Intimo più mare n° 206 - Gennaio 2017

ENGLISH TRANSLATION
What I can recommend to the community of specialized
boutiques, limiting myself, however, to a purely personal opinion
as a designer rather than someone working in the sales division,
is to pay a lot of attention to the presentation of the products,
making sure customer are able to get a thorough, comprehensive
impression of the intimate apparel and beachwear. Among other
things, this means purchasing complete lines in order to be able
to present an underwear wardrobe that is suitable and appealing
to the type of customers one serves, setting up and displaying
the store windows in such a way as to convey the concept of a
total look, including a certain number of dramatic garments that
are more trendy and fashionable than the standard everyday
items. It’s necessary to motivate and entice shoppers to acquire
a complete intimate apparel wardrobe, showing transversal,
highly versatile items that will promote sales. Dedicating a great
deal of time and energy to the window displays, in my opinion,
is extremely important as the windows have to provide visual
impact, a sense of sophisticated design and a complete style
statement. One has to try and have a positive, enthusiastic
approach, summoning the courage to be a bit daring despite
the difficult economic situation. There is renewed interest in
underwear produced in a craft-based manner, in scrupulous
attention to detailing and fit: it is important that retailers
transmit these values to their customers, taking on the role of a
personal shopper, an expert on intimate apparel, when dealing
with customers. This translates into providing information,
including facts and figures of a technical nature regarding the
materials used in the garments and helpful hints regarding fit
issues, keeping in the storage facility several sizes and showing
several models per series in order to provide a complete selection
and respond to a multiplicity of needs. A final suggestion I would
like to make when thinking of the boutiques of the future is to
avoid selling yourself cheap, always striving to focus on quality
and image, even if this sometimes means making an extra effort.
My creations for autumn-winter 2017/18 include a line in very
feminine black Leavers lace, featuring the detail of gold shoulder
straps that are very eye-catching, and a series flourishing
cordonette embroidery work in tones of white and black, as
well as a striking teal tone combined with ocher in order to
create more discriminating garments. The chromatic palette
includes black, burgundy-ruby red, brilliant cornflower blue
and silk white. The focus is on the foundation garments with a
part featuring more sophisticated lingerie in feminine georgette,
combined with comfortable items in warm micro-modal.
SAVE THE NAME (on page 74)
ROOM24 - LINGERIE À PORTER
Carol Hourani’s brand combines seduction and elegance, with
perfect models to show off from day to night
Room 24, the lingerie and nightwear brand of Lebanese designer
Carol Hourani, crosses the border between warm and
ready-to-wear with luxurious and refined items. The young
designer tells us her brand.
How and why the brand is born?
I set up Room 24 because I am extremely passionate about
lingerie. My father set up the parent company, Diamony, in the
late 1970’s one of the first multi brand lingerie stores in Lebanon
so I grew up surrounded by beautiful pieces of lingerie
and was exposed to the industry for as long as I can remember.
Diamony has grown to have 6 boutiques and act as agents to
over 70 international brands. After working as a buyer with
Diamony I realized a gap in the market for silk nightwear with
bold and modern prints that could also be worn as outerwear.
The brand is designed in collaboration with Rosanna Ansaloni,
who established Verde Veronica and has worked with
many big lingerie brands over the years. She is a progressive
and innovative designer in the world of lingerie and has a keen
eye for luxury. With the new trend in the industry of under and
outerwear we decided to go ahead and create a brand wherein
every piece could be worn as lingerie or as prêt-à-porter. The
lingerie market nowadays, specifically nightwear is facing a
sort of struggle, with customers choosing to spend more on
pret a porter, pieces that they are going to be seen out in, so
our hope with this brand is to bridge the two worlds together
and create something unique.
What are the inspirations of the collection?
The feeling is Minimal Sensual, something at once soft and
easy but grounded in something strong and intoxicating. The
collection combines a free-spirited mood with an ethereal
grace of soft sensuous fabrics to create a day and night wardrobe
for the woman with a strong sense of confidence. Curvilinear
cuts, geometric slices and strategically positioned slits
give sculptural drama to the simplest silhouettes.
What kind of woman inspires your collection?
Which is the target?
The ethos of the brand is merging the beautiful worlds of lingerie
and pret a porter. We want the woman we design for to
enjoy our pieces both in the bedroom and out. The woman we
are designing for has an eye for quality and sophisticated simplicity.
She’s straightforward; not a bows and lace type of woman,
but appreciates that sexiness should not be overt, rather
it’s about that subtle low drape, that elusive glimpse of skin.
It’s not about what’s on display but rather what is suggestively
left to the imagination. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient.
It’s a lifestyle: embracing womanhood, and indulging your
senses because you deserve it.
What about materials, fabrics and olor range?
To start with, the prints are all original and exclusive inspired
by different muses. Each collection has a different color palette.
In terms of materials, we made it point to use the finest
Italian silk, velvet and organza alongside Australian mother
of pearl buttons. We’ve combined exclusive bold prints with a
deep color scheme where each piece is meant to be mixed and
matched, giving the customer a lot of options. The main collection
is divided into three segments. Midnight Luxe: in this
collection, we’ve combined elegant and timeless black solids
with gold and black striped organza. The Agate collection:
this was inspired by natural elements, the print was created by
mirroring a photograph of an agate stone. The Gem collection:
n this collection we used an emerald green, topaz orange and
a dark blue sapphire. The print is abstract and painterly with
vibrant gemstone colors.
Are you going to be at SIL in Paris?
Are you attending the fashion show with your collection?
Yes, I am very excited to launch Room 24 and exhibit the collections
at the Salon International de la lingerie in Paris, be
sure to pass by BOOTH E71.We are also going to showcase
the collection in the fashion show.
What are your future plans?
We are planning to expand the range for spring-summer. We