Aisle 9 Cleanups: Correcting the Record on Gross Errors and Lies About Brands and Business
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Accountability in Writing About Luxury Brands and Selling Spaces
We have our first Aisle 9 Cleanups in the queue [1] Hedi Slimane’s timeline creating success at Celine and [2] why it might take as long as five years to cleanup the mess at Dior. AI never comes close to writing Anne’s posts. But I do run my core thinking through AI in case it responds “that’s bullpucky”.
I ran a fashion ‘expert’s’ assertions thru AI on these two recent [week 3 January 2026] assertions.
In doing so, I stopped to read a third commentary on the topic of the Saks bankruptcy and whether an international VIP should step in to score big for his own stockholders’ interests and make a quick piece of change on a resulting side hustle of selling off what he doesn’t want.
A Brief Detour Into the Saks Bankruptcy
Honestly, this Suzie Q needs to stay away from financial topics completely. I think Sandy Q will be the future male writer or analyst. All remain anonymous.
Anne says: if he buys it pennies on the dollar as asserted by Suzie Q’s financial expert, he takes the jewel at an excellent price and sells off the rest at a nice profit, but still a very attractive price to the buyers. No CEO in the world has the intellectual and financial capital to make a better deal than this VIP.
The financial expert’s recommendation was sound. The fashion writer’s response indicated she was clueless in understanding his point, which zoomed right over her head.
“No, no” he doesn’t want to own company X. He only wants Y. I don’t agree with you,” was her paraphrased response.
Ahem, we all know that, Suzie Q. Your financial expert guest already said the unloading of X is not a big headache, because this master of the universe knows exactly what each card in his hand is worth [not so much in this 2026 state of retail misfires].
However Much The VIP Wants the Crown, He’ll Walk and Watch What Happens
An unemotional bidder, he knows the financial strategy variables that can deviate from his plan — and by how much — before he folds his hand and leaves the deal on the table. This proposed buyer can easily walk — until reality sets in among all affected parties. The best buyer is the one who really wants the prize, but is willing to walk away, knowing s[he] can live without it.
In the last year, I’ve lost a lot of respect for fashion writers commenting on finance issues, when they obviously are clueless about the financial fundamentals impacting stock valuations. Multiple financial analysts are just as bad as Suzie Q, which is an inexcusable reality. They also blog publicly on fashion media platforms.
These ‘expert’ Suzie Q voices can move financial markets in the luxury brands world. In choosing a female name, AOC isn’t suggesting this is a female problem. I’ve said for over a year that the quality of financial writing and commentary about luxury market and branding financial topics borders on California-wildfires irresponsible. Men are just as culpable.
AI Gave Suzie Q Two Bullpuckeys on Both Celine and Dior
I’m not interested in cleaning up every little dripping popsicle on a hot day in Bloomingdale’s. Aisle 9 Cleanups are focused on blatantly false statements that 1] carry high-risk impact on the main character, if the lie or uninformed mistake multiplies as fact. Or 2] they are so ill-informed about actual process and procedures, that others will apply the statements to their own opinions and analysis — trusting the expert voice — and ignorance reigns in waves.
Having set the stage, let’s do an Aisle 9 cleanup on the assertion that it took Hedi Slimane 5 years to figure out his plan for Celine. This assertion was giving cover to why Jonathan Anderson might need a similar 5 years window to figure out his Dior. Suzie Q referring to Anderson “cleaning up the mess at Dior women’s” got a detailed AI bullpuckey, but reckoning with a menswear customer who was loyal to Kim Jones is a valid statement.
Thank goddess they can go to the Louis Vuitton Spring 2026 collection. Pharrell is such a visionary creative/business man that I can see him assessing the Dior situation under Anderson, working hard on beautiful new and utilitarian fabrics for LV, but also keeping it real for Dior customers.
Like Blazy, Pharrell is busy creating joy. They are both empaths.
But hey — we all need to back away and give the Dior golden boy room to pursue excellence way above our pay grades. He will make us all look like dunces in the end because this kind of talent comes every 100 years or so, which is why it’s taking some of us awhile to recognize it.
And I am not second-guessing the Arnault family. I’m just having a little trouble adjusting. After living in Trumplandia again, where the earth shifts every 15 minutes, and his voice just drones on and on and on with 10 lies every 15 minutes, I’m not inspired by Jonathan Anderson’s Dior. ~ Anne