Peace In Our Time (Slight Exaggeration) & Another Lilly Sale

Happy New Year! Hopefully everyone enjoyed a bit of a break, perhaps even finding time for a little rest and rejuvenation….maybe?

We begin with news that there is peace in our time. Kinda’ sorta’. (Nope, we’re not referring to those yahoos in Washington.) We’re talking about that nasty little fight spat between Tory Burch and her ex-husband, Christopher Burch. An agreement was reached in the escalating argument and lawsuits between the two.

As some may recall, there were allegations Mr. Burch was pilfering ideas and designs from Tory Burch for use in his growing C. Wonder stores.   More from a November On The Runway post:

At the heart of the dispute is whether Mr. Burch, in creating his own store concept, called C. Wonder, veered too far into the retail territory of the wildly successful Tory Burch business, which the Burches founded in 2003, by copying some of her signature preppy looks and the interior designs of her stores. (They divorced in 2007.)

There were some similarities. Below we show C. Wonder’s Saffiano Wallet and a Tory Burch Coin Purse.

But as Vanity Fair noted, it isn’t like some of the Tory Burch ideas weren’t also derivative of other products and brands.

Vanity Fair

More on the issue of originality from Mr. Burch’s lawyer, via Women’s Wear Daily:

Chris Burch’s lawyer, Andrew Rossman, said both brands’ products reflected “timeless styles that other people invented.”

“I don’t think Tory Burch invented the cardigan, the gold button or the ballet flat,” he offered.

Things really took on a bizarre tone when Delaware Judge Leo Strine to let loose with his own opinions about all manner of things quasi-related to the case.

““Are the Burches WASPs? Do we know?.…I think you’re going to have to have interrogatories about who’s a WASP….

Real WASPs actually don’t go and pay full Polo price. They don’t pay full Polo price at Macy’s. No way. They actually will find a bargain. That’s how they got to be, you know, WASPs.’

As WWD noted, the settlement “….enables both sides to avoid a nasty courtroom battle.”  Legal beagles might get a kick out of reading the actual counterclaim Tory Burch filed against Christopher Burch, it includes things likes comparison photos allegedly showing how C. Wonder copied the Tory Burch brand.

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One other note about the Tory Burch, this one involving the designer’s merchandise at a deep discounter Tuesday Morning.

TuesdayMorning.com

On the left we show the Tory Burch Logo Tote in cream and blue selling for $199.99 (“compare to $295”), on the right, the Multicolored Handle Logo Tote, it is $269.99 (“compare to $365”).  There are other bags shown, like these Bird Logo Totes.

TuesdayMorning.com

The Tuesday Morning price is $249.99, “compared to $335”. Oddly, when doing a search for these, almost all of those I found were eBay listings… color me confused.

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Finally today, one more retail-related tidbit. Lilly Pulitzer is gearing up for another significant sale. (Disregard the time shown on the digital clock in the graphic.)

Lilly Pulitzer

The online-only event begins “8amish” tomorrow morning. If like similar online events the discounts will be worth one’s while, with ground shipping free for all orders, regardless of amount. Those who experienced the site meltdown during the last sale are praying for smooth sailing this go-round, I’m sure Lilly will have everything under control, more than anyone they don’t want a repeat of the system collapse.

Happy hunting to those shopping!

To Love and Laugh and Give

Another fresh new year is here . . .
Another year to live!
To banish worry, doubt, and fear,
To love and laugh and give!

This bright new year is given me
To live each day with zest . . .
To daily grow and try to be
My highest and my best!

I have the opportunity
Once more to right some wrongs,
To pray for peace, to plant a tree,
And sing more joyful songs!

William Arthur Ward

Many, many thanks to all who passed this way in 2012, we are graced by your visits. With hopes 2013 is gentler to all, we send out a fervent wish that everyone enjoys a year filled with love, laughter and many blessings.

Via Squidoo

Lilly Pulitzer + Estee Lauder Partner Up, And That Neiman Marcus Target Collaboration

Hello-Hello, happy Friday! At least I think it’s Friday, we are now smack dab in the middle of that time period when I have almost no clue what day of the week it actually is. Somehow to us it felt like Christmas was on a weekend, so we’re hopelessly lost until we get past New Year’s. Does anyone else suffer from the same confusion?

We have just a few items to share today, beginning with news of yet another style collaboration, this one between two iconic brands, Lilly Pulitzer and Estee Lauder. It is not an enormous collection of items, the partnership is limited to cosmetic bags given to qualifying customers as a GWP (Gift With Purchase). With apologies for the repetition to those who saw this on the Princess Facebook page yesterday, a look at the first item being released:

Lord and Taylor

Lord and Taylor is the first store offering the GWP, customers spending $45 receive a Lilly print bag in the “Lagoon Green” pattern. One of the items is a compact decorated with the print.

LordandTaylor.com

The collaborative effort will showcase eight different prints, WWD’s Julie Naughton has more on the other stores in the offering other patterns.

The spring gwp line kicks off this week at Lord & Taylor, and will be followed by esteelauder.com on Feb. 4, Dillards on Feb. 12, The Bay in Canada on Feb. 27, Macy’s on March 5, Belk on April 1, Bloomingdale’s on April 2, Sears Canada on April 4 and Bon Ton and Nordstrom on April 16. The summer program begins at Dillard’s on May 12, Lord & Taylor on May 19, Sears Canada on May 20, Macy’s on May 27 and Belk and Bon Ton on June 1.

Another of the designs, you can see the pattern is on the two bottles and a different compact.

Courtesy Photo via Women’s Wear Daily

The Lilly blog shared several of the patterns.

This one makes a lot of sense, it’s a grand way to showcase both brands via limited edition items, without overwhelming the market with merchandise.

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Our next topic involves a collaboration that may have done just the opposite, the Target Neiman Marcus collection, offering products from upscale designers.

Target Courtesy Photo

The line launched December 1st to lukewarm sales. Reviews from mainstream media and bloggers were mixed. The collection was discounted to 50% off on the 20th in store and at Target.com on the 20th, Neimans waited until the 26th to move to the 50% off discount.

Target

In chatting about this yesterday with some very savvy shoppers (I Pick Pretty, Daisy JD & Brunette Foodie)I discovered many of us shared the same sentiments: most, if not all, of the items were overpriced and there appeared to be significant quality issues.  More from this HuffPo story:

And even our own friends expressed their disappointment. After a quick trip to Target in early December, one shopper told us that the collection seemed surprisingly incomplete, with too few clothing items and too many “other” things (housewares, kids’ items). The randomness of it all is pretty hard to ignore: a Diane Von Furstenberg yoga mat is exciting, but what does it have to do with Rag & Bone shot glasses and an Oscar de la Renta dog food bowl? Not much.

I saw several reports saying that sales at Neimans were much better than at Target. That would be logical, it is much easier to get upscale shoppers to dabble in lower-priced goods than it is to get those expecting low prices at Target to spend more. Especially when a majority of the shoppers aren’t familiar with the designers who have merchandise in the collection.

Target.com

These Jason Wu ornaments exemplify what I think was a major hurdle, they were originally priced at $50.

Target

Even half-off at $24.99 it seems like a big ask for Target’s customer base. Reviews at the retailer’s site are mostly positive but many do get into the price/quality issue. A few examples:

1. On the Jason Wu ornaments: “I purchased seven items from the collaboration and these ornaments are the only ones I am not returning. When I go back to […] I will be buying another set. I only wish all the other items were this beautiful I am so disappointed that the other items were not worth the money.” NOTE: Most reviews on this item are positive, but this one speaks to the price/quality issue.
2. The Oscar de la Renta bag: “…when I rushed on Saturday morning to Target to ensure the bag, I was very dissapointed. As many reviewers stated, the online picture seems like it is from a more durable material. However, the bag is made of canvas or muslin, and there is no embroidery…I believe for 60 dollars, buyers should have receive something more than a canvas bag! Very dissapointed…”
3. The Robert Rodriguez dress: “I tried on 3 of these dresses in 2 sizes. Each one had a faulty zipper. In fact, I ended up getting stuck in the dress and after 25 minutes the dressing room attendant had to cut me out. She said every woman who tried the dress has had a zipper issue.”

Back to the Huffington Post story:

In addition, the quality doesn’t seem in line with the pricing. We were psyched about a few specific items, including the metallic Marc Jacobs pouches and the Rag & Bone sweaters, but our pals informed us that up close, the products seemed chintzy and cheap.

It’s too bad the collection didn’t work as hoped, but it seemed like a long shot from the beginning. It will be interesting to see where the ‘hi-low’ collaborations go from here, the much-vaunted collaboration between H & M and über-chic Maison Martin Margiela is being described as a flop by many. More from Page Six:

Retailer H&M marked its collaboration with Maison Martin Margiela with a splashy, celeb-filled bash in October, with Kanye West, Julianne Moore, Sarah Jessica Parker and others in attendance. But buzz didn’t translate into sales. Insiders have said the collection has been tanking, with what’s left of it is currently on sale at most stores.

The market may simply have been saturated with the designer collaborations, it may be time for retailers to move on to another technique for creating buzz and boosting sales.

That’s it for today, may everyone enjoy a simply splendid weekend!

Seeing the Good & Last Minute Preppy Giftables

Hello-Hello, and thank you for coming to visit on a day that still seems to have a pall; a nagging sense at the back of the mind that everything is not okay, that for many Christmas and Hanukkah were taken this year and will never be the same. Gifts were bought and trees decorated. Parties were planned. There are toys that were ready to go under Christmas trees. Now they are having funerals.

So it seems like a good day to share a few things that might boost spirits, and another of our little gift guides. Our first item is about the volunteers of Wreaths Across America. The organization was started in 1992 when the owner of a Maine wreath company had extra inventory, he asked officials at Arlington Cemetery if he could put the wreaths on the graves there.  They said ‘yes’ and now wreath-laying ceremonies happen in all 50 States.

Saturday was Wreaths Across America Day.

AP via Huffington Post

Wreaths were placed on graves at 230 national and state veterans’ cemeteries all over the country. Below, David Galloway with the Scottish American Military Society lays a wreath at Prescott National Cemetery in Arizona.

Matt Hinshaw/The Daily Courier

Another look at Arlington on Saturday.

Wreaths Across America Facebook

You can learn more by visiting the Wreaths Across America website, or the group’s Facebook page.

Our other tidbit is more of a link, one that many may have already seen in one of the mulitple variations now circulating. This one is on Buzzfeed and titled “26 Moments That Restored Our Faith in Humanity This Year.” It is just as it sounds, below, the first item shared.

Via Buzzfeed

That’s “The parents who made their son’s wheelchair into the best Halloween costume ever.” Another on the list, the free medical help offered to strangers after Hurricane Sandy.

Via Buzzfeed

Click here to see the entire Buzzfeed list, being reminded of the good in people was a boost. I don’t know about you, but I needed to see this.

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Finally, a quick look at last minute giftables from the Princess.

PreppyPrincess.com

• Our exclusive Needlepoint Cuffs ($48) from York Designs
• The Ready To Go phone cases (18.50) by the Preppy Planet
• Lilly Pulitzer Koozies ($6)
• Lilly Pulitzer Thermal Travel Mugs ($14.50)
• Snoozies Pink & Green Whales ($12) keep your toes toasty warm!
• Preppy Magnet Packs ($10) come in all sorts of patterns
• Sloane Ranger Totes ($38)

Nothing to Say

Normally this would be our Friday Fun post.

Newton Bee Twitter

In light of the Sandy Hook Elementary situation, it is difficult impossible to write about fun.

Yahoo News

There just aren’t words.

Sandy Hook Students Outside School, via Yahoo News

Only prayers.