2Jour Notes

Upd: I had this post in my drafts for quite some time. Today, I received an email that 24S, which I mentioned in the context of personal shopping, is closing its concierge service. Following LVMH e-commerce journey, it’s clear to me that the group is struggling to master its online presence. Partially may be explained by scale, apart from that using obvious and general methods doesn’t work in luxury.

This applies not only to 24S, which I’m sure is dragging down the group’s performance, but also to the online presence of its most prominent brands — about some of the gaps I wrote before (here I’m referring to Fashion & Leather Goods, Perfumes & Beauty, and Selective Retailing, as I’m not entirely familiar with the other divisions).

Personal shopping: A luxury gap

In the latest edition of 2Jour Gazette, I wrote an extensive article on luxury sanctions in Russia. I…

I have always loved beautiful things. When I was just starting my career, I could only afford mass-market brands. My purchases were selective and carefully considered, and ultimately, they looked quite… expensive? As my professional career progressed, luxury items began to appear in my wardrobe.

In addition, I began ordering custom clothing from a professional tailor who adjusted everything to my measurements, paying attention to details that mattered to me. I chose everything myself, from fabrics to zippers. Eventually, this interest led me to buy a sewing machine and an overlocker—but that’s another story.

Having walked this—let’s call it—a mindful journey, I know for sure that the idea "you can buy items in the mass market that are no worse than luxury" is an illusion. Occasionally, you can find items that objectively look good. But upon closer inspection, there are nuances that always reveal the difference between lower-priced and higher-priced…

Yesterday, I was passing by Gucci. I saw how fast the burgundy set sold out in the EIP preview at Net-a-Porter, and when I touched it on the mannequin, I felt a proper cotton top and great woolen pants (this set seems to be proclaimed as a collection star, so mannequins at Gucci locations all around London are dressed in the very same shirt and trousers). I then stopped near another window with a grass-green set. It looked good. I was skeptical about the collection, but after it started appearing online and I had a second glimpse after the runway presentation, it felt good.

I was skeptical about Sabato De Sarno as well. Mostly because of the positioning—it felt wrong when he had a long vanity fair walk after the shows, it felt wrong to see dedicated films about him. It felt wrong because there was no tangible result of…