Douglas Hannant Pink

Photos: Richard Spiegel

It seems while other designers are circling the wagons in this fragile economy Douglas Hannant moves blindly forward. Over the past few years there has been a Jewelry and bridal launch as well fragrance which was documented by WWD stating it could do $10 million in the first year of sales. Mr. Hannant would be lucky to bank $500,000.00 since his name is a niche market player and not on the lips of most of the world.

Pink it seems is a new diffusion line which seems more of an act of desperation then a focused attempt of trying to find a new/younger customer.  From what was shown there seems to be no focus to the collection.   Adding insult to injury the collection was shown in a basement hotel with a loud rock band providing the soundtrack to this new line. 

The burning question is? Who is really in control at the house of Douglas Hannant? For those who have followed the house the man in front has been Frederick Anderson running around like a political candidate  doing interviews speaking for the house and air kissing wealthy women of the upper east side. As for Mr. Hannant he seems more of a mystery than a designer since little is known about him.  It seems the roles should be reversed but many questions remain unanswered. 

My feeling is that Pink is a throw on the wall collection and if buyers are interested pieces may be produced but the longer term plan seems of more interest. Younger designers like Norman Ambrose are poaching his customer base season after season and seem more in touch with what todays women wants and needs.

Norman Ambrose F/W 2010

The Norman Ambrose fall collection is awash with heavy fabric coats to keep a woman warm with a English country feel of tweed. We found Mr. Ambrose when we saw his spring collection and were instantly hooked with his talent. His customer is the woman whos got money to burn but might not be a size 6 which is not a problem since all his clothing is made to measure. According to Mr. Ambrose there are over 10 fittings on a client before the final piece is constructed. This attention to detail and his premiere fabric selection makes his clothing worth investment.

Norman Ambrose S/S 2010

Norman Ambrose has been in the business for about two years and in a short amount of time has secured his young clothing line into Neiman Marcus but it's his first time showing his collection to the press. His focus; the ladies who lunch, the Palm beach society set. Many designers struggle to find their "girl" but Mr. Ambrose shows laser focus on who he's vying for regarding his designs. If you follow this type of customer there's a certain look that's achieved and Norman has it down! Before starting his line he worked at the house of Josie Natori.

Couture level hand beading, luxury finishing and a private clientele has Mr. Ambrose on our hot list of young new talent but there are other designers who are seeking the same attention from the ladies. The starting price points for his line start at $500 and range to $20,000.00 (couture level of course) but standard entry level for a full on look runs between $3,500.00 and $5,000.00. This compared to other high level designers comes in a tad low which may work in Mr. Ambrose's favor but it's a rough crowd and time will tell.