Insiders’ Tips : Consumers: Fashion industry types shop for clothing just like the rest of us. However, they do have some favorite merchants and brands.
Models do not get to keep the clothes they wear in fashion shows; that’s a myth. Fashion designers don’t have a closet jampacked with one-of-a-kind items because they never have time to sew for themselves. And people who work in the wholesale showrooms and fashion offices of the California Mart eventually have to shop in the department stores just like the rest of us.
Folks in the fashion business are just that--folks. They go to malls, they pay retail and they agonize about the high cost of dressing themselves. We asked 30 people in the biz--designers, stylists, costumers, fashion show producers--where they went when they had to shop for themselves.
Terribly trendy Los Angeles designers Pepito Albert and Michele Lamy shop the resale clothing stores. Several of the costume designers mentioned I. Magnin because of the professional relationship they have with Viktoria Kaye, who heads the Studio Services department.
Kaye provides clothes for movies and television shows. Costume designer Bernie Pollack said he has worked with her at different stores for years and wherever she is, that’s where he goes for business and for his own shopping needs.
Almost everyone groaned when we asked them where they shop; they seem to have as much difficulty finding the perfect jacket as everyone else. Then they buckled down and fessed up. Not so surprisingly, their favorite stores were fairly mainstream. They shop the specialty department stores and discount stores with an occasional side trip to the designer boutiques.
While we were at it, we asked our intrepid shoppers whether they are loyal to any brands. About half of them had favorite labels to which they swore their eternal allegiance. Donna Karan’s hosiery ranked high. The aficionados cited the great fit and durability. The hosiery ranges in price from $9 to $18. One fashion show producer said vehemently, “I don’t care how much they cost, I will not buy any other kind.”
There was one man, a fashion designer, who buys Donna Karan knee socks for himself. He thinks they are better constructed and come in more interesting patterns than men’s socks.
WHERE THE PROS SHOP
When fashion professionals shop for themselves they use mainstream department stores, specialty shops and mall-based chain stores with occasional forays into designer boutiques.
