Christian Lacroix Brings Handbags To HSN

We’re having trouble keeping up with those busy bees at HSN. Now the home shopping network ls premiering a handbag collection from high-end French designer Christian Lacroix.

http://www.hsn.com/shop/cxl-by-christian-lacroix/13346

The line is called CXL by Christian Lacroix, with purses in the $60-to-$90 range.

“Since the creation of the couture house on 1987 Christian Lacroix’s style is unique, exuberant, colorful and baroque,” HSN.com says.

As we recall, back in the day Lacroix was known for his big, full, short skirts.

Designer Sigrid Olsen Makes Comeback On HSN

Back in the day, we sported clothes by designer Sigrid Olsen. Then her wares disappeared from brick-and-mortar stores. We’re happy to report she’s back on the scene.

Beauty

Olsen has done a collection for HSN. InStyle magazine just did a story on the designer’s HSN line, pointing out her original retail business shut down seven years ago.

http://news.instyle.com/2015/04/17/eric-wilson-sigrid-olsen-hsn/

Two of Sigrid Olsen’s beachy HSN offerings

InStyle writer Eric Wilson, like us, is fan of Olsen. He wrote that when Olsen’s line shut down, she got back rights to use her name and was running galleries where she sold her prints as paintings, as well as organizing yoga retreats.

Wilson wrote that her HSN frocks are similar to her original clothes, where she stamped designs on fabric using a cut-out potato.

Now living in Florida, Olsen also said that she is doing ageless, comfortable merchandise for HSN. The top price for her clothing appears to be $100.

http://www.hsn.com/shop/sigrid-olsen-studio/13186?rid=3858&query=sigrid%20olsen&isSuggested=False&URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hsn.com%2Fshop%2Fsigrid-olsen-studio%2F13186%3Frid%3D3858%26query%3Dsigrid%2520olsen%26isSuggested%3DFalse%26&cm_mmc=cj-_-HSN+RSS+Feed-_-5661516-10699362-_-skim58287X1516329Xdb36f9529ddf4c1de24b4fbb54159b2f-NA

Ex-QVC Vendor Marc Bouwer Joins ShopHQ

Another QVC designer has joined Team ShopHQ: Marc Bouwer.

The handsome blond debuted his Marc Bouwer Unlimited clothing collection on the No. 3 home shopping network last night. We didn’t see it, but online the apparel looked pretty good.

http://www.shophq.com/search/?q=marc+bouwer&icid=InternalSearch_AutoSearch_marc+bouwer

Recently sterling silver designers Richard and Marianna Jacobs came to ShopHQ, their original home, from HSN.

The new management team at ShopHQ has definitely been busy.

Designer Reem Acra, Celebrity Schmatta Maker, Is Doing A Collection For HSN

Reem Acra, on the left

Luxury fashion designer Reem Acra, another “designer to the stars” that we’ve never heard of, will be bringing a collection called Reem (original) to HSN this month.

Here is Ms. Acra’s bio from HSN, for ignorant folk like us who are not up to speed on our fashion designers.

Gaining international recognition for her atelier, Reem Acra has become one of the leading names in luxury ready to wear and bridal. With an insatiable desire for luxury, Reem Acra’s designs are carried in more that 150 of the most exclusive retailers in the world. Her signature boutique on Madison Avenue in New York City is a reflection of her eclectic sensibility, combining the exotic and romantic with the modern and elegant.

Reem Acra’s designs are available internationally at leading department stores and specialty boutiques. These stores include Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue in the United States as well as Saks Fifth Avenue and Harvey Nichols in the Middle East. Her designs are also available at top specialty retailers across the world: in Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and Korea.

Celebrated for her ability to match a look to a woman’s personality, Acra has dressed global icons of style for weddings, red carpet appearances and awards ceremonies. Her following includes Angelina Jolie, Halle Berry, Beyonce Knowles, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Eva Longoria as well as royal families around the world.

In her canned statement from HSN’s press release Monday, Acra said, “I have been approached by many companies to develop a more affordable collection, but until I met Mindy Grossman and her team, I did not believe that it would be possible to translate my designs into products that retain a luxurious feel and yet are accessible. HSN absolutely understands how to work with a designer to achieve this balance.”

Acra will show off “a capsule collection” during live segments Sept. 22 and 23 during the finale of HSN’s Fall Fashion Series Presented by ELLE. She is looking forward to engaging directly with fans of her designs.

“I know that there are a lot of women out there who appreciate great fashion and may not have easy access to it,” Acra said. “HSN provides that opportunity.”

God bless America.

“When I first met Reem, I knew she would resonate with our customers,” HSN CEO Mindy Grossman chimed in with her canned statement. “She has a unique way of melding cultural influences, femininity, meticulous detailing and color to create clothes that are truly special. “She also embodies the qualities that our customers look for from us: global style, authenticity, quality and inspiration. Never before has her collection been so accessible, and we’re excited to bring it to HSN.”

Items in the Reem collecton will range in price from $39 for a shawl to $299 for a sequin jacket, and the line will include tunics, dresses and jackets with jewelry embellishments.

Just In Time For Easter, QVC’s Isaac Mizrahi Lays Another Egg With His TSV: Continued Disappointment With This Talented Designer

We had high hopes when we heard that designer Isaac Mizrahi was coming to QVC. We met and interviewed him almost a decade ago, and he was delightful. And we loved his clothes at Target.

As we’ve said before (sorry if you’ve read this already), we wore a $59 black cocktail dress that Mizrahi did for Target to the Emmy Awards in LA in 2008. And, we swear we’re not bragging, we looked just as good as many of the women who had thousand-dollar gowns. We dressed up that LBD with big jewelry and were good to go.

But after all the hype that QVC generated about Mizrahi coming on board, when his line debuted we weren’t very impressed. But we have tried to keep an open mind. When we heard he was doing the Today’s Special Value for Monday, we were looking forward to seeing it. Well, it was quite the disappointment, as has been the rest of his QVC collection.

It’s a scoop neck knit top with “embellishment,” namely a few jeweled flowers and a denim/grosgrain ribbon flower pin, which is removable. The TSV is $40.

That top is as uninspired and pedestrian, and even ugly with the “embellishment,” as it could get. Isaac, what is wrong with you?

We checked out the QVC online forums to see what posters thought, and they echoed our gripes about the TSV.

Here are some of the brutal comments on the Mizrahi top:

“My computer broken or are we not even talking about Issac’s TSV? I don’t want it, it is just not for me. This is the first time in a year that I have not seen people talking about the new fashion TSV. Bad sign, I think.”

“My first thought was K-mart meets Quacker Factory. I have nothing against the man, but somehow I feel insulted by this item.”

“I am all for stimulating the economy and I wish him great success but I would only order it at the $19 end. And he could keep the pins.”

“$45.00? Wait a sec. Did I see and read this correctly? $45.00 TSV is a cheap tacky T-shirt that is selling for $45.00 (after S&H) that is just insane!!!”

“You aren’t the only ones who dislike this merchandise line, trust me. TSV is just ridiculous! Who on earth…. WHY on earth would anyone wear something like that unless it was their child’s art project???…And topping it all off? That huge black ribbon thing reminds me of something a person wears as a gesture of mourning. Personally I think QVC needs to step it up and dump some of the ‘Blue Light specials’ that it pushes on us. Actually this would work great as a Blue Light special but the price would have to be slashed from $45.00 to maybe $9.99.”

“Walmart wouln’t even sell that — that is horrific and a ridiculous price.”

“Methinks its headed for the clearance section…I like Isaac and have a few of this things but this top doesn’t say spring to me.”

Yes, these ladies are frank. But we happen to agree with them.

Isaac, you better step up your game. Please bring the zing and zest your Target collection had to the Q.

Bling King Charles Winston Heading To HSN From ShopNBC Next Month

Looks like more musical chairs at the home shopping vendors, with blingy fashion jewelry designer Charles Winston headed to HSN from ShopNBC.

According to a sharp-eyed poster on QVC’s jewelry forum, actually, Winston is set to debut on HSN Jan. 9, with an early-bird show from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. and then another show at a more godly hour.

There are already three items from Winston’s costume jewelry line up on HSN’s Web site, including a tanzanite-look CZ pear-shaped ring for $80 and a fancy CZ bracelet for $130.

Winston had been on ShopNBC for some time, but we guess we should have known his days were numbered there when his jewelry started showing up at TJ Maxx.

Jewelry and apparel vendors are constantly moving back and forth between HSN and ShopNBC, with Suzanne Somers the most famous one to move after more than a dozen years at HSN to go to ShopNBC in September.

But a number of veteran ShopNBC vendors moved to HSN, as well, including upscale jewelry designer Dallas Prince.

‘Real Housewives’ Star Ramona Singer Shows Off The HSN Pearl and Diamond Pendant She’ll Be Wearing On The Reality Show Next Season

Ramona Singer, one of “The Real Housewives of New York City,” made her final visit to HSN for this year with her jewelry collection Thursday night.

Singer, who comes across as a much nicer person on HSN than she does on Bravo’s reality show, had on a grey freshwater pearl and diamond enhancer pendant — and a matching ring and earrings — from her collection for the home shopping network.

“I actually wore these pieces on my last episode,” Singer said.

She was referring to the fact that Bravo just wrapped up filming the next season of “The Real Housewives of New York City.”

Singer is not just another celebrity lending her name to a product. Her husband is a fourth-generation jeweler, and her mother collected estate jewelry and taught Singer all about it, she told HSN viewers.

Singer’s pieces have a vintage feel to them, and are very similar in look to those of upscale Madison Avenue designer Judith Ripka, who does a collection for QVC.

For example, the style of the hinged cuff bracelets that Singer and Ripka do are very much alike.

Singer considers her cuffs her signature pieces. “I wear two at a time,” she said.

The reality TV star got a little choked up when she explained that one of her rings, which had pink topaz and diamonds, was modeled after a ruby ring that her mom owned. Her mom is deceased.

Love of jewelry must be in Singer’s family genes. Singer keeps all her HSN rings in a box on her dresser, and she said her teen daughter noticed them recently and asked for one. The young lady wants to be able to pass that ring on to her daughter, according to Singer.

She also claimed that a Manhattan retailer is clamoring to sell her jewelry line, but that she told him it’s exclusive to HSN.

Is Martha Stewart Giving Out Dennis Basso’s QVC Faux Mink Throw Wednesday?

Fashion designer Dennis Basso had QVC’s Today’s Special Value Tuesday, a faux mink throw for $47.

On QVC’s 10 p.m. “Tuesday Night Gifts” show, Basso was on with host Lisa Mason. We were working on a story for NewJerseyNewsroom.com, so we were were only half listening.

But we heard Basso say he will be on the Martha Stewart (a native of Nutley, N.J.) show Wednesday.

According to Mason, “Martha Stewart will be giving this exact same throw” (as the QVC TSV) to her audience members. We don’t watch Martha, so we don’t even know if she has a studio audience.

As Mason pointed out, QVC customers had first dibs on this “hot” faux mink item, which also had a matching pillow for $29 and a TSV Extra, a matching teddy bear, for $18. Cute.

HSN Jewelry Designer Carol Brodie Pens ‘Frequent Flier’ Column In New York Times

Carol Brodie, Designer and New York Times Writer

HSN jewelry designer Carol Brodie got a nice plug in Tuesday’s New York Times, in its “Frequent Flier” column in the business section.

The headline reads “Using Her Wares to Ease the Irritations of Travel,” and it’s Brodie’s story as told to a New York Times reporter.

Brodie, who does a fine jewelry line called “Rarities” for HSN, talks about her frequent trips to Tampa, Fla., to do her HSN shows.

The attractive blonde, who used to work for high-end jewelry house Harry Winston, in The Times talks about having to lug around heavy bags filled with her jewelry.

Brodie said she sometimes gives away her jewelry pieces to people she meets while she’s traveling, and then related an anecdote about one woman who stuck in her mind.

During a flight, Brodie said she took out some of her jewelry samples. Brodie was sitting next to a woman, who was drinking, who was with her granddaughter.

You can read The Times for all the details, but the grandmother started weeping, and literally told a sob story that Brodie thought was legit.

Bottom is Brodie's Butterfly Bracelet

In the column Brodie said that she dug in her purse and found a bracelet, “with a butterfly shape design,” and gave it to her seatmate. Our guess is that it was a dainty piece from HSN.

Brodie also unabashedly says that she wears her own Rarities jewelry “to show off my brand.”

We Told You So A Month Ago: Isaac Mizrahi’s Pebble Leather Drawstring Purse Is QVC’s TSV

QVC’s new designer, Isaac Mizrahi, has his first QVC Today’s Special Value Monday, a pebble leather purse with accessories.

But if you have been reading our blog, you would have known about this TSV back on Nov. 14, when we wrote about it.

We can’t take all the credit, however. A QVC forum sleuth unearthed the intelligence.

The purse is $200.

As we are seeing, Mizrahi loves bright colors in his purses. We especially love the “cactus,” because it reminds us of Arizona, which we love.