Fashion Business | Shirley Style

One of the latest news items in the fashion accessory world is the upcoming debut of the new SJP, by Sarah Jessica Parker (the famous “Sex and The City” actress). Her success in starring as the fashionable shoe-loving character Carrie Bradshaw in the show brought many high-end accessories to the spotlight, including Manolo Blahnik.

SJP is the new shoe and handbag line Sarah Jessica Parker designed by partnering up with George Mulkemus, the Manolo Blanik’s president. The line will launch exclusively with Nordstrom on Feb. 28, 2014.

I was not surprised when I heard about this news. Sarah Jessica Parker has been one of the icons in the fashion world over the past fifteen years. I have always admired the bags she used when she was spotted in fashion magazines while she was photographed while running her errands. And I like her effortless fashionable style. I can’t think of anyone else better suited than SJP to launch a new accessory line.

The shoes from SJP look simple and yet elegant. They actually remind me of Manolo Blanik shoes. However, I think the SJP prices, a new line launched by a celebrity instead of an existing famous shoe designer, are a bit high.

For example, a pair of Manolo’s iconic BB cost about $595, whereas a pair of SJPs is around $350. My initial hunch for the price of a pair of SJPs was around $250, since it’s a new “non-designer” line.

I hope the SJP shoes will live up to my expectations as a made-in- Italy celebrity line. Based on the pictures, they look very classic and are available in several unique colors. If that’s the case, when the SJP line launches on February 28, I will definitely give the line a serious look. I am betting on the fact that someone who wears designer shoes, like Sarah Jessica Parker, will make high quality products that resemble some of the uniquene features of the designer lines.

One of the biggest news in the fashion world recently is the departure of Marc Jacobs (Creative Director from 1997 to 2014) from my favorite luxury line, Louis Vuitton. Marc Jacobs is leaving the fashion house, so he can focus on expanding his own lines. This doesn’t comes as a surprise, since he recently added a new makeup line under his Marc Jacobs brand. However, I am not so sure if his departure from Louis Vuitton is a good thing for me.

The fact that Marc Jacobs will no longer be the creative director for Louis Vuitton is not surprising but is disappointing. For the past seven years I’ve been completely fascinated with the Louis Vuitton’s Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer runway collections that Marc Jacobs designed. Each year I looked forward to getting their limited-edition handbags for my own personal collection. Marc Jacobs had the ability to transform the classical LV designs into trendy seasonal items, without losing their traditional elements. The best examples would be the “Lockit” from Fall/Winter 2011, and the “Speedy” from Fall/Winter 2012.

The “Lockit” was a reinvention of the design from the classic Louis Vuitton style, when women used to zip up their handbag and lock it up. The “Speedy” is one of the iconic designs that Marc Jacobs reinvented into many runway collections. Although it was released numerous times, it always looked refreshingly stylish and eye-catching. For example, the Speedy from Fall/Winter 2012, which has sparkling sequins Monogram over wool texture, and the Speedy from Pre-Fall 2013 that has sequins on the Damier canvas.

I can’t image what I am going to do after Marc Jacobs’ last season (Spring/Summer 2014) with Louis Vuitton. In my personal opinion, Marc Jacobs’ success in leading Louis Vuitton wasn’t only beneficial to the fashion house, it was a big gain for handbag lovers like me. I get to own the unique items he designed for the runway shows. And the joy of collecting those bags and holding them in my hand is priceless.

Marc Jacobs will be replaced by the former Balenciaga designer, Nicolas Ghesquière.