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

Where The Customer Isn't Always Right!

Picture it, ancient Athens, togas galore, Sophocles is presenting Oedipus the Kingwhen Nero gets bored and decides to see what his BFF Caligula is doing later on, so he breaks out a stone tablet and starts chipping a message away. LOL

  

Picture it, it’s a cold wintery night in Norway and the final dramatic act of A Doll’s House is running when all of a sudden Henrik Ibsen just has to let his wife Suzannah Thoresen know that he’s running a little bit late, heat up the glug, so he pulls out his Morse Code prompter and starts to dot and dash out an important text message in the mezzanine. It even rattles Nora!

  

Now picture this, it’s a Saturday afternoon and I’m at the Lowes Movie Theater to see Super 8 which I’ve only waited for, for two years. A train collision has just occurred and an alien has escaped in the sleepy hamlet of Lorraine, PA in 1979. Naturally, it’s the perfect time for the guy sitting next to me to call his best bud to let him know how “smokin’ hot” Elle Fanning is. FYI: She is only fifteen years old.

  

No! I didn’t dump my popcorn on his head!

  

I am in good company. Frances McDormand, Pattie Lupone and Brian Dennehy have stopped Broadway productions when audience member’s cell phones have not only gone off, but they had the audacity to take the call.

 

I’m all for empowering the consumer and promoting technology, but for everything there is a time and place. I know we are addicted to social media and need to connect to each other whenever something really important happens like the birth of a baby or buying a bagel, but enough is enough.

I recently read about the Alamo Drafthouse, which is a chain of dine-and-screen movie theaters in Austin, Texas. They too have struggled with how to best deal with impolite moviegoers who insist on disrupting the movie experience of others. The latest assault to the enjoyment of moviegoers is the use of smart phones in theaters which create noise and bright lights that divert attention away from the screen. Alamo Drafthouse (like everybody else in the world) has a rule against texting and talking in their theaters.

Here’s where it gets good…. a young women was booted from their theater for texting, and then left an aggressive, profanity-laced message on the theater's voicemail. She still didn’t “get it”. Alamo Drafthouse decided to make an example of her by showing how her feeling of "entitlement" crosses the line. They took audio of the woman's voice mail, transcribed it, and turned it into an in-house preview that warns theatergoers against cell phone use during movies. It’s brilliant!

Legally she may be free to text in Texas, but not in a private theater. According to Tim League, the Alamo-Drafthouse's founder, the woman in question was warned twice about texting during a screening, and then, in accordance with company policy, was escorted out without a refund. "I don't think people realize that it is distracting. It seems like nothing, but if you spend as much time as I do at the movies, you realize the entire theater sees it and it pulls you out of the movie experience. It's every bit as intrusive as talking."

This woman is now the star of a PSA released by the company, and its spread virally around the country.

Okay, the language is salty, so take it from where it comes. I’ve never been to the Alamo Drafthouse, but I might go just to Austin this summer support their socially responsible endeavors.

Don't Talk - Angry Voicemail (Uncensored)

alamodrafthouse For more info on the Alamo Drafthouse, visit www.Drafthouse.com. ... "Alamo Drafthouse Cinema" "Don't Talk" texting PSA Austin ...

by AlamoDrafthouse | 2 weeks ago | 2,000,835 views

Profesional Profile: Peter-Tolin Baker

 

I am a very lucky person. By that I don’t mean to suggest I play the horses or guess the right numbers for the NY lottery, far from it. In that respect, I am inept. (Although, once I did win a potato peeler on the boardwalk in Asbury Park) I am lucky in so much as I seem to attract dashingly good people. Dogs rely on their sense of smell, dolphins on their sonar; I rely on my instincts which seldom lead me astray. Like so many of you, I have scores of facebook friends and LinkedIn connections, most of whom I’ve never met, nor exchanged as much as a hello, let alone a cup of coffee. There is an exception to that rule…

 

Ages ago Peter-Tolin Baker’s name came up as one of my “possible connections” to which I immediately sent a “connection request”. We had never met, but I did know of Mr. Baker’s work at Tiffany’s, a retailer I’m infinitely fond of. Coincidentally, I was reading Summer at Tiffany by Marjorie Hart, a memoir of her experiences working at Tiffany’s in the mid-1940’s. It’s a charming book! I took it for providence. Mr. Baker and I exchanged a few brief e-mails, and the dye was cast as they say. We shared many common interests, had parallel life experiences, had a similar world view, shared a communal artistic point of view, and a strange ironic sense of humor.

 

We have maintained our professional relationship. Mr. Baker has lectured to my class, (at LIM College) where my students too, were immediately enamored with him. Mr. Baker is bright, entertaining and subversively clever. Mr. Baker teaches as an adjunct at FIT, (lucky students, I dare say) Mr. Baker and I are connected by a mutual colleague, Editor, Jessie Bove at DDI (Display & Design Ideas) Magazine, and were asked to judge the annual Holiday Windows Competition in 2010, and Mr. Baker introduced me to one of his former students at FIT, Lauren Gries, who now works at Tiffany’s, and has an incredible website www.fourthfloorwalkup.com which I've Written about and I had the pleasure to collaborate with.

  

I could almost say that Peter is a good friend. If I did Iit wouldn't be a lie, except we don't socialize. We don't hang out together, we never met for drinks after a hard day, we don't have any mutual friends, yet I'm keenly fond of him. We should be friends! 

 

  

At some point in your career, you are going to need to hire a design service, a company to help promote a new project ot product, to coordinate a special event, an in store promotion , rethink your store planning concept, design and execute a window presentation, a seasonal presentation, create a video, design a theatrical set, or assist with re-branding. When you do, you are going to check out www.ptbdesignservices.com which will steer you directly to all the answers you are looking for. It will be like manna from heaven! You will call the company and Mr. Baker will imbue you with such confidence that you will think to yourself, "How did he know all that? Is he reading my mind?

  

 You will be in good company; other clients include Nicole Miller, Saundra Messinger Jewelry, Pac Team America, M. Booth & Associates, JC Penney, Calvin Klein, and Guild Hall East Hampton.

 

In true entrepreneurial spirit Mr. Baker started his own company after leaving the jewel in the retail crown…Tiffany’s. This speaks to his spirit and optimism especially when you consider he ventured out at a time when most retailers were running around like Chicken Little’s “crying the sky is falling1”. His company P-T B Design Services prides itself on the quality of its work.

 

What can he do for you? That being said, the Tiffany Corporation prides itself on being as flawless as its diamonds, and as discriminating as Audrey Hepburn. With his lions share of experiences at Tiffany’s as the Vice President of Visual Merchandising Mr. Baker is uniquely qualified to raise the bar, however high yours may already be.  But let’s stop and assess this, being the Vice President at Tiffany’s has got to be as stressful and rigorous as being the Vice President of Coca Cola, Exxon, Wal-mart, Disney and the United States. There are probably only a handful of people in the world who could handle it with such aplomb and success. Let me illuminate…Mr. Baker was responsible for product presentations and display standards within all sales locations worldwide. He successfully navigated its explosive sales and market growth and built a talented and responsive global visual merchandising department. Intuitive and confident, he was keenly involved with store planning and fixture development, as well as in-store promotional presentations. Additionally, his role often required partnering directly with Tiffany’s legendary designers on their product presentations, including Frank Gehry, Paloma Picasso and Elsa Peretti. Gehery, Picasso and Peretti are bona-fide genius’ but pleasing them and Tiffany’s is more difficult than walking the high wire at Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey.  

 

And a star danced on the day he was born…

 

Baker launched his retail career as the Visual Manager with the legendary luxury emporium Henri Bendel on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. This position frequently required working directly with both well-established and new fashion designers on display window and in-store presentations. Designers including Michael Kors, Todd Oldham, Jean-Paul Gaultier, and Ann Demuelemeester all of whom relied on Baker to translate their brand and vision into sales.

 

Not just another “Visual Merchandiser”…

 

Additionally, Baker has worked as scenic designer for dozens of dramatic and musical productions. Earlier on in his career, he was both production designer and performer with the groundbreaking band, Voice Farm, which, under the Morgan Creek Records label, played to sold-out crowds in venues such as the Roxy Theater in Los Angeles, The Fillmore in San Francisco and Madison Square Garden.

 

Baker graduated magna cum laude from San Francisco State University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in scenic design & fine arts.

 

Respected in the industry, Mr. Baker has been actively involved as a Board Member of the Retail Design Institute since 2007

 

But does an impressive resume make for great soul? Certainly not. There are many talents, and hard working individuals not worth the time of day. What in the final analysis separates the men from the boys, the wheat from the chaff? It’s being genuine, truthful and authentic. It’s being optimistic, affirming and positive. It’s being passionate, joyful and humorous. Attributes not commonly found on our resumes. I invite you to visit Mr. Baker’s site. Call him if you have a project in mind and he will give you his undivided attention. And let me ask you this, when was the last time anyone ever gave that to you?

 

P-T BAKER Design Services

315 West 39^th Street, Suite 1508, NY NY 10018

212 629-4349

ptb@ptbdesignservices.com

 www.ptbdesignservices.com  

 http://www.linkedin.com/pub/peter-tolin-baker/5/9b6/4b 

 

Men In Seersucker Suits

They are as attractive as Harold Hill and as charming too. They are in their Seersucker suits of blue and white stripes. The stripes are so slim as not easily distinguishable from one another from so far away, and therefore appear almost pastel under inspection. The fabric is buckled and nubled just enough to want to draw your hand over a thigh or lapel. The fabric has what old time Garmento’s call “tooth”. Men in Seersucker are quaint. There may not be a veranda or straw boater available, but it does not diminish their versatility. They look cool, and almost costumed. I look forward to seeing them every summer. They are as welcome as ice cold watermelon on the Fourth of July… very! Men in seersucker aware mavericks in our sea of grey uniforms. They wear their seersucker suits with cotton pique shirts in pink, ivory, butter, surf and eggshell. They wear silk bow ties that look “jaunty” and colorful breast pocket scarves from Hermes. They see the world as a kind of stage, and pose like an extra in a scene in Long Day’s Journey or The Glass Menagerie. Seersucker speaks to continuity. Seersucker is generally an unconstructed jacket, light weight and free from pads and linings. The pant is pleated, and sold with an expansion waistband, presumable to free men from restructure after the second helpings have been passed. The pant is worn with suspenders which serve to add to the authentic old fashioned appeal of the garment. Men in seersucker are dear, elegant and poetic.

What you need to know about the history and manufacture of “seersucker”…

The word “Seersucker” came into English from Hindustaniwhich itself originates from the Persianwords "shir o shekar," meaning "milk and sugar", probably because of the resemblance of its smooth and rough stripes to the smooth surface of milk and bumpy texture of sugar. It’s sort of dreamy, isn’t it?

Seersucker is woven in such a way that some threads bunch together, giving the fabric a wrinkled or puckered appearance in places. This feature causes the fabric to be mostly held away from the skin when worn, facilitating improved heat dissipation and promoting air circulation. It also means that pressing is not necessary. A huge attribute in the summer months.

During the British colonial period seersucker was a popular material in Britain's warm weather colonies. When Seersucker was first introduced in the United States it was used for a broad array of clothing items. For suits the material was considered a mainstay of the summer wardrobe of gentlemen, especially in the South, who favored the light fabric in the high heat and humidity of the summer, especially prior to the arrival of air conditioning. Seersucker remains identified with the South and the gentrified period of the Antebellum. Seersucker is so beloved that the US Senate holds a Seersucker Thursday in June, where the participants dress in traditionally Southern clothing.

The fabric was originally worn by the poor in the U.S. until undergraduate students in the 1920s, in an air of reverse snobbery, and rebellion began to wear the fabric. Damon Runyon wrote that his new habit for wearing seersucker was "causing much confusion among my friends. They cannot decide whether I am broke or just setting a new vogue."

Seersucker is made by a process called slack-tension weave. The threads are wound onto the two warp beams in groups of 10 to 16 for a narrow stripe. The crinkle stripe may have slightly larger yarns to enhance the crinkle. The stripes are always in the warp direction and “ongrain”.

 

Men In Khaki Pants

It is summer. I know it is summer not by the temperature or calendar, not by the solstice or fresh peaches arriving in the supermarket. I know it is summer by the parade of men wearing their khaki pants around town. Who told them it was time, was it instinct? They wear them to work and to mow the lawn. They wear them to the park on Saturday afternoon and to Church on Sunday morning. They are worn pressed sharp as folded paper or un-pressed like crumpled scraps. They are worn with braided belts, or canvas stripe belts with D-clips buckles. They are worn by the models in the Ralph Lauren ads and on occasion by Martha Stewart. They are worn with brown, cordovan and black shoes. They are worn with equal aplomb with tennis shoes or fancy tasseled loafers. They are worn cuffed or rolled up revealing a bit of colorful socks from Paul Smith or perhaps no socks at all like Milianians on the Sartorlist. They are dressed up or dressed down. They are accessorized with elements from the men’s furnishings department at Brooks Brothers or the under $5.00’s at H & M. They are worn by men who are heavy and men who are slight. These men are wearing their khaki’s with starched Oxford button downs with colorful Rep ties with navy blue blazers. They are comfortable, and read as “relaxed” as if the wearer is anticipating a leisurely bar-b-queue, croquet in the Hampton’s. Khakis are a multi-purpose garment that can be worn to Yankee Stadium and the Vatican and not seem to be thumbing its nose. Khaki’s defy time and remain fashionable. Men weaning khaki’s are carrying messenger bags, briefcases and satchels. They are listening to their IPods or checking their text messages. Some are playing Angry Birds and cry out loud when they lose or win. However these men are on the subway and on their way to work to office jobs in mid-town and Wall Street. They are going to desk jobs at Delloite & Touche, Bloomberg News and BBD & O. Men look boyishly handsome in their khaki’s.

What you need to know about the history of “khaki”…

Khaki has a fascinating history. In the mid-1800s, British soldiers in India began dyeing their white uniforms to a dusty color using "Cutch" a derivative of the khair-tree or catechu (Acacia catechu Linnaeus f. Willdenow) as a form of camouflage. The dye created the color khaki an Indian word for dust, earth, and ashes. Khaki colored articles were reserved for military wear only. After WW1 wearing it was prohibited by US law. When US soldiers returned to civilian life post WW2 they continued to wear their military khaki colored chinos especially to college where it became an important part of the preppy look, especially when worn with button-down shirts and penny-loafers. Khaki colored chinos began to be commonly worn by angst ridden teenagers in high schools as a form of rebellion as most schools had dress codes prohibiting wearing jeans. Khaki the color was so common that the pants which are really known as Chino's were also called khakis

Seventeen Photos (part two of two)

Seventeen more shots of windows and environs in new York City this week

 

Ralph Lauren on Bleeker Street

 

Macy's men's in Herald Square

 

Macy's men's in Herald Square

 

Bruno Cucchinello on  Bleeker Street

 

Amish Choir in Union Square

  

Graffiti in The Bowery

 

All Saints in the Meatpacking District

 

Diane Von Furstenberg in the Meatpacking District

 

Children's Hospital Promo in the Meat Packing District

 

A Boxing Bar In Chelsea

 

Chanel on 57th Street
 
 

Dior (St. Petersburg Windows) on 57th Street

 

Barneys "McGuiness" Collection on Madison Avenue

  

Etro on Madison Avenue

 

Manhattan Island mosaic in Times Square

 

Paper squid window on Madison Avenue

 

Religious relic mannequin on Madison Avenue

 

Ralph Pucci decoupaged mannequin on Madison Avenue 

 

Seventeen Photos (one of two)

 

This is one of two upcoming posts on windows and displays in the city (New York City) .some wnidows are from great retailers, and some are just beautiful displays from small stores bodegas and architectural elements. Either way they fill our day with beauty, like the bodega above on Second Avenue with the georgous watermellons piled below the classic Budweiser sign.

 

Saks Fifth Avenue

 

Cheap Jack's on Fifth Avenue (Vintage)

 

Second Avenue Antique Store

 

Antiques Center  54th Street and Second Avenue

 

Lady Gaga  Subway Promotion

 

Grafetti in the Bowery

 

Pink Building in the West Side

 

Lord & Taylor Bicycle Presentation

 

Lord & Taylor Bicycle Presentation

 

Lane Bryant undressed mannequins at night

 

Macy's Racing Presentation with Plasma TV screen

 

Boys entrance to a Catholic School

 

James Pearse Japan Fund windows

 

Macy's Racing Presentation "Hot Wheels"

 

Macy's "Wonderland" costume presentation for the Broadway Production

 

Macy's Men's Presentation 

 


 

KUDOS? Another Event I Was Invited To.

 

Originally from the Greek kŷdos. Commonly used to convey…“Thanks for a job well done!”

Kudos entered in the language around 1825–35, meaning “praise or renown.” It was at first used largely in academic circles, but it gained wider currency in the 1920’s in journalistic use, particularly in headlines: “Playwright receives kudos”. “Kudos given to track record breakers”. Kudos is often used, as in these examples, in contexts that do not clearly indicate whether it is singular or plural; and because it ends in an “s”, the marker of regular plurals in English, kudos has come to be widely regarded and used as a plural noun meaning “accolades”, rather than as a singular mass noun meaning, “honor or glory.”

As a gentleman I think it’s important to express kudos and to be grateful receivers when Kudos are given. It’s not easy.

Each year GMHC (The Gay Men’s Health Crisis) has a “Kudos” party to thank volunteers and to recognize an individual who exemplifies the adjectives, praise worthy, renowned, honor and/or glory. This year GMHC co-founder Dr. Lawrence Mass was recognized. Kudos is an adjective that perfectly describe him!

I began volunteering at GMHC back in 1983. (Although it might have been ’82.) I remember this; GMHC was in the basement of Diego Lopez’s apartment on Perry Street. I would volunteer on Sunday morning after my play writing class at HB Studio. I would climb over bags of garbage, and then be chastised by Lopez because I refused to try on his heels. Lopez, an important fashion illustrator had a penchant for heels, and found my obstinance both appealing and frustrating. He called me “sunshine” which I abhorred, as it was a put down, because I was sober on Sunday morning, something he seldom was, or anyone at GMHC for that matter. (See: Dry Bones Breathe by Eric Rofes.) Lopez would check my expression for tell tale signs of utter incredulousness when one of the GMHC hoi-poli would begin to pontificate and preach. My eyes roll further back in my head than anyone I know. Acting and discretion not being my long suit. Lopez, called it correctly, “Leeander”, he would say, “Face facts…its all about real estate, men want a place to park it for an hour or two and then drive home.... you're a permanent lot., You will never be an “A” list homosexual, you’re a “do-bee”. Indeed, I was not a Thursday’s child (fair of face). It was a despicable thing to say, but completely true. Facts are uncomfortable.  If it sounds like we didn’t get along, in truth, we didn’t, but we did adore each other. Go figure. He was a character, and I was too. We recognized in each other our uniqueness’.

Why must the test of everything be its endurance?

Why was I invited to the GMHC KUDOS Event? I volunteered steadily for twenty-five years or so without ever missing a meeting, training, orientation, health symposium or fundraiser. I was assigned to several “buddy teams” including the Pediatric team. I still work with the same family I did back in 1983-84. That being said, in its corporate wisdom, after twenty five years of services, the “The Buddy Team” program was disbanded due to budget constraints from GMHC. FYI: Buddy’s on the buddy teams never received a penny, they never requested one. I raised tens of thousands of dollars for GMHC. Collectively the buddy teams raised millions of dollars for the agency, but somehow magically one night we were suddenly too expensive to maintain so we were all “retired”, showed the door, not so much as a “thank you passed the administration’s lips.  Don’t get me started! Lopez is looking down from heaven upon my expression!

That being said, I am invited to Kudos every year. My name is on the list. I have not attended the Kudos Event for several years, but something got into me this year. Maybe it’s the flurry of broadcasts and articles on AIDS turning thirty this year. Thirty years traditionally that pearls or diamonds. I can only offer pearls of wisdom, and the clarity of a diamond. Unfortunately I am strictly “costume”. I am not, repeat not nostalgic over AIDS. That notion mortifies me! It’s an anniversary year I keep telling myself. Like a high school reunion I hoped to run into former volunteers. People with who I once shared intense and intimate time with. People so close to me that in their grief their tears lid into my ears as if it were a cup. Alas, I ran into only two peripheral people. Two! Lovely people, but peripheral. Together we wandered around like ghosts in limbo wondering, what are we doing here? Where is everyone, my loved ones, everyone here is a stranger to me. It was creepy! Where was everyone? I surmise many of them have perished in the epidemic; many have been so alienated from the agency they wouldn’t deign to attend even if invited. Many have simply moved and are sort of lost. Anyway, the Kudos event was a sad assemblage. It personified everything wrong with the state of the world today. Place a few free drinks, a few hors d’ouvres, sautéed meatballs, a basil pesto pasta salad and a DJ in the room and even a funeral can pass for a “good time”. YIKES!

I did run into the Director of GMHC who introduced herself to me (I won’t mention her name) as if we had just met. We’ve met at least half a dozen times, once with such rank and ankor that even I can’t believe I’m that forgettable. Lopez was right; I am a “C” list homosexual! Still, after twenty five years of volunteering you might think my name on my “Hello my name is” badge would have given her a clue.

Where is the passion? Where is the love? Where is the beautiful anger?  The righteous indignity?

Location, location, location. GMHC has once again moved. In the last twenty-five years it’s moved at last six times I know of. The new address is way out of Greenwich Village, way out of Chelsea, the last two bastions of gay men in New York City, and is now ensconced in Clinton Hills on 34^th Street off of 10^th Avenue. It is far from the madding crowd. The last time a boa was spotted in Clinton Hills was when Lillian Russell sang at the Alhambra.

The Kudos event was held in the new cafeteria, a nice enough room with the faux Keith Haring print in hot pink running along the soffit. I say faux as its Keith Haringish, but without any sex. Instead of the Haring enlarged sexual appendages, all the little men now have tastefully extended arms and legs that look like a… well, you know what. Do you really think the Haring estate would sue if GMHC did a documentary reproduction?

After thirty years of an epidemic it should be impossible to have a “good time”. It should be impossible to be civil or nice. The pile of the AIDS deceased rises higher than the remains of the World Trade Centers. That being said, have we all lost our way? Is it just me who is appalled? There was no mention from the GMHC podium that anyone had died.

Now I’m looking at this thing thirty years into it. I can’t help to self-assess. The revival of The Normal Heart is back on Broadway. AIDS has slipped into our collective consciences as an inconvenience, a trifle bit like diabetes, a manageable crisis, perhaps because the pharmaceuticals have invested their research in keeping us barely alive with protease inhibitors at astronomical costs, (to us) no cure is imminent, when was the last time you read about anything promising to do with AID’s research?

Here is a picture of AIDS not usually presented perhaps because it’s just not as pretty as the 'Kardashian's or Paris Hilton. More that 25 million people worldwide have died of AIDS since the start of the epidemic, (1981) according to the National Institutes of Health. 576,000 people in the U.S. have died of AIDS since the epidemic began. (I’d swear on my grave its twice as many than reported) Regardless, I knew about 250 of those people. About 18,000 people with AIDS die each year in the U.S. There are however 33.4 million people who are living with HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) or AIDS worldwide as of 2008, based on the most recent year for which statistics from the World Health Organization have made available. (That’s three years ago!) 2.1 million of those 33.4 million, are children under age 15. About 1 million people in the U.S. are living with HIV, according to the CDC, and despite testing; about 21 percent of those people are unaware of their infection.

I ask you in all earnestness, where is the passion? Where is the love? Where is the beautiful anger?  The righteous indignity?

LACOSTE: Or Why Girls Don’t Eat Hors d’ouvres

I wouldn’t say I get invited to everything in town, but I do get invited to a lot of places. Yesterday I was invited to an event for Lacoste and Men’s Health Magazine.

Here’s what you need to know. Stores are looking to hold “special” events, especially in the evening (off hours) to encourage shoppers to buy, and build brand loyalty. Events were once a rare occurrence, today they are a part and parcel of doing business. i.e., business as usual. There are many benefits. I’m a perfect example, had I not been invited, there would have been little incentive to walk up to Madison and 57^th to visit Lacoste, but not only did I go, but I brought a friend. Lacoste is a retailer I very much like, yet I do not own a single stitch produced by them. Please don’t tell mamma!

What makes a special event special? Fashion Director, Brian Boye of Men’s Health was there to help customers pick “looks”. If he was there, I didn’t see him, I certainly wasn’t introduced to him. With any purchase there was a special “goody bag” with a cap, some sort of a dopp kit, tee shirt, The Big Book of Exercise and a copy of this month’s Men’s Health. I didn’t make a purchase, but I did see two men making multiple purchases. Naturally, there were refreshments. The event was a nice sort of after work event, low key, meet and greet, not too cruisey.

Here’s what you need to know. Lacoste clothing is beautifully made. It’s an investment piece. Lacoste is classic. The material/fabrics are quality. The color palate is bright and beautiful. Lacoste is currently partnering with Catherine Malandrino (women’s) to “up” their design game. The Lacoste alligator is so iconic; it’s what Ralph Lauren apes for his Polo’s and Tommy Hilfiger for his polo’s. Lacoste does great interior store lighting (LED) which changes in value in an ever constant stream of color. It’s dreamy! The Lacoste environment is primarily a white box, aneseptic, and linear. The current Lacoste advertising is very clever, attractive models in business suits and sequined evening gowns are wearing their white Lacoste polo’s over their dress clothing as it’s so beloved. It’s meant to suggest how stylish Lacoste is, and that it perhaps has more status than what’s being worn underneath. The advertising is so well executed you might almost believe the retailer is encouraging you to go to work with Lacoste polo over your suit jacket. Brilliant!

Here’s what you need to know. Lacoste advertises in Men’s Health Magazine. I have a subscription to Men’s Health. It’s a great magazine, beautifully designed and laid out, and full of useful information each month. This month’s cover is the abdominalized Congressman, Aaron Schock. While I do take issue with his views and voting records, I cannot take issue with his musculature. The magazine is hyper masculine with tons of testosterone laced sex topics. But there is a frequent homo-erotic contents sub-texted throughout the pages.

Lacoste, like Abercrombie & Fitch casts its salespeople, all of whom looked like slightly less attractive Lacoste models, athletic, scruffy, with a tendency towards the yuppified or guppified. Lacoste is catering to a new youthful demographic more likely found skateboarding than playing tennis. The sales staff are helpful and seem well trained to treat customers nicely… very nicely. That being said after the third sales person called me “sir”, I was ready to do a Mary Tyler Moore. (See episode: Today I Am A Mamm!)

Here’s What you need to know. The store was crowded at 6:00. With about fifty people milling into the store and another twenty five sauntering in shortly thereafter. The event included a live DJ. There was a bar with a tender way too attractive to pouring the six specialty brews they were offering. I chose the Brooklyn Ale, but needed to call it quits after the first half. I’m sort of a glass half empty guy. If you had to line up every one in the store by age (or presumed age) I would clearly be on far end. The majority of people being in their thirties… barely. The hors d’ouvres were passed on large plexi trays lined with parchment. They were plentiful. That being said, while there was about one woman for every five men present (relatively good odds, if you’re a woman). I did not see a single female touch an hors d’ouvres. It’s verboten if you are of a certain age; a beer is one thing bit a guacamole tartlet or a crème fresche with lime bruschetta will not pass over the lips of a girl of a certain age.

Here’s what you need to know. The take away is this, why don’t girls eat hors d’ouvres? Because Lacoste girls hang out with Lacoste boys.

Send In The Clowns

One of my favorite blogs is Dave Ibsen's 5 Blogs Before Lunch www.daveibsen.typepad.com/5_blogs_before_lunch. As I borrowed generously from his site, I wish to give credit where credit is due, and invite you to visit his site,

Is McDonald's retiring Ronald?  Or is early retirement a form of ageism?

As the iconic 50’s inspired brand, McDonald's continually tries to updates it fast food restaurants to fit in a post-Starbucks world. Now the sword of Damocles is swinging over the head of its 48-year-old, red-haired mascot. It begs the question; would you trust a man in a red Afro and yellow jump suit for nutritional advice? Morgan Spurlock has not weighed in on the matter, but anti-obesity groups suggest that Ronald McDonald encourages unhealthy eating habits for kids.TBD McDonald’s executives disagrees with that thesis. The Wall Street Journal  reports that Chief Executive Officer, Jim Skinner staunchly defended the clown at the company's annual meeting on Thursday, saying, "Ronald McDonald is going nowhere! Perhaps… but isn’t that what they said about transfat?

From The Wall Street Journal: "Mascots were heavily used in the mid part of the last century, but not so much anymore unless you're an insurance company and you have a duck or a gecko or a caveman," says Cheryl Swanson, managing partner of Toniq, a brand strategy firm. "I'm not so sure Ronald is keeping up with where the brand is going. I wouldn't be so dogmatic if I were McDonald's. I'd do a deep dive into whether he's still meaningful, or a throwback to the last century." If Ronald is a throwback, than I am a throwback… oh, wait a minute, I am a throwback!

McDonald's has been spending tons of money remodeling restaurants around the globe (but not my neighborhood) with sleek new designs featuring upholstered furniture, flat-screen television and wi-fi, encouraging a Starbucks-esque destination setting, and now with McCafe, frappes and smoothies, the company is moving decidedly with the times.

Children's eating habits aside, the question as to whether Ronald McDonald adequately and accurately represents today's hamburger brand is the real question. The big question is whether the Hamburgler, Grimace, and those pesky French Fry Goblins would be caught dead sipping a McCafé Frozen Strawberry Lemonade, side salad with Paul Newman dressing, and tweeting from their iPad.

What do I think? “There ought to be clowns…don’t bother they're here”.

Courtesy of www.retaildesigndiva.com where it appeared on May 26, 2011

Are You Going Gaga Over Starbucks?

I survived Judgment Day only to pass my own and ask what happens with two overly hyped conglomerates colloid. Starbucks wants to reach out to younger customers; and Lady Gaga wants to expand her Madonna-esque brand empire; so the two have paired-up for a Venti sized promotion.

Lady Gaga as Starbucks spokesperson epitomizes the caffeine laced culture. Now Starbucks will host a Gaga-themed scavenger hunt across its digital presence on Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare. Gaga's fans (she has 32 million Facebook fans and 10 million Twitter followers) can follow her exploits and search out clues. The top winner gets special access to a Lady Gaga concert during her 2012 world tour. It might be cheaper to just buy a ticket and enjoy the concert.

Lady Gaga's new CD releases May 23rd and is titled, "Born This Way”. At launch, Starbucks customers in the U.S. will be able to stream Gaga's new album, download her new song "Edge of Glory" and watch an exclusive video from the in-store Starbucks Digital Network. Oh, and did I mention you can purchase your Brazilian roast with an amaretto shot laced with caramel.

"Born This Way” is a worldwide cultural event," says  Annie Young-Scrivner, chief marketing officer at Starbucks. "Starbucks is excited to be one of the iconic partners to celebrate the album's release in an innovative way."

Did you see Lady Gaga on the season finale of SNL, Perhaps next time she'll dress as the Starbucks mermaid logo, aka shades of Bette Midler’s Delores Delago. If any reader doesn’t get the reference I’m retiring!