Sunday This and That

I don't know what came over me. I walked into the Ralph Lauren store at Tysons Galleria. I know not to do that; it's too tempting. I could live in Ralph Lauren - if only I were rich. After some pleasant chit chat at the door, I did a quick tour and found this amazing Velvet Lanigan Jacket in Cabernet Red, made with Italian cotton velvet. I'd call it aubergine. It snared me. I couldn't leave without it. They had a size 4, and it went out the door - with me.

A friend gave me her Fall 2012 issue of Ralph Lauren's catalog, which is like an image book. It's really dangerous to read. There's about $15,000 worth of much-have clothing in it. There's probably another $15,000 worth of nice-to-have items. Who can afford to be a Ralph man or woman?

I'm sure it didn't escape your notice that Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York was filled with beautiful designs for Spring/Summer 2013. Ralph Lauren never fails to show beautiful clothing. I can see myself wearing the outfit below. I'm not sure where. I might need a camisole under that blouse, but I'd be happy to look so pulled together.

Now that Neiman Marcus' Beauty Week is over, we are facing two more beauty events! Saks Fifth Avenue's starts on September 27 and runs through October 6. They are offering your choice of three very large, ostrich-imprint totes in navy, dark green, and mustard - supposedly filled with samples. One can be yours with a $100 purchase in the beauty department.

I called Saks at Chevy Chase this afternoon and found out they have the Blue Illusion de Chanel Collection available. If you missed the collection at Chanel.com, give Loyd or Georgia a call at (240) 497-5363 or (240) 497-5301.

There are two other events underway or about to start. I believe the Barneys GWP event starts very soon. I'm sorry I don't have the date to give you. I'll find it. If you live in the U.K., Liberty's has a fabulous GWP event underway. I wish they shipped to the U.S.

I'm not sure how I feel about Bobbi Brown signing Katie Holmes to be the face of Bobbi Brown. It's clear the celebrity bandwagon is still marching. Max Factor has signed Gwyneth Paltrow.  According to WWD, Paltrow will star in a six-month Max Factor campaign, starting in November, in which she’ll model looks created by the brand’s makeup artists to reflect the different aspects of her life. Paltrow also signed to be the ambassador for Hugo Boss's new women's fragrance Boss Nuit Pour Femme. She's going to be a busy lady.

I had an opportunity to talk to a skin-care insider this weekend. He was only vaguely aware of the FDA's mandate to Lancôme to adjust its advertising claims within 15 days. We talked about what that would mean industry-wide. He said that many companies will have to change their packaging, package inserts, Web sites, training materials, magazine advertisements, and other media placements and that there was no way it could be accomplished in 15 days. How the Lancôme case plays out in the industry will be an interesting test. The FDA threatened seizure and injunctions for products that  claim to "boost the activity of genes" or "stimulate cell regeneration" to reduce the signs of aging.

I'll leave you with one more random thought. I read in WWD that this season's makeup texture is velvet. Deep, rich colors with a plush finish dominate makeup artists’ offerings, from lushly opaque liquid lipsticks in deep hues, like those by Hourglass and Shiseido.Velvet textures are said to be tactile and sensuous. Keep your eyes open. You'll see velvet in the names of many new offerings. Estée Lauder's limited-edition Pure Color Velvet Lipstick in Black Cassis is shown above.

Photos courtesy of Ralph Lauren and Estée Lauder

Ralph Lauren Launches Big Pony Collection for Women

If you read fashion magazines, then you've probably seen the scent strips featuring all four of the new Ralph Lauren Big Pony Collection for Women fragrances! I first saw (and smelled) them in Elle. After a two-week exclusive at Bloomingdale’s, the four new scents became available in about 2,500 department and specialty stores, including Sephora.

With this launch, Ralph Lauren is bringing an appealing message to young women: "Live life in color by expressing every vibrant side of you,” said Marc Rey, President of International Designer Collections at L’Oréal USA, told WWD. “The Big Pony Collection for Women is a bouquet of exciting fragrances for the iPod generation.”

Here's the deal. I'm not young, and I'm not a member of the iPod generation. I still love all four of the new fragrances. They were created to appeal to women’s many facets, said Guillaume de Lesquen, President of Ralph Lauren Fragrances Worldwide. “The Big Pony Collection for Women empowers a woman to express all her different sides and convey the whole story of who she is. This means identifying the four key attributes of a modern woman’s femininity: sporty, sensual, free-spirited, and stylish.” Although considered a key opportunity to bring in the 18- to 24-year-old consumer, de Lesquen admitted, “We believe this collection will appeal to women of all ages as well.” Hello, yeah? They remembered those of us who love light fragrances. These are pretty; they are not "teeny bopper" fragrances.

Fragrance number 1 in the blue bottle is a sporty floral citrus, with blue lotus and grapefruit notes providing its signature. Created by Bruno Jovanovic of International Flavors & Fragrances, it has top notes of grapefruit and honeydew, a heart of blue lotus and dewy jasmine, and a base of cedarwood and musk.

Scent 2 is the sensual offering, a floriental fruity juice with a cranberry and tonka mousse signature. Concocted by Honorine Blanc of Firmenich, it has top notes of grapefruit, mandarin, guava, and water lily; a heart of lily of the valley, magnolia, and honeysuckle; and a dry-down of sandalwood, vanilla extract, marshmallow, and musk.

The collection’s number 3 scent is intended to be free-spirited, with a signature of pear and mimosa. The floral green juice, by Laurent Le Guernec of IFF, has top notes of juicy pear and kumquat, a heart of mimosa and buttercup, and a base of white amber and sandalwood.

Number 4 is an oriental floral, which represents the stylish facet of women, built around cherry and purple amber notes. It also contains three synthetic and proprietary molecules: cassyrein, cristallon, and sylkolide. Created by Olivier Gillotin of Givaudan, it has top notes of blood orange, casseyrein and watermelon, a heart of magnolia flower and cristallon, and a dry-down of sylkolide, sandalwood, and purple amber.

De Lesquen noted that the bottles are intended to be a more feminine, elegant version of the Big Pony for Men’s flask-like glass bottles, with bright, feminine colors and an elegant silver cap. On each bottle, the pony is embossed into the glass on the front, and the brightly colored number is screened on the back. They are not sprays. Each scent is an eau de toilette and is available in two sizes, $70 for 100 ml and $55 for 50 ml. There are also .34-ounce rollerballs available for $19.

Have you smelled them? Did you succumb? I found a coffret, set of all four in mini sizes, at Sephora and ordered them. I'd love to live in a Ralph Lauren advertisement. Why not live in a few easy-on-the-nose fragrances?

Photos courtesy of Ralph Lauren and Sephora; quotes courtesy of WWD

Ralph Panned

Now I've seen everything. Ralph Lauren's "shabby chic" collection for Spring 2010 was panned in the Washington Post this morning. You can read Robin Givhan's review at this link. I have to say, after seeing the clothes, I have to agree with her. She is a keen fashion observer, and she actually panned most of the Spring looks.

As a rule, I think Ralph Lauren produces some of the most beautiful, romantic clothing and accessories on earth. His advertisements are masterpieces. I would love to live in his fantasy world. It's sad that he couldn't give fashion lovers a "lift" in bad times, rather than playing to the mood of poverty, despair, and recession.

Photo courtesy of NBC New York.