Want strapless? Check it out.
Shirtdress style? You've got that, too.
Scoop neck? No problem.
I don't think it's a knock-off situation, but I do think someone sold a very distinctive fabric to more than one company...
6.03.2007
Whoops
Want strapless? Check it out.
Shirtdress style? You've got that, too.
Scoop neck? No problem.
I don't think it's a knock-off situation, but I do think someone sold a very distinctive fabric to more than one company...
5.10.2007
5.08.2007
5.07.2007
Blogging the Gap: Everybody in khaki
Think about the Gap. What do you buy there? Who shops there?
For me, Gap has always been about the basics, a reputation solidified by their advertising campaigns. Everybody in vests ...dress you up in my love... everybody in khakis ...they call me mellow yellow...
Part of its current identity crisis is that people have gone elsewhere for their basics. Why buy a white t-shirt at Gap for $15 when it's 2-for-$12 at Old Navy? Why buy a black t-shirt at Gap when the J. Crew version is $5 more, but won't fade as fast?
More than anything, Old Navy has cannibalized Gap, because when it comes to basics, why spend $50 when the $30 will work just as well?
It's always surprised me to meet people who didn't shop at Gap. Where do you buy your white t-shirts, I always wondered, but the thing is, since Gap opened in 1969, there have been plenty of stores to open and do a version of what Gap does, but a little better, a little quirkier, a little cheaper. Each one of those stores at a bit of Gap's customer base and grew its own. Express, Abercrombie & Fitch, American Eagle, Aeropostale, J.Crew.
The question now, is how to find its own unique niche within a crowded retail market. Old Navy also needs to do this, but Old Navy's destiny is inextricably linked with Gaps. Interestingly, Banana Republic has become the tentpole for Gap Inc. Its profits and earnings have kept the company afloat and, in discussions of taking the company private or selling to an investor, its always mentioned as a spin-off to keep public...and profitable.
It seems that Gap -- and Old Navy -- have seen their future in appealing to the crowd that loves the designer knock-offs at H&M and Forever 21 and celebrity/designer diffusion lines at Top Shop and Target. The young, broke fashionista. But is that market already too crowded? And do those fashionistas even remember the Gap as anything other than a place they bought boy cut jeans in 8th grade?
Another topic for another post.
Stockwatch: GPS down .13, to 18.37.
For me, Gap has always been about the basics, a reputation solidified by their advertising campaigns. Everybody in vests ...dress you up in my love... everybody in khakis ...they call me mellow yellow...
Part of its current identity crisis is that people have gone elsewhere for their basics. Why buy a white t-shirt at Gap for $15 when it's 2-for-$12 at Old Navy? Why buy a black t-shirt at Gap when the J. Crew version is $5 more, but won't fade as fast?
More than anything, Old Navy has cannibalized Gap, because when it comes to basics, why spend $50 when the $30 will work just as well?
It's always surprised me to meet people who didn't shop at Gap. Where do you buy your white t-shirts, I always wondered, but the thing is, since Gap opened in 1969, there have been plenty of stores to open and do a version of what Gap does, but a little better, a little quirkier, a little cheaper. Each one of those stores at a bit of Gap's customer base and grew its own. Express, Abercrombie & Fitch, American Eagle, Aeropostale, J.Crew.
The question now, is how to find its own unique niche within a crowded retail market. Old Navy also needs to do this, but Old Navy's destiny is inextricably linked with Gaps. Interestingly, Banana Republic has become the tentpole for Gap Inc. Its profits and earnings have kept the company afloat and, in discussions of taking the company private or selling to an investor, its always mentioned as a spin-off to keep public...and profitable.
It seems that Gap -- and Old Navy -- have seen their future in appealing to the crowd that loves the designer knock-offs at H&M and Forever 21 and celebrity/designer diffusion lines at Top Shop and Target. The young, broke fashionista. But is that market already too crowded? And do those fashionistas even remember the Gap as anything other than a place they bought boy cut jeans in 8th grade?
Another topic for another post.
Stockwatch: GPS down .13, to 18.37.
5.02.2007
Blogging the Gap: Fall into the Gap
I stopped in at the Gap the other day. This wasn't as easy as it sounds. In the county where I live, with three major malls, there is only one Gap.
This isn't a small, backwoods town. There's a brand new mall with plenty of other stores, like J. Crew, Guess and Banana Republic.
So I made a stop at the mall with the Gap, mainly to try on a certain dress that's gotten quite a lot of talk over at Fashionista.
But the dress (which is cute, and would work for someone else) did afford me the opportunity to spend some time in the Gap, which I rarely do and I got to see exactly why the store is having such an identity crisis.
In a good store, there will be different "stories" to tell in different parts of the store. Sometimes this is based on color -- we'll tell the orange story here, and the blue one there -- and sometimes it's based on style -- put the work story in one corner and the weekend story toward the front. Gap's stories seemed to be based on...um...yeah...
In the front of the store, there were a lot of basics. T-shirt kinds of things, drawstring-bottom pants, I think. Most of the stuff was on sale (the pants were $59.50, down to $8.97). Then there were some accessories, a table of work pants, a few racks of dresses. Next came clearance, and then in the back corner, there was denim. It wasn't fun or easy to shop and it was difficult to figure out exactly what was on sale. I wanted to pick up some camisoles, because you can never have too many, and I couldn't find them and didn't know where to look.
Part of the problem was that the store was a mess. That's not entirely the Gap's fault, just the management's fault. But it was particularly glaring, considering I was the only customer in the store, for most of my visit. It was after work and there were plenty of people in other stores I visited, so it wasn't a timing issue, it was a Gap issue.
After perusing the store, I did grab the aforementioned dress and a pair of drawstring-bottom pants. I thought about another pair of work pants, but didn't feel like searching for my size, since the pile was out of order. I ended up buying the pants. And that's it.
Stockwatch: GPS up 0.63 points to 18.35.
This isn't a small, backwoods town. There's a brand new mall with plenty of other stores, like J. Crew, Guess and Banana Republic.
So I made a stop at the mall with the Gap, mainly to try on a certain dress that's gotten quite a lot of talk over at Fashionista.
But the dress (which is cute, and would work for someone else) did afford me the opportunity to spend some time in the Gap, which I rarely do and I got to see exactly why the store is having such an identity crisis.
In a good store, there will be different "stories" to tell in different parts of the store. Sometimes this is based on color -- we'll tell the orange story here, and the blue one there -- and sometimes it's based on style -- put the work story in one corner and the weekend story toward the front. Gap's stories seemed to be based on...um...yeah...
In the front of the store, there were a lot of basics. T-shirt kinds of things, drawstring-bottom pants, I think. Most of the stuff was on sale (the pants were $59.50, down to $8.97). Then there were some accessories, a table of work pants, a few racks of dresses. Next came clearance, and then in the back corner, there was denim. It wasn't fun or easy to shop and it was difficult to figure out exactly what was on sale. I wanted to pick up some camisoles, because you can never have too many, and I couldn't find them and didn't know where to look.
Part of the problem was that the store was a mess. That's not entirely the Gap's fault, just the management's fault. But it was particularly glaring, considering I was the only customer in the store, for most of my visit. It was after work and there were plenty of people in other stores I visited, so it wasn't a timing issue, it was a Gap issue.
After perusing the store, I did grab the aforementioned dress and a pair of drawstring-bottom pants. I thought about another pair of work pants, but didn't feel like searching for my size, since the pile was out of order. I ended up buying the pants. And that's it.
Stockwatch: GPS up 0.63 points to 18.35.
5.01.2007
Blogging the Gap: Prologue
The Gap is in the middle of an identity crisis. Is it a place for basics? Is it a place for affordable, fashiony clothes? Is it a place for jeans? Even the company doesn't seem to have any answers, based on a recent survey I took.
In the next several posts -- which I hope will be daily -- I'll discuss what I see, as a consumer, and how I think they should fix it. I'll also start a nightly stockwatch, where I post how the stock is doing. Why? Because it's fun.
Will it make any difference? Probably not.
Do I care? Not really.
Will anyone read? I hope so...
Stockwatch: GPS down 0.23 points, 1.28 percent, to $17.72.
3.11.2007
Were you aware?
Project Red, the AIDS fundraising effort that joined forces with Apple, Sprint and Gap, among other companies, sells red products and donates a portion of proceeds to some Bono-related AIDS foundation. Sounds great, right?
Well, so far, they've only raised $18 million.
Only $18 million? But, isn't $18 million a lot of money?
Well, yes. Except when you compare it to the $100 million they spent on marketing the project.
My suggestion: buy a regular iPod and give your $5 to the AIDS charity of your choice instead of buying the red iPod (which only donates $5 to Project Red). And instead of buying the Inspi(red) t-shirt, add that money to the $5 you're already donating.
If you're looking for something worthwhile, try AIDS Life Cycle.
Well, so far, they've only raised $18 million.
Only $18 million? But, isn't $18 million a lot of money?
Well, yes. Except when you compare it to the $100 million they spent on marketing the project.
My suggestion: buy a regular iPod and give your $5 to the AIDS charity of your choice instead of buying the red iPod (which only donates $5 to Project Red). And instead of buying the Inspi(red) t-shirt, add that money to the $5 you're already donating.
If you're looking for something worthwhile, try AIDS Life Cycle.
3.02.2007
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!
Libertine is designing the Go! International Collection for Target!
I haven't been this excited in a long time. Finally, a designer I LOVE! designing for them. Because as much as I liked Luella's stuff and was pleasantly surprised by Proenza Schouler, I was very underwhelmed by Paul & Joe and Behnaz.
I'm going to start saving my pennies, now, so I can buy up everything in the fall.
In the meantime, head to Target now for some cute Proenza stuff and stay tuned for Patrick Robinson.
Source: fashionista
For what it's worth, I totally have a girlcrush on Faran. I don't think I've been this excited since I got an e-mail from Faran.
And if you really read the archives, I did the Tim Gunn M&M.
I haven't been this excited in a long time. Finally, a designer I LOVE! designing for them. Because as much as I liked Luella's stuff and was pleasantly surprised by Proenza Schouler, I was very underwhelmed by Paul & Joe and Behnaz.
I'm going to start saving my pennies, now, so I can buy up everything in the fall.
In the meantime, head to Target now for some cute Proenza stuff and stay tuned for Patrick Robinson.
Source: fashionista
For what it's worth, I totally have a girlcrush on Faran. I don't think I've been this excited since I got an e-mail from Faran.
And if you really read the archives, I did the Tim Gunn M&M.
1.31.2007
Howdy, Lem
I'm not the only one who bought the album! They sold 118,000 copies...IN ONE WEEK!
Interestingly, 30 percent of their sales were digital. I actually went into a store and bought my copy, along with Jane mag and some chips.
Funny coincidence? Jane's cover girl is Mandy Moore*, who dated Zach Braff, who featured The Shins* prominently in Garden State, which I think had a lot to do with Wincing The Night Away success.
For the record, I was one of the 15,600 who picked up Chutes Too Narrow in its first week (first day, actually).
*Things I like in spite of their association with the Braff. See also: Natalie Portman, Rachel Bilson and Scrubs.
Interestingly, 30 percent of their sales were digital. I actually went into a store and bought my copy, along with Jane mag and some chips.
Funny coincidence? Jane's cover girl is Mandy Moore*, who dated Zach Braff, who featured The Shins* prominently in Garden State, which I think had a lot to do with Wincing The Night Away success.
For the record, I was one of the 15,600 who picked up Chutes Too Narrow in its first week (first day, actually).
*Things I like in spite of their association with the Braff. See also: Natalie Portman, Rachel Bilson and Scrubs.
1.16.2007
Lady of the evening
So for the last two days I've been sporting black nail polish. Sally Hansen was buy one, get one free at Ulta and I got Black Orchid when my mom got a red color. The black has great shimmer and depth too it -- it's dynamic, not just plain, flat black. It looks fabulous, I think.
Except no one's noticed. It makes me sad. But I'll see my dad, brother and boyfriend this weekend, so we'll see. Chances are, my dad will say it's "funky" in that way that says "I don't know what to think about it," my brother will think it's cool and my boyfriend will just like it because it's on my fingers. Update to follow soon.
Except no one's noticed. It makes me sad. But I'll see my dad, brother and boyfriend this weekend, so we'll see. Chances are, my dad will say it's "funky" in that way that says "I don't know what to think about it," my brother will think it's cool and my boyfriend will just like it because it's on my fingers. Update to follow soon.
1.02.2007
Welcome to the 07, bitch
Good evening, 2007. Lovely to see you. Hopefully you'll be as good to me as your friend 2006 was.
So, going forward, here's a look at the best and worst of 2006, at least as far as I can think right now.
WOOT!
Things that made me happy
BooHiss
Things that disappointed or underwhelmed
WTF?
Things that surprised me
So, going forward, here's a look at the best and worst of 2006, at least as far as I can think right now.
WOOT!
Things that made me happy
- Estee Lauder High Gloss lip gloss and Prescriptives custom color lip glosses.
- Two seasons of Project Runway
- PODCASTS!
- The Chia Pet on the dashboard of my Mac
- Finally buying, returning, buying a different pair, wearing and loving skinny jeans
- The Office
- Finally seeing Ted Leo live.
BooHiss
Things that disappointed or underwhelmed
- Stila illuminating foundation -- too sparkly!
- Two seasons of Project Runway and two annoying winners
- Gilmore Girls and Grey's Anatomy
- That mojitos got trendyish (maybe I just think that because I live in south Florida now).
WTF?
Things that surprised me
- I only bought two pairs of shoes (and sundry flip-flops, but those don't count) all year.
- I can actually live without cable, as long as I get E!, VH1, Comedy Central and the Food Network. And I have someone TiVo Project Runway for me.
- Skinny jeans!
- Meredith Viera on the Today Show? Not a bad way to ease into the morning.
12.19.2006
My next iTunes purchase?
Is that James Blunt? If so, he just scored 50,783 cool points with me. Which means he's got a net cool value of about -98,390.
12.07.2006
Holiday cheer
It's only rock 'n' roll but I like it
What a generation gap.
Having been raised by late boomer parents or faux boomer parents or whatever, I'm in the weird position of being raised by the same generation as Gen X-ers, but actually in Gen-Y or the millenials or whatever.
So when I read this article, I thought, "Hey! I never went through that phase." Maybe it's because my parents are cool or maybe it's they listened to good music and still do, but there was very little disconnect between what I listened to and what they liked. I enjoyed The Beatles and the Rolling Stones with them and likewise, they appreciate Coldplay and OutKast. And together, we can discover artists fell between our generations, like Elvis Costello. Maybe I'm an anomoly. Only time will tell.
Having been raised by late boomer parents or faux boomer parents or whatever, I'm in the weird position of being raised by the same generation as Gen X-ers, but actually in Gen-Y or the millenials or whatever.
So when I read this article, I thought, "Hey! I never went through that phase." Maybe it's because my parents are cool or maybe it's they listened to good music and still do, but there was very little disconnect between what I listened to and what they liked. I enjoyed The Beatles and the Rolling Stones with them and likewise, they appreciate Coldplay and OutKast. And together, we can discover artists fell between our generations, like Elvis Costello. Maybe I'm an anomoly. Only time will tell.
11.15.2006
Both vices in one article
As a fashion addict and political junkie, this article on one of my favorite blogs combines both my vices in one. Enjoy!
11.13.2006
Just saying hi this winter.
There are certain things that adults must do. More than just paying the bills or going to work. Writing a sympathy note when your friend's aunt dies. Sending flowers when a friend's grandmother dies. Sending Christmas cards.
But Christmas cards that actually say "Christmas" are hard to come by.
I'm not one of those crazy Fox News people who gets angry at stores that say "Happy Holidays." I actually thing Happy Holidays is a nice thing to say to people. It acknowledges all holidays -- Hannukah, Christmas, Kwanza, New Year's, the winter solstice, Boxing Day, whatever people might celebrate.
But cards are more intimate, more personal. When you're working in a store, you don't know if the person is shopping for themselves or for a gift or what holiday that person celebrates. But most of the time, you know what your friends celebrate. Meanwhile, they probably know what you celebrate. I don't know about others, but I am not personally offended by Hannukah cards. It's just my Jewish friends' way of sharing good wishes from their holiday to me during this holiday time. But Seasons Greetings irks me. And they always go on good cards, too.
That said, cards with vague messages like, "Wishing you peace and joy during the holiday season" don't bother me because they echo sentiments of all the seasons and allow me to write "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Hannukah" or "Happy Holidays" as appropriate.
Which is what you got from me last year and might get from me this year...if you're lucky!
But Christmas cards that actually say "Christmas" are hard to come by.
I'm not one of those crazy Fox News people who gets angry at stores that say "Happy Holidays." I actually thing Happy Holidays is a nice thing to say to people. It acknowledges all holidays -- Hannukah, Christmas, Kwanza, New Year's, the winter solstice, Boxing Day, whatever people might celebrate.
But cards are more intimate, more personal. When you're working in a store, you don't know if the person is shopping for themselves or for a gift or what holiday that person celebrates. But most of the time, you know what your friends celebrate. Meanwhile, they probably know what you celebrate. I don't know about others, but I am not personally offended by Hannukah cards. It's just my Jewish friends' way of sharing good wishes from their holiday to me during this holiday time. But Seasons Greetings irks me. And they always go on good cards, too.
That said, cards with vague messages like, "Wishing you peace and joy during the holiday season" don't bother me because they echo sentiments of all the seasons and allow me to write "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Hannukah" or "Happy Holidays" as appropriate.
Which is what you got from me last year and might get from me this year...if you're lucky!
11.12.2006
10.19.2006
Serious ugly
Jeffrey won. Undeservedly, I think. But I guess they couldn't have two winners in a row who came to America from Communism with nothing but a dream and a sewing kit. I'll get over it. It's not like it actually affects my life, unless this means Jeffrey's on my TV more often, which means I might have to throw my TV out a window.
10.18.2006
The sexy is back!
So.....question.
Does that outfit look like the episode Keith Michael, Jeffrey and Alison designed for the Macy's challenge on Project Runway?
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