I heard about this amazing concept – The Divorcée Sale that took place in The Mondrian Hotel at the Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles last month. Jill Alexander—who was once the west coast brand manager for Tory Burch—is the creator of this ecclectic vision that brings in unwanted designer pieces from divorcées around the country.
Wouldn’t it be a great concept – The Divorcée Sale – in India??? Think about it; most of our fashionistas are divorced. One could score serious designer digs from divorcées looking to purge their fashionable excess baggage. It’s good for all; budget fashionistas can pick up stuff. which otherwise they couldn’t afford and the divorcees can do a lot with that extra cash.
Oh yes, you can earn some Karmic points too by sharing the revenue with some charitable organisation. Jill Alexander who originated the concept of ‘The Divorcée Sale’ in L.A shared 25% of the proceeds with The Breast Cancer Research Foundation and Meredith Israel’s medical fund. Her Sale had a VIP Preview (which is great to create a Page3 event here) before it opened to Public and had goodies from designers like YSL and
Lanvin to Tory Burch with prices ranging from $50-$2,500.
The Divorcée Sale would be a Big Hit in Delhi, Mumbai or Bengaluru as there are no dearth of rich divorcees with closets full of designer stuff – bags, heels and of course loads and loads of clothes all bought with the flowing moolah of ex husband/s! And nowadays being a ‘Divorcée’ is nothing to be ashamed of.
Seems like Cannes Film Festival is more about Fashion & Luxury than Films. Louis Vuitton and Roberto Cavalli are among the international luxury brands to have recently opened dedicated stores during the upcoming CANNES FILM FESTIVAL 2011. Chanel is the latest brand to announce the set up of a pop up store in Cannes, during the festival, at Majestic Hotel.
Other major luxury brands such as Yves Saint Laurent, Elie Saab, Gucci and Van Cleef Arpels are setting up showrooms at Martinez Hotel, mostly to provide assistance as well as last minute ”touches” for the hundreds of celebrities who will be wearing luxury branded clothing, accessories and jewellery.
Chanel is setting up its pop-up store or say, a temporary showroom at the luxury Eden Roc Hotel, in a large suite. Karl Lagerfeld, himself, will be present for several trunk shows and fittings with his ”muse” celebrities as well as top haute couture clients who will be in Cannes for the duration of the Film Festival.
Christian Dior will set up its beauty and fragrances displays at Martinez Hotel and will organize its traditional Cannes event together with ELLE magazine at Eden Roc Hotel on May 20th.
Swiss jeweller CHOPARD, which is also a main sponsor of the CANNES Film Festival, will organize on May 14th, its traditional Trophée Chopard event, which this year will celebrate 10 years under the patronage of Robert de Niro, who is also the President of the Jury of this year’s edition. The Chopard Trophee rewards the talent of two young actors, each year, counting among its previous winners: Marion Cotillard, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Diane Kruger and Gael Garcia-Bernal.
Alexander McQueen killed himself with an overdose of drugs and now it seems that the other famous, or should I say infamous Brit designer, John Galliano’s outburst at the Paris cafe was fueled by drugs. Yves Saint Laurent died fighting his drug problem, Gianni Versace met his killer at one of his coke binges and Marc Jacobs and Calvin Klein accept their drug problem. Drugs seem to be the biggest scourge of the fashion world. Yet fashion courts drugs! 
Remember the era of Heroin Chic & Rehab Chic? Dior better consider Heidi Slimane’s drug problem before signing him on as his name is doing the rounds.
Galliano’s friends; rather experienced substance-abusing friends, Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell have advised him to check-in to the high-profile rehab – The Meadows! Kate Moss managed to resurrect her career post getting caught sniffing cocaine on camera and I think Galliano too will bounce back surely because of his immense talent.
Hope our desi fashion fraternity realises the peril of substance abuse. However more than Indian Fashion, I feel it is Bollywood that would sooner or later crumble because of rampant drug abuse. I can count names on my fingers of stars who DON”T sniff cocaine. Most do, and when you spill the beans they go ballistic screaming from TV Channels and sending legal notices to poor scribes about us trying to taint their image. I too got a legal notice and mouth full of abuses from one such Bollywood’s (fading) Star. But then I care a Damn!