Fashion

[ECBG]

I love to look!

I love the beautiful R Lauren collections and enjoy seeing on line and in stores the beautiful items and construction.  I often look at collections since we have lost the eye candy we used to get in magazines.

Since Belk was sold by the Belk brothers and bought by "company busters" they pulled their nicer brands in stores; their R Lauren is on line; our other major department store, Dillards isn't showing R Lauren on line at all.  

Have you noticed any R Lauren?

With so many people working at home now, our Dillards has 2 associates on the entire women's floor; I guess the new low demand is part of the answer.

[Icegoddess]

When I was a younger working girl, Parisian was the place to go.  Dillard's took 2nd place, but usually had better prices. Being the frugal type, I usually window shopped Parisian and bought Dillard's.  We had a Belk Hudson's in the small town I grew up in, but my mother didn't shop there since she sewed all our clothes.  

Then, Belk bought Parisian and they, IMO, no longer carried the better merchandise.  I was able to shop there though and often did.  I'm not sure which came first, the company that bought Belk or the incessant coupons, but I did take advantage of a lot of those coupons.  Sadly, they rarely included shoes though.  Dillard's, on the other hand, rarely had sales, not even the after-Christmas sales, but I found out they had a 1-day sale on New Year's Day.  As a result, I then shopped more at Belk and would occasionally wander down to the other end of the mall and brose Dillard's, but rarely bought anything.

I don't remember seeing RL at Dillards last time I was in there which would've been before the pandemic.  The Belk in the same mall usually had a small section with RL stuff and that is where I got my two RL pieces. I have one other RL sweater I got in the Boy's department and I like it much better than the women's version.  Win/Win.  

The Belk closest to me now moved their designer dresses upstairs next to lingerie. Even before the pandemic it had very little of any one designer brand.  I've also noticed the Boy's department isn't what it used to be.  I have to wonder where people are buying Boy's clothing.  There's not a lot of it in any of the stores I go to. 

I haven't actually shopped in a Belk since a little over a year ago, and saw NOTHING of interest.  I was so disappointed.  Stores had finally opened up their dressing rooms, so I was ready to shop, but it all looked like what had been there before the pandemic.  I had already become bored with Belk before the pandemic though. 

I did wander through a Belk recently after getting my perm because it was 2 pm and I was hungry.  The mall it's in is right behind my hairdresser's.  On my way through I looked over the shoe department and found some booties I liked and on sale if I had the one-day coupon, which I didn't, not expecting to go there.  I checked their app while eating and found the coupon (after having to update the app because it hadn't been used in so long).   

[On It]

@ECBG I saw a story earlier today that Ralph Lauren is participating in fashion week for the first time in four years. The show is to be in Brooklyn. I can't remember where I read it.

[kze]

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@On It wrote:

@ECBG I saw a story earlier today that Ralph Lauren is participating in fashion week for the first time in four years. The show is to be in Brooklyn. I can't remember where I read it.

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@On It 

well, I'm out of it.  It's happening NOW in Brooklyn.  Sep 7 thru 13.

[Icegoddess]

Ralph is no longer the CEO.  Not sure what is official role is with the company now.  I've always liked his stuff.  

[Bookplate]

Brooklyn Navy Yard:

(photo courtesy of Harpers)

[Icegoddess]

When did he show?

[ROMARY]

BookPlate:

I love this style look.  

I just might (semi-) 'copy', only with a higher waist bottom.

[kze]

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@Icegoddess wrote:

When did he show?

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@Icegoddess 

I believe it was yesterday.

[ECBG]

@Icegoddess 

Not surprised with your experiences between Belk and Dillards; my history was exactly the same with yours in all respects, except I worked for both after retiring from teaching.

Dillards was SO stingy to employees, you only got an employee discount at certain times; Belk was every day.