ad campaign featured a bronzed Nicole Richie, decked in drapey dresses and bathing suits, chunky cocktail jewelry and surrounded by hot men in tuxedos, reminiscent of the early 80’s. Ratner, who also created this previous campaign, was aiming for a Scarface theme, with Richie embodying Michelle Pfeiffer’s sexy, damsel in distress character. This campaign was effective; it exemplified the extravagance and glamour that should go along with owning a pair of sky-high Jimmy Choo heels.

The most recent “theme” is distressing to say the least. Quincy Jones, while a genius in his own right, is just not sexy. There is no interaction or connection of note between him and a dead model in the trunk of a car. How can one envy her and want her shoes? She was murdered, and not by Robert DeNiro or Joe Pesce (which would have made for a more compelling campaign), but by Quincy Jones, the guy behind “We Are The World” circa 1985.

I’m shocked. So shocked that I want to rip the Jimmy Choos off of a dead Molly Simms so I can have them for my very own.

True Religion Apparel, Inc. today said it is continuing the retail expansion for its growing lifestyle apparel collection with the signing of a new store lease in Miami Beach's fashionable South Beach community. The Miami Beach, Florida location follows on the heels of a proposed store in New York's SoHo district and is expected to open concurrently in December 2006, in time for the Christmas shopping season. The store with 2,000 square feet of selling space will be located on Collins Avenue, among other high-end stores such as Intermix, Nicole Miller, MAC Cosmetics and Barney's. The store will carry the entire True Religion line of clothing, including Men's, Women's, and Kid's denim jeans, jackets, western shirts, T-shirts, skirts, fleece hoodies and pants, as well as the increasingly expanding line of sportswear, including knits and wovens.

Gold is the new pink. Shorts are the new pants. Ankle boots are the new slouchy boots. Leggings are the new panty-hose. And 20 is the new 40; at least when it comes to fashion icons. The days of worshipping the middle age women and their daring fashion on Sex and the City have slipped away. Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall have been traded in. The media has upgraded to the newer, younger, hipper, and oh-so stylish twenty-something trendsetters. Nicole Ritchie is the new Carrie Bradshaw.

You are cordially invited to attend the beauty & fashion blogging roundtable with Julie Fredrickson & Philip Leif Bjerknes of Coutorture Media, an association of a few hundred fashion and beauty bloggers dedicated to raising the public consciousness of blogging as well as promoting independent perspectives, opinion, and experiences from around the blogosphere.

Hosted & Moderated by Pierce Mattie Public Relations NYC., Next Thursday August 17th at 6:30 pm, join the roundtable discussions on: spamming, astroturfing, press posted on blogs, blogging etiquette, working with publicists and guidelines for PR professionals

Who Should Attend? All publicists who pitch relevant content to bloggers and bloggers who want to be pitched by publicists. To RSVP, contact: Kristen Herburger of Pierce Mattie Public Relations at 212.243.1431, Email Your RSVP to Kristen H

Roundtable art and copy Can be found here

Location:
Pierce Mattie Public Relations, Inc. 62 West 45th Street
Third Floor Between 5th & 6th Avenues

UPDATE: See The event footage. Transcript also available. Fashion and Beauty Bloggers Meet Publicists

As the end of summer is approaching and the intense heat is starting to fade, we all sit and wonder what we’ll be wearing once the fall season rolls around. Year after year, the end of summer always signals a change in fashion as women everywhere pack up their summer clothes and add some layers for cooler weather. Last fall, we saw an emergence of hip-slung belts, hobo bags, and rich hues of teal and purple. This fall, however, the fashion forecast is animal prints, skinny jeans, waist-cinching belts, and basic black, white, and red.

Interesting interview with Cathy Horyn of the New York Times. Cathy shares Julie Fredrickson's viewpoint on the need to take bloggers seriosly. Also discussed, Cathy's take on personally blogging and the "imaginary" conflict that some luxury brands feel when it comes to blogging about luxury. I'm sure if Billy Daily was still working at KCD he would have let Julie from Coutorure Media in to see the Mark Jacobs show at the Spring collections fashion week. Other sources for coverage are: New York Magazine, Fashion Week Live website, with coverage by Lauren Ezersky

Pierce Mattie PR is now working with the Arabian designer Areej Turki on the launch of her fashion debut in the US. Areej Creations is a new clothing and sportswear line that features the art of Areej Turki. Entitled Brushstrokes, the collection consists of elegant, comfortable lounge wear with bold motifs from Turki's personal oil paintings. Because of the artistic influence, the collection is available in three different color palettes: blue, green and purple.

Ideal for the customer that doesn't want to wear a logo, but wants to add character to their wardrobe. The soft cotton pieces are ideal for exercise including pilates and yoga, as well as mixing and matching with jeans and skirts for a fresh look that is sophisticated and eye catching.

Life Clever (tips fro design & life) by Chanpory Rith: 5 Writing Tips That Don't Suck (via) Copyblogger

A PR Guru's Musings: Q&A on innovations in public relations

John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing "Longs for a good publicity stunt"

BusinessWeek.com: Wal-Mart: A "Reputation Crises" The giant retailer has been trying hard to improve its image and reignite sales

Idea Grove: Introducing Spin Thicket: Media Orchard "Easier way to keep up with the news"

Eric Eggertson:
Mutually Inclusive PR and Strumpette: Backlash Against Crayon's Second Life Launch

Still warming up to Second Life? I am asked about it almost daily and wanted to get some basic info posted for those friends who read our blog consistently. Backstory is here. Follow the links.

New World Notes

From April 2003 to February 2006, I was a contract writer for Linden Lab, creators of Second Life, primarily hired by the company to cover SL as an embedded journalist in an emerging society-- its controversies, its personalities, its innovations and ambitions, along with larger themes of identity, social norms and organization, and cultural expression important to online worlds in general.

That contractual relationship has ended, but the story continues here. -Wagner James Au

Second Thoughts Do's and Dont's for Big Business.

"Every human being is interested in two kinds of worlds: the Primary, everyday world which he knows through his senses, and a Secondary world or worlds which he not only can create in his imagination, but which he cannot stop himself creating." W.H. Auden

Second Life Herald The Second Life Herald was founded on October 23, 2003, by philosophy professor Peter Ludlow. Its mission, as described the next day, was to observe, record and study "the legal, social, and economic implications" of life in the virtual world. Originally established as the Alphaville Herald and reporting for the most part on life on the Alphaville server of The Sims Online, the Herald soon branched out into coverage of other massively multiplayer online games and virtual worlds -- helped along by the murder of Herald publisher Urizenus (Ludlow's avatar) after Electronic Arts got wind of the stories the newspaper was printing about the scams and cyber-prostitution that were taking place within its game, and the company's indifference to reports of real-world violence.

Do you seem to be losing customers lately? Is your customer base and sales simply not increasing? Consumers are telling you all of the time what they want, but are you paying attention? Do you genuinely listen to what they want? Or do you feel comfortable with the way things are?

Here are five things that consumers want from a business both online and offline:

In our continued effort to support bloggers and citizen journalists we are opening up our vote for Publicist of the Year to you. In the past we have only asked the media and producers to participate. If you've worked with any of our publicists, please vote today.

I’ve honestly never paid much attention to products that were celebrity endorsed, in high school, maybe a little, however there have been plenty of my friends who live by what products “Celebrity A List” says are the best. There was a time, back when I was very young, that I did follow what my favorite celebrities endorsed. One such product was Pepsi, simply because I was a very big Michael Jackson fan. Luckily, I wised up.

So when I saw one of my favorite fashion designers, Isaac Mizrahi, pitching StriVectin-SD in a commercial the other day I felt such utter disappointment. Strivectin-SD, which claims to be an anti-stretchmark cream turned anti-wrinkle cream, is trying to pitch their product to men through Mizrahi's popularity. Isaac is a talk show host and thus a "lifestyle advocate" however, as a person who admires Mr. Mizrahi for his outstanding fashion, I wonder why he had to go this route. Seeing him in a commercial promoting an anti-wrinkle cream made me lose a little bit of respect for him and I didn't want too. I'm sure I am not alone.

I believe there was a time when celebrity endorsements held clout, but the times have been changing, most especially as blogs have become more and more popular. There are so many blogs out there that review products and I am more apt to listen to the average Joe tell me their likes and dislikes over a product than to run out to buy a product because Mischa Barton has been using it. According to a survey done by Allure and Essence, the same holds true for many of their readers.

Although Blogging has been around for years, approaching Bloggers to review or pitch your products is fairly new and growing in momentum. If you are thinking of approaching a Blogger to review your products, there is a protocol that sometimes many companies do not invest their time to understand and follow.

As a beauty Blogger, I receive many emails on a weekly basis from companies and PR firms big and small to find out if I am interested in reviewing their products on my two beauty blogs. There are some that exude professionalism both in the way they approach me through their emails, through the way the package is sent and in their follow up. Then there are the mass emails, lack of PR materials with the product, presentation of the product and lack of follow up. The difference between the two potentially means your emails go in my trash folder.

Things you should not do when you approach a Blogger:

Send out a mass email, most notably saying “Dear Bloggers” or having no greeting at all. While some newer Bloggers may respond to this, many seasoned Bloggers won’t. It is the sign of a company simply harvesting your contact information and not taking the time to personally contact you, as they want you to personally review their product. It is a two way street.

Have the expectation that the Blogger will want to review your product simply because you offered it for free. Bloggers know their readers and most will only review products that are 1. Related to their blog and 2. Something that would be of interest to their readers.

Insincerely attempt to flatter them. So many companies do it and many times I receive the same email to each of my accounts for my blogs when the company doesn’t even realize they are sending it to the same person. Bloggers can read between the lines.

Lord & Taylor, America’s oldest department store operating since 1826, will be getting a facelift that is multi-faceted in nature according to WWD. NDRC Equity Partners, who bought Lord & Taylor from Federated Department Stores last year, has many plans in the works to bring the store back to life.

David Lipman will be breathing new life into Lord & Taylor’s advertising campaigns. He has been responsible for the success of many other brands, including Burberry and Zegna. Randall Ridless and Mancini Duffy, the architectural and design firm, will be collaborating on revamping the interior of the stores, with the Manhattan location being downsized from its weighty 11 floors to just 5 or 6. Store designers will also be developing a new Fall/Holiday branding campaign and there will be focus on the remerchandising of the products they sell and their private label. There are many fabulous events going on at their different locations to draw in the crowds (can someone say Isaac Mizrahi on 2/24?) pursuant to show that Lord & Taylor can offer exciting events for their customers and anticipate that while in-store, potential customers perception of the Lord & Taylor image over the last few years will change. Lord & Taylor considers it a rebranding and hopes it will put the once hugely popular department store back on the map.

When our culture is being overwrought by Wal-Mart’s, Target’s and the like, I think it is very refreshing to get back to basics and have those brands that were the lifeblood for so many years re-emerge stronger, bring a fresh sense of history along with it. As with Gap’s repositioning, I suspect Lord & Taylor will make their rebranding a success.

The summer is heating up and so are these hot Fashion & Beauty Blogs!

Fashion:

+ Second City Style posts about Badgley Mischka’s launch of their women’s resort swimwear line.

+ Ask Men helps you learn about what to look for in dress shoes and how to select the right shoe for your next upscale adventure.

+ Bunnyshop ponders the (continuing) skinny jean debate.

Beauty:

+ Aromascope brought back great memories of my early 20’s when she wrote about the fragrance Angel and its substitues.

+ All Lacquered Up loves green nail polish and shows off NYX Cosmetic’s revamped version of their greens.

+ Cinnamon Kitten reviews Clinique’s Touch Base for Eyes.

Fashion:

+ Fashion Indie is calling for an Indie-wide ban on Britney Spears for her tasteless use of a Zac Posen gown as a doggy outhouse.

+ Bag Bliss writes about Gwen Stephani filing suit against Forever 21.

+ MetroStyleMen has a post that is really quite interesting and the “fashion” displayed is really quite…well see for yourself.

Beauty:

+ The it Lists reviews Fekkai’s Beach Waves.

+ Spa Blah Blah Blog gives some beauty recipes for a cucumber mask and toner.

+ Hello Dollface reviews GapBody’s Bath & Skin Collection.

Fashion:

+ TopButton.com helps you transform your work wardrobe from runway to your way with Philip Lim 3.1

+ Bag Snob is doing 6 episodes on E! for, “25 Most Stylish.” The lucky gals get to do three of the episodes with the ever fabulous Tom Ford!

+ Fashion Salad let’s us know that Paris Hilton is not going away—in fact, she is going to be launching a footwear line.

Beauty:

+ Beauty Pro is curious what you think of the bold eyebrow trend. Make sure to cast your vote in our poll to tell us whether you love it or hate it.

+ The Organic Beauty Expert wonders how you feel about product packaging going green.

+ The Beauty Blog Network launches its own social media network on Ning and creates it’s own rendition of Digg: “The Beauty Digg.”

Fashion:

+ 55 Secret Street has pictures of some of the female celebrities at the Emmys. I can't say I'm enamored with how Kate Walsh's dress and hair looked, how about you?

+ Coquette has all of the glamorous looks from Marc Jacobs SS08 Fashion Week show.

+ GlamChic shows off some celebrities who whose style was all glitz but no gems last night on the Emmy Awards red carpet.

Beauty:

+ Pretty By Nature highlights Jane Iredale's products as part of her Mineral Makeup Month.

+ Beauty Blabber lists the Emmy Awards top 5 hair and makeup beauties.

+ Temptalia gives a great rundown of Emmy Awards beauty and what products you need to duplicate the same look.

Fashion:

+ Christa Taylor discusses tips she learned from a Model.

+ The Space Between My Peers explains why watching fashion trends is frugal.

+ The Coveted has a great interview with Swedish design duo Mori & Mimosa.

Beauty:

+ Beauty and Fashion Tech reviews Sonia Kashuk Cosmetics Cheek Sheer, Shadow and Brushes.

+ Beauty Secrets Revealed gives some great DIY recipes for skin whitening/lightening.

+ Aging Fabulous let's purveyors of Estee Lauder know that their lipsticks may be gone, but they are not forgotten.

Philippe Rohdewald, a native of Luxembourg, developed his interest in fashion photography during his teenage years while attending a high school for the arts. Having been closer to the world of film, however, he decided to study film production and in 1996 attended Pratt Institute in New York City, the place he now calls his home.

He concluded his film studies with highest honors. With directors like Bergman, Fellini, Argento and cinematographers like Alonzo, Kovacs and Nitkvist as major influences, he started a career as a cinematographer. However, this career was short lived as his interest in fashion photography took precedence, as fashion gave him a more controlled environment to create the images he was keen on producing. He sold his Aaton motion picture camera package, piled up on still cameras of various formats and soon enough – with the help of very dear friends – was able to build up a presentable portfolio and get his first client in 2002.

To this day Philippe has shot for Diane Von Furstenberg, Tory Burch, Club Monaco and Tracy Reese (among others) while his client list keeps growing on a monthly basis. Having come this far without an agent, he has learned to enjoy working his way up in what is a highly saturated and competitive industry; the most pleasurable moments being meeting new people, taking on challenges and trying new ideas whenever possible.

Being established in the commercial world (enough so that he is constantly occupied), he started dedicating more time to his personal work, a series of fashion editorials that fuse the film noir side of 1960’s and 1970’s Italian and French cinema with stills. Clearly the influences from his earlier film days still mark his work to this day. The results for the most part are too edgy and graphic to be displayed in most American fashion publications, independent or not, and hence seeks shelter for his personal work in galleries and eventually in book form.

You can see Philippe Rohdewald's portfolio online at www.philippe-ny.com

Press Room: New York, February 5, 2008: Pierce Mattie Public Relations is pleased to announce that STORM, a fashion forward and innovative watch and accessories brand from the UK, has appointed the luxury fashion PR firm to continue to lead their fashion public relations campaign for a second year. Pierce Mattie PR has been able to secure nearly 60 placements among consumer & trade publications, as well as, broadcast segments in its first year working with the fashion brand.

Our Fashion PR Account Director, Real Hamilton-Romeo, has been featured on iVillage's Weekly Top 10 in Beauty & Style regarding transition pieces. Check out Real's fashion tip on page 4 of the 10 page spread!

Here we are again, last week we critiqued Biden and Palin and this week it’s Obama and McCain. Remember this is Pierce Mattie after all. We don’t talk politics; we talk fashion, grooming and lifestyle choices. Though they reference Reagan, JFK and Roosevelt, let’s remember – they are none of the above. Are you ready to examine?

What makes an off-price retailer so much fun to frequent? The mystery of “How did this <insert brand name here> White Linen Size 6 Dress end up here and in my lucky hands!”  Mystery no more ladies and gentlemen, I present to you three off-pricers who are mass communicating the way in which they acquire their inventory as way to improve their image.

Three major off-price retailers, TJ Maxx, Marshalls and Burlington Coat Factory, have all approached brand communications with a similar goal: to educate the consumer on how the brand labels end up in their stores at lower prices than traditional retailers.  Through this approach they glamourize the process by showing well-dressed buyers the consumer might have previously only associated with a high-end retailer.

 TJ Maxx Website

Read the full post on our Fashion PR blog, The Fashion Rag

Let’s face it; it is close to impossible to find a news feature, blog or television story that doesn’t have an angle on the current economic crisis. From fashion stories to travel stories, political ones to technical ones—it seems all the writers of the world are chained to a gurney and forced to begin their article with something to the tune of “As wall street crumbles so does the apple pie at XYZ Bakery.”  If you are feeling as heavy as I am by reading these worrisome stories (and I’ve even written a few myself) then let’s find little luxuries we can still afford to pick us up.

High-fashion magazine: If you can’t buy all the threads your heart desires then why not live inside a high-fashion magazine for a few hours?  The long-legged models wrapped in pricey prêt-à-porter might take your whisk away from economic matters to a world where luxury rules and champagne flows.  Note: the goal here is not to envy but to appreciate the finer things in life as a something to aspire to.

Caviar at a small price: As featured in this Sunday’s issue of Page Six Magazine, "The Millionaire Egg."  Why should caviar, truffles and gold be reserved for the über wealthy?  For $15, a truffle-infused deviled egg topped with sturgeon roe, celery and a gold leaf garnish is delivered to you on the Empire Hotel Rooftop.  If you don’t live in the New York Area, a lot of restaurants offer the same “small plate appetizer” concept with otherwise expensive ingredients.

Last night my fiancé, Skie Ocasio, took me to see Broadway Voices for Change Benefit Concert at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. Skie was excited to see his Broadway favorites Audra McDonald & Barbara Cook. As the seats packed to no availability and Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick came out to greet the crowd with an introduction, I just kept staring at her shoes-- they were the gold version of Dorothy’s from Wizard of Oz.

Though their introduction speeches were lackluster and similar to what we saw at the Runway to Change event with the word “great” being used three times in one sentence, I admired Sarah’s tenacity in getting out there to do this over and over again. Though, as a publicist, their repertoire could have been crafted a little better as they read them off large pieces of copy paper. Matthew even had the uncomfortable giggles with what was coming out of his mouth as if he was reading it for the very first time. Never the less, the message last night amongst all of us that live in theater district was clear; support for Obama is at a fever pitch.

As Audra placed an Obama Ken Doll on the piano and Barbara taught the crowd life’s lessons over her decades of experience, she glistened in her usual signature oversized necklace. Skie and I left with goose bumps and he asked; “So what did you think?” My response? "I loved Sarah’s dress."

*Photo Credit: Celebrity-Gossip.net/Splashnewsonline.com