Oh my God, it's Black Friday.

Today's makeover was for a long-time client who has a new job and needed some sprucing up to fit in and feel good going to work. She's contracting in the fashion industry now, and decided that she needed to start treating her look as an investment in her business. Despite things being tight she set a budget and gave me a call. We decided that we needed some figure-flattering items that could be mixed and matched with the right accessories to send a message that was polished, fun, and contemporary. So we decided to do it right and get our money's worth, and set a date to hit up SF's Union Square on, you guessed it, Black Friday.

Despite some trepidation I was game, having never really experienced Black Friday in all its glory, and also curious about how retail was going to respond to the recession at the launching of the all-important 2010 Holiday season. I'd heard reports that retail's expected to rise 2.3% this year, which is pretty huge from what I understand. With all the discounts retail's been offering since the beginning of the recession, they'd probably have to sell twice as much as they used to to even begin to recoup their losses, but the hope is there that perhaps consumer spending will rebound and give the economy a shot of adrenaline straight to the heart. From what I saw today, it very well might.

We started at Macy's, where we miraculously got and held a fitting room immediately and for a couple of hours. There were racks of previously discounted things being offered at 65% off, with a further discount of 40% on top of that, and then a cardmember discount of 15% off that. To compound the savings, if you opened a Macy's card you'd get an additional 15% off. Macy's smartly had scanners everywhere, so finding out how the discounts computed became a fun little game for us. We left the dressing room having blown the budget, but still needing some additional items. My client made an executive decision to go for it, and we headed out for lingerie and shoes. It took us 10 minutes of single file crowd maneuvering to make it to our next stop, with me shouting out directions and following as best I could through the throngs. We passed (and passed up on) Old Navy, where I found out later there were 2 hour lines just to get into a fitting room. When we finally arrived at Aerosoles the nice folks were amazing and friendly, despite it now being the later end of the third quarter of a freakishly long Black Friday (some stores opened at midnight to fully maximize the profiteering. I'm so glad I wasn't one of those shopfolk.) We picked up boots in record time, and headed for Bloomie's. Madness reigned supreme, but the bargains were few and far between. I saw no new sales nor discounts upon discounts, which was surprising as Bloomie's is my usual source for upscale items at a bargain. We whipped through cosmetics and made it to cashmere before my client began to feel faint, and we finally wrapped up with a couple of decent scores to round out the wardrobe.

All in all, I'm exhausted, but I'm glad I checked it out. I think the word tomorrow will be good, and we'll start to see things turning around for the economy this year. They do say that retail is a bellweather--if people have money to spend they like to shop, and now's the time of year to do it. Black Friday bargains may only last the weekend, but those discounts are still out there. And don't forget to call us tomorrow--Small Business Saturday! We're offering 10% off all Gift Certificates to our Facebook friends and followers to say thanks :)

happy Holiday, folks!

http://www.detnews.com/article/20101127/BIZ/11270342/1001/Black-Friday-sales-stoke-hope

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Bike Chic. It's hot.

Just had to share this article by NYT's Ruth La Ferla. It's a terrific look at the style behind the new trend towards a greener commute: 

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/30/fashion/30BICYCLE.html

I've recently begun bike-commuting from home to the train on my trusty vintage Schwinn Cruiser, Bella. She started out life as a Burning Man bike, and I've retained the poppies on her basket and her tulle streamers into this iteration as a low-energy alternative to my old, expensive car habit. While people do tend to double-take at the spectacle of a woman wearing a little black dress and heels zipping down the streets with no helmet on (I know, I know), I get the sense that this sort of thing is mainstreaming more quickly than we might have expected. The presence of the brand-new, city subsidized, bicycle valet parking lot in downtown Berkeley supports this theory--no longer are bicyclists expected to leave their precious vehicles locked to a signpost out in the elements for just anyone to fiddle with. The Berkeley Bike Station is clean and well-lit, and offers full service parking, safety checks, and repairs with a modern European flair. It would not seem out of place in any progressive city that welcomes bike commuters as a regular part of a thriving society. I urge any of you who are local to the area to swing by and try it out. And just a word of wisdom for those jumping on board with this movement: seek out a bike with standard pedals...those toe-clips are not meant for heels!

Berkeley Bike Station:
http://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2010/news20100712a.aspx

Shopping on a Budget

I've been getting a lot of questions about budget shopping lately. It's clear that the economy is rebounding a bit (retail sales are up which is considered to be a reliable indicator--people spend based on their discretionary income, and wardrobe and beauty replenishment is fairly consistent with this.) However, despite people having a little money to spend, they're not feeling especially flush. Most people shopping for a makeover don’t want to break the bank. The cultural swing towards a new frugality has become more entrenched (yay), and people are more reluctant to purchase things they are not going to get a fair amount of utility out of. So let’s talk about ways to get the most bang for your buck, while still incorporating the occasional ‘fresher’ or seasonal updates into your regular wardrobe rotation.

Ever since the market crashed, retailers have been forced to slash prices to often-astonishing lows. It's not been uncommon in the past couple of years to find discounts of 75-80% on items that would regularly have fetched a maximum of 40% off at the rock bottom of bargain bins. This trend has not yet totally worn off (happily for us shoppers!), and it's still widely possible to outfit yourself with at least a partial new wardrobe for a fraction of the usual price if you know where to look and when to shop.

Outlet stores and overstock storefronts are terrific places to source bargain designer wares that are still on trend and are often even seasonally appropriate (especially in the Bay Area, where our summer is everyone else's fall.) This consistently holds true at individual storefronts such as Jeremy's in Berkeley/SF, Thread Lounge in SF, and the North Face Outlet in Berkeley. However, beware the allure of the mass outlet mall retailer! Cabazon outside of Palm Springs is a great example. They get a huge influx of tourists all day every day, pay vast sums marketing to this demographic, and often have long out-of-date, damaged, or poorly constructed garments for sale at prices that are only marginally lower than what you'd pay for the same or better items at a normal retailer. (Can you say artificially inflated original prices?)

Another popular bargain source is the ever-popular sample sale. Terrific things can pop up at a sample sale, and if you're a sample size (generally Medium or smaller...often much smaller) and have some time on your hands, you can often find some great deals at these pop-up markets. Sample sales can be sourced through retailers or found online on various mailing lists, such as BargainsLA.com. Be prepared to encounter a giant hassle, hectic and grabby crowds, no dressing rooms, and zero customer service (bring cash)...if this doesn't bother you, get on out there and shop.

Finally, seasonal sales and department stores shedding inventory to make room for seasonal turnover are always a great place to shop. This is a personal favorite of mine, actually—the products are new, are usually discounted a couple of times already before ending up on the clearance racks, and if you do your research on individual retailers you can synch your shopping up with any number of desperate “Sales Events” where things are often discounted an additional 40% of the lowest ticket price. This is the best place to pick up special pieces (coats, denim, dresses) from pricier mass market designers at only one or two brief seasons from their original launch date. And since a season usually lasts only a few months in inventory terms, you should have no trouble finding stellar bargains on stylish new stuff for your wardrobe rotation. So get on out there and start shopping! Or better yet, give us a call and let us help you make the most of the awesome bargains that are in stores now. ☺

Seattle in Style

This week I was invited to accompany a friend on a road trip up to the Pacific Northwest to check out that bastion of progressive culture, the sassy city of Seattle, WA. I know a few folks in Seattle--mostly smart, outdoorsy, creative geek-types, not unlike the denizens of their sister city San Francisco--but it's been years since I've gotten to spend any time there. Excited to see how these casual yet stylish people choose to express themselves in their natural habitat, I eagerly accepted.

Seattle is of course a watery land, rendered in a million hues of blues and greys. We were lucky to visit during this most seasonable transition time of late summer into early fall, but even during this bright time I was struck by the softness of the light and the undeniable gloom of the backdrop. There is a haunting, monumental sense to the natural setting of Seattle that brings to mind a sense of old-timey, Go-West-Young-Mannish adventure and makes you feel very small. Perhaps it was the contrast with the coolly muted color palette of the scenery, but I was absolutely blown away by the warm spirit of the people and the colors that seemed to pop everywhere I looked. From richly toned body art to wildly fanciful textiles, art, and plants, the city is alive with color. And the glow of bright green moss literally seems to coat every surface from curbsides to sheer wall faces, giving a gentle living energy to objects that are normally cold, gray, and concrete.

We had a lovely wander through the public market, an area that seems to balance the typical touristy offerings with a lively local street culture populated by workers and wanderers of all stripes. The thing that most jumped out at me here was the prevalence of magnificent blooms...every third person strolling by seemed to be carrying a bouquet of incredible fall flowers, in lavish arrangements fit to rival any high-end florist's. It turns out that Pike Place Market is home to a stellar flower mart that sells massive and stunning flowers in gorgeous bouquets, and locals pick up their arrangements here for the astonishing price of $1 a stem. The colors of these knock-out blossoms were reflected in many of the styles of the locals—big watery floral prints, richly toned color-stories in purple, blue, and rusty hues, and lots of soft neutrals offset with bright colors. The fabrics were rich, soft, and luxe, which is surely a sensible advantage in such a damp climate. It all made for some very bright and festive people-watching.

Seattle's male denizens have also fallen for last week's topic (Hats), though the brims seem to be a bit wider here than are commonly seen throughout California at the moment. Depression Chic is alive and well on the streets of this fair city; we had fun participating in a sudden crowd of appreciators surrounding a sensational banjo player covering ‘I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow’ who embodied this look perfectly. I will try to find out his name and will link to him here if I can--he was great.

My own day ended with a bouquet of the same gorgeous autumn blooms I'd been admiring at the market, which are now sitting in front of the view of the lake, framed by the awesome blue-grey glow of Seattle's marvelous soft light.

Hats...a history

Welcome to the inaugural discussion on GM's page! I'm not sure if this is considered a blog or not, but I thought this would be good forum to discuss the Topic of the Moment...HATS FOR MEN.

People, this is a hot look. But I'm a little worried it's going to blast in and out, leaving us all permanently sick of hats. Has anyone else noticed the sudden and overwhelming proliferation of Goorin Bros. Hat Company on every high-traffic high street throughout California?

Goorin Bros. is an interesting business model. Out of nowhere, these small, quaint, slightly old-fashioned hat shops have sprung up like Starbucks, offering a range of hats (all similar, all stylish, all extremely wearable, and more or less guaranteed to spruce up any guy's look in no time) in a variety of colors designed to suit any man. The look is primarily fedora, quirkily vintage, and generally timeless. The shop's gentleman's environment is chic, cool, and very seductive...you can easily exit Goorin Bros. in less than 20 minutes carrying a towering bundle of hatboxes with little effort having been expended.

I love the look of hats on men, hats on women, hats on kids (adorable), and hats in general. With modern society's justified fear of UV, you can make a case for the new hat trend being practical and utilitarian as well as trendy and good-looking. With a little luck, hats will finally and permanently leave the little ghetto of obscurity they've been languishing in since JFK popularized the touseled-locks informality of the hatless man.

My advice? Hit up a mall kiosk, Goorin Bros., or your nearest department store and invest in this look. Whether it turns out to be timeless or just another sweeping trend, chances are you're going to love the way you look.