2Jour Notes

Recently, while indulging my passion for stationery—particularly notebooks and pens—and exploring what luxury brands offer in this category, I came across an interesting expansion of the product range at Cartier.

In addition to notebooks and agendas (which are well-designed and thoughtfully curated), I noticed that the brand offers an impressive collection of pens. Many of the designs echo the signature details of Cartier’s main lines, especially the Santos watch. The most expensive pen costs £132,000 — a limited edition of 8 individually numbered pieces, lavishly adorned with 475 diamonds.

But what really caught my attention was something else. Cartier also offers cartridges, refills, and ink bottles to complement the purchase and make it easier for the customer to maintain their pen. I immediately thought how perfect it would be if they had a rich red ink—just like their signature box color—and, sure enough, they do. Along with classic blue and…

In anticipation of the upcoming issue of HTSI by Financial Times with guest editor Phoebe Philo (I have a weakness for this print edition), here is an interesting observation.

Recently, while navigating the streets of London, I noticed red trash bags. The thing is, trash bags of specific colors in London are usually designated for certain types of waste. Red bags are most often used for commercial waste (from shops, cafés, offices). In certain areas (like Westminster), this color may also be used for special or mixed household waste that cannot be recycled.

Why do I think Phoebe might have drawn inspiration while passing by? x

Chloe Sevigny by Alasdair McLellah for Self Service Magazine

An unrelated observation — while butter yellow has become the trendiest shade of the season, Phoebe Philo’s cloud-like trench with exquisitely soft leather trim in that very hue appeared in her very first drop, well before the widespread craze. Coincidence?

Another unrelated observation — for a brand at…

1. The vast majority of looks were paired with bags. This is a trick to fuel desirability (the word feels tacky because of overexposure, but I haven’t found a better synonym yet) — a runway appearance elevates a bag to top-tier status (and price, hah). Some time ago, I mentioned this in relation to Saint Laurent — while bags might take a top spot in terms of frequency of mention by Kering top management during earnings calls, for example, at SL recent shows not a single model walked the runway carrying a bag. I wrote here about why that’s a problem here.

2. I don’t like the Chanel website — it could definitely be better, both technically and in terms of storytelling. However, among luxury brands, it [Chanel website] does stand out for being practical in how it presents collections. For example, on the evening after the show, the website already has photos of all the looks,…

• The concept of what luxury is hasn’t exactly acquired a new meaning, but it’s definitely gaining new layers. Brands are now facing a complex positioning challenge, and when I watch at yet another financial report or investors’ meeting, I realize that the industry still struggles to shift from the notion of “desirability” toward broader definitions. I see that as a problem.

• Fashion was invented to signal status; bluntly speaking, the wealthy created it to distinguish themselves from the poor. The latter, in turn, spent centuries trying to imitate it to gain access to a world that remained closed to them. That status is something many people want to broadcast. However, with the rise of social media—where the image often doesn’t match reality—the true markers of status are no longer clothes and bags but rather real estate, luxury cars, travel, and even silence. Naturally, this affects fashion sales. I…