I have been to Paris more times than I can count for a variety of reasons: school, work, and pleasure. As you might imagine, I have seen both the required sites as well as many niche venues worthy of investigation, some of them multiple times. But as luck would have it, I have never been inside the Paris Opera; my timing was never right. This 19th century Beaux Arts … Read More
Ali Cudby tackles the essence of Branding in a new series beginning this week in our Retail Briefs column.
Branding is a lingerie store’s greatest opportunity to create the go-to experience every retailer wants its customers to enjoy. It is also one of the greatest challenges in building a successful business. Too many stores lose customers – and sales – by having branding that misses the mark. … READ MORE… Read More
There is always emerging talent percolating in the Intimates market and I watch very carefully to see which labels appear to have “legs”. I tend to wait to see who survives several seasons, ships on time, develops new product with continuity and has a focused vision with customers returning for more. Those are the collections I like to highlight, because, in fact, they appear to be establishing themselves as true … Read More
Despite all my global travel, I had never been to San Francisco. Now, my son has relocated there and I had a perfect excuse this weekend to take a detour on the way to see clients on the West Coast. He lives within striking distance of the Golden Gate Bridge and since this is an anchor of this charming city, he was very anxious to show it to me in … Read More
September is here. Hard to believe how time moves on. September is a very melancholic month for me. My beloved friend and sister in law, Celeste died several Septembers ago from cancer. Having ferried her through the 5 year fight to endure, I learned a thing or two about women suffering through this deadly scourge. Our industry pays special attention to breast cancer, which is fitting and admirable and will … Read More
Yesterday I got caught in a flash flood here in Connecticut. I was taking a riding lesson when a wicked downpour exploded over the ring. Thunder and lightning forced an immediate dismount. By the time we got the horses back to the barn, there was water everywhere and rising fast. We took refuge in the hayloft to wait it out. That storm defies the fact that summer is over even … Read More
Up in NH last week visiting & working with Shirley, we took the Portsmouth Harbor tour for a short reprieve. Passing by the now defunct Portsmouth Naval Prison, the infamous brig where Humphrey Bogart is rumored to have spent a brief respite, I got to thinking about his illustrious career. I am not much of a TV or Movie fan, but those old black and white films where he exudes … Read More