Here I am, back from a rather hectic holiday, and today I open my 1,280 emails… Given my advanced age, I discover all these spams sent to me for old-age insurance and incontinent diapers, in itself quite a program… I know that, from time to time for some, I have verbal diarrhea, but still!

So here I am, back in the limelight, in the luxury cottages, because in the houses, the mercato has already begun well before the vacations and the general managers have jumped like the jumping peas. We’re also witnessing the replacement of certain designers, who in fact create nothing, by others who will create no more. It’s the demand of luxury houses that have stayed in the marketing stratégy to sell 10,000-euro bags that you can find in China for 100 euros, and sometimes of better quality.

And then there’s the abundant readers’ mail, which fluctuates between 50% insults and 50% compliments, which makes for a pretty even balance. The day after tomorrow, I’ll probably give you a glimpse of a particularly nice letter to which I’ve replied in kind.

As inflation bites its mass-market US shoppers and even aspirational consumers after a post-pandemic handbag spending spree, Michael Kors, which generates the largest chunk revenue, has experienced steeper revenue declines than some higher-end peers in recent quarters.

Nevertheless, Tapestry executives (American multinational luxury fashion holding) believe they can take a page from Coach and Kate Spade’s playbook.

In order to showcase Michael Kors and appeal to more consumers, executives plan to increase their marketing investments.

Hedi Slimane, artistic director of Céline, faced with the fear of riots, did not present this Sunday, July 2. As a challenge to the rules of Paris Fashion Week, Jacquemus chose the week between the men’s and haute couture shows to present its collection, on June 26, off-calendar, in the very extravagant setting of the Château de Versailles basin created by Lenôtre.

Thirteen years later, the “customary” of this calendar, which Jacques Mouclier and Pierre Berger had organized for the profession, and not Didier Grumler, as some Irish and other journalists say… recomposing history in low-brow books for the fashion Net-Woke.

These are the aristocratic women of our time, the Marie-Trottinettes of Versailles, who come to contemplate the couturier of couturiers, the man who can neither sew nor draw, and who is imbued with the noble desire to instruct us.

On Monday, guests at the Jacquemus fashion show at the Château de Versailles shielded themselves from the sun with ivory-colored parasols. The 75 boats lined up along the red runway that skirted one bank were accompanied by baroque music.

The goal of this ambitious fashion show was to position the Jacquemus brand in a more important league, as well as to aim for sales of 500 million euros by 2025. But that’s not going to happen with the dresses presented.

As a nod to Marie-Antoinette and Versailles’ court fashion, the collection is remembered for its frothy skirts and ugliest pantyhose. We’ve certainly not read the same history books.

Jacquemus, the French brand known for its cinematic runway shows in spectacular locations such as a lavender field and a salt mine, will visit the Château de Versailles for its next fashion show on June 26, as part of a brand elevation strategy that includes plans for an international retail rollout.

Designer Simon Porte Jacquemus, known for his Mediterranean aesthetic and deft use of social media, follows in the footsteps of major brands such as NafNAF and Zara. What could be better than a king’s castle for the king of tartuffery?

To be able to do a fashion show at Versailles has always been a childhood dream,” declared the couturier, who can neither draw nor sew a dress.

But Jacquemus CEO Bastien “Dag-Usant” has his work cut out for him! The initiative is part of a long-term strategy to elevate the brand somewhere.

Chiquito handbags, the brand’s best-sellers, start at 490 euros, the company’s cash cow. At 5.2 cm long and 8.7 cm high (with handle), it can only hold the letter “J” in the Jacquemus logo. It’s worn hanging from a ridiculous finger.

According to three people with direct knowledge of the matter, EU antitrust regulators are investigating how Kering’s (PRTP.PA) Gucci and other fashion firms set prices of handbags and leather goods for distributors.

Reuters reported previously that the European Union raided Gucci’s Milan site, which makes such products, at dawn in response to a Reuters report. Kering confirmed at the time that Gucci had cooperated with EU regulators.

An EU competition watchdog is investigating whether the companies are imposing consumer prices on multi-brand retailers selling their products and threatening not to sell to them if they don’t.

EU antitrust laws prohibit such practices, and breaches can result in fines of up to 10% of a company’s global revenue.

When Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO of Bulgari, unveiled the new Bulgari Hotel on Thursday, he expressed his enthusiasm for the world’s 9th luxury hotel BULGARI, which has special significance because of its location in Rome, where Bulgari is based, marking as well as its historical significance.

With six floors and over 151,000 square feet of space, plus an additional terrace offering breathtaking views of Rome from the Vatican to the Villa Medici, there was no shortage of superlatives. The Pope himself is said to have blessed the luxury lord’s new flagship from his bed.