What Makes LORO PIANA® the Best
Canadian Fur Company purchased LORO PIANA® labeled, fur trimmed women’s coats and jackets of 100% cashmere, 20% cashmere/80% wool, and “superfine wool” in styles manufactured and sold by Fleurette® and Dominic Bellissimo®.
These styles are also sold in the most exclusive department stores including Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Bergdorf-Goodman, and Bloomingdale’s in the US and Holt Renfrew in Canada.
The fur trimmed LORO PIANA® by Fleurette® and the LORO PIANA® by Dominic Bellissimo® styles are different from those LORO PIANA® styles offered in the 132 LORO PIANA® owned stores, except in quality which is the same.
Canadian Fur Company has sold fur trimmed LORO PIANA® 100% cashmere by Fleurette® for the past six years, and more recently expanded fur trimmed LORO PIANA® “superfine wool” by Dominic Bellissimo® to four different styles based on a much better than expected response last season.
Many of these purchasers sincerely believe that Italian-milled, LORO PIANA® labeled “superfine wool” by Dominic Bellissimo® (with a fur trim) is every bit as soft to the touch as the popular styles of LORO PIANA® labeled “100% cashmere” by Fleurette® (with fur trim) or LORO PIANA® labeled “20%/80% cashmere/wool” (with fur trim) or LORO PIANA® labeled “wool” by Fleurette® (with fur trim).
LORO PIANA® by Dominic Bellissimo® with fur trim is priced a shade under $1000 for all 3/4 and 7/8 length styles, just like those length jackets and coats in the popular styles of LORO PIANA® by Fleurette®.
The Bridge Between a Cloth and a Fur Coat
Fur trimmed natural fiber coats definitely fill a need in many women’s outerwear wardrobes. The niche that is filled by fur trimmed LORO PIANA® by Dominic Bellissimo® or LORO PIANA® by Fleurette® is “when a cloth coat alone is not enough and a fur coat is too much for the occasion or the weather.”
A lot of women in sales or professions like law want to look successful when meeting clients, but not “too successful.” A cloth coat alone may not be enough and a fur coat may be too much for the occasion.
Other times, evening wear may be too nice to wear with just a cloth coat or not appropriate for a fur coat. Again, a cloth coat alone may not be enough and a fur coat may be too much for the occasion.
Fur trimmed natural fiber coats and jackets have been appropriate now for several years when the weather was not cold enough for a fur coat, but too cold for a cloth coat. Church, dinner parties, the symphony, a play downtown, or the country club in the fall, winter, and maybe spring are occasions when the weather may still be too cold for a cloth coat alone or not cold enough for a fur coat.
This bridge “when a cloth coat alone is not enough and a fur coat is too much for the occasion or the weather,” are two of the reasons why LORO PIANA® by Dominic Bellissimo®, and LORO PIANA® by Fleurette® are successful and recognized designers and manufacturers of the finest fur trimmed cashmere, cashmere blends, and “superfine wool” labeled LORO PIANA® styles.
The LORO PIANA® Company
Many Americans think of LORO PIANA® as the finest and most expensive cashmere and wool sold in the 132 LORO PIANA® owned stores worldwide, including sixteen stores in the United States. LORO PIANA® stores are generally located in exclusive shopping areas along with stores like Prada®, Louis Vuitton®, and Tiffany®, in places like Aspen, Manhattan, Boston, Washington, Chicago, and San Fransisco.
Still, most Americans do not know that the LORO PIANA® family started as merchants of wool fabrics in the beginning of the 1800’s. Today, the company’s corporate headquarters are located in Corso Rolandi, Quarona in Italy since 1924.
After World War II, the LORO PIANA® company capitalized on the growing phenomenon of the “haute couture” industry and began to export its products to international markets. By the 1970’s, the LORO PIANA® company became the worldwide leader in its segment of the “haute couture” industry.
Today, LORO PIANA® own 132 stores worldwide that sell luxury outerwear, sportswear, and leisure wear for men, women, and children, including a reputation for the most complete, exclusive and expensive made to measure services in the world.
LORO PIANA® by Dominic Bellissimo®
What sets LORO PIANA® by Dominic Bellissimo® apart from the other designers and manufacturers of fur trimmed natural fibers is not just the basics of a “keen sense of style,” “quality workmanship,” and “attention to detail.” These quotes from Dominic Bellissimo’s biography can be said of many other designers, too.
What sets LORO PIANA® by Dominic Bellissimo® apart is that Dominic clearly understands the need for a contouring shape in a 3/4 or 7/8 jacket or coat. Otherwise, these shorter length styles can look like a “box” on both a petite, slightly larger woman, as well as a taller, more slender one.
LORO PIANA® by Dominic Bellissimo® accomplishes this in various ways, including princess seams front and back, well placed darts, and placket or fly fronts (no buttons showing) on several styles. The result is a clean garment that flatters a petite woman, making her chest, waist, and hips look smaller, or a style that adheres to the natural contours of a taller, more slender woman’s figure.
This is another great reason for the excellent response to LORO PIANA® by Dominic Bellissimo® last season along with the reputation of LORO PIANA® Italian-milled goods, and the unbelievable “hand” or cashmere like feel of “superfine wool” by LORO PIANA®.
These are the reasons why Canadian Fur Company has decided to carry three more styles in virtually every size and the three most popular colors. There are actually eight different LORO PIANA® milled “superfine wool” colors which can be ordered in any style with a four week turn around, because LORO PIANA® by Dominic Bellissimo® is made in Canada.
No biography would be complete without some understanding of the designer, the response, and his influence on others. Dominic celebrated his 30th year as a Canadian designer, more recently known for fur trimmed and non-trimmed natural fibers sold by Neiman Marcus here and its counterpart Holt Renfrew in Canada. Long term, Dominic has been known for his award winning shearlings which will also be featured at a trunk show in Canadian Fur Company, Thursday-Saturday, November 17-19, 2011.
Dominic Bellissmo is a Toronto native where LORO PIANA® by Dominic Bellissimo® is located, but regularly commutes to New York City.
Dominic Bellissimo designs have been featured in Vogue and Elle among others, and a wide range of celebrities have purchased his styles. These include Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Queen Latifah, Mario Bello, Richard Gere, Jeremy Irons, and Kyan Douglas.
LORO PIANA® by FLEURETTE®
“In 1949 a team of artisans, looking to fill a void in the marketplace, created a collection of high fashion quality coats in a small workshop in Los Angeles, California. This collection designed for and sold exclusively in high end retail boutiques and specialty stores was dubbed FLEURETTE®.
FLEURETTE® quickly gained praise from both retailers and customers alike for its legendary fit and impeccable tailoring. Creating an environment of artistry and creativity, FLEURETTE® stood for the theory that form should meet function and end in beauty.
Now designed and manufactured in New York, N.Y. the FLEURETTE® tradition continues. For more than fifty years FLEURETTE® has remained in the forefront of luxury outerwear made in the USA.
FLEURETTE® harkens back to the time when quality was the norm, when output was measured in hundreds, not thousands. Manufactured in a large modern facility, our coats pass through the hands of as many as seventy people before leaving the factory floor. At FLEURETTE®, each coat is still finished by hand one at a time. The beauty and wearability is a testament to the individual skill that goes into the making of every FLEURETTE® coat.” (reprinted from FLEURETTE® website)
Canadian Fur Company has purchased LORO PIANA® by FLEURETTE® styles the past six years because of the prestigious reputation of the company, the “made in the USA” quality, the enviable success of FLEURETTE® with the top U.S. retailers, and the almost timeless classic LORO PIANA® by FLEURETTE® styles.
The current ownership was both a manufacturer of furs and the owner of the single largest fur store in the company. Upon acquiring FLEURETTE®, the company shifted its focus to the largest and most prestigious department stores and has had tremendous success in virtually every one. One has to respect success.
Canadian Fur Company has purchased fur trimmed 100% cashmere LORO PIANA® by FLEURETTE®, over the past five years and still carries the wrap coat, an “erte” wasp-waisted 100% cashmere belted 54” long wrap coat with a deep wide indigo (silver blue) fox collar to the waist at an $1,860 retail price.
Nothing lasts forever and the previously most popular full length LORO PIANA® by FLEURETTE® 100% cashmere with spiral ranch/mahogany mink trim around the collar, front, and cuffs has been replaced at Canadian Fur Company with a 32” jacket in LORO PIANA® labeled, for a $990 retail price.
