By ELLEN LEWIS
I am headed back to New York next week for my daughter’s wedding. It will be a very small family affair. That was her choice. She has very understated but decidedly upscale taste. Kate’s an artist, visually brilliant, flirting on the edge of the millennial generation; but way past fairy tale wedding expectations. She says she trusts me and will bow to my planning decisions. With only … Read More
By ELLEN LEWIS
I am always touting young brands that continue to mature. There is nothing more satisfying to a merchant at heart than the discovery of a product that has legs. Such was the case when Nubian Skin launched in 2014, brought their ground breaking “New Nude” concept for women of color to the market. Still, I hesitated; waiting for brand traction, not because I didn’t see the viability, … Read More
By ELLEN LEWIS
For me, though my mom has been gone for over 30 years, Mother’s Day remains a floral reminiscence. For as long as I can remember, on this holiday, I gave her a single yellow rose, her favorite. My mother loved gardens. After my parents sold our family home, she was always pilfering from mine: bouquets of tulips, daffodils, forsythia, peonies and of course my roses. After she … Read More
By ELLEN LEWIS
Recently, I finished reading the biography, Georgia, by Dawn Tripp. O’Keefe is one of my favorite artists and the story of her life resonates in the current feminine culture. In this book we witness her creative force evolve as she struggles to stay her ground in a male dominated world. Her paintings, particularly her floral studies, were never intended to be interpreted as a female expression but … Read More
by ELLEN LEWIS | Several weeks ago I was interviewed by Brandon Roe, publisher of The Fashion Consumer, a Podcast featuring experts from the fashion world offering fresh ideas and insights to better understand the ever-changing fashion consumer (www.FashionConsumer.com). Our discussion focused on the evolution of tastes and technology development that has caused fundamental shifts in the lingerie business. Brandon was interested in my perspective due to my … Read More
In the past few weeks, we’ve posted several blogs about the transition of sleepwear and loungewear into street wear. Many ready to wear designers have integrated lingerie and swimwear into their vernacular creating lifestyle brands that are in sync with the casual attitude so prevalent in the American culture. This is not a new mantra in the Intimate Apparel business. It started some years ago (when my own girls began … Read More
By ELLEN LEWIS
I’ve been wrestling with the concept of sustainability for months now. It’s somewhat of a conundrum for the Lingerie and Swimwear Industry. How do we reconcile the main objective of feel and fit friendly garments, softness as a mission, with the reality of the fabric technology required to accomplish this goal? There are solutions, but as Sharleen Ernster, the founder of the eco-friendly brand, We Are HAH … Read More