Siwy jeans

In an effort to deliver a truly global perspective for the main site, wgsn.com, I have been doing an extensive denim research on what is dominating NYC's vintage stores' inventory and what are they forecasting for the upcoming spring/summer season.

I spoke with the lovely Nikki from What Goes Around Comes Around - one of NYC's best intage stores, and she shared that WGACA is collaborating with Siwy Jeans to deliver some new and exciting garments to the store. Keep in mind that WGACA offers a very classic and heritage-driven denim selection so it is quite refreshing that they are thinking of bringing some overdyed pieces, covered in lace and pink glitter.

Keep your eyes and years open..this could be amazing!

The Ebay truck

With the popularity of the Kogi, Dosa and Nom Nom trucks, its no surprise that Ebay has taken to the streets with their new "mobile boutique." I spotted the truck at Hollywood and Highland this afternoon and perused 200 of the website's most-search-for merchandise, including hard-to-find toys like Elmo's Tickle Hands and Zhu Zhu Pets!

The 18- wheeler truck is traveling to 12 cities across the US, engaging their customers with personal shoppers and $50 gift card giveaways. The brand is also engaging customers through charity; Ebay promises to match the first $200,000 of optional customer donations to local charities, including Toys for Tots' Los Angeles division.

Missed connections: Sophie Blackall

Sophie Blackall, a New York-based illustrator, takes mundane looking Craigslist's MissedConnections ads and illustrates them.


The idea behind the ads is so sweet and romantic but Craigslist's format does not leave too much room for daydreaming. Sophie picks the ads she likes the most and illustrates them.

For those of you unfamiliar with the MissedConnections section of the iconic ad site, it is a free service that people use to reconnect with someone that they might have glanced at briefly on the overcrowded train, or helped with the luggage and an hour later regretted not asking for their phone number.

As Sophie herself puts it: "Every day hundreds of strangers reach out to other strangers on the strength of a glance, a smile or a blue hat. Their messages have the lifespan of a butterfly. I'm trying to pin a few of them down"

WGSN on Bravo

WGSN's West Coast Content Director, Sally Lohan, was featured on episode 2 of Bravo's new fashion show, Launch My Line.

Lohan explained how WGSN tracks trends and showcased some elements of the Evolve theme for Spring/Summer 2010 to inspire the contestants for this week's challenge. She and WGSN Associate Editor Allyson Rees then took the teams to Venice Beach to hunt for ideas to kickstart their designs.

In case you missed it, here's the link to the full episode.

Catherine Malandrino's new jewelry collection

I previewed Catherine Malandrino's new jewelry collection yesterday, to arrive soon in stores and continue appearing on a non-seasonal basis. Each piece is unique, based on the shape and character of the particular stones she finds, as well as the hand that strings it all (agate, beads, embroidery, silver chains, metal) together.

Courting the Consumer

I moderated a panel Tuesday night at Parsons The New School for Design on the topic of “Courting the Consumer.” Our all-star panel came from Gilt Groupe, Coach, Lululemon and the Parsons faculty to discuss how retailers are creating a lasting impression in the minds of consumers, in stores and online.

We will be posting a video of the panel on wgsn.com, but in the meantime, here are some highlights:

David Carroll, Assistant Professor of Media Design at the School of Art, Media & Technology at Parsons The New School for Design:

“Through mobile applications and software, elite trend spotters are going to emerge who will contribute trends in real time to a hyper connected network. I could envision brands paying them for that role, or rewarding a class system of trend originators and followers enabled through software.

"I also think RFID is going to become very important in the North American market in the next two years. There are rumors that certain devices are going to be equipped with them.”

Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, Founder and Chief Merchandising Officer of Gilt Groupe:

“We’re getting better at building algorithms to track customer behavior. Hopefully in the future we’ll be able to offer up to each of you [web pages] that are completely based on where you’ve spent time looking on our site or what you have been purchasing. That’s something that we’re really investing in.”

Deanne Schweitzer, Head of Global Strategy, Lululemon Athletica:

“We opened what we call the Lululemon Lab in Vancouver. Our logo was a big part of brand identity, so signage outside the Lululemon Lab doesn’t say Lululemon, it just has the logo and then says ‘Lab.’

"The concept is a retail store and almost a mini factory in the same space, with 27 different sewing machines and at least 10 sewers working at one time. Right beside it we’ve got typically 3 designers working on the floor and then a couple of educators [salespeople]. You get to buy really unique, one-off pieces from Lululemon. The space has an energy you can’t imagine.”

Raina Penchansky, VP of Global Communications, Coach:

“Logo might not be as important now domestically, but in China and Japan people are still very much about the logo…

"Everything shifts every 10 years, so I think it’s very natural for us to come away from the logo a little bit now. And there’s a younger generation that really want their own identity and they’re representing their own style. We want to create something that works with their own style and doesn’t make them feel labeled.”

Wildlife vignettes turn consumers back to nature this Christmas in LA

While doing What's in Store research this past week, I've noticed an abundance of wildlife in holiday windows. Madison on Melrose is showing a lifelike snowy owl and Marc by Marc Jacobs has a duo of sad polar bears in a technicolor wood. But I was most struck by Maxfield's lone white wolf display.

What's unusual about these wildlife windows was the lack of merchandise. Outside of one holiday dress featured in Madison's display, the windows were left without product, conveying a holiday message to appreciate not only each other, but all of earth's inhabitants.

Holiday must-have: sparkle and shine mini

During the last couple days of What's In Store research in Los Angeles, I've noticed that holiday dressing is the key focal point for visual merchandising and windows. High shine and upbeat sparkle are the most popular looks for holiday parties, seen in all-over-sequin blazers, jumpsuits and bustiers, oversized cocktail rings, patent accessories, piled-on diamond necklaces and metallic separates.

Shiny, sequin minis, paired with plain white t-shirts and classic black blazers, reign as the most popular representation of the trend and were spotted at Kira Plastinia, Trina Turk and Kitson. By utilising the trend in all product categories and every price point, retailers have made it effortless for consumers to incorporate the look into their wardrobes.