cathy horyn commenting on her blog in the NYtimes loves the line...
Sometimes I really think that women designers are better than men. The other night—actually it was very early in the morning—I was at my local Wal-Mart superstore. As some of you may know, I’m a great fan of Wal-Mart’s fashion selection, though I think in recent years it has slumped a little. Anyway, as I was pushing my cart across the floor, I saw in the distance an unusual display and then the name Norma Kamali. I didn’t know that Kamali had done some clothes for Wal-Mart, and Wal-Mart, being adamantly low-key about such things, didn’t publicize its collaboration with one of America’s great designers. I immediately went over to the display and saw two half-empty T stands. Picked over! I saw a black jersey wrap dress with a sweet-heart neckline and a striped cotton top with a scoop neckline. I grabbed them. If Kamali had designed them, I reasoned, they had to be good, whatever the price. The price, as it turned out, was $20. The dress fit perfectly, as did the top. A few days later I returned and saw that the display had been restocked, and now there were more dresses as well as trim-looking suits.
This morning I had a long chat with Kamali about the ongoing experience. (She has a long-term contract with the mass merchant.) It was obvious that she has enjoyed the whole thing, maybe to her own surprise. “I’ve worked with so many large companies over the years, but I was impressed by how the people at Wal-Mart were able to conceptualize what I wanted to do, and by the efficiency,” she said. “It’s incredible.” She described the process as an education. When the clothes first came out, she visited a Wal-Mart in Westbury, Long Island—without any advanced publicity—and said that customers started applauding her and some asked for her autograph on their sales receipts. “I started crying,” she said. “They were genuinely excited that I even came to the store.” She also visited stores in Connecticut and White Plains, with the same reaction from customers.
I can understand why: the clothes work. They’re flattering and just a little bit unexpected. Women recognize those qualities when they see them, and they don’t see them often enough, I think. For Kamali, who also sells her signature label at stores like Barneys and Bergdorf Goodman, as well as in her own shop, it was important to design clothes for women with families to support who might need a suit for a job interview. The jersey wrap dress probably packs a little more fashion punch, as does a cotton cocoon jacket. Still, women saw the value—in the design as well as the price—and snapped them up. “I really want to do things for people,” Kamali said. “There was an angel on my shoulder when I started working with Wal-Mart—who knew? It’s an honor for me to do this.”
Sometimes I really think that women designers are better than men. The other night—actually it was very early in the morning—I was at my local Wal-Mart superstore. As some of you may know, I’m a great fan of Wal-Mart’s fashion selection, though I think in recent years it has slumped a little. Anyway, as I was pushing my cart across the floor, I saw in the distance an unusual display and then the name Norma Kamali. I didn’t know that Kamali had done some clothes for Wal-Mart, and Wal-Mart, being adamantly low-key about such things, didn’t publicize its collaboration with one of America’s great designers. I immediately went over to the display and saw two half-empty T stands. Picked over! I saw a black jersey wrap dress with a sweet-heart neckline and a striped cotton top with a scoop neckline. I grabbed them. If Kamali had designed them, I reasoned, they had to be good, whatever the price. The price, as it turned out, was $20. The dress fit perfectly, as did the top. A few days later I returned and saw that the display had been restocked, and now there were more dresses as well as trim-looking suits.
This morning I had a long chat with Kamali about the ongoing experience. (She has a long-term contract with the mass merchant.) It was obvious that she has enjoyed the whole thing, maybe to her own surprise. “I’ve worked with so many large companies over the years, but I was impressed by how the people at Wal-Mart were able to conceptualize what I wanted to do, and by the efficiency,” she said. “It’s incredible.” She described the process as an education. When the clothes first came out, she visited a Wal-Mart in Westbury, Long Island—without any advanced publicity—and said that customers started applauding her and some asked for her autograph on their sales receipts. “I started crying,” she said. “They were genuinely excited that I even came to the store.” She also visited stores in Connecticut and White Plains, with the same reaction from customers.
I can understand why: the clothes work. They’re flattering and just a little bit unexpected. Women recognize those qualities when they see them, and they don’t see them often enough, I think. For Kamali, who also sells her signature label at stores like Barneys and Bergdorf Goodman, as well as in her own shop, it was important to design clothes for women with families to support who might need a suit for a job interview. The jersey wrap dress probably packs a little more fashion punch, as does a cotton cocoon jacket. Still, women saw the value—in the design as well as the price—and snapped them up. “I really want to do things for people,” Kamali said. “There was an angel on my shoulder when I started working with Wal-Mart—who knew? It’s an honor for me to do this.”
