FASHION BITS: MARY + PERFUME / RIHANNA & GUCCI CLIP / GARCELLE LAUNCHES LINE / LUXURY BRANDS CUTTING PRICES

Monday, November 17, 2008

Mary J. Blige is signing on to take on the fragrance business, creating a new smell with Carol’s Daughter:

The R&B singer, who is already an ambassador for beauty line Carol’s Daughter, is working on an upcoming fragrance with the brand. My Life by Mary J. Blige, named for her second album, will be their first foray into celebrity scents — and will also mark first time the singer is branching out into fragrance.

And while the Blige hasn’t yet revealed any details, the self-confessed “beauty nut” has long been a fan of the brand, “I am Carol’s Daughter and my fans are Carol’s Daughter users” she said recently. “So it just made sense to partner.” SOURCE

Check out this preview of Gucci’s UNICEF 2009 holiday campaign featuring Rihanna. The documentary follows the singer as she works with Gucci’s creative director Frida Giannini including behind the scenes footage of her modeling for the campaign ad.

Check out the full-length e-film which will be posted on Rihanna’s and Gucci’s websites on December 9th.

Actress/model Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon smiles with her husband and twin children at the launch of her new children jewelry line Petit Bijou, which happened over the weekend.

The line features bracelets and necklaces with charms on organic cotton cords in a variety of colors. Among the twenty plus charms available are teddy bears, ballerinas, butterfly’s, horses, dinosaurs, guitars, cars, stars, peace signs, hearts, crowns, and the Eiffel Tower.

You can shop Garcelle’s children line via the web at petitbijouonline.

With the U.S economy spiraling out of control, luxury brands are finally getting a hint and cutting down their prices for American consumers:

With even the biggest spenders starting to scrimp, luxury companies from Chanel S.A. to Versace SpA, Christian Louboutin and Chloé are reversing the industry’s maxim that luxury prices only move up. The cuts range from 8% to 10% on most products sold in the U.S.

The move to cut prices began with Chanel last month. The French fashion house, known for tweed suits that can cost $8,000, decided to trim its prices by 7% to 10% on most items that are hitting U.S. stores now. “The dollar’s recent strength has allowed us to pass on greater value to our customers,” says John Galantic, the company’s U.S. president. READ MORE

The prices are still well beyond many means, but at least they’re taking this country’s crisis into some consideration.