What a sauce!
Apparently the British public's ability to fawn on anyone celebrated - including fashion designers - has reached new heights of silliness, with the launch of a limited edition HP sauce bottle by renowned UK designer Paul Smith. Marketing experts frequently emphasize the importance of protecting brands from the horrors of dilution or corruption, but clearly Smith is sufficiently aloof from such fears to be able to turn the theory on its head. Branding gone mad? Not at all. It's UK shoppers who are a few branches short of a chain store, snapping up the first batch of repackaged 500 limited edition sets within three hours. Paul Smith certainly has got a lot of bottle, and he's got me wondering; how would the no-nonsense Australian public react to a similar marketing ploy? Collette Dinnigan meat pies anyone?
Shaken not stirred
Talking of sauce and branding, a recent invitation to the opening of a revamped Harrolds menswear emporium in Melbourne had me wondering what kind of message Harrolds is trying to convey. At first glance it seemed a tasteful black and white affair, on closer inspection revealing a series of nude women striking poses reminiscent of the illustrations for "Yoga: A Guide for Very Attractive Young Women." This was overlaid by an image of two smartly gentlemen - presumably the Harrolds founders - dressed up to the nines and looking on with thinly veiled glee. I thought to myself: Are these men promoting women's health, or launching a fruity men's club? The very helpful PR explained that the invite was designed in the spirit of James Bond. "It does take a while to work out," she agreed, "But once someone says James Bond, it all seems to make sense."
Big in Milan
I didn't know whether to jump for joy or faint on reading that a recent catwalk show in Milan - that apex of emaciated style - was actually promoting larger sizes. I'll pause there to let readers step back in amazement, for this is an explosive revolution, comparable only the revelation some centuries ago that the earth was round not flat, or to Michael Jackson getting a tan. Fashion label Elena Miro has a mission to make stylish Italian clothes for curvy and voluptuous women and fought long and hard for a prized spot on the Milan fashion week calendar. I'm not religious but I think the label's designer should be canonised as the saint of common sense; and I'll be praying to her next time I'm breathlessly trying to knead myself into a pair of jeans that purport to be size 14 but would only look good on Barbie.