RUN TO RETAIL

              After taking a class fieldtrip to Neiman Marcus and Barneys New York I was able to witness the process of editing garments from the runway to retail stores. Before going into these retail stores I was aware that both stores have different target markets. Neiman Marcus caters to a more sophisticated and conservative clientele, while Barneys caters to the client that wants those edgy and exclusive pieces from the runway. Both stores chose to exhibit Marni FW2012 as their focal point. As soon as you walked into the woman’s floor, the first thing you saw in both Barney’s and Neiman’s was Marni. The designs stayed true to the runway versions, and Neiman Marcus created a great cascade visual to display the garments. At Barneys, the fur and trench vest jacket was the first think you see when you enter the floor. The fur was bright red, and the trench was a nice toasted brown, which brought your eye towards Marni. Here are a few examples of the designs that were placed on the sales floor: 

Found at Neiman Marcus

Found at Barney's

Found at Neiman Marcus

 

 

 

 

                 

              Other designers that were found on the sales floor that didn’t require many alterations from runway to retail were the Bottega Venetta and Gucci handbags. Also, the Jason Wu jackets and blouses stayed true to the original runway show.

                The designer that I found had to cut back on their designs the most was Proenza Schouler. Many of the printed skirts were reworked to be simpler and clean while maintaining the same printed fabrics of the runway. It’s a shame that Barneys didn’t choose to buy the original, because the skirt sold in stores is boring compared to the one of the runway. I guess San Francisco wasn’t ready for so much Proenza.