Clothes for All Women! (Vera Wang)

Last Friday, (9-14-07) Vera Wang was on the Oprah show, and Dana was able to tape the show for us to watch together. I was very excited to see what kind of things Vera Wang wanted to put out on the market, and also how she felt about the line.

Vera Wang seemed very enthusiastic, and had a great deal energy about the clothes she created to be selled at Kohl’s. I was very impressed with her quick “Runway" show on Oprah because the audience was able to hear all the details and her input on the different kinds of outfits

At first she just showed the models wearing the clothes. Then she was able to take a couple of people from the audience and dress them up with her new line.

In class, I remember a couple of people saying that when they visited Vera Wang at Kohl’s they felt that the clothing were more on the business side. But on the Oprah show, Vera Wang was able to take several mothers and their daughters and put them into the same outfit. This was very helpful to the audience (and especially for me) because it was able to show the different kinds of ways a younger or older person would be able to wear the clothes and look very stylish, yet comfortable. Vera Wang was also able to add different types of accessories such as boots, big pieces of jewelry, leggings (for under the skirts or dresses), bags, and etc.

Vera Wang also displayed her bedding and sheet with pajamas for all types of woman. The bedding had a very masculine look, while the pajamas were able to bring out feminine features.

Another thing I really enjoyed about the Oprah show was that they showed Vera Wang’s closet. One thing I remember is that Vera Wang loves wearing oversize jackets. She showed some of her very own collection and some of her big pieces of jewelry with her large collection of black leggings/ tights.

The Oprah show really makes me want to go to Kohl's and experience the new line. I'm very excited to see for myself what it looks like in person, and will hopefully have the time to go by there soon!!! The way that Vera Wang was able to put the clothes onto all different types of woman really changed the look of everything! I will blog some more on this topic when I have the chance to visit!

Elizabeth :)

Trashy or Trendy?

In regards to our RCS 362 class, there has been much debate and talk over what the American culture will become in the year 2050. The idea may seem a little too early for many, however after reading the article “Unbearably trampy back-to school clothes,” by Emily Yoff, it really had me wonder what the world will be like in the future.
Also, more than half the television commercials (98%) are being advertized towards young children between the ages of 6 and 12 years old. I agree with the article “Unbearably trampy back-to school clothes” in that I have seen many preteen girls wearing clothes which show more skin than Britney Spears. I think it is terrible that these young girls are being persuaded by the media to dress inappropriate for their age. Just watch television or look at “Seventeen” magazine and you will see teen idols with revealing skimpy clothing posing in sexy positions. More and more clothing lines are jumping on the band wagon to make these provocative clothes and flood them in department store shelves. The Limited Too even makes padded bras for six year olds, and Playboy bunny symbols are showing up on girls clothes.
It seems the older I get, these clothes appear on younger and younger girls. What is going to happen in 20 years from now? Are 12 year old girls going to be walking around topless and 5 year olds wearing thongs? I believe some clothing designers can make clothes that are still “cool” but more modest. Girls should feel like they can be themselves and have a choice of what clothes they want to wear to portray themselves. Girls should be girls, and feel like they should not advertize themselves for sex. I believe that if the media begins to show respect for the young girls and tell them you can be beautiful with just the way you are, then I feel more and more young girls will be happy and have a better experience shopping. This will enable them to spend more money and even their parents will be willing to purchase more clothing.

Elizabeth

Vera Wang on Oprah

Hey Everyone,

We've been talking a lot about Vera Wang and her new line at Kohl's in our RCS 362 class. I just wanted to let all of you know that she will be on Oprah this Friday (9-14-07). The show is called "High Style on a Budget with Superstar Designer Vera Wang."

Dana

Apple continues to amaze

We have discussed in class how innovative Apple is. Not only did they just come out with the iPhone which has impressed the world, they just announced a new iPod. It’s called iTouch and has many of the features the iPhone has with out the cell phone service. Apple even has a special deal with Starbucks so that you can get on iTunes and purchase songs right there in the store.

They strategically always announce their new products and updated versions just around the corner from when the Christmas shopping season officially begins. This new 3.5 widescreen iPod will be available September 29.

For those consumers who are in the market for something smaller and cheaper, Apple has a new version of the nano. The new nano is now video compatible and a new shape.

As Apple continues to impress the world with their innovativeness, they also continue to blow away their competition. Competitors can hardly keep up with the updates Apple makes on their iPods. It seems like every year they redesign the iPods with better and more exciting features or come out with new products. As soon as you purchase one it seems they are coming out with something better. I’m sure that on September 29 there will be very LONG lines at all the Apple stores with costumers anxious to get their hands on the latest thing in our technology driven world.

To read more about the new iTouch check out this article by USA Today:
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/2007-09-05-iphone-price-cut_N.htm.

To find out more about the iTouch and other Apple products check out there website: www.Apple.com.

Dana

High End Fashion-Vera Wang!

In our RCS 362 class we have been talking about Vera Wang and how she is trying to expand into a more global market. On Tuesday, we listened to a radio talk show, called High-End Fashion Names at a Low-End Price. On the talk show, they talked about Vera Wang coming to Kohl’s and why. Before I listened to the show I felt that Vera Wang would not be as successful as she thought. I think that Kohl’s is a place were people shop to find inexpensive clothing. Being said, a lot of people may not even know who Vera Wang is- or would even care. After class, I remember going up to a friend and asking if they heard that Vera Wang was going to Kohl’s. They said, “Are you serious, Vera Wang? At Kohl’s?” I remember the person telling me that they were not going to buy Vera Wang anymore, because they were afraid that people were going to associate that with lower end items.

But now, after thinking about it, I feel it might be a great way for people to get a really high end brand without spending over $100.

Gap Advertisments

Gap always seems to catch the consumers' eye through their variety of television commercials. Their advertisements have been very effective through using celebrity appeal, dancing, having music to sing along to and by targeting a large number of people.

From the slim fit jeans to the boyfriend trouser pants, Gap has hired celebrities such as Orlando Bloom, Clair Danes and Patrick Wilson, Sarah Jessica Parker and Lenny Kravitz, and Madonna.

Although the commercials have different tag lines such as: “How Do You Wear It?,” “Khaki Swing,” and “Back to School ’07,” they all carry the same message that the clothes are COMFORTABLE! They all express this message through dancing, singing, music, and moving around though out each commercial. For example in the “Boyfriend Trouser” commercial the boyfriend has the pants on, but the woman thinks that she can wear them better than him. He looks very comfortable in them, but when she tries on the pants they fit her comfortably too. In the background they have the catchy song “Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better.”

One of our favorite Gap ads is “The West Side Story (Mambo).” We believe that even though this is a few years old, they could bring it back with popularity because of the new musical craze. Hairspray, High School Musical, and even the dance reality TV shows are just a couple of examples of this popularity. It still carries the central message of comfort!

We feel that all of these marketing campaigns are very effective for promoting Gap. If they continue to follow this strategy we feel that they will be able to continue to be successful, and have a high demand for the products.