What Women Want: Accessories!
The Top 9 Categories of Accessories Women are Buying
One of the most lucrative areas of the fashion business is accessories: in particular shoes & bags. So where are women spending their fashion $$? AC Nielsen asked.
ACNielsen recently polled more than 23,000 online female shoppers across the globe to find out which accessories brands they are buying – jewelry not included – for its Global Luxury Accessories Survey. According to WWD, here are the top nine categories of accessories women are buying:
1. SHOES: 46 percent (of those responding who are buying this accessory)
Women and shoes…and old story. Shows like "In Her Shoes" and "Sex & the City" made Manolos mandatory, and Jimmy Choo is right up there, too. A constant stream of photos of red carpet photos of fashion A-listers like Kate Moss, Jessica Simpson and Nicole Kidman have turned Christian Louboutin into a household name & universally desired.
2. HANDBAGS: 38 percent
Bags have proved such a profitable category, that everyone from Marc Jacobs to Fendi to Coach to Michael Kors are all trying to come up with the "it" bag of the season – which YSL handily pulled off with its Muse bag, which its parent (PPR) reports contributed to a 43 percent increase in their leather goods sales. Gwen Stefani debuted a new L.A.M.B. collection, and Ralph Lauren recently jumped in with the launch of his Ricky bags. According to a September issue of WWD: "Ralph Lauren premiered the luxe Ricky and Voyager bags on the runway in 2005, paving the way for the Polo Ralph Lauren's push into accessories throughout its brands."
3. SUNGLASSES: 30 Percent
From the multi-year waitlisted Kelly bag to the scarves, Hermès is famed for its luxe accessories. Designer Jean Paul Gaultier took advantage of this fact in the spring show, sending models out in sunglasses. Marc by Marc Jacobs is launching a line priced between $80-$100, and Tom Ford, formerly of Gucci, already has his own line. "Even if it's only an accessory, it's a very potent accessory," Ford told WWD. "It's like a car. It makes a statement about what design is at any given time. It's sculptural in that way."
4. WALLETS: 24 Percent
Priced from $75 to $195, Cole Haan, owned by Nike, is ground zero for wallets priced in the $75-$200 range – featuring real leather, interesting hardware trim, and hand-worked details. Similarly, houses like Goyard of Paris are known for their elegant pieces, favored by stylish, trendsetting globetrotters.
5. BELTS: 14 Percent
With the cinch-waist "the" shape of the season, belts have been elevated from benchwarmer status & thrown into game. Influential designers like Karl Lagerfeld showed wide, 80s style belting, while Prada paired belted blouses with briefs. The Dolce & Gabbana leopard & gold tone belt is always back-ordered, and is the black leather padlock pouch by Chloe.
6. STATIONERY (PALM PILOT HOLDERS, ETC.): 10 Percent
With the revival of etiquette & manners, the art of the elegant, hand-written note is back. Kate Spade & Vera Wang both offer lines of eponymous stationary, and traditional stationers like Smythson are expanding their offerings. Additionally, Palm Pilots, CDs and iPods are getting ever more fancy choices for covers, from the likes of Louis Vuitton and Coach.
7. BRIEFCASES: 8 Percent
Professional women still need to schlep papers & other tools of the trade, and now there are stylish options galore. Tumi offers an Elements collection; Cross is outfitting female corporate ladder climbers with any number of laptop bags, and totes; Dior Homme makes a logo carryall in canvas with leather handles and metal trim.
8. LUGGAGE: 6 Percent
To be a jet setter, it’s important to look like one, which means matching designer luggage is pretty much a requirement. "The Louis Vuitton luggage set is iconic — both in the world of fashion as well as in travel," explains Frank Martell of ACNielsen Europe. "It symbolizes the ultimate in designer travel." Samsonite’s exlusive Black Label is now available at its boutiques around the world, and it even teamed up with famed designer Marc Newsom to produce the Scope model.
9. KEY CHAINS: 6 Percent
Even if the pricey bag is out of range, a key chain probably isn’t. Gucci, Prada, Burberry, Louis Vuitton, Coach, Cartier & Bottega Veneta have all raked in the profits, on $80+ priced models.
