A Store for Us in Soho, Fashion Week and more.
Just as The
Three Tomatoes are packing away our white summer linens and everything “peasant
looking” (maybe for good this time), and thinking about cozy sweaters and soft corduroys, the fashion industry is setting
up their tents in Bryant Park to unveil the Spring ’07 collections!
Yes, Fashion Week is here
and alas, every anorexic, twenty something “A list” celebrity will be here too, sitting front row and attending all the parties, as
will that select clientele who actually buy from the top designers. That of course rules out The Three Tomatoes who once again, did not receive an invite to this mecca fashion event. But we actually
received a much better invitation, and that was to visit the newly opened Sigrid
Olsen flagship store in SoHo.
Finally, a store in SoHo for us
Now as you may know, The Three Tomatoes do not typically hang out in SoHo -- the land of size
zeros, trendy boutiques, celebrity sightings, and model watching at restaurants like Balthazar’s. Well that was
before Sigrid Olsen moved into the hood at 411 West Broadway with her first
New York City flagship store. Walking in the door is like a breath of fresh air. It’s light,
it’s airy. There is no jarring music blaring from a speaker system. Much more of a gallery feel than a retail store, which totally fits
the brand since Sigrid Olsen is an artist who brought her art to fashion.
The store uses a "residential metaphor". Taking cues from
Olsen’s own seaside residence in Massachusetts as well as SoHo’s artistic roots, the store is divided into intimate areas resembling a
gallery-like living room/lounge area, artist’s studio and a central space that, like a kitchen, is at the heart of the action. The
“lounge area” is adorned with personal touches, such as Ms. Olsen’s artwork and framed vacation photos. The
“artist’s studio” features architectural lamps and flat painter’s files displaying “basics”, such as
t-shirts. The “kitchen”, which functions as the cash-wrap area, has handmade tiles, stenciled wood armoires and even an
under-counter refrigerator to store bottled water for customers. And Ms. Olsen personally hand- stamped the walls of the dressing rooms with
colorful decorative images that have become her trademark. We could live there.
And then there are the clothes, handbags, and jewelry. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
And, here’s the best part. Affordable, affordable,
affordable. Chances are you’re familiar with the brand – it’s been sold in
major department stores for years . But the scope has evolved from casual resort wear to year round casual and dressy
sportswear and accessories. The designs are casually elegant, but not in an uptight “meet you at the club”
way. There’s great attention to details, colors, and wonderful casual fabrics -- like washable suedes.
You won’t find micro minis, those new bouffant skirts, or pants with waistbands that stop at your hips. What
you will find are great slacks that fit well, wonderful jackets that you can dress up, or dress down, the softest corduroy slacks, and sweaters and
blouses with beautiful details. And we loved the handbags; all with the big satchel styles you’re seeing everywhere this
year. There is nothing in the store we would not wear.
A little catering to the women with the money is a good idea
Sigrid Olsen clearly gets that there is a huge group
of women with money who really don’t want to dress like teenagers. And actually, there are a lot of teenagers who shouldn’t dress like
teenagers either, but that’s another topic. And by the way, women over forty spend more money on clothes than younger women
-- over $27 billion dollars annually according to some market researchers. Saks Fifth Avenue learned its lesson
when it tried to revamp itself into a luxury retailer for young fashionistas, alienating its core 35+ year old consumers in the process.
So, here’s to Sigrid Olsen and other designers who get that we still want to look great even if we’re not size
zeros, or 22 years old. And here’s a little factoid, (courtesy of The Wall Street Journal), the average adult
American woman is 5’4” tall, weights 155 pounds and wears a size 14 dress.
Coming next week
A special discount from Sigrid Olsen. Stay tuned.
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