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    Retail Therapy: Alison Brod

    Alison Brod, started the public relations firm of the same name 13 years ago and represents some of the largest names in fashion, like Jill Stuart, Oscar Blandi, Guerlain, Liz Lange and Kooba. Her professional success can be attributed to the fact that her clients represent the brands that Alison loves.

    Alison’s shopping (and business) philosophy is one that is quite simple: more, is more. One is never enough, two is sufficient but more is better. Her addiction spans from Pucci prints– which punctuate almost every wall of her office– to vintage jewelry. Shoes, handbags, furs and one shoulder dresses are just a few of the passions that have motivated this five star shopper.

    Take two and tell us what you think.

    What’s your most prized “deal?”

    A chubby sapphire and diamond ring purchased on a good month at the Sotheby’s Fine Jewels auction. More expensive than the pair of shoes that would have made me happy, but so much better priced than the similar stones I saw on Fifth Avenue. Sometimes you may spend 50 or 60 times more than you wanted to in a normal day, but it will be worth it.

    Also, Pologeorgis for furs – don’t hate me fur people, but I had a designer coat made at wholesale and used a tip that my mother gave me: have it lined with zippers. Now, I can zipper off layers and have a 3-in-1 jacket.

    Biggest regret that you didn’t purchase?

    When the dollar was decent I found a ream colored Suhali Fabuleaux Louis Vuitton bag–Louis Vuitton’s answer to the Birkin. I already had the black and thought it was too much to have the cream. Now it is almost twice the price at close to $5000. I also found a baby blue Hermes clutch in a random Hermes outpost at the Java airport. These are two times that I didn’t cave into my weakness, which is…

    What’s your biggest weakness?

    When the opportunity strikes to buy more than one of something, I can’t resist. Hard to find pumps show up at Barneys in two colors…I take two. Extra soft cashmere sweater in slightly different shades of pink? Two, in case something happens to the first. And maybe a third to leave in the Hamptons.

    A look in my closet unearths few actual styles of shoes, but each one in a rainbow of colors. You may find seven colors of my favorite one shoulder dress that bought in one shot. That’s not counting the one that the one that the designer made especially for me in another leftover fabric, but you get it. It’s less decadence than fear of never finding anything that fits as well again.

    This season you are looking for…

    Emilio Pucci chairs, magenta platforms from YSL that will hopefully end up on a sale site as they are gone from stores, nude platforms because they elongate your legs, a vintage tortoise Chanel belt (eBay is the best place) and a great deal on photography for my Hamptons house.

    What’s your number one shopping tip?

    It’s not the Russian Cold War rations, you don’t need to buy the first thing you see when shopping for your seasonal wardrobe. Read the magazines, go to every store, survey and try on everything. When you’re done go back to select your favorites. But always ask salespeople to hold anything you are serious about. You aren’t the only one who wears a size eight and wants the YSL Tribute camel platforms or Chloe nude cork wedges.

    Also, I wanted a discount on a dress last season, and because I am so accustomed to receiving discounts, I called the brand and asked about their wholesale minimum buy. I ended up going to the showroom and buying 11 dresses (again, multiples) just to save a few hundred dollars. In the end, they never even produced the one I wanted in the first place. Moral is – don’t overspend or buy more than you need to save a just little bit.

    One more — I have taken too long to purchase items that I loved. I waited for a sale on a floral Balenciaga skirt and a black crocheted Chanel bag only to find the items gone. When this happens and the obsession sets in, trawl ebay and the hot vintage stores such as Decades Two. I found BOTH of those coveted items for a fraction of the price a season later. What’s better is that both brand new.

    Is there an item for which a shopper should never mind paying full price?

    I want to say no, but that is so bad for retail. I pay full price when I want to have something first. I want it before it is knocked off, which can take about a month these days. Being first gives me the edge to be a little unique for a short time and the extra money is worth it.

    Donna Karan Discounts

    The Donna Karan boutique is one of the last Madison Avenue boutiques that still has winter merchandise. The discount is currently 60% off, plus an additional 25% for a final discount of 70%.

    The sale merchandise is thinning out but you can still find short dresses, plans, jackets and coats. One camel colored coat is now about $1500.

    Last season, there was a lot more sale inventory at this point of the season and the discount went down to 75%.

    Contact: Genie 212-861-1001

    Madison Avenue Real Estate

    Madison Avenue is one of the very few commercial blocks in Manhattan where many stores aren’t open on Sunday. Sunday evenings happen to be especially quiet. That’s why we were surprised to see such action at Giorgio of Palm Beach, where an overnight move was taking place.

    The Palm Beach-headquartered men’s store has been occupying the old Krizia store, on Madison at 66th Street. At the present time, the new Giorgio store looks like it is more fitting for a sample sale than a place that sells hand-made yellow and aqua men’s suits for several thousand dollars. The new location, on the South/West corner of Madison at 59th Street, has exposed ceilings and warehouse lighting. Seems peculiar, huh?

    Over at the old Krizia/Giorgio location, we hear that the J. Crew is opening it’s first brick-and-mortar weddings and parties concept. Brokers say the space has 1,850 feet on the ground, a 1,200-foot basement and the asking rent was $900 a foot based on the ground floor.

    Further up the Avenue, we noticed that the orange plywood has been removed from the much anticipated and long-waited Herme’s men’s store. Selectism reports the boutique will officially open February 9th. It will be the first Hermes store solely dedicated to men.

    Plywood has also been removed from the the new concept, In & Out Beauty. The Switzerland-based company currently has stores in the Middle East and specializes in beauty products that focus on basic skincare, anti-aging supplements and “slimming” treatments. We anticipate that the store’s opening will coincide with Fashion Week.

    The fancy children’s store, Bambini, has become another victim of the economic downturn. The European-like boutique closed at the end of the year. We hear that the space will be taken over by the fancy children’s brand, Mona Lisa, which partnered with Spring Flowers at their location on Third Avenue.

    Conran Shop Closing Sale

    The Conran Shop is closing after 10 years under the 59th Street Bridge. Don’t worry too much, the housewares will be relocating in April to the inside of ABC Carpet’s flagship on Broadway and 19th Street.

    Before the big move, The Shophound reports that the store is liquidating furniture, home and desk accessories, textiles and tabletop accoutremonts at up to 75% off. The store closes March 31st, so as the date approaches inventory will slim.

    Before you sprint over to First Avenue and risk falling into the river you might want to keep in mind that Conran has a warehouse sale twice a year with the same discount. There is even the same markdown online and we are pretty sure that shipping — on most items– is less money than cab fare these days. We have a feeling that prices will dip as the closing date approaches.

    The Conran Shop
    First Avenue @ 59th Street
    Sale ends March 31st

    Temperley London 75% Off

    Temperley London is hosting an in-store sample sale where pre-fall 2009, autumn/winter 2009 and past seasons will be marked up to 75% off. The below tunic, which we love, was $1095 but will be reduced to $330. On their website it’s still $438.

    The sale starts Thursday, Jan. 27th and runs until Sunday. If only Alice would do another collab with Target.

    Temperley London New York
    453 Broome Street, 2nd Floor
    Thursday, Jan. 27 to Sunday, Jan. 31
    Thur. 8am to 8pm, Fri & Sat. 11am to 7pm, Sun. 12pm to 6pm

    Sold Out: Chanel’s Classic Jumbo

    Luxury companies have found themselves in quite a pickle ever since consumers decided to halt discretionary spending. In the case of Chanel, the answer to navigating a choppy economy is simple: Raise prices and bring production to a pace that creates mass demand.

    Starting February 1st, Chanel will be raising prices. How much? As usual, it depends on with whom you speak. A sales person from the SoHo Chanel boutique said the increase is just $50 to $100 on classic style bags. A sales person on Madison, however, said that a Classic jumbo caviar leather bag is going to $2995 from $2650. That’s closer to a 15% increase. Other experts are quoting a 20% rise.

    Let’s put the price increase to the sideline for a moment because it’s nearly impossible to even get a classic jumbo-sized Chanel bag–and yes, that includes the popular Reissue/2.55. A sales person at Saks Fifth Avenue says they have a waiting list with a few hundred people. The Chanel boutique on 57th Street says their waiting list has between 30 to 35 people listed.

    Even second-hand stores have seen a run on Chanel bags. Decades II, located in Los Angeles, has an email list of customers that is quickly growing. The popular West-coast boutique gives customers a 30% discount on Chanel bags that are “new” with tags. The sales person that we spoke to was vague but suggested that the email alert list isn’t quickly filling the needs of all who want a bag.

    Even on eBay, Chanel jumbos are in high demand. Most successful auctions for new bags closed at about $3000. That’s about $350 more than the current retail price.

    Does all this lack of demand have you dreaming of snagging a quilted purse of your own? Don’t worry, we already did the legwork. Below is pricing information and inventory status of Manhattan stores carrying Chanel. Please note, our contact person is not necessarily the source of the information provided.

    Madison Avenue Chanel
    Betsy 212-535-5505
    Price: The jumbo in caviar will be $2995 from $2650.
    Inventory: Nothing. Nothing. Really nothing. We can put your name down. A jumbo size caviar black bag with silver hardware has a waiting list of 6 people.

    SoHo Chanel
    Erma, Store Director 212-334-0055
    Price: I believe the increase is about $50 to $100 on medium classics, large classics and jumbo classics.
    Inventory: We don’t have any classics in basic colors in stock at all right now. We have bags in a bright colored silver, turquoise, copper pink and jersey. The list is 30 to 50 people long for each color, style and size.

    N15 @ 57th St. Chanel
    Erman 212-355-5050
    Price: The price is going up a bit on Feb 1st.
    Inventory: We have nothing at the moment. Nothing. No colors no sizes. All the boutiques have been sold out since Christmas and haven’t had a single shipment. The wait list depends on the bag. There is a long wait list for the jumbo size in caviar, about 30 to 35 people long.

    Saks
    Elmira 212-940-4347
    Price: We don’t’ know exactly how much the price is going up, probably a few hundred.
    Inventory: There are no jumbos in popular colors. Yesterday we found a large black bag with gold hardware, which was $2425. We have a jumbo in beige, brown, and fuchsia color.

    Bergdorf Goodman
    Barbara 212- 872-2858
    Price: We don’t know exactly how much the price increase will be but expect it to be about $200 to $250, depending on the bag.
    Inventory: Right now, we only have a beige bag that’s $3095 going up $500 after Feb 1st. Yes, there is a list. There are seven salespeople here and everyone has a list of four to five people. We usually get two or three bags at a time.

    Bloomingdales
    Lisa 212-705-2856
    Price: We heard the price is going up about 20%.
    Inventory: We don’t have any classic bags and we have a list of people 100 people waiting for a jumbo bag 100 people and about 80 people waiting for the large size. It’s crazy, in the past month we have had only 10 bags come in.

    Ports 1961 Now 75% Off

    Late Friday, we got a tip that Ports 1961 was clearing out their winter merchandise with a 75% off discount. This type of markdown makes us run faster than Apolo Ohno skates 500 meters.

    The lickity split trip downtown was well rewarded. We found several tops that were just about $100, dresses– even evening dresses– were all under $200 and magnificent coats were about $300. There is still a fine assortment of merchandise but sizes are starting to sell out. Larger sizes are much more abundant than 4s and 6s but there’s still a selection of skinny, at least for now.

    Our advice, be at 3 Ninth Avenue at 10:59am!

    Alecia: 917-475-1022

    Barneys Consolidation

    In two more days Barneys will be boxing fall and winter merchandise and stocking it away for the Warehouse sale. Most leftovers are 75% off and when it reemerges on unorganized racks in an overcrowded event space the discount is usually much less.

    KISS (Keep it simple stupid), if there’s an item you like, grab it before it’s more money and repeatedly trampled over. The sale ends Saturday, Jan. 23rd. Get moving!