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| Working on The Warwick on 54th and 6th Avenue. 2:00 PM. Photo: JH. |
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| Friday, September 6, 2013. Another beautiful late Summer day, yesterday in New York, with temperatures in the mid-70s and the Sun shining all day. By mid-evening the air had got pleasantly cooler, a tiny reminder that this is the way we’re going. Summer’s over. That was quick. So many have commented to me about how “fast” it passed. With everybody back in town, I noticed it first thing Tuesday morning -- the sidewalks in front of the apartment buildings were very busy with students and parents heading for first day of school; and the roadway along East End Avenue was jammed once againwith cars and school buses.
In certain parts of town, however, there is a concentration of crowds for Fashion Week, another kind of religious holiday here in New York. Today here on NYSD we begin our daily coverage of the shows by Ellin Saltzman. I don’t know if I’ve reported this before but Ellin had a long and notable career in fashion retailing for many years at Saks Fifth Avenue and then Bergdorf Goodman. I asked her to do this coverage for us because I knew she could tell the readers what she actually saw and how she would, or would not apply it. I don’t know if I ever reported this other nugget, but many years ago before I became a professional writer, I was in the retailing business and owned a couple of off-price designer sportswear boutiques in Westchester and Fairfield Counties. It was a business that I happened into (by choice and chance) in the long, harried days when I was searching for this road I’m on now. This was back in the 1970s. The clientele was mainly middle and upper-middle income women (everybody likes a bargain), mainly suburban women – many of whom were not “professional” but rather ran their homes and looked after their families. It was a very prosperous business, and had I had the passion for it – which I did not – I probably could have made something even more prosperous out of it. It so happened that when I was beginning to rake it in, however, I told myself that if I did continue, indeed, and make a substantial income (formerly known as “a lot of money”), I’d never be a writer. So, long story short, I sold my business in the late '70s to a woman who worked for me, and I moved myself and my feline and canine friends to Los Angeles. And so it was. |
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| Although I never had the “passion” for the retailing business, I did find it interesting. In a way, it’s not so different from my professional life now – I meet a lot of people and “people” are infinitely interesting to me. In my former business, I learned something about how women choose their clothes. I learned that unlike men, almost all women want to look nice, or good, or smart, or pulled together. Or all of the above. Clothes make the man; they express the woman. I never learned about women shopping when I was growing up, or when I was married. Both my mother and my wife knew what they liked and got it, and never talked about it. I thought they both had taste and my wife had a great style that I call “easy on the eye.” She loved clothes but never acted like it mattered. What I learned in my days of retailing was that many women – many many women – are very insecure about their choices. They’re also insecure about the way they look in the clothes they think they’d like. This is a tough one to get over. It is usually about Too Fat or Too Thin, although both extremes seem more frequent and noticeable than ever. Many, no matter their personal issues (which are often exaggerated personally) need guidance – the kind of guidance that lends then some authority even with their whims. |
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| I also learned that contrary to the thought that women have lots and lots of clothing, many do not. Sometimes it’s lack of interest. Most times, it’s purely economical. They may have an adequate amount of around-the-house or casual clothing. But for the street items which are often big ticket, most women want to be as economical as possible. A jacket, a skirt, a dress, a blouse, a pair of pants every season, and she’s in business. If she makes her choices carefully, she’s already got a small, smart wardrobe that she can add to or accessorize without worry, and last. Having learned that, I found it easy to sell (although I frankly got bored with selling and spent more of my time at my desk at home writing). Coincidentally, I had lunch yesterday at Michael’s with a longtime friend, Emilia Saint-Amand. Emilia was a customer of mine back in the day. I still remember when I first met her. She was younger than I although I called her “Mrs.” (and her previous last name), and very pretty, a young mother, and a divorcee.
She was a very careful shopper. She tells me today that she still has a few items that she bought from me back then. I don’t know if I believe her although she’s not prone to exaggeration or dissembling. She’s also a great dresser. Yesterday she wore a kind of salmon pink dress to lunch at Michael’s. I don’t know how to describe it, but I have heard that she’s a big client of Oscar’s and so maybe it was Oscar’s. I wouldn’t be surprised because Emilia interprets Oscar with the same certainty that he designs with. I never told her this before but I love walking up Fifth Avenue with her after lunch because I can see all the men and women taking notice, and Emilia’s completely unaware, caught up in whatever the conversation is. I know they’re looking because she looks so great. I tend to think that ideally, this is what many if not most women would like. It’s not like being a clotheshorse or a fashion plate, it’s just the desire to look like you’re living in the world now, and you’re comfortable with yourself. Even if it doesn't feel so; at the very least, it's a start. I mention all this because that is how and why I thought to invite Ellin Saltzman to join us here on NYSD during the Fashion Weeks. Ellin, like Emilia, always looks good, looks stylish, looks appropriate, looks confident, and looks attractive. And, as I said, Ellin’s a pro, that line of looks was her business in New York for many years. She knows the customer and her needs. That’s what we want to offer to our many readers who are women. |
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