Tag Archives: Fashion

What is the Point?

27 Jun

In the last post, I wrote about going to AmericasMart with my wife. That is where she buys clothing for her boutique. It is truly an art to choose what people will want to buy in the future, and I am always amazed at how she does it.

I am also amazed by the words that I hear over and over.

Gorgeous!

Beautiful!

Perfect!

Price Point!

Price Point? Yes, Price Point.

I know that does not fit with Gorgeous, Beautiful and Perfect, but it is an integral part of the language at Fashion Market. I just do not understand why they say it when it can be said in a much simpler way.

How about saying Price?

That gets to the point.

 

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The Great Shirt Debate

3 Nov

During America’s Industrial Revolution, various industries became proficient in producing whatever it was they were trying to produce. In fact, they became good enough at producing that they were at the point where they could produce more than the market could consume. Of course, the ability to produce more was a waste if consumers could not purchase at the same rate of growth. This condition was no way to maximize profits. If there was something the industrialists loved more than anything, then it was maximizing profits.

Into this situation walked someone who had a grand idea about how to increase production and convince consumers to increase their purchasing. The idea was called product diversification. When I talk about the Industrial Revolution in class, I use flour mills as examples. I am not sure where they fit into the Industrial Revolution, but it is easy.Flour

In the old days, people went to the store and bought bags of flour. When they got home, the flour would be used to make cakes, cookies, biscuits, pies and all sorts of delicious things. Knowing that their product was used for various things, the leaders of the flour industry diversified. When consumers went to the store, they saw bags of flour. However, they also saw bags of cake mix, cookie mix, biscuit mix, pie mix and all sort of delicious things.

I can see the consumer walking down the aisle. I need flour. Wait, I want to make cookies. I had better get some cookie mix. Hold on, there is the cake mix, I had better get that, too. Oh yeah, I need to make that pie. Instead of purchasing one bag, the consumer purchases several bags. Therein lies the trick of product diversification.

All of this came to mind while my wife and I were shopping for clothes. I needed some new stuff, and today was a good day to get it done. We walked into a store, and I found a shirt that I liked. The resulting conversation went something like this.

“I like this shirt.”

“That’s a summer shirt.”

“Ok.”

“You can’t buy a summer shirt.”

“Why not?”

“It’s not summer.”

“What does that have to do with it?”

“You can’t buy it because you can’t wear it.”

“Why not?”

“It’s not summer.”

“We will have another summer. It’s not like we have seen the last one. Besides, why can’t I wear the shirt anytime I want?”

I stopped because I could tell that she was getting upset, but I still did not understand why I could not buy a shirt and wear it whenever I wanted. Then, it hit me.

Product diversification.

Decades ago, someone in Paris or New York came up with a brilliant idea to increase sales. I cannot remember the last time I listened to what someone in Paris or New York had to say, but that is not the point. The point is that the idea has sunk in. It went something like this.

What if we convince people that they need to wear different shirts for every season. Then, our sales will increase every three months. At some point, this will become the style, and people will be afraid to break it because of peer pressure. If they wear the wrong thing, then other people will think they are not out of fashion.

Now, we have summer shirts, winter shirts, spring shirts and fall shirts. Product diversification was an art form. Then, it became fashionable.

 

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Play It Pretty for Atlanta

16 Apr

This weekend, I did something that I never envisioned doing. I went to market, the industry name for a women’s clothing convention. My fiance, owner of Beauty Boutique, needed to attend because that’s what boutique owners do. I needed to go because, well, I just wanted to. Life is full of experiences, and this would probably be an interesting one.

Shockingly, we got a late start, but, once we hit the road, it was smooth sailing. Actually, there was one rough patch. When we crossed Monteagle Mountain, I serenaded her with the theme from Smokey and the Bandit. She laughed hysterically and wrote about it on Facebook. Did I mention that I hate Facebook?

My sentiments exactly.

My sentiments exactly.

We arrived in Atlanta, and, after some fancy driving on my part, we made it to the hotel. She immediately wanted to head to market to check in and browse before they closed for the day. I had no idea what to expect, but I felt like that I had walked into the cantina on Tatooine at closing time.

The girls all get prettier at closing time.

The girls all get prettier at closing time.

There was some strange-looking creatures hanging around, and they all looked worn out. That’s not totally correct because there were some fair looking creatures there, too. However, they looked just as tired.

We went back to the hotel and started wondering about dinner. We didn’t want to venture too far out, so I looked up the hotel restaurants. That’s when my eyes bugged out. The lower level of our hotel housed Trader Vic’s. I only knew two things about Trader Vic’s. It is a hangout for werewolves who like pina coladas, and I had to go there.

I didn’t see any werewolves. However, I felt like I had walked into a 1950s postcard from Hawaii. I don’t even have the words to explain this surreal experience. Imagine getting swallowed up in a song by The Ventures and being served an umbrella drink. That’s Trader Vic’s.

How can you go wrong with a menu with this cover?

How can you go wrong with a menu with this cover?

The next day, we got up bright and early for market, and it was a completely different experience. The cantina crowd was ready to go and buyers from stores throughout the nation were cramming the aisles between the booths. They had everything that a woman could possibly wear, and there was a thousand varieties of each item. Heck, there were ten stories filled with stuff. As a crowd watcher instead of a buyer, I started to figure out the difference between the serious buyers and the sightseers. I could also pick out the guys who were doing the exact same thing that I was.

However, that was just the appetizer for what I really wanted to see, the runway fashion show. I couldn’t wait to see a bunch of models strut their stuff on the catwalk. I wasn’t disappointed because they looked like I imagined. But, there was a problem. There was a woman in front of me wearing cat ears, and she was blocking my view. I promise that there is nothing worse than sitting behind a woman wearing cat ears at a fashion show.

After the show, we needed to eat. There wasn’t much around, so we ended up at The Hard Rock Cafe. The cheeseburger and 80s videos were great, but there was another form of entertainment. Atlanta’s version of The Amazing Race was going on. Some teams were taking it serious, and other teams were coming into the bar to get drunk. After this much activity, I needed a nap.

I slept most of the afternoon and woke up hungry. I didn’t want Trader Vic’s or a cheeseburger.  I wanted something good. Not knowing anything about Atlanta dining, we searched for Atlanta’s best restaurants and found Rathbun’s. I have written about Nashville’s booming food scene and know that we have some great restaurants. Rathbun’s would fit right in. The duck breast was awesome but not as good as the appetizer. If you ever go to Rathbun’s, then you have to get the Pan Fried Kefalotiri Cheese. It’s the most awesome thing ever.

Yesterday, we packed up to head home but not before going to Lenox Square Mall. I have heard of people going to Atlanta just to shop, and now I know why. It’s a cool mall. Wait, I went to Atlanta just to shop didn’t I? Weird. Anyway, we drove back to Tennessee and crossed Monteagle Mountain once again. This time I just hummed.

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Beauty Boutique

19 Feb

This past week was pretty big in my world, as my girlfriend bought a new business – Beauty Boutique. After years of working for other people in the makeup and home decorating industries, she decided that it was time to try something for herself. I could not be more proud of her for taking this step. As my dad has always said, “It’s hard to make money working for somebody else.” Unfortunately, I didn’t totally listen to his advice.

Beauty Boutique has been in existence for a couple of years and has proven to be successful. I know that my girlfriend can use its prior success as a foundation on which to grow. The boutique offers lines of women’s fashion, accessories, and beauty products. It also offers services such as hair styling, waxing, massages, facials and most anything you can think of that makes people feel and look good. In fact, I am hoping it does some miraculous things for me.Beauty Boutique

For those of you who live nearby, please top by Beauty Boutique and see what it has to offer. For those who don’t live nearby, I hope you visit the Nashville area one day. When you do, please make Beauty Boutique one of your destinations. After all, one can only spend so much time in the Honky Tonks.

Be sure to tell the staff that you heard about Beauty Boutique while strolling through the SBI World. Who knows? You might get a discount.

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