A Guide to Quality, Taste and Style by Tim Gunn, Kate Maloney Page A
Authors: Tim Gunn, Kate Maloney
Ads: Link
her to a movie; only that you get a feel for her aesthetic at work.
Perhaps you’ve had the experience of seeing something in an ad or magazine and failed to find it at one store, though they carry the line, and then found it at another. While competing stores may share the same lines, what they don’t share are the buyers. Each store employsbuyers charged with picking the pieces of a particular line that best express the viewpoint of the particular store. That’s why the Washington, D.C., Saks has different merchandise than the Fifth Avenue store. A great way to familiarize yourself with the different sensibilities at work is to visit, as we did, the same designer at two different stores. We chose Diane von Furstenberg. Selections from the line were at Saks and Neiman’s. The Saks rounders were bursting with color and prints—the feeling was very wild weekend in Vegas. The selection at Neiman’s, on the other hand, skewed toward meeting followed by dinner. Granted, it was still sexy—Diane Von Furstenburg simply is—but solids and more classic shapes dominated. If you are a wild-weekend-in-Vegas person, you know that you should proceed directly to Saks and spend the time you saved getting one more spray tan before heading to the airport.
Knowing your buyer also provides a bit of psychic armor against those items that you must avoid on your way to something suitable. Why is it that those items, the ones you know are no good for you, manage to appear so enticing on their hangers? Take, for instance, the clown cowl. On the hanger, perhaps even in the dressing room, it murmurs “drama, risk, excitement.” Once home and paid for, it mocks you with its layers of fabric. Gone is the seductive whisper; in its place a sing-song of derision, something about “swags are for drapes.” If you have faith that somewhere, far away from the clown cowl, your buyer will have something waiting that will not make fun of you, it may give you the strength to keep walking.
THE HIGH-END BOUTIQUE:
AVEZ-VOUS UN OUTLET?
One of the few nice things about having less money than one would like is the discipline it fosters. Of course, it can also foster bitterness and rage—but let’s look at the bright side! High-end boutiques offer wonderful inspiration, whether they carry a single designer’s work or a beautifully edited collection of many. If you are attracted to the big names—Chanel, Burberry—they all have outlets these days. Before plunking down a huge sum, why not visit the boutique, note what you like, and then call the outlet? Nothing ventured, nothing gained—and you might save yourself a significant amount of money. If the outlet doesn’t have it and you can’t live another moment without snapping up whatever it is, go back to the boutique and buy with a clear conscience.
The individually owned boutique is often the most exciting and inspiring place to shop. They abound in New York City, and there is something beguiling about entering one person’s vision, a complete sartorial world. If the owner is on target, each piece should fit, aestheticallyspeaking, with the others, creating a jewelry box of a universe. Add to the mix the person working in the boutique—often the owner—who perfectly epitomizes the look, and the magic is complete. You want it all! Never mind that you are an investment banker whose most daring piece is a slightly deeper than usual V-neck sweater and the store looks like Stevie Nicks’s closet. You need those purple platform boots and the diaphanous maxi-dress and the beaded cape and the Mongolian lamb jacket . . . Wait! Step out of the store and take a deep breath. Perhaps this really is the first day of the rest of your wardrobe’s life. Or perhaps it is just a momentary infatuation that will lead to a sorrowful head shaking in a few days’ time. Why not hedge your bets and opt for one piece that both incorporates the elements you’ve become bewitched by and still works
Perhaps you’ve had the experience of seeing something in an ad or magazine and failed to find it at one store, though they carry the line, and then found it at another. While competing stores may share the same lines, what they don’t share are the buyers. Each store employsbuyers charged with picking the pieces of a particular line that best express the viewpoint of the particular store. That’s why the Washington, D.C., Saks has different merchandise than the Fifth Avenue store. A great way to familiarize yourself with the different sensibilities at work is to visit, as we did, the same designer at two different stores. We chose Diane von Furstenberg. Selections from the line were at Saks and Neiman’s. The Saks rounders were bursting with color and prints—the feeling was very wild weekend in Vegas. The selection at Neiman’s, on the other hand, skewed toward meeting followed by dinner. Granted, it was still sexy—Diane Von Furstenburg simply is—but solids and more classic shapes dominated. If you are a wild-weekend-in-Vegas person, you know that you should proceed directly to Saks and spend the time you saved getting one more spray tan before heading to the airport.
Knowing your buyer also provides a bit of psychic armor against those items that you must avoid on your way to something suitable. Why is it that those items, the ones you know are no good for you, manage to appear so enticing on their hangers? Take, for instance, the clown cowl. On the hanger, perhaps even in the dressing room, it murmurs “drama, risk, excitement.” Once home and paid for, it mocks you with its layers of fabric. Gone is the seductive whisper; in its place a sing-song of derision, something about “swags are for drapes.” If you have faith that somewhere, far away from the clown cowl, your buyer will have something waiting that will not make fun of you, it may give you the strength to keep walking.
THE HIGH-END BOUTIQUE:
AVEZ-VOUS UN OUTLET?
One of the few nice things about having less money than one would like is the discipline it fosters. Of course, it can also foster bitterness and rage—but let’s look at the bright side! High-end boutiques offer wonderful inspiration, whether they carry a single designer’s work or a beautifully edited collection of many. If you are attracted to the big names—Chanel, Burberry—they all have outlets these days. Before plunking down a huge sum, why not visit the boutique, note what you like, and then call the outlet? Nothing ventured, nothing gained—and you might save yourself a significant amount of money. If the outlet doesn’t have it and you can’t live another moment without snapping up whatever it is, go back to the boutique and buy with a clear conscience.
The individually owned boutique is often the most exciting and inspiring place to shop. They abound in New York City, and there is something beguiling about entering one person’s vision, a complete sartorial world. If the owner is on target, each piece should fit, aestheticallyspeaking, with the others, creating a jewelry box of a universe. Add to the mix the person working in the boutique—often the owner—who perfectly epitomizes the look, and the magic is complete. You want it all! Never mind that you are an investment banker whose most daring piece is a slightly deeper than usual V-neck sweater and the store looks like Stevie Nicks’s closet. You need those purple platform boots and the diaphanous maxi-dress and the beaded cape and the Mongolian lamb jacket . . . Wait! Step out of the store and take a deep breath. Perhaps this really is the first day of the rest of your wardrobe’s life. Or perhaps it is just a momentary infatuation that will lead to a sorrowful head shaking in a few days’ time. Why not hedge your bets and opt for one piece that both incorporates the elements you’ve become bewitched by and still works
Similar Books
