Better than a Sample Sale

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Sat, 23 Jun 2012 01:18:36 -0400

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Wed, 04 Apr 2012 20:08:49 -0400

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Wed, 04 Apr 2012 20:07:43 -0400

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Mon, 05 Mar 2012 12:58:59 -0500

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Mon, 05 Mar 2012 12:58:05 -0500

Lacy

Sat, 03 Mar 2012 16:54:49 -0500

Lacy

Lift Japan

Mon, 25 Apr 2011 23:35:06 -0400

Unless you have been under a rock for the past couple of months you have heard and watched the horrific stories that are devastating Japan. What I’m really impress with is all the companies and designers that are creating t-shirts to help with the relief. For example Tory Burch and the Gap is donating 100% proceeds to the relief effort. I think this is a great way to help with public out reach.

Online Sample Sales..SCORE!

Mon, 25 Apr 2011 22:48:05 -0400

In the last few years many websites have been popping up selling designer clothing for a fraction of the price. These sites include Ideeli.com, Guiltgroup.com, LuLus.com, RueLaLa.com just to name a few. What I find most interesting about these sites is it give designers a great way to sell their merchandise without selling out to T.J. Maxx and Marshalls. I feel like it keeps the brand’s name in good standing and is still considered luxury. But the downside is you have to be a member, and that also means you could be wait-listed so if you are truly interested sign up right away and start this whole new shopping experience.

Van Cleef & Arpels: NYC

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 17:53:00 -0400

I recently got the opportunity to visit the Van Cleef and Arpels exhibit at the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt museum. The exhibit is taking place from February 22 through July 4th, 2011. I thought the entire layout was absolutely breath taking and beautifully thought out.

My favorite part of the Van Cleef and Arpels exhibit was at the very end, when they showed the pieces that belonged to Princess Grace. She has been an idol of mine since a very young age and just seeing original pieces and knowing the history has made me love her even more.

Fashion Secrets: EXPOSED

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 22:08:00 -0400

After reading Deluxe: How luxury lost its Luster, I feel as though my eyes have been exposed to the “real” fashion industry. I enjoyed the beginning of the book because it gave a great history of when fashion houses were pure and unaffected by licenses or deals. They only cared about the quality and craftsmanship of the products they were creating. The book went as far as back as when Marie-Antoinette was Queen and would exceed her clothing budget. I enjoyed how Ms. Thomas explained how Luxury went from being the best of the best to being sold as middle market products. Everyone wanted a piece of Luxury and a lot of people got it. In the book it was exposed that these so call “luxury” brands were being created in factories as a mass market product with the quality of middle market also. Only a few brands stayed true to their name and kept themselves “True Luxury.” I feel as though this book exposed the Fashion industry and its dirty little secrets.

Well within in the last two years Rompers have been making a...

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:55:11 -0400

Well within in the last two years Rompers have been making a come back and are everywhere now of days. When I first saw them I was a little doubtful that this trend was going to take off. I felt like you either had to be tall and slender or be an extremely tiny petite little thing. Well with the right styling its now possible that everyone can wear them.

A little Q & A

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 23:11:00 -0400

Last Friday I had the pleasure of interviewing Mandie Perdikakis who is the Senior Director of Product Development at Elie Tahari in the Wovens and Knitwear department. I was really interested in what Product Development consisted of and how she felt about it. With this said, I did a little Q & A to find out the facts.

Interviewee: Mandie Perdikakis

Education: University of Cincinnatti

Major: Fashion Design

1.What year did you start at Elie Tahari Ltd?

Feb 2007 I was hired as Director of Product Development for Knitwear. Dec 2010 I was promoted to Senior Director of Product Development overseeing Knits and Wovens.

2.Aside from visible compensation such as money, fringe benefits, travel, ect. what kind of mental dividends such as job satisfaction does this career yield?

“The opportunity to mentor and guide a team while planning their career path within the Elie Tahari organization provides me with the most job satisfaction. I am very passionate about product development. I grateful to be working for a brand who believes in the benefits of having a product development department. Starting each season by presenting the newest and greatest materials while working along Design thru the design/development stages is amazing. Trouble shooting issues before they reach production, negotiating raw materials prices, introducing new factories, leveraging yarn, knit and fabric programs and proposing new product categories across all divisions is one of my greatest strengths and pleasures.”

3.How much job security do you have in this position?

“With the growth plans for the Elie Tahari brand to reach 1 billion in sales over the next 5-7 years, I believe there is a high level of job security for myself and the Product Development Dept. Our company wide goals include increasing our privately owned Retail stores and Off Price stores, plans to start an ecommerce business for Fall 2012 as well as growth plans to increase sales for the T Tahari brand and International business for Collection Women’s and Men’s and T Tahari. With our company-wide goals in mind, Product Development’s role is to be sure we continue to make quality product that arrives on time to market at price points that help maintain the margin goals for each division. With the rise of raw material prices, increased labor and the effects of the recession on customers disposable income, the role of the Product Development department is key to the brands survival.”

4.What is the typical entry-level salary in product development?

$30,000 – 35,000/yr

5.What fabrics, prints, yarns, ect are you working on developing right now?

“Besides our core programs which include for yarns - 100% Cashmere, Extrafine Merino Wool, Silk Cashmere, 100% Linen and for cut + sew - Viscose Jersey and Cotton Jersey, and for wovens – Silk blends for soft pieces and Wool blends and Denim for hard pieces - we are working to develop any yarns and fabrics that are novel. Currently the key to survival is offering the customer novel fabrications in terms of raw material…something different from the other brands and from our competition to help us stand above the rest. Custom prints, qualities with surface detail like foil printing and vintage dye effects as well as adding surface detail onto garments in the form of woven/lace/trims details are key to the Elie Tahari signature styling. Anything custom is the key.”

6. What career goals do you have for the future?

“To grow the Product Development department at Elie Tahari. I started as a 1 person department. Until December 2010 it was a 2 person department. Currently now we have 3 people working in Product Development with the help of an additional person each season in terms of an intern. I would like to department to grow to eventually include all product categories that Elie Tahari produces including handbags, shoes, accessories, home, etc.”

I didn’t have much time with Mandie, so I tried to get the basics. I hope you all enjoyed it.

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Mon, 11 Apr 2011 21:50:12 -0400

Elie Tahari: Sample Sale

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 21:44:00 -0400

Well its that time of year again, SAMPLE SALE SEASON. Ahh and those words sound so sweet. Elie Tahari was the big player today as he kicked off his sale at around 2:00 pm. The flyer for the sale said it would be starting Tuesday, but the company surprised everyone and opened it today. I went in around 2:15 and it was a MADHOUSE. First of all you had to check all of your belongings, then after making it through that line you entered the store. This is where the craziness happened. I’m guessing there were at least 100 people in this small square space diving through racks of blouses, knits, leather jackets, accessories, and much more. The prices were outstanding. Knits are starting at just $19.00. There was a variety of sizes and colors, but I wouldn’t wait till the end of the week to check this one out. Everything was flying off the racks like hotcakes. So, grab your bag and get there :)

TIBI dazzles: sans shoes

Sat, 19 Feb 2011 02:18:11 -0500

Well as many of you know this week was Mercedes Benz Fashion Week 2011. I had the honor of attending the TIBI show on Tuesday. Actress Vanessa Hudgens, Reality television star of “The City” Olivia Palermo, and American Socialite and designer Tinsley Mortimer all attended the show.

At the beginning of the show, the first few looks included hot pink knitwear accessories paired with neutral tone jackets. Then came beautiful blended metallic and jewel tones that were shown throughout the show.Very much of the line looked menswear inspired with amazing tailoring. One of the highlights of the show was when model Jiang started fidgeting with her shoes and removed them. After this, she proceeded to walk her walk down the runway. The entire crowd started clapping and cheering. This was a great show and Amy Simlovic should be proud of what she accomplished.

There's a first time for everything

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 23:25:26 -0500

Welp, here I am finally. I’m joining the world of Blogging. Many people everyday are expressing their opinions, beliefs, and whatever else makes their socks roll up and down. So I’m jumping on the bandwagon. This Blog is a requirement for a class I’m in. And being a Fashion student, I am required to blog about fashion, style, art, and social media. As one would know, I’m obviously interested in the topics mentioned above, I mean I am spending 10k a year to learn about it. Also, to add a little frosting to the cake I recently moved to New York City to do an internship and attend school. So far, so good. New York is a great city, of course there was some culture shock at first, but I’m learning a lot. The Subway for example, is a great place to make some dollars. All you have to do is play an instrument, sing, or just tell the car you are hungry. I might just quit school. I have also learned to avoid eye contact with pretty much everyone walking down the street. Everyone seems to have some sort of an agenda. But all in all, its a great time. My next post will actually include something relevant. So until then, check ya later.