First Lady Fashion

In a WWD article by Bridget Foley, she discusses the First Lady's penchant for little-known designers, most of whom aren't even American.

Now, the question is should Ms. Obama diversify her wardrobe choices, for the sake of the fashion industry. As Foley puts it,
"Who cares about one woman’s wardrobe choices in this time of turmoil? A lot of people." "As Calvin Klein’s Francisco Costa puts it, 'We’d be thrilled to dress the First Lady, of course. She has the power to influence consumers.'" Tommy Hilfiger is glad that the First Lady isn't only wearing high end ad American couture. He thinks it puts her in touch with "real people."

Michael Kors adds, "'She’s the first First Lady who’s ever worn sportswear,” he says. “If you think about it, she’s worn everybody from Azzedine Alaïa to Michael Kors to Isabel Toledo or Jason Wu to J. Crew to Donna Ricco.'" Other designers, while applauding her choices for the most part, wish she would consider some other, more well-known names in fashion.

Foley states, "by extension, then, Obama’s choices represent what’s right, active and modern about American fashion."

The British Are Coming

In a WWD article by David Moin, it's announced that mega-retailer Topshop has opened its doors in the US, specifically, at 478 Broadway, in New York City.

The London-based retailer, whose clothes and accessories have long been coveted by stylish women the world over, is now available stateside, with no shipping and handling charges.

Says Sir Philip Green, owner of Topshop parent company Arcadia Group, “This is genuinely the best store we have ever built... we see this as a launchpad for a business in America.”

Topshop is milking the opening, hosting parties and dinners for media and socialites this week in advance of the US opening. The grand finale will be the ribbon cutting with model Kate Moss on Thursday. Moss has been doing an exclusive collection for the store since 2006.

The store's interior is a complete reflection of English quirkiness and irreverent charm. Featuring four-levels, the 40,000-square-foot space, with 28,000 square feet for selling, "is an eyeful of energetic, packed merchandising with about 2,000 stockkeeping units, a broad price range from moderate to bridge, and dozens of mannequins and forms, either dangling from the high, 30-foot ceilings or sitting atop the alcoves."

As of last year, before the recession hit, sources estimated the flagship’s volume at $30 million to $40 million. Green states: “It’s impossible to know, but we have shipped in a lot of inventory. This is a learning curve. Am I nervous? Absolutely not. If we do our job well, people will shop here. You get a ‘wow’ feeling, even when the store is empty of shoppers. Imagine what it will be like with people shopping.”