SHOWROOM SEVEN SPRING SAMPLE SALE 2009
Monday February 9th – Friday February 20th 2009
10:00 AM – 7:00 PM - Closed Sunday
263 11th Avenue - between 27th & 28th Streets - 3rd floor
DESIGNER SPORTSWEAR & ACCESSORIES AT WHOLESALE & BELOW!
FEATURING:
Orla Kiely
Erickson Beamon
Issa London
Tony Cohen
Charlotte Ronson
A & G Cashmere
Sharon Wauchob
VISA, M/C, AMEX & CASH
more information : 212 643 4810
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Red Dress Awards: Raise Money
I thought this was nice, didn't have time to be creative today, and even voted myself already:
February 11th marks the 6th Annual Red Dress Awards, a heart healthy benefit for women. You can vote on which of three different exclusive Nicole Miller red dresses you think Jane Krakowski should wear on the red carpet to celebrate American Heart Month. Each vote will trigger a $1 donation (up to $275,000) to the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women movement. People can continue to support the cause through March 2 by clicking on the winning dress at http://www.campbellsaddressyourheart.com As much as $275,000 will be raised.
To learn more, please visit
http://www.akamediainc.com/SMNR/addressyourheart.html
There, you can see Jane and Nicole talk about the dresses, learn more about Jane, Nicole, and the Go Red For Women movement, as well as view photos of Nicole in her studio.
February 11th marks the 6th Annual Red Dress Awards, a heart healthy benefit for women. You can vote on which of three different exclusive Nicole Miller red dresses you think Jane Krakowski should wear on the red carpet to celebrate American Heart Month. Each vote will trigger a $1 donation (up to $275,000) to the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women movement. People can continue to support the cause through March 2 by clicking on the winning dress at http://www.campbellsaddressyourheart.com As much as $275,000 will be raised.
To learn more, please visit
http://www.akamediainc.com/SMNR/addressyourheart.html
There, you can see Jane and Nicole talk about the dresses, learn more about Jane, Nicole, and the Go Red For Women movement, as well as view photos of Nicole in her studio.
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Designer Resale Sale, Feb 7 - 20
Designer Resale, the...well the designer resale/consignment store that is incredibly picky in what they take (but they did take my Betsey Johnson embroidered flats and quickly sold them -- netting me a take of $22) is having their Winter Semi-Annual Sale. Prices SLASHED 20-70 percent! Famous designer brands for women AND men. And wait! The sale actually extends until Feb. 21-22 when prices will be SLASHED up to 80 percent!
If you haven't stopped in yet, go to E. 81st Street between 1st-2nd Aves.
With brands including Hermes, Prada, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Fendi, Armani, Versace, YSL, Burberry, Christian Dior, etc. you would think that they'd have more up to date marketing materials - the sale notice I received in the mail has a drawing of a man and a woman in their sassy designer duds, and it reminds me of the movie "Working Girl," or "Big." Not a great first step in an effort to get the trendsetters in your store, guys. I'm surprised the woman isn't wearing a headband.
If you haven't stopped in yet, go to E. 81st Street between 1st-2nd Aves.
With brands including Hermes, Prada, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Fendi, Armani, Versace, YSL, Burberry, Christian Dior, etc. you would think that they'd have more up to date marketing materials - the sale notice I received in the mail has a drawing of a man and a woman in their sassy designer duds, and it reminds me of the movie "Working Girl," or "Big." Not a great first step in an effort to get the trendsetters in your store, guys. I'm surprised the woman isn't wearing a headband.
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Lower Your Cable/Phone/Internet Bill NOW!
I received my Time Warner Cable bill in the mail yesterday and my jaw hit the floor. $180?! And I hadn't even gotten any pay-per-view last month!
Yes, it's true that I have triple play, and voicemail, and wireless, and DVR, and HBO...but seriously. This is just silly. So I called TWC and asked, "can you lower my bill please?" The guy on the line noted that my triple play alone was up to $134.95. It used to be $119.95 just a few months ago...but I digress. So he offered me a rate of $129.95 for the triple play IF I signed a 2-year contract. I asked, "so what's the catch?" Turns out that if I cancel TWC or move to a city where TWC isn't available, I will owe them a cancel fee of up to $150. "OK, no" I said...saving a mere $5 a month sucks to begin with..."that doesn't cut it." So he passed me on to the sales department (I am still wondering what department he was in) and I asked the woman on the other end of the line, "OK, so what can you do to lower my bill?" She replied, "well we can offer you a triple play rate of $99.95 for 12 months." Again I asked, "so what's the catch?" "No catch."
So I took the new 12-month rate, which is THIRTY FIVE DOLLARS cheaper a month. Which means that I will save $420 over the course of the year.
Am I the only one who thinks it's a little bit effed that the price I was paying isn't the actual lowest price and that I had to force my way through two layers to get a more reasonable rate? I mean they just RAISED my rate a few months ago...but the real rate is actually much less?
So two lessons:
1. Call your cable or phone company and ask them to lower your rates. They will likely do it because they don't want to lose customers.
2. We should be marching in the streets against the corporate fraud we endure on a regular basis. Between our tax dollars going to multi-billion dollar bonuses on Wall Street, and now this, I wonder where the tipping point is for middle class Americans?
Happy Super Bowl Sunday! Enjoy it on your giant HDTV.
Yes, it's true that I have triple play, and voicemail, and wireless, and DVR, and HBO...but seriously. This is just silly. So I called TWC and asked, "can you lower my bill please?" The guy on the line noted that my triple play alone was up to $134.95. It used to be $119.95 just a few months ago...but I digress. So he offered me a rate of $129.95 for the triple play IF I signed a 2-year contract. I asked, "so what's the catch?" Turns out that if I cancel TWC or move to a city where TWC isn't available, I will owe them a cancel fee of up to $150. "OK, no" I said...saving a mere $5 a month sucks to begin with..."that doesn't cut it." So he passed me on to the sales department (I am still wondering what department he was in) and I asked the woman on the other end of the line, "OK, so what can you do to lower my bill?" She replied, "well we can offer you a triple play rate of $99.95 for 12 months." Again I asked, "so what's the catch?" "No catch."
So I took the new 12-month rate, which is THIRTY FIVE DOLLARS cheaper a month. Which means that I will save $420 over the course of the year.
Am I the only one who thinks it's a little bit effed that the price I was paying isn't the actual lowest price and that I had to force my way through two layers to get a more reasonable rate? I mean they just RAISED my rate a few months ago...but the real rate is actually much less?
So two lessons:
1. Call your cable or phone company and ask them to lower your rates. They will likely do it because they don't want to lose customers.
2. We should be marching in the streets against the corporate fraud we endure on a regular basis. Between our tax dollars going to multi-billion dollar bonuses on Wall Street, and now this, I wonder where the tipping point is for middle class Americans?
Happy Super Bowl Sunday! Enjoy it on your giant HDTV.
Friday, January 30, 2009
WSJ: Fashion: A glimpse of the future of luxury
Oh the GSNYC loves it when prices drop...read on:
WEEKEND JOURNAL
Fashion: A glimpse of the future of luxury
By Teri Agins
30 January 2009
The Wall Street Journal
THE PARTY IS OVER for the fancy labels that once scored big on $600 stilettos and $1,500 "It" handbags. This year, world-wide sales of luxury goods are expected to fall between 3% and 7% from a year earlier, according to a Bain & Co. study.
Moreover, many fashion-industry veterans believe last fall's steep discounting of European designer goods by 70% or more did lasting damage to the perception of luxury. People now feel like they were ripped off by high prices all along -- and they are vowing never to pay full price again. If you can buy a Michael Kors wool dress for $230 on sale, as I did, you may wonder if its original $2,400 price wasn't a bit high to begin with.
The discounts follow other moves that have blurred the distinctiveness of luxury. When hip designers like Proenza Schouler, Roberto Cavalli and Viktor & Rolf can create nifty pieces that sell for under $100 at H&M and Target, it raises the question: Why can't they keep the prices in their signature collections from creeping over $1,000?
"It will take at least a year or more for people not to become nervous, thinking that if they had waited a couple of months longer, they could have bought something at 50% off. People don't want to be made a fool of," says John Idol, chief executive at the Michael Kors fashion house.
Now, luxury designers and retailers are responding to the new environment by altering the way they make, price and sell their goods.
We surveyed some of the smartest people in the luxury business in Europe and the U.S. to find out what luxury shopping might look like in coming years.
Some features:
-- Permanent price cuts. The weak U.S. dollar boosted the prices of euro-denominated Italian and French luxury goods by a third or more in the past few years. Shoes that once cost $550 shot up to $700 or $800 -- giving even the most rabid fashionistas sticker shock.
"Designer clothes are way overpriced; there's no way that a blouse that a woman paid, say, $1,500 for three years ago is now worth $4,000," says Allen Questrom, a former chief executive at Barneys New York and the former Federated Department Stores. His prediction: Prices will fall to better reflect the "price-value relationship of the merchandise."
"We have to lower our prices," agrees Alber Elbaz, the designer for Lanvin in Paris, where prices for cocktail and evening attire range from $2,600 to $8,000. "For the past month I have personally been on the phone asking our manufacturers, our fabric makers, all our suppliers to give us a better price," Mr. Elbaz says. "It's the subject of the day."
Emanuel Ungaro, another French fashion house, has already cut prices on 18 items for early fall delivery, dropping the price of one jacket, for instance, by 20% to $1,800. Prices for high fashion have become "way too expensive, and it's time to lower them," Ungaro CEO Mounir Moufarrige said through a spokeswoman.
-- More high-end bargains. Upscale chains such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus are stocking far less merchandise this year, in hopes that they won't have to mark it down. But savvy shoppers won't be starved for bargains. For one thing, consumers may keep refusing to pay full price, despite fashion labels' efforts to make clothes more affordable. But also, there's a glut of fancy merchandise still in the pipeline.
The Web sites that peddle excess designer inventories at a discount are here to stay. Gilt Group Inc., a members-only discount Web site, has about 25 sample sales a week, featuring labels such as Missoni, Vera Wang and Valentino. Another site, Shopittome.com, sends alerts to its members as soon as retailers start marking down their favorite designers by 40%.
No matter where the economy goes, a new generation of consumers "are spending differently and shopping online," says Alexis Maybank, co-founder of Gilt. Apparel makers have adapted to the presence of discounters, accepting smaller margins in order to sell more -- and sometimes even making goods expressly for the outlets.
-- More luxury goods made outside of Europe. With growing pressure for lower prices, more luxury makers will have no choice but to shift more production from Italy and France to China and other places.
"You can't tell me that you can't get the same quality in China that you can in Europe," says Mr. Questrom of Barneys and Federated.
Three years ago, womenswear label Lafayette 148 hired Barbara Gast, a production veteran of Italian luxury maker Ermenegildo Zegna, to move to China and teach 120 Chinese workers how to produce and finish fine-gauge knitwear, which sells for an average price of $350 a sweater for cashmere and $228 for merino wool.
"Our suppliers have told us that our product is on the same level with those made in Italy," says Deirdre Quinn, president and co-owner of Lafayette 148. Last year, the $100 million-a-year brand moved all production to its newly built factory in Shantou, China.
Of course, many labels won't broadcast such moves; don't be surprised if you see more labels that read: "Styled in Italy."
Upscale labels mix it up with more inexpensive items. The Marc by Marc Jacobs label plans to add more "exclusives" -- items found only at its own stores, says Robert Duffy, president of Marc Jacobs. Those exclusives will include more inexpensive items, he says. "We have always believed in having a broad mix of prices, like our $11 flip flops . . . and our $28 rain boots," he says.
Michael Kors boutiques -- which sell handbags and shoes at various price levels, ranging from $150 platform sandals to a $3,200 python handbag -- are employing a similar strategy, showcasing high and low-priced options alike. "Customers already cross-shop between designer shops and Zara, so we're just allowing them to do it in our own stores," says Mr. Idol.
Lord & Taylor is taking market share from higher-end merchants by offering designer looks for less, says Richard Baker, CEO of NRDC Equity Partners, which owns Lord & Taylor. He cites $89-to-$350 shoes with "the look of Gucci and Prada -- styles that can cost $700."
Burberry Group, a brand whose outerwear runs from $400 to $5,000, is launching its first jeans line, priced from $150 to $250. Says Angela Ahrendts, Burberry chief executive: "Our luxury positioning is more democratic than any of our peers."
WEEKEND JOURNAL
Fashion: A glimpse of the future of luxury
By Teri Agins
30 January 2009
The Wall Street Journal
THE PARTY IS OVER for the fancy labels that once scored big on $600 stilettos and $1,500 "It" handbags. This year, world-wide sales of luxury goods are expected to fall between 3% and 7% from a year earlier, according to a Bain & Co. study.
Moreover, many fashion-industry veterans believe last fall's steep discounting of European designer goods by 70% or more did lasting damage to the perception of luxury. People now feel like they were ripped off by high prices all along -- and they are vowing never to pay full price again. If you can buy a Michael Kors wool dress for $230 on sale, as I did, you may wonder if its original $2,400 price wasn't a bit high to begin with.
The discounts follow other moves that have blurred the distinctiveness of luxury. When hip designers like Proenza Schouler, Roberto Cavalli and Viktor & Rolf can create nifty pieces that sell for under $100 at H&M and Target, it raises the question: Why can't they keep the prices in their signature collections from creeping over $1,000?
"It will take at least a year or more for people not to become nervous, thinking that if they had waited a couple of months longer, they could have bought something at 50% off. People don't want to be made a fool of," says John Idol, chief executive at the Michael Kors fashion house.
Now, luxury designers and retailers are responding to the new environment by altering the way they make, price and sell their goods.
We surveyed some of the smartest people in the luxury business in Europe and the U.S. to find out what luxury shopping might look like in coming years.
Some features:
-- Permanent price cuts. The weak U.S. dollar boosted the prices of euro-denominated Italian and French luxury goods by a third or more in the past few years. Shoes that once cost $550 shot up to $700 or $800 -- giving even the most rabid fashionistas sticker shock.
"Designer clothes are way overpriced; there's no way that a blouse that a woman paid, say, $1,500 for three years ago is now worth $4,000," says Allen Questrom, a former chief executive at Barneys New York and the former Federated Department Stores. His prediction: Prices will fall to better reflect the "price-value relationship of the merchandise."
"We have to lower our prices," agrees Alber Elbaz, the designer for Lanvin in Paris, where prices for cocktail and evening attire range from $2,600 to $8,000. "For the past month I have personally been on the phone asking our manufacturers, our fabric makers, all our suppliers to give us a better price," Mr. Elbaz says. "It's the subject of the day."
Emanuel Ungaro, another French fashion house, has already cut prices on 18 items for early fall delivery, dropping the price of one jacket, for instance, by 20% to $1,800. Prices for high fashion have become "way too expensive, and it's time to lower them," Ungaro CEO Mounir Moufarrige said through a spokeswoman.
-- More high-end bargains. Upscale chains such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus are stocking far less merchandise this year, in hopes that they won't have to mark it down. But savvy shoppers won't be starved for bargains. For one thing, consumers may keep refusing to pay full price, despite fashion labels' efforts to make clothes more affordable. But also, there's a glut of fancy merchandise still in the pipeline.
The Web sites that peddle excess designer inventories at a discount are here to stay. Gilt Group Inc., a members-only discount Web site, has about 25 sample sales a week, featuring labels such as Missoni, Vera Wang and Valentino. Another site, Shopittome.com, sends alerts to its members as soon as retailers start marking down their favorite designers by 40%.
No matter where the economy goes, a new generation of consumers "are spending differently and shopping online," says Alexis Maybank, co-founder of Gilt. Apparel makers have adapted to the presence of discounters, accepting smaller margins in order to sell more -- and sometimes even making goods expressly for the outlets.
-- More luxury goods made outside of Europe. With growing pressure for lower prices, more luxury makers will have no choice but to shift more production from Italy and France to China and other places.
"You can't tell me that you can't get the same quality in China that you can in Europe," says Mr. Questrom of Barneys and Federated.
Three years ago, womenswear label Lafayette 148 hired Barbara Gast, a production veteran of Italian luxury maker Ermenegildo Zegna, to move to China and teach 120 Chinese workers how to produce and finish fine-gauge knitwear, which sells for an average price of $350 a sweater for cashmere and $228 for merino wool.
"Our suppliers have told us that our product is on the same level with those made in Italy," says Deirdre Quinn, president and co-owner of Lafayette 148. Last year, the $100 million-a-year brand moved all production to its newly built factory in Shantou, China.
Of course, many labels won't broadcast such moves; don't be surprised if you see more labels that read: "Styled in Italy."
Upscale labels mix it up with more inexpensive items. The Marc by Marc Jacobs label plans to add more "exclusives" -- items found only at its own stores, says Robert Duffy, president of Marc Jacobs. Those exclusives will include more inexpensive items, he says. "We have always believed in having a broad mix of prices, like our $11 flip flops . . . and our $28 rain boots," he says.
Michael Kors boutiques -- which sell handbags and shoes at various price levels, ranging from $150 platform sandals to a $3,200 python handbag -- are employing a similar strategy, showcasing high and low-priced options alike. "Customers already cross-shop between designer shops and Zara, so we're just allowing them to do it in our own stores," says Mr. Idol.
Lord & Taylor is taking market share from higher-end merchants by offering designer looks for less, says Richard Baker, CEO of NRDC Equity Partners, which owns Lord & Taylor. He cites $89-to-$350 shoes with "the look of Gucci and Prada -- styles that can cost $700."
Burberry Group, a brand whose outerwear runs from $400 to $5,000, is launching its first jeans line, priced from $150 to $250. Says Angela Ahrendts, Burberry chief executive: "Our luxury positioning is more democratic than any of our peers."
Become a Daffy's Model!
Click here to submit your your 60 second or less video in either Quicktime, MOV, MPG, Flash, FLV, or Windows AVI file. They'll notify you if by phone or email if your video has been pre-selected for the casting call.
If you win you get a WHOLE $500 GIFT CARD! You will never have to work again!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
LA Was Not a Total Loss: Hotels & Handbags
I know, I know...you missed me terribly. And I, you. But I am back from that city on the other side of the country. I stayed at the London yet again, and aside from the biggest bug that was hiding in my bath towel, the experience was great. And, we are all fortunate because while dining han-solo-style at the bar at Gordon Ramsay (which is on the ground floor of the hotel), I met a NYC-based handbag designer named Darren Wallace who I am now extremely anxious to see more from. The pictured bag is Parker Lamb Clutch - Redwood and if you go to his site you will see a couple other bags - including an award-winner that was featured on CBS this morning. Now, you all know that I am not a fan of the PURSE, but I am a sucker when meeting an artist in person! Stay tuned on this newcomer - he promises that his site will soon be more robust!
Monday, January 26, 2009
Economy Got You Down? Consign THIS!
Whether or not your finances have been impacted by this plummeting economy, now is a great time to get rid of the goods in your closet and home, and make some money while you're at it. I have begun to do this during the last year or so, and while I have not gotten rich, it has given me a sense of pride, as though I am building my cred as an independent business woman. A "wee"bay, if you will.And a funny thing happens - the stuff you think nobody would ever buy, goes in a blink, while the stuff you are sure that people will be dying for is e-ignored. Examples - I have been trying to get rid of a chair for a year to no avail, but my speaker stands and 18-year-old Nakamichi stereo receiver got snapped up in less than 3 days after posting them on craigslist.
And, on the flip side, if you are relatively broke and in need of some new items, shopping this way is not a bad way to go. Especially if you are in dire need of couture.
For example, La Boutique Resale with its three NYC locations (one UWS, two UES) is both a great place to GIVE (i.e. consign) your gently used top designer fashions and BUY such items - and right now during their winter sale you can score such duds at up to 70 percent off (through March 15).
Plus, if you have a postcard from them like I do, you can get additional 10 percent of your total purchase. I have gotten a few things here this way, even I give into Fendi, Escada and Dior from time to time...
Jan 29: ANNA Party Feat. Heather Nicosia Jewelry
DAMN! I wish I could make this party, but I think I will be elsewhere. So YOU be my proxy and report back. annanyc.com
http://www.threeturtledoves.com/Welcome.html
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