NYC Blog: Men's Fashion, Retail and Visual Merchandising | The Bespoken: For Gentlemen

My Baloney Has A First Name

 

Yes, we are all exhausted from the recent deaths of Michael Jackson, Walter Cronkite, Frank McCourt, David Carradine, Harve Presnell, Farrah Faucet, Karl Malden, Billy Mays, Fred Travelena, Ed McMahon, and even Gale Storm, but falling under the celebrity radar was Oscar Mayer. Where was the press, where were the retrospectives, Where was Larry King?

Yes, Oscar Mayer is/was a real person. In fact, he was third in a line of Oscar Mayer's working at the company that bares his name. Oscar Mayer Jr. loved hot dogs. Under his direction and guidance, the company grew exponentially, and into one of America’s largest producers of processed meats. Mayer retired as chairperson of the board in 1977, at age 62, shortly after the company recorded its first $1 billion year. Now that’s a lot of hot dogs! The company was later sold to General Foods, and is now a business unit of Kraft Foods. One never knows what life holds in store for you, Mayer remarried in 1999, at the age of 85, to 21-year-old Geraldine Fitzpatrick. He died ten years later at the age of 95 (Cronkite was only 92) on July 6, 2009. Mayer died of old age at 95, in Hospice Care in Fitchburg, Wisconsin. What a way to go.

The original Oscar Mayer was a German immigrant who began working in the meat markets of Detroit, Michigan, and later in Chicago, Illinois. In 1900, Oscar Mayer, (the first) along with his brother Gottfried, leased the Kolling Meat Market. The two sold bratwurst, liverwurst, and weißwurst. Their meats were popular in the predominantly German neighborhoods of Chicago, which were situated around the stock markets, (stock, as in livestock). As the meat market's and cities popularity grew, so did their appetite for conveniently prepared “cold cuts”. Oscar Mayer expanded its storefront and sponsored local events, including a successful pavilion at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. By 1900, the company had 43 employees and a Chicago-wide delivery service. In 1904, Oscar Mayer began “branding” its meats to capitalize on their popularity, beginning an industry-wide trend. In 1906, Oscar Mayer became one of the first companies to voluntarily submit to the newly created Food Safety Inspection Service (part of the United States Department of Agriculture) for testing the purity of their products. This too was a marketing strategy as their compliance suggested cleanliness, safety and quality. Oscar Mayer was officially founded (incorporated) in 1919.

Oscar Mayer has always maintained high standards for its advertising campaigns. If you are old enough you may remember that the company used a little person named, “Little Oscar”, as its spokesman, but the real Oscar Mayer, was apparently, a tall, dignified and courtly man that rarely sought publicity.

Oscar Mayer is also famous for their Wienermobile, which has toured the United States for over 70 years. The first Wienermobile was created in 1936, and six have since been built. The iconic hot dog shaped mobile was one of America’s early progenitors of marketing icons. Oddly, and apparently, the famous Oscar Mayer Wienermobile which proudly made appearances at funerals of past members of the Mayer family, will not make an appearance at Oscar Jr.'s service, because "it would be too much of a spectacle." reported a member of the Mayer family spokesperson.

In the 1970’s the Oscar Mayer jingle was one of the most popular and recognizable commercials of all time. As concerns with sodium, nitrates and hormones infiltrating high fat products like lunchmeats were raised, Oscar Mayer counter intuitively made processed foods seem warm and fuzzy with their integrated Rockwellian like children singing …“My baloney has a first names it’s O-S-C-A-R, my baloney has a second name, it’s M-A-Y-E-R, Oh, I love to eat it every day, and if you ask me why I’ll say, ‘cause Oscar Mayer has a way with B-O-L-O-G-N-A.” They only topped themselves when they came up with another jingle, “I wish I were an Oscar Mayer wiener that is what I'd truly like to be, for if I were an Oscar Mayer wiener, then everyone would be in love with me.” Now who wouldn’t want everyone to be in love with them? Oscar Mayer you are not forgotten.

Okay, now here is a test for you, I am going to give you a list of 14 names, and I want you to tell me if these people were real. The answers will post next week.

Betty Crocker

Aunt Jamina

Cornel Sanders

General Mills

Dr. Scholl

Dr. Pepper

Jose Cuervo

Jack Daniels

Ronald McDonald

The Jolly Green Giant

Chef Boyardee

Little Debbie

Baskin & Robbins

Estee Lauder

SoHollister

There are only three places darker than Hades when the hell fires burn out, an S & M club at 4:00 am, Abercrombie & Fitch, and now Hollister. I have never been to an S & M club or hell, but I have been to A & F and Hollister.

The Abercrombie & Fitch template for success is simple, turn off the lights, turn up the music, and take off your clothes. It has worked so well that sister store Hollister is going one better, by doubling those efforts. Will it be successful? Hollister opened today on Broadway just below Houston Street, making it the first store South of Houston Street (SoHo). The lines outside the doors suggest that it will become a destination spot, in a neighborhood full of destination spots like Top Shop, Bloomingdale's, Prada, Desigual, H & M and Forever 21. Hollister appeals to the A & F crowd, but is distinguished by its slightly lower price points, younger looking sales staff, and sleazier product.

Hollister caters to the surf crowd. Okay, I’m a native New Yorker, all I know from the beach I learned from when Giget was wiping out with Moondoggie, but I do know that surf, ski and skate attire are important fashion statements these days.

At Hollister today, there were slews of families in from Jersey, tourists, and locals checking out the new space. In fact, Miss Rhode Island even made an appearance. Adults were overheard to say, “Let me out of here!” while their pre-teen prodigy waxed rhapsodic over flannel, which only goes to show you that some people will buy anything? Hollister didn’t miss a trick; there were cute girls in bikinis, and even cuter guys in surf shorts posing in every nook and cranny. To create “buzz” collegiate age model wanna-be’s were strategically placed by stairwells in packs making the store appear more crowded than it actually was. (Bars use this strategy during happy hour too.) On every landing (four floors) there were half-naked couples hanging over the balusters welcoming customers. I received 9 “What’s up’s?” 5 “Hey, how ya doing? and 3 respectful, “Can I help you’s” (as in, “Hey Grandpa, are you in the right store? You look lost!".) The question remains, can you trust a 19 year old in flip-flops, red surf shorts, (sans undies) sunglasses and a zinc oxidized nose to offer an unbiased opinion on whether the blue and grey, or red and grey flannel tank top is hotter?

 

With a reported 40,000 square foot of sales space, there is ample space to shop. The store is set up into a series of predictable little rooms, almost like you wandered into a some strange meandering mansion, come veranda, come library, come antique store, come gentleman‘s clubhouse. The rooms are set off a center hallway, with clichéd low hanging chandeliers, leather wing back chairs, potted palms, Pendleton blankets, antique luggage, non-working billiard tables acting as merchandise tables, and stacks of surf magazines. The store is not signed, but sepia graphics by Bruce Webber reinforce the nascent sexual tone. There are no mannequins, just dressmaker forms, stained in vintage tea. The dressmaker wheels were removed so that forms don’t move. The dressmaker forms are poorly made, lacking bosoms and hip, or any musculature at all. Visually, it was not imaginative. It was predictable.

 

Technology promised to be a central focus for Hollister. Indeed, it’s one promise that was kept. Huge monitors are split up into faux windows that border the perimeter of the store, giving customers a wrap-a-round view of the California Huntington Pier and the adjacent shore. It’s a bold stroke, and is visually arresting, customers are transported to the Southern California (SoCal) coast, where wave’s crash and surfers hang ten. It looks as real as an Imax. As you venture into the store, the city outside disappears, and one feels that the shore might really be outside. In truth, it’s just a Getty parking lot.

 

Will abdominal muscles continue to draw in the crowds. Well, sex sells. I did find it disturbingly lurid, and there was a sort of an “ick” factor to see little girls and boys no more than seven or eight posing with half-dressed models. Is this retail indoctrination? Well-meaning parents were snapping photos right and left. Would I really want Grandma to see my nine year old with her hands around some guy with his navel practically in her face? “Say cheese!”

Courtesy of www.retaildesigndiva.com where it appeared on July 20, 2009

And A Bicylcle Built For Two

The welcome wagon was not wheeled out when British retailer Topshop opened in SoHo, NY, just a stone’s throw from Bloomingdale’, Urban Outfitters, H & M and Prada, but with British sensibility and a stiff upper lip, Topshop broke out the celebrities, held 12 star studded fashion gala’s, where guests could schmooze with Jennifer Lopez, Lindsay Lohan and Kylie Minouge. That that you Yankees! Topshop had a groovy jitney that cruised throughout the city corralling customers with free trips downtown, and even offered them goody bags with discount coupons from 5.00 to 500.00, but that so yesterday.

Starting last week Topshop began an inventive program offering free or low-cost bicycle rentals. When it’s not raining, (which is often), a bicycle rental may be a welcome diversion to New Yorkers who are trying to enjoy their recession staycation.

To help launch the green event, once your shopping was complete, Topshop offered free photographs by legendary nightlife photographer, Nicky Digital. Street Style backdrops were on hand in the store, as well as stylists to help you get your style just right. Now anyone can download their own Topshop fashion shoots on www.chictopia.com, where a fashion competition will run over a month, and each week there will be five winners, four chosen by chictopia.com users, and one chosen by Topshop. Each winner will receive a free bicycle. Even if you don’t win, your photographs can be uploaded onto Flickr and Topshop's Facebook page, allowing people to tag themselves and comment on their favorite images. Here’s a retailer who really knows the power of socially networking.

If self-promotion and fashion photography is not your thing, a small fleet of 30 blue beach cruisers bicycles accessorized with baskets and cupcake stickers are parked outside the store and available for free daily rental (11 hours) to passers-by. There’s even a dedicated bike valet. Just leave a credit card, and sign a liability waiver to receive a customized helmet, a U lock, and a map of Topshop endorsed destinations throughout 31 suggested attractions in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. Bicycle rentals in NY usually run you about 35.00. Therefore, this is a win-win. For the exercise conscience, you can burn 1,200 biking 60 of the 61 miles that the free Topshop map identifies for you. The route will encompass sweet treats at (British owned) “Tea & Sympathy“, (love their cranberry scones and English Breakfast tea) a visit to “DIY” (a trendy clothing emporium), “Home Ec” from the owners of boutique clothing shop “Flirt“, and a trip to the “Pixie Market” to browse the up-and-coming designer offerings. The map also includes hidden gems such as the fabulous nail bar, “Hello, Beautiful“, in Williamsburg, and luxury Italian apothecary “Santa Maria Novella” in SoHo.

I don’t know what Bloomingdales, Urban Outfitters, H & M and Prada are doing for their customers this summer, but praises from on high to Topshop. For more on the fabulous promotion please visit www.topshop.com

Courtesy of www.retaildesigndiva.com where it appeared on July 10, 2009

If You Know An Angel...

Do you believe in angels? In recent surveys taken over the past several decades there is a notable rise in in people who profess to believe in these (sometimes) winged creatures.

Angelic Studies: The Seattle Times, June 2008, mentions the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life Survey, which states: 68% (or 7 out of 10) of Americans believe that angels are active in the world. Another study taken in 2007, reported a whopping 75% believe, 15% do not believe, and 11% are just not sure. In fact, in recent samplings respondents emphatically and categorically report that they not only believe in angels, but also have interacted, and been helped by these supernatural beings (not mistakenly kind humans). A survey of 1,700 Americans by the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion found that 55% of Americans believed that they had been protected from harm by a guardian angel.

Angelic Stats: When you “Google” the word “angels,” over 171,000,000 entries come up suggesting there is great interest in the subject matter. BG (Before Google) we only had the Bible to rely on for guidance, in which angels are mentioned at least 108 times in the Old Testament, and 165 times in the New Testament. (Chafer, Systematic Theology, II, 3)

“Be not forgetful to entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Hebrews 13:2.

Skeptics place the belief in angels on par with reports of UFO’s, alien abductions, and crystal ball readings. Indeed, much can be said to easily dismiss the notion of Angels. Science, physics and mathematics do not support their existence as being plausible, let alone probable.

How fast the world turns. In 1964, I made my First Holy Communion, the second of seven sacraments that the Catholic Church offers. The Catholic Church was still steeped in the archaic church, now known as Vatican 1. We ate fish on Fridays, and went to confession on Saturday; we fasted from midnight on Saturday until mass was over on Sunday morning. Masses that were obligatory, and were recited in Latin, by priests with their backs to the parish, and administered in near secrecy as the magical transformation where bread was turned into flesh and wine was converted into blood could not be easily viewed. Transparency was not something the Church valued. We the “lay” were discouraged from reading the Holy Book, which was deemed to incomprehensible for us (mere mortals…sheep of the flock) to understand. There was no room to question; we were deferred to our “blind faith”.

While not quite angels we were told to pray to St. Anthony (Patron Saint of the lost and found) when our socks or mittens were missing. We glued statuettes of St. Christopher on our dashboards to protect us from head on collisions. (Standard seatbelts were not introduced by the automotive industry until 1968.) As children in Parochial school, we were instructed to pray for stigmata, or to be smited like St. Sebastian. There was no Holy Spirit personified by a peaceful dove, only a Halloweeny Holy Ghost sheeted in white. The folklore of Guardian Angels was instilled to pacify us. We were taught that our Guardian Angels stood to intervene between us and death, and intercede when appropriate with Christ and God, if we needed anything.

This was life, as it existed for millions of Catholics just a half century ago. All that being said, it is curious to note that studies from the time indicate that far fewer people actually believed in angels then, than today.

It was difficult to balance the then modern day world in mid-century, when astronauts were circling the planet on their way to the moon, technology like TV was bringing the world, and its realities into our living rooms, and the emerging movements of civil and sexual equality were foremost in our minds. The antediluvian practices of the Catholic Church refused to recognize that the world had moved forward, while the Church had remained still. With the passage of Vatican II, which was introduced by Pope John XXIII in 1962, and fully implemented by Pope Paul VI in 1965, (granted, the entrenched, dug in their heels),  radical change eventually took place. Think guitar masses and Elvis starring in "A Change of Habit". The move officially ended the dark ages, four or five centuries after it actually collapsed. Still the traditional resisted Vatican II’s modern emphasis, which among other things dismissed the notion of angels as being little more wishful thinking. While not receptive to the therapeutic model, the church seemed to side with Sigmund Freud who said that "angels are fantasy formations, and that images of angels do nothing more than portray subjective experiences and desires". Angels were now considered passé.

It would follow with today’s technology and access to information that Angels would have all but disappeared. Well, you might make that conclusion, but you would be wrong. Throughout the world are groups of educated, intellectually enlightened people, academics, scientists and physicians that embrace the idea of Angels. There are groups of social networks sites, and organizations that promote the belief in Angels. Angel motifs, sculpture and designs are readily available for sale. Angels and all sorts of supernatural entities are dramatized on TV and film. The world clamors for Angels. Why?

There is a romance to Angels that cannot be denied. They are physically beautiful, in fact flawless, spiritually elevated, and immune from most of the frailties and foibles of the world. They do not seem to age, and seemingly live indefinitely. They are secretive and mysterious. They only request the best of us. They have power of flight and specifically honed skills like healing, enlightenment, kindness and generosity. Ideally, they might be perfect mate.

Do I believe in angels? I am giving the matter serious critical thinking at present. A topic I may soon revisit. Do you know an Angel? If so, please share…

Canadians Invade America Or Horton's Hears a Who

I know with the flurry of Michael Jackson coverage that many other news stories are getting short shrift, including the recent invasion of the US by Canada. You scoff? CNN neglected to cover it, but it’s true, over the weekend nine former Dunkin Donuts were converted into Tim Horton’s Coffee and Bakery Shops, here in New York City. Plans call for several more Tim Horton’s to take up occupancy in former Stone Cold Creamery’s before summer’s end, all retailers who are a part of the megalomaniacal Riese Organization of fast foods, which also includes, Pizza Hut, KFC and Wendy’s. Well, we all know that Dunkin' in its thirst of world domination over-expanded, but we didn’t see those sneaky Canadians coming.

Holy Celine Dion, the name of Tim Horton may not ring a bell to most US citizens, but is as familiar and beloved in Saskatchewan as Starbuck's is here. Tim Horton is one of the largest and most successful coffee shop franchises in the world. The coffee is supposed to be legendary. Well, that’s what Canadians say. Canadians love their Tim Horton’s whose chain of coffee and donut shops appeal to the budget conscience with some discriminating taste. Tim Horton was a successful Toronto Maple Leaf Hall of Fame hockey player, who later died in a car accident, but came to epitomize the quintessential guy next door who made good by opening donut and coffe shops galore. Eh?

Okay, so this is how it went down, on last Friday it was business as usual at Dunkin' Donuts, pink and orange interiors, Tropicana Coolata’s and wildberry donuts. On Saturday and Sunday quicker than you fry Canadian bacon the stores were shuttered, repainted in brown and orange, and the signage changed accordingly. It was as if squatters moved in, moped the floors and called it a day. There was no hoopla, but lots of balloons, bunting and free coffee coupons on Monday morning. The floor plans were not altered; the seating was not swapped out for new. In fact, in my neighborhood the same Naugahyde banquettes have the same duct tape covering over a nasty tear. If not for the signage, as little effort as possible was made to distinguish one retailer from another. Yuck!

I don’t drink coffee, I drink tea, but in reported taste tests, and Tim Horton’s fared better than Dunkin' Donuts with customers by a better than 6 to 5 margin. Speaking of “cruller” intentions, as for the baked goods, one comparison concluded that both products were virtually indistinguishable, lamenting how "mass-produced donuts are achieving total global mediocrity." Just what we need...more mediocrity. Due to the diminutive size of the stores, Horton’s best-loved products like its signature Maple Crunch donuts and Dutchie are not even available here in the US. What a rip off.

H-E double hockey sticks! So Tim Horton and Riese might take some advice from Dr. Seuss ‘‘Even though you can’t see or hear them at all, (a customer is a customer) a person’s a person, no matter how small’’. Please give us a pleasant place to shop in, that looks different from the tried and true, with a fuller, more reflective menu including your best products, not just more bland blueberry muffins and bagels with cream cheese.

Courtesy of www.retaildesigndiva.com where it appeared on July 16, 2009

Red Feathers

This weeks top ten photos is devoted to the work of Sindi Schorr. It is difficult to select ten of her recent best, in truth; all her work may be worthy. Schorr has the ability to isolate the most dramatic elements in a window presentation. Her style is partly documentary, but she resists the temptation to draw back so far as to be become objective. Her work rests on being subjective; with the aid of her camera, she develops an intimacy with her subject matter by penetrating the glass wall. Schorr is an accomplished portraitureist with the sensitivity of composition that seems more akin at times to the work of John Singer Sargent.

 

Copyright © Sindi Schorr 2009

In Schorr’s “Red Feathers”, a face that could have belonged to “Madame X” is captured. Important to note that the Sargent painting was infamous. The subject, Madame Gatreau was both envied and reviled; she defied social hierarchy and dressed in a manner unlike her contemporaries (décolleté) sleeveless, and un-corseted. She theatrically hennaed her hair and powdered her skin creating an alabaster like skin tone. The painting created such a furor that critics and public had the painting removed from the Paris Salon Exhibit, mistaking Madame Gatreau for little more than a common prostitute. The painting as we have come to know it is was altered from its original. The original portrait shows Madame Gatreau with her right should strap off her shoulder, indicating that the breast could be easily exposed, which was scandalous. In Schorr’s photograph, the chalky white face of this salacious female is framed by shocking red feather, and a complimentary lime green fur shown off the shoulder, suggesting a lurid almost theatrical persona. The stringent use of color, I.e. the China red lipstick, the shadowy dark eyes, the pursed lips invoke a modern day haughty Madame X.

 

Copyright © Sindi Schorr 2009

Sargent’s “Portrait of Miss Elsie Palmer” contemplates symmetry. It is rigidly staged, almost prim. The dark background isolates the figure dressed in dreamy white and ivory. The sitter wear a formal dress with a full skirt, suggesting classicism, a repeated motif of wood library panels and simple bench seems almost puritanical, as if staged and stiff backed, almost as if the sitter was being punished. Schorr finds an eerily similar tableau in Bergdorf Goodman’s Holiday window. The encircled arms of the subject are almost identical from painting to photograph, as is the lighting and manner of dress. The long hair is gently turned under in both renderings as is the attention to the elbow as the dress/glove breaks. The motifs in Bergdorf’s window also suggest a connection to classic symbols. Side by side, they seem to be conveying the same point of view.

There is far more to Schorr’s recent work than loose comparisons to Sargent. Schorr females are sexy, flirtatious, willful, pensive and assertive. They are fully actualized by Schorr’s fine camera work. Please visit this weeks top ten photos and please visit Schorr's photo album for more stunning revelations.

Enforcing The Six Cupcake Rule

Once upon a time in New York City there was a little hole in the wall shop on Bleeker Street called, “The Magnolia Bakery”. Upon entering its doors the intoxicating aroma of hot melted butter, confectioner’s sugar and flour are mixed in a concoction so potent that it arouses childhood memories of kind of cupcakes your Mom used to make when you were in the fourth grade for your birthday party at school. I can see the tin foiled cookies sheet now. The lines for the Magnolia Bakery were always out the door. I’m not a cupcake aficionado, but Magnolia does make a pretty good cupcake.

Then came the deluge, Magnolia Bakery was featured on “Sex & The City“, supposedly the cupcakes conjure a kind of erogenous response greater than Samantha’s notorious orgasms. Leaving well enough not alone Magnolia Bakery was featured in “Martha Stewart“, an Adam Samberg  film parody on "Saturday Night Live", “Vogue” fashion shoots and even “Gossip Girls“. Cupcakes became sexy comfort food. Magnolia hit the big time, and demand outweighed production, hence several satellite shops. Each equally cute, right down to the pink gingham, and staff wearing vintage aprons. It’s a shabby retro-chic, with Formica tables, aged wainscoting and oil clothed shelving with ruffles. These shops are fussier than Donna Reed could decorate them.

(Suri Cruise with Magnolia Cupcake...hand, Katie Holmes)

Well, today I was asked to pick up thirty-six cupcakes for a friend whose little girl was having a 12th birthday party. Not a problem I thought, what are two dozen and a half cupcakes these days? Magnolia opened a branch right in my neighborhood, (the Upper West Side). Magnolia was fully stocked with rows and rows of Willie Wonkaed cupcakes, chocolate, pistachio, hummingbird, (my favorite) vanilla, German chocolate, red velvet, carrot coconut, Oreo, strawberry shortcake, sprinkles, peanut butter, mocha, mint, even a pineapple upside down cupcake. (Warning: do not try it at home!) Not only were there cases upon cases of artery clogging cupcakes, but staff was hastily frosting for the afternoon rush. FYI: Magnolia uses a classic plop and swirl frosting technique.

The best laid plans… As I boldly placed my order with the lead froster, sans hair net, a silent pall came over the bakery. Was Smith Barney around? Miss Frostette did not even address me; she placed her hand on her hip, and pointed to the sign above the cash register, “No more than 6 cupcakes to a customer”. Clearly I thought that was just meant to be humorous, after all, if I can polish off a pizza, I can certainly inhale six cupcakes faster than you can say Pillsbury Dough Boy, but no, Frosty told me the policy was rigidly enforced, and she wasn’t about to loose her job for selling me seven, let alone thirty-six cupcakes. (She said "thirty-six" like it was a curse word.) I reluctantly purchased the six allotted to me, while pleading my case, I flirted, cajoled and even threatened to call the Better Business Bureau, but I saw it was a loosing battle right away. I even played the sympathy card, and lied through my teeth, telling the froster that this little girl was hospitalized at Mount Sinai, and that this will probably be her last birthday. Unfortunately, that line is frequently used at Magnolia. Drat the luck! I hastily gave up the idea of coming back six more times in costume to order more. Besides, I don’t have a fake mustache at home. Holy Duncan Heines, I knew I could call a few friends and ask them to meet me, and pick up half a dozen each, but really? I even offered a stranger a few bucks if he would secretly pick me up six, but he scowled at me as if I was an underage teen asking him to buy me a six-pack of Heineken and cigarettes. I reasoned that that there were three Magnolia shops in NY, including Rockefeller Center, but even Betty Crocker on her best day would not take that much mass transit. Okay, I already had the Magnolia box and bag, and figured that I could get cupcakes at any nearby bakery, and I will have to try and pass them off as “Magnolia’s”. Good Luck!

Now I know that Nordstrom placed a three-handbag limit on customers who were depleting stock from the stores, but cupcakes are readily replaceable. I understand the bakery’s dilemma, but give me back the good old day were rules were tempered with common sense. The customer is right; a sale is a sale, and what harm comes from letting go of a few cupcakes for a kid’s birthday.

I do not bear grudges, you can visit Magnolia on the web at www.magnoliacupcakes.com and judge for yourself is they are cracked up to be. Unfortunately they are.

Courtesy of www.retaildesigndiva.com where it appeared on July 2, 2009

A Retail Facelift

 

 

 

Duane Reade is virtually indistinguishable from it competitors, Rite Aide, Walgreens and CVS. Product, and the overall visual elements, color palette (red, white and a little bit of blue), are so similar that they’re sort of the Huey, Dewey and Louis of the pharmacy set.

In New York City, due to favorable (albeit unfair to other businesses) tax advantages and abatements, pharmacies and banks appear on every other corner in our city. In my neighborhood, within a three-block range, there are three Duane Reades, two Rite Aides, and two CVS stores...don’t get me started on banks.

It was with great surprise that I saw that Duane Reade is giving itself a totally glam-over facelift, not seen since Joan Rivers or Jocelyn Wildenstein last went under the knife. The facelift caught me off guard. Duane Reade was so overbuilt that they’re closing stores. Like most facelifts, you get what you pay for, and Duane Reade seems to be pouring a lot of dollars into this one. Still, I’m happy to see some progressive visual changes.

Gone is the old medicinal and patriotic color palette, which has been traded in for fashionable and chic black, with a rich lavender, a cool deep blue and bright apple green. It’s so sophisticated that it looks like it was borrowed from the Jason Wu runway show. The black is an interesting choice, it reads as grounded, smart and serious. I like the new color combo. It’s distinctive and adventurous.

Almost gone is the classic interlocking DR and lower-case myriad Duane Reade font in place of a bolder DR that looks more like the font on a prescription pad, and reinforces the association that the store has more to do with doctors than discount Q-Tips, Gold Bond Anti-Itch Lotion and snack aisles. It’s an attempt to update its font, but for me, it just doesn’t quite make it. I’m not crazy about the different fonts, or its alignment within the bulleted circle. It just looks clunky. I know that with the aging of America, that pharmaceuticals have become big business. So to further reinforce the new concept, the pharmacy has been moved to the front of the store, which for me lacks privacy. I don’t want my neighbors to see me picking up my scripts.

On a more positive note, it’s interesting that the retailer, in an attempt to bring its message to the street and communicate directly with its customers, is now asking simple perfunctory questions like “Do I have everything I need?” and “How do I look?” and even “How do I feel?“ (Answers: yes, fabulous and I‘ve been better! Thank for asking.) Anyway, I do think the questions are well chosen, and do get passers by to engage with the store. Big thumbs up!

Gone from the old template are slat walled drop-in windows full of boxes of Tide, Cheerios and Wella-Balsam. Now we can see directly into the refurbished interiors, which look good. It truth, it’s better lit and better signed, but as Gertrude Stein would say, "a gondola, is a gondola, is a gondola". Inside fabric banners running vertically are a refreshing change from the old-fashioned horizontal signage with the snap-in lettering, letting you know you were in the eye care/cold & flu/laxative section. Now it’s simplified, “Beauty” or “Pharmacy.” Yes, the check-out counter still has candy, gum and People Magazine heavily merchandised, but there isn’t the load of cheap crap filling up the counter we are accustomed to. The cash wraps are a soft weathered pine in a cool blue gray reminiscent of Cape Cod or Martha’s Vineyard. I’m not certain if it was Duane Reade’s intention, but the overall image borrows heavily from Sephora and Ulta, with a touch of Target.

One thing for certain--given the choice to shop in Duane Reade or one of its competitors, I have to admit Duane Reade wins hands down.

Courtesy of www.retaildesigndiva.com where it appeared on june 24, 2009

Kiss My Asphalt

 

New York City, with its concrete skyscrapers, might on first glance seem over populated, over built and over mechanized. In truth, New York City is one of America’s “greenest” cities in the world today. Buildings are green, New Yorkers tend to walk to work and the grocery store or take mass transit, and New Yorkers are great recyclers. The average New Yorker produces the equivalent of 7.5 tons of carbon emissions to the 25.5 produced by other Americans, byt crimmany, 7.5 tons of anything still seems appallingly high, I don’t even have a driver’s license or smoke.

In a novel experiment, Broadway/Times Square, one of the densest populated portions of the city (which is visited by more than 350,000 people who throng the area daily to gawk at the LED billboards, pick up discount tickets for Broadway and shop at Toys 'R Us, the M&M Candy Store, and Planet Hollywood), is being given a reprieve, there’s no more traffic. It’s gone! Mayor Bloomberg has closed off the street to all traffic, as in not a cab in sight. Automobiles are “compass non-gratis," strictly not welcome. The traffic has all been diverted to other avenues and streets. The sidewalks, which are usually crammed with humanity, as cabs, cars, buses and trucks clamored for space on the most famous thoroughfare in the world, are now so wide open you could do a waltz, and not bump into a pick-pocket. You can stroll on the street and not even have to look both ways before crossing.

Exhausted tourists and natives in need of a place to unwind can linger and contemplate the barrage of billboards, advertising Good Morning America and Mamma Mia. A boon to street performers, you might even be serenaded by the infamous Naked Cowboy, (he’s not really naked, he wears a thong and cowboy boots). Office workers can brown bag it at lunchtime and catch some rays. Replacing all the gridlock are outdoor lawn chairs, creating a vacuous backyard...America’s backyard? Well the closest thing to a backyard we get here in New York City, next to Central Park.

Granted, there are no fountains, no sculpture, no planters, just asphalt and lawn chairs. It’s sort of like relaxing in a “huge” (Paris Hilton’s new favorite word) parking lot. Presumably, if this urban Valhalla experiment works, those things will come. In the interim, it is a lawn chair only policy. Actually, these particular chairs are temporary and were purchased for $10.74 each, at a local hardware store (stock up!). Many of the original 350 are already starting to sag and show signs of overuse. In a strange, unexplained twist of urban planning, people all seem to sit in the same direction, looking uptown, like they're waiting for a movie to begin--or the mothership to land. It’s a little freaky.

This green experiment is meeting mixed reviews, but I’m all for anything that promotes eco-consciousness. I look forward to the day when traffic is completely passé, and the streets become one great park, marrying retail and business to the outdoors. Trees and flowers are always prettier than a Buick or diesel truck.

Courtesy of www.retaildesigndiva.com where it appeared on June 23, 2009

 

New York City, with its concrete skyscrapers, might on first glance seem over populated, over built and over mechanized. In truth, New York City is one of America’s “greenest” cities in the world today. Buildings are green, New Yorkers tend to walk to work and the grocery store or take mass transit, and New Yorkers are great recyclers. The average New Yorker produces the equivalent of 7.5 tons of carbon emissions to the 25.5 produced by other Americans, byt crimmany, 7.5 tons of anything still seems appallingly high, I don’t even have a driver’s license or smoke.

In a novel experiment, Broadway/Times Square, one of the densest populated portions of the city (which is visited by more than 350,000 people who throng the area daily to gawk at the LED billboards, pick up discount tickets for Broadway and shop at Toys 'R Us, the M&M Candy Store, and Planet Hollywood), is being given a reprieve, there’s no more traffic. It’s gone! Mayor Bloomberg has closed off the street to all traffic, as in not a cab in sight. Automobiles are “compass non-gratis," strictly not welcome. The traffic has all been diverted to other avenues and streets. The sidewalks, which are usually crammed with humanity, as cabs, cars, buses and trucks clamored for space on the most famous thoroughfare in the world, are now so wide open you could do a waltz, and not bump into a pick-pocket. You can stroll on the street and not even have to look both ways before crossing.

Exhausted tourists and natives in need of a place to unwind can linger and contemplate the barrage of billboards, advertising Good Morning America and Mamma Mia. A boon to street performers, you might even be serenaded by the infamous Naked Cowboy, (he’s not really naked, he wears a thong and cowboy boots). Office workers can brown bag it at lunchtime and catch some rays. Replacing all the gridlock are outdoor lawn chairs, creating a vacuous backyard...America’s backyard? Well the closest thing to a backyard we get here in New York City, next to Central Park.

Granted, there are no fountains, no sculpture, no planters, just asphalt and lawn chairs. It’s sort of like relaxing in a “huge” (Paris Hilton’s new favorite word) parking lot. Presumably, if this urban Valhalla experiment works, those things will come. In the interim, it is a lawn chair only policy. Actually, these particular chairs are temporary and were purchased for $10.74 each, at a local hardware store (stock up!). Many of the original 350 are already starting to sag and show signs of overuse. In a strange, unexplained twist of urban planning, people all seem to sit in the same direction, looking uptown, like they're waiting for a movie to begin--or the mothership to land. It’s a little freaky.

This green experiment is meeting mixed reviews, but I’m all for anything that promotes eco-consciousness. I look forward to the day when traffic is completely passé, and the streets become one great park, marrying retail and business to the outdoors. Trees and flowers are always prettier than a Buick or diesel truck.

Courtesy of www.retaildesigndiva.com where it appeared on June 23, 2009

Great Minds Think Alike

There are always trends emerging in Visual Merchandising that can be spotted at some of America’s best retailers. Is there a conspiracy? Are they copying one another? Hardly. They each carry the theme off with their own distinctive voices, but the trends tell us what some of America’s most creative minds are thinking about. Window displays therefore become sort of a Rorschach test of the culture. Here are a few themes that I have spotted recently…

 

Reflexion: mirror, Mylar and glass seem almost everywhere these days. It doubles the merchandise in the window. It draws customers who peer in to check themselves out. Narcissists or not, we all need to fix our hair. Do any us dress as nicely as Prada or Versace? Reflexion brings glamorous or poetic exteriors from across the street directly into the retailer’s windows. A world that is ever moving. Here is Versace’s mirrored wall, and arched ceilings, which creates a 360-degree world. Then we have Cavalli’s chrome plated males, perhaps automaton’s, formidable, but the Cavalli clothing slides on like snakeskin.

 

 

 

Beautiful Clutter: one of my favorite trends, done here by two of my favorite retailers, Anthropologie and Barny's . It’s poetic, deconstructionist, and creates a sense of magic. Not easily carried off, both retailers find familiar or common objects and place them together to create whimsy and nostalgia. Passers-by can spend hours trying to absorb the complexities. Anthropologie made a beautiful tableau of bright yellow roses from the tops of plastic water and soda bottles. It’s beautifully clever and feeds into the idea of recycling and eco-consciousness. I didn’t buy the ones at the store, but I think it will make a great Christmas ornament or Easter basket present. A mat knife and a can of spray paint, and you’re ready to go. Very clever. Barneys created elaborate headdresses from related objects. It is Ziegfeldian in scope. The headdresses are so fascinating that you’ll note I was more interested in the display than the merchandise. Themes included old toys, clocks, red China and aluminum kitchen gadgets. I loved it!

  
The Eyes Have It: simple, but effective, large attractive graphics that feature eyes seem to capture our attention, often used with headless mannequins it seems to give the forms a real personality. On the other hand, maybe it’s the retailer’s way of saying we’re looking at you too. Here is Benetton, Esprit and Lacoste's take on it.

  

  

  

Watered Down: it’s been a rainy summer, and adding to the deluge, is a preponderance of watered inspired windows, There’s Juicy Couture’s self-titled “Culture Catch” with an ice blue filter, which places the first five feet of the store under water. The window had mannequins in wet suits with flippers and a seated female in a giant clam shell. It’s clever. I loved Tiffany’s fish tank windows with bubbling filtered water, gems and pearls were delicately strewn over beautifully composed mirrored coral. It’s such a great display that it begs the question, why keep your jewelry tucked away in a box, when your tropical fish might enjoy them too. Diesel had it raining in a constant stream, only the clothing never got wet. A fun window especially when it was pouring and we were getting soaked. The greatest nod to water came from Saks, who lined up bright yellow plastic tanks indicating what the typical American uses up in a day. Beautifully framed photos of people in third world countries drinking unsanitary water sharpened the point of the importance of water, something we tend to take for granted. It was a remarkable and socially aggatitative window that challenged passers by, and required sensitivity. Kudos to the retailer who takes risks and educates the customer.

 

Man Ray: Okay, this isn’t a trend, but it should be. Bergdorf Goodman’s shows that you don’t need a huge plate glass window to make a lot of impact. With a simple plaster sculpture, Bergdorf Goodman’s replicated the classic Man Ran photograph of a woman with a cello f-hole (I know that sounds dirty, but it's really what they're called) tatoo. Feminine and covert are only two adjectives frequently used to describe Man’s Rays classic. Bergdorf’s homage would inspire even the most jaded Dadaist. One word… BRILLIANT!

 

 

Photography: Diesel created one of this years most ponderous windows with illustrated art, scientific photographs, some macabre, some innocuous. Dropped into the window from above was an isolated framed out cube with a merchandised watch. What did it mean? No one could agree, but it got people to stop and discuss. Kudos! Bergdorf Goodman used old-fashioned stereoscopic photographs from the 1920’s to great effect. It was vintage, kitschy and smart.

   

   

Hot Colors: Mark Jacobs on Bleeker Street sprayed their mannequins in hot neon colors and taped the forms directly to the wall with bright colored painters tape. No merchandise, just color. The message: it’s all about color. Armani Exchange, Barney's, Saks and Bergdorf Goodman's have been heavily promoting strong color for men. Will guys be wear fire-engine orange slacks, hot pink suits or phosphorescent yellow shirts, you be the judge.

 

   

Really Big Shoe: Shoes and boots are prominently featured in windows. Footwear has become an important note in completing the male silhouette. Footwear is front and forward. The toes remain elongated, the heels are chunky 1’ or more, mostly black, and create a dominate note to traditional attire. Sexy.