Since selling off luxury divisions Aston Martin, Jaguar and Land Rover, Ford has been trying to get back into the luxury space. This week, it announced plans to launch a new luxury brand called Vignale, which for the foreseeable future is intended to be sold in Europe. The Ford Mondeo Vignale Concept will debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show next week with features including quilted leather upholstery, unique wheels and an upgraded chrome trim. In true luxury fashion, buyers will receive a personalized experience with specialized dealership representatives and service. Vignale will not be sold in the U.S., but Ford will be offering a similar Black Label program through its Lincoln division.
Fiction readers rejoiced this week when mega-retailer Net-A-Porter announced that it was collaborating with the costume designer Trisha Summerville, who created the costumes for “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” movie, for a collection this fall. The collection, Capitol Couture, features 16 ready-to-wear pieces plus jewelry and leather goods, and will be offered exclusively on Net-A-Porter.com. Capitol Couture is inspired by clothing worn by residents of the Capitol, the wealthy elite in “The Hunger Games” triology.
Also, New York Fashion Week is kicking off this week, to the delight and dismay of many New Yorkers. Brands have already started debuting their collections for Spring/Summer 2014, and Instagram feeds are going positively nuts. Brands showing today through Sunday include Rebecca Minkoff, Nicole Miller, Ralph Rucci, Zac Posen, Reem Acra, Carolina Herrera, Donna Karan and Diane von Furstenberg. Consumers can watch all shows live at the NYFW site, mbfashionweek.com.