Roaring 20s: fashion world predicts post-Covid boom - The Guardian

Roaring 20s: fashion world predicts post-Covid boom - The Guardian
Little Luxury Closet Revolutionizes the Fashion Industry Through Its Unique and Comfortable Approach - Yahoo Finance
Fashion Designer Heidi Weisel Dies at 59 - WWD
Cicely Tyson Gave Fashion Six Decades of Glamour - Vogue

Posted: 31 Jan 2021 02:36 AM PST

As the number of fashion retailers closing down continues to rise, emptying at the highest rate since 1999 according to Bloomberg, optimistic analysts have forecast a post-Covid recovery.

The Economist predicted a "new period of economic dynamism" was on its way, while Prof Paul Krugman wrote in the New York Times that "things will get better" and the business mogul Tilman Fertitta told CNBC : "The consumer is coming back ... this is going to be the 'roaring 20s' – you can just see it."

Prada model at menswear fashion week in Milan this month. Photograph: Sipa/REex/Shutterstock

If the last global recession in 2008 led to the internet shopping boom, will fashion be experiencing a revival of fortune?

"Post-pandemic, we will certainly be looking for ways to reconnect socially - clothes, hair, make-up will be part of the therapy," says Andrew Ibi of Face, a former trend forecaster. "We use clothes to communicate and to perform, they make us feel good one way or the other."

There was evidence of glamour at the recent men's and couture shows, such as the dropped shoulder tops at GMBH and the West Egg-ish style of the Casablanca collection. Azzaro and Area meanwhile featured showgirl looks with a focus on silver shading and night-time magic. "For me the idea of going out or dressing up is not so much about colours, but more about textures and fabrics: satins, silk and anything shiny," says Fiorucci's Daniel Fletcher, whose recent show featured "dressing up" clothes ready for next summer.

There are also indications that people are already buying for the period post Covid. "Investment bags have seen a huge surge in demand since December and are continuing through January including Brunello Cucinelli, Berluti, Bottega Veneta and Métier," says Damien Paul, head of menswear at Matchesfashion. "We are also seeing a strong reaction to men's fine jewellery."

"Fashion has already begun to reclaim fantasy as a design asset," says Ibi,. "[It's] always optimistic and follows instinct and speculation towards the future. As designers we respond to the world around us."

Many have drawn parallels between the Covid pandemicand a century ago, during the 1918 Spanish flu. Following first world war and one of history's deadliest epidemics we had a decade of social freedom, creative boom and economic upturn.

"Fashion stood nearly still from the fall of 1918 to the fall of 1920 with almost no changes in silhouette or novelty," says Jonathan Walford, curatorial director at the Fashion History Museum. He says that in the era that followed – the roaring 20s – fashion reflected a society driven by hedonism and a desire to look youthful.

Instead of suits men began wearing "sports clothes [with] caps, plus fours [trousers] and argyle sweaters". While women "wore oversized hats that slipped down over their bobbed hair and the beaded, waistless, sleeveless dresses [which] made them look like they were playing dress up in their mother's gowns".

In our own "roaring 20s" Ibi thinks that the way we dress will be informed by a new sense of freedom. "I think we will see a broader acceptance on how to dress for any occasion," he says, "whether that's wearing leggings and trainers to the opera, or full drag into the office."

Little Luxury Closet Revolutionizes the Fashion Industry Through Its Unique and Comfortable Approach - Yahoo Finance

Posted: 30 Jan 2021 02:25 PM PST

InvestorPlace

7 Tech Stocks That Could Be the Future FAANG

A few months ago, I began prodding around the idea of, "What are the future FAANG stocks?" We've seen Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) and other tech stocks swell from modest winners to worldwide behemoths. These stocks went from $100 billion to $1 trillion in market capitalization. So many people talk about what it would be like if we had bought Apple in the 1980s or Amazon in 1999. While anyone who did and was able to hold on until now is ridiculously rich, they also sat through a ton of volatility. InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Further, investors could have waited until after Apple's iPhone moment or Amazon's clear dominance of e-commerce and still made a 10x or more return on their investment. Don't believe me? Apple is up over 1,000% over the past decade, while Amazon is up 1,760%. Over just the last five years — when it was absurdly clear these two were established leaders — Apple and Amazon are up 463% and 442%, respectively. That led me to ponder, what are the next tech stocks that could become new FAANG leaders? Specifically, I am looking for companies in the $50 billion to $300 billion market cap range that can go to $400 billion to $1 trillion or more. It's an admittedly wide range, but who cares — these winners are right under our noses. Let's look at seven tech stocks: 7 Safe Stocks to Buy for Solid Returns in Tumultuous Times PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD) Roku (NASDAQ:ROKU) Shopify (NYSE:SHOP) Adobe Systems (NASDAQ:ADBE) Tech Stocks to Buy for Future Gains: PayPal (PYPL) Source: JHVEPhoto / Shutterstock.com Current Market Cap: $295 billion Many investors have continued to underestimate PayPal. When it comes to FAANG tech stocks in their younger years, that seems to be a staple observation of them as well. However, PayPal has found a way to become a payment juggernaut. While sending money to friends and family is free and convenient, that's simply one part of the ecosystem. The company also makes a sliver of sales when involving another business or merchant. It's become a safe, trusted and convenient way for businesses to sell online or to make subscriptions a piece of cake. PayPal's acquisition of Venmo and Honey have only added to those layers of engagement, while e-commerce will continue to be the main catalyst behind its growth. For those looking at tech stocks, the power and trend of e-commerce doesn't need to be explained. Lastly, PayPal's now in the cryptocurrency game, allowing customers to buy and sell Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Etherium and Litecoin. Maybe PayPal won't be able to collect its current "fee" — read: commission — on these transactions forever, based on how stock commissions vanished almost overnight in the brokerage industry. However, for now it should act as an additional growth catalyst. Bonus: At a $100 billion market cap, Square (NYSE:SQ) could also be a consideration as a member of new FAANG tech stocks in this respect. Salesforce (CRM) Source: Bjorn Bakstad / Shutterstock.com Current Market Cap: $206 billion. It should go without saying that given the massive gains the stock market has registered over the past nine months, the ideal scenario would be a sizable correction for several of the stocks on this list. However, that doesn't apply to all of them. Take Salesforce for example. This company keeps on printing money as revenue continues to chug higher. For all the doubt that Salesforce has endured over the years, it has done quite well. It doesn't seem like management plans on stopping, either. For instance, management is looking to generate $60 billion in revenue by 2034. Most recently, it aims to scoop up Slack (NYSE:WORK), growing its workstation presence and scaling up its fight against Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT). 8 Cheap Stocks to Buy With Your Next Stimulus Check As we are talking about pullbacks, Salesforce is a great example. At the recent low, shares were 25% off the highs. That seems like a great opportunity for a company that continually sports 20%-plus revenue growth. Nvidia (NVDA) Source: Sundry Photography / Shutterstock.com Current Market Cap: $335 billion Admittedly a bit larger than what we were looking for, Nvidia needs to be included on this list. Almost every major technological trend is growing in demand. More internet traffic is creating strain in the cloud, increasing demand for edge-cloud computing. More data is creating more need for datacenters. Increasing self-driving vehicle capabilities demand more computing power. Better computers demand better graphics. The list goes on and on and Nvidia is there at every turn. The company's products cater to multiple end markets with impressive secular growth. That's why, despite the pandemic, Nvidia saw such an extreme acceleration in both earnings and revenue. Its savvy M&A strategy has allowed it to add high-quality names like Mellanox at reasonable valuations. Now Nvidia is going after Arm, a massive $40 billion deal. Nvidia is already nearing an unstoppable state, but with Arm it would be a juggernaut. From a pure antitrust perspective, Nvidia should be fine. However, this "juggernaut" position might cause some hiccups. Either way, this is a high-quality name that will only grow in size over time. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Source: Sundry Photography / Shutterstock.com Current Market Cap: $111.5 billion For Nvidia's smaller sibling, we have Advanced Micro Devices. At about one-third the size, AMD has quickly climbed the ladder while drastically improving its financials. CEO Lisa Su has orchestrated one of the most impressive comeback stories in the stock market. Once left for dead, AMD was trading firmly below the $2 mark in 2016. Now sporting a 52-week high of $99-and-change, the leadership has been stellar. Like Nvidia, AMD is situated in multiple secular growth themes as rising demand in technology results in rising demand for AMD. Also like Nvidia, AMD saw a massive rise in revenue and profit during the pandemic. In one last final comparison to Nvidia, AMD is also working to close a large acquisition. In October, the company agreed to acquire Xilinx for $35 billion. 9 Stocks Selling at a Discount Right Now While it would require years worth of more growth, it's not hard to imagine AMD growing to the size of Nvidia ($300 billion). Eventually clearing this level could put it on the lower end of the FAANG status in terms of its size. Roku (ROKU) Source: jejim / Shutterstock.com Current Market Cap: $53 billion Roku is a tough one, because it's certainly the smallest name on this list (by a lot) and it just went on a massive rally. Shares are up 90% over the past three months, as Roku has climbed from a market cap of just $28 billion to where it is today. Additionally, investors just don't understand this company. They still think it's going head-to-head with Amazon with its stick players. While that's kind of true, the story behind Roku isn't the hardware — it's the platform. Roku doesn't care if it's making money on the hardware. Instead, its focus is on the platform, where it collects fees from content providers and on ad revenue from its free Roku channel. In that respect, growth continues to explode. Analysts expect roughly 50% revenue growth this year, followed by 40% growth in 2021 and 36% growth in 2022. Respectfully, I believe that may be conservative. Bulls will acknowledge that a pullback may be in order (and a potentially large one at that). However, I don't think the top is in for Roku. For AMD I mentioned the "lower end of the FAANG status," which would be Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX). Currently, that's a $250 billion market cap and remember, NFLX is at a new high. I could see a scenario where Roku pulls back 20% to 25% — giving it a roughly $40 billion market cap — and ultimately roaring on to a $200-plus billion entity. Shopify (SHOP) Source: justplay1412 / Shutterstock.com Current Market Cap: $145 billion There is one problem with Shopify and several other names on this list: The rallies. While the massive rallies great for long-term investors, it makes the stocks susceptible to large pullbacks as well. If and when we get those declines, that's investors' opportunity to pounce. For Shopify, the bullish reasoning is multifold. First, Shopify is riding a much large trend — e-commerce — and therefore will continue to benefit from robust growth. When the coronavirus hit, sales were not negatively impacted. Instead, merchants flocked to its platform, driving Shopify's revenue higher. Second, it's building out the anti-Amazon business platform — giving merchants big and small power and control of the customer experience. Now the reward here is massive, as Shopify builds out multiple business segments likes shipping, credit, Shopify Pay and others. However, the risk is present as well. That is, can these companies that crave independence from Amazon delivery quality experiences for the customer? In the end, businesses and merchants are at least willing to try. In December 2019 I said investors could buy Shopify despite its lofty valuation. My argument centered on its valuation, saying this name could go from a $40 billion market cap to a $100 to $120 billion market cap in a decade. 7 Safe Stocks to Buy for Solid Returns in Tumultuous Times It was not obvious that the more than tripling in its value would take place in just a few months. In the long, long run, it's not hard to imagine this name being significantly higher. Adobe Systems (ADBE) Source: r.classen / Shutterstock.com Current market cap: $228 billion Last but not certainly not least is Adobe. This company does a lot more than just Flash or Photoshop. It's become a mainstay in e-commerce while also becoming a beacon in the graphics, digital and creative landscape. Find me a freelance graphic designer who's not using Adobe. The stock has quietly racked up enormous gains as well. Adobe is up 140% over the past three years and 430% over the past five years. Over the last decade, the stock has rallied more than 1,300%, as its market cap was around $16 billion just 10 years ago. That's some impressive action and Adobe doesn't show many signs of letting up. Analysts expect double-digit earnings and revenue growth this year and next year, while the company gross margins remain solidly above 85%. While its top-line margins have been steady, its bottom-line profit margins have been soaring. Adobe is quickly yet quietly becoming a technology juggernaut right in front of us. Like some others on this list, the stock has been consolidating nicely over the past six months or so. Let's see if this name can resolve to the upside. On the date of publication, Bret Kenwell held a long position in AAPL, ROKU, CRM and NVDA. Bret Kenwell is the manager and author of Future Blue Chips and is on Twitter @BretKenwell. More From InvestorPlace Why Everyone Is Investing in 5G All WRONG Top Stock Picker Reveals His Next 1,000% Winner It doesn't matter if you have $500 in savings or $5 million. Do this now. The post 7 Tech Stocks That Could Be the Future FAANGÂ appeared first on InvestorPlace.

Fashion Designer Heidi Weisel Dies at 59 - WWD

Posted: 30 Jan 2021 08:15 AM PST

Services will be held Sunday for designer Heidi Weisel at Mount Sinai Simi Valley.

Weisel died Thursday at age 59 at a relative's home in Los Angeles, according to Tom Handley, a Parsons School of Design professor at The New School, who previously worked with Weisel.

The cause of death was not specified.

Born in San Francisco, Weisel grew up in New York City, where she continued to be based until last spring when the pandemic prompted her to relocate to the West Coast. Her parents Rachel and Shlomo were both Holocaust survivors. As a youngster, Weisel learned to sew from a neighbor, who lived downstairs.

At age five, Weisel got her first dose of designing by making basic wraps for her doll "Skipper." The designer considered that the starting point for what would be a lifelong interest in fashion and Manhattan remained an inspiration source throughout her life.

Effervescent, direct and straight-talking, Weisel was a mainstay New York designer in the 1990s and Aughts. After graduating from the Fashion Institute of Technology in 1984, she started her career by working as an assistant designer for Agatha Brown. She later worked for Occhio Coldo in Italy before starting her own signature line in 1990. As an up-and-coming designer, she was recognizable for her all-black ensembles and oversized black doctor's bag. The heft of the carry-all suited the designer, who liked to keep a measuring tape and collapsible cigar-cutting scissors on hand for any swatches.

In 1990, her collection caught the eye of buyers at Henri Bendel, Linda Dresner and Martha's. A chiffon tent dress with a fitted dress underneath was among her designs. The original fabric was purchased from Geoffrey Beene, who had more than he needed, according to Handley. But some retailers, like Lynn Manulis of Martha's, needed a little convincing to buy the five-piece black chiffon collection. Uncertain about the all-black choices of dresses, the retailer had a change of heart after Weisel explained she chose one color to save money. "That's when we knew we would want to work with her," Manulis said at that time.

Her experience in Europe led to Weisel choosing fabrics from France, Italy and Germany for such looks as a bell-sleeve dress, and velvet pants with a vest and a chiffon blouse. Participating in a Cotton Inc.-sponsored fashion show in 1995 helped to further catapult her career. She also introduced a diffusion line made of matte jersey. But it was her combination of cashmere and other fabrics — a sporty, elegant twist — that set her apart from what was happening in the industry, Handley said.

The New York-based designer came of age in the 1990s with contemporaries like Eric Gaskins, Orazio Fortuno, Donald Deal, Bradley Bayou, Badgley Mischka's Mark Badgley and James Mischka, Sylvia Heisel and Emo Pandelli. Over time she ventured into new categories such as eveningwear, although with a modern sensibility like luxurious knits.

After nine years in business, she staged her first runway show in 1999. Duchess satin ball gown skirts, body conscious cashmere dresses and tiny bags in leather and mink contributed to her conservative chic.

Weisel developed such a following that a Barneys New York trunk show she hosted in 1997 in Beverly Hills rang up sales of nearly $80,000, thanks to fans like Natasha Richardson. That year, she added a bridal collection and dressed such celebrity brides as Faith Hill and Brooke Shields.

By 2002, she had come full circle, expanding her eveningwear-centered company to offer sportswear again with two to four-ply cashmere and quilted nylon parkas. While the eveningwear was made in the U.S., the sportswear was produced in Scotland, Italy and Hong Kong.

Weisel was also an early believer in celebrity dressing, taking a suite before the Golden Globe awards in 1997 and then again at The Mondrian Hotel before the Oscars in 2000. Barbara Hershey, Debra Messing and Emily Watson were a few of the celebrities who she dressed for the red carpet. Weisel grasped the global reach celebrities could have before the practice of celebrity dressing became a cost of doing business and in some instances a pay-for-play opportunity. Weisel was most proud of outfitting Vanessa Williams for her appearance with Luciano Pavarotti on "Saturday Night Live," Handley said.

Recalling how the first go-round led to dressing more nominees than Armani, Weisel told WWD how stylists, actors and musicians wandered through. In 2000, Julianne Moore and Salma Hayek were on her wish list. "But who knows? It's hard for these girls to stay loyal to a designer the way that Audrey Hepburn was to Givenchy. Coming out for the Oscars for us is like an athlete going out for the Olympics. But it is always worth it," she told WWD at that time.

In 2015, Weisel was among the designers who created collaborative lines with Dress Barn to offer more affordable options under the Mixt by Weisel label. In a video for the program, Weisel spoke of her inspiration: "I love New York. It's this great big city. It has everything you could possibly want in terms of culture. There is such diversity, photography, the arts, architecture. Everything inspires me — great food, great music, great people."

Weisel said she loved designing dresses because it involved creating an experience or a memory for a woman. "Every woman deserves to have clothes that she feels great in and at the price that she can afford," she said.

The designer continued to sell custom clothes and sportswear under her label. in late August 2020 Weisel started an initiative to help women and families dealing with breast cancer and ovarian cancer in the U.S. Through a partnership with Standard Textile, Weisel gifted her company "Rachel" robe to members of Sharsheret's "Embrace" community. Her philanthropic efforts included a collaboration with Neiman Marcus to support the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

In recent years, Weisel and Handley reached out to different colleges and universities to donate pieces from her collections. The designer wanted students to see beautiful product and to see her "amazing" ability to combine cashmere, satin, chiffon or organza, Handley said. The aim "was to place the entire archives so that others could really learn from it."

Weisel is survived by a brother Jack. Sunday's service will be a virtual one.

Cicely Tyson Gave Fashion Six Decades of Glamour - Vogue

Posted: 29 Jan 2021 03:04 PM PST

It's hard to understate Cicely Tyson's influence on fashion. Yesterday the cinema legend's death at the age of 96 sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry, leading several generations of talent to pay their respects. Michelle Obama, Zendaya, Yara Shahidi, Mariah Carey, Oprah, and Tyler Perry were just a few of the luminaries who celebrated Tyson's legacy. As the first Black woman to play the leading role in a television drama and receive an honorary Oscar, she opened countless doors for Hollywood peers, but her presence loomed as large within the world of style. Scouted on Manhattan's streets at the age of 30, Tyson's journey to the big screen began with a stint as a model. In 1955 she quit her secretarial job at the Red Cross to attend Barbara Mae Watson's modeling school, the first in the nation for African-Americans. In under a year, Tyson became one of the top Black models globally, shooting spreads for magazines like Ebony, Jet, and eventually Vogue.

Tyson thrived in the fashion world. She earned 65 dollars a week at her modeling peak—a substantial amount in 1950s money—and captured other creatives' attention. En route to a job for African-American lifestyle publication, Our World, she crossed paths with character actress Evelyn Davis. The latter encouraged Tyson to audition for a role in the independent drama, The Spectrum. The film was shelved, but Tyson emerged as a performer to watch. Elegant, gifted, and arriving on the scene when Black achievement was beginning to be celebrated, her momentum was unstoppable.

From the beginning, Tyson's model grace and flair resulted in chic moments. Whether she was posing in a white sheath dress in front of Sardi's in the late '60s, or smiling alongside her A Man Called Adam co-star Sammy Davis Jr. in full Rat Pack finery, Tyson embraced her style and the mood of each era. The revolutionary spirit of the 1960s was expressed through her peasant blouses and flowing caftans; her hair cropped into an alluring afro. Nominated for an Oscar for her performance in 1973's Sounder, she commissioned designer Bill Whitten to create her dream gown, a white and grey silk slip dress with lace detailing and a heart-shaped cutout. With her hair in retro croquignole, finger waves, and fur draped over her shoulder, Tyson delivered Gatsby-glamour while nodding to her Sounder character Rebecca, and the kind of luxury she was never allowed. Liza Minnelli went home with the Best Actress statue that night, but the evening belonged to Tyson.

Tyson's wardrobe was marked by a level of thoughtfulness. Attention was paid to every detail, and her style was complemented by the equally gifted men in her life, particularly husband, Miles Davis. A "certified stepper" in Tyson's words, he was a fashion icon in his own right and was as invested in her outfits as she was. "Wherever the two of us turned up, oh boy would we turn some heads," Tyson wrote in her 2021 autobiography, Just As I Am. "I beamed at his side, glamorous in my couture, showing off looks by style mavens such as Arthur McGee, the first Black designer to ever run a studio. I felt proud to stand alongside Miles, loved folding my silk-gloved hands into his strong ones."

Hollywood regularly sidelines its female talent once they reach a certain age, but Tyson refused to be diminished. As the '80s and '90s rolled around, she remained a constant onscreen, starring in hits like The Women of Brewster Place and Fried Green Tomatoes. At events, she kept things interesting by wearing the work of future legends like Patrick Kelly, whose button-covered mini-dress she chose for the premiere of Cry Freedom in 1987. Bold shoulders, Azzedine Alaïa animal prints, and draped chiffon capes by George Peter Stavropoulos all featured within her repertoire.

As high drama as her 1980s looks were, Tyson met her match when she crossed paths with designer B. Michael. Michael, who began his career by designing Diahann Carroll's Dynasty costumes and pieces for divas like Lena Horne, would become Tyson's sartorial partner, the Yves Saint Laurent to her Catherine Deneuve. Over the next three decades, they would work together countless times on looks that ran the gamut from history-making—the sculptural silver column gown Tyson wore to 2018's Governor awards marked the first time a Black designer has created the outfit an Oscar recipient has worn on the night of their big win—to internet-breaking. Google "Cicely hat" for a glimpse at the much meme-ed oversize bonnet that Tyson wore to her friend Aretha Franklin's funeral that same year.

The collaboration was beautiful, but it represented more than a designer-muse partnership. One of the few famous nonagenarians praised for her expressive outfits, Tyson was a symbol of ageless style. Every decade Tyson evolved, finding ways to celebrate Black talent and present herself precisely as she wanted to be seen. Early last year, in one of her final television appearances, she visited The Talk wearing a slim fit leather jacket, cashmere sweater, and diamond chandelier earrings. Simple, elegant, and timelessly chic, Tyson—as always—commanded the screen from start to finish.

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