TSC Interviews

Ann Taylor is the distinguished owner and president of Savvy & Co., an online and in-house sample sale destination. Like other sample sale sites, Savvy works directly with designers to provide discounted apparel and accessories so the average Josephine can live in the lap of luxury. Just before this weekend’s first ever L.A.M.B. and Harajuku Lovers L.A. Sample Sale, we sat down to ask Ann her thoughts on the future of sample sales.

What’s Savvy’s mission?

I started this company because I wanted to every woman to have a fabulous wardrobe at affordable prices.

Do you work directly with designers?

Yes, it has always been that way.

Countless surveys say despite the rise of online private sales, people still prefer brick and mortar sample sales. What’s your experience?

There are obviously pluses and minuses and fans of both. In my experience, people enjoy trying it on, knowing whether or not it is going to fit. It’s different if it’s an accessory over clothing, but if you’ve ordered something and you can’t try it on, it’s a hassle to return it.

Can they return items from a sample sale?

We only do in-house sales and for in-house sample sales the rule of thumb is no returns. If someone gets home and has picked up the wrong size or something and is on key, I will make an exception. We’ve all made mistakes. I want people to be happy with their purchases.

WWD reported last week that “apparel inflation” will certainly rise next year. How will this affect the future of sample sales?

That’s only going to help the sample sale business because people won’t want to pay full retail cost. Designers margins shifted a great deal when China became a main producer of apparel, but then they had different things to deal with like department store chargebacks. There will always be something.

Tomorrow you’re having the L.A.M.B. Harajuku girls sample sale in L.A. Why this label?

L.A. is a different feel than New York. We did a Furla sample sale in L.A. February and it didn’t go over as well because Furla is a bit more conservative brand. We are confident this time is going to be different. Followers of Gwen Stefani buy these for their collection and they are in L.A.

Ann went onto explain that New York paved the way for sample sales in the early eighties and L.A.’s participation has been spotty and slow to merge. Sample sales will also be characteristic of New York, but designers and designer outlets like Savvy & Co. are increasingly reaching out to the west coast. For more information on the L.A.M.B. Harajuku Girls L.A. Sample Sale, visit https://thestylishcity.com/lamb-harajuku-lovers-sample-sale-2  and to learn more about the sample sale business, see Savvy Says Part 2 next week.

Emma Dinzebach

Lorena Sarbu brings us the ambience of Monaco through her expansive couture line. She continues to create and embrace a feeling of splendor through her use of certain fabrics and textures inspired by the hues of the water, beautiful gardens and striking architecture of this jewel in the Mediterranean – her love of this chic city has translated into a fabulous collection that embodies a “resort” lifestyle. This Romanian-born designer brings the much-loved European elegance through her use of details such as ostrich feathers, leather flowers and beading all of which exude the glamour we all try to achieve. Lorena has received a lot of attention from the Hollywood community and her designs have been snapped up by socialites to be worn to exclusive balls and parties throughout the US – especially the Emmys. You can find Lorena’s collection at her exciting, upscale stores and boutiques in New York, Beverly Hills, Milwaukee and Paris. Although extremely busy she took the time to answer our questions.

What would be the most rewarding moment for you as a designer so far?

The most rewarding moment as a designer so far has been seeing women feel beautiful and confident in my designs. When women tell me that they feel glamorous and sexy in my dresses it is truly priceless for me.

You had a rather unconventional entry into the busy world of fashion. Instead of launching a collection and then opening freestanding stores, you decided to open two signature boutiques first. Do you think this model just worked better in your case, or that it’s the new direction in a forever changed fashion environment?

When I first opened my boutiques in Beverly Hills and Milwaukee, they were carrying a variety of beautiful European brands. I wanted to experiment and see what works before I introduced a fashion label of my own. This is not a very common business model but I was very fortunate to have that flexibility. It gave me the chance to talk to women and see what they want in eveningwear designs.

Your couture has been in demand with the “A” list crowd; remind us again of the vintage Hollywood glamour. Who do you have in mind when you design?

I love to create a vintage, Hollywood glamour feel by using subtle detailing such as embroidered and beaded lace, and combining different textures and beautiful fabrics. I design for the woman who wants to look glamorous and sexy, and who is not afraid to stand out.

You said the last collection has been inspired by Monaco. Is that your favorite place to travel? How much of your style reflects your lifestyle? Is it as glamorous as your designs?

Monaco is an international capital of luxury fashion where you can find some of the most elegant boutiques in the world. It has always been one of those stylish places where the streets are like runways and the boutique customers are the models donning exquisite designs! I love that Monaco is one of those places that make you feel inspired to step up your sense of style! It is such a glamorous city with rich colors and opulent architecture- this definitely translates into my designs.

Kate Stanely

In 2003, Ivy Baer Sherman visited an exhibit on a magazine called Flair that was in publication from 1950-1951 and showcased artists like Salvador Dali and Tennessee Williams in a unique publication compiled in various sizes, papers and formats. The exhibit inspired her to create her own an auxiliary platform for artists to explore their alter egos, and last November she did just that in the debut issue of Vintage Magazine. 

What was your original intent with Vintage Magazine?

The magazine itself is a place where writer’s and artists can come to hang out. Vintage is their portable museum. I try to get a sense of what they really want to do but haven’t been given the chance to do yet, let them relax and present something they love in a beautiful format.

And for the readers?

It’s a chance to explore, and everybody needs that. Something to sit down with, to take pause and enjoy, notice nuances, feel things, look at juxtapositions, textures…the beauty of what print can do.

Where do you derive inspiration for the issue or are there just artists banging down your door?

Banging down the door. When I was little there was a show called the Sandy Becker Show. Apparently I’m the only one who remembers this show. Sandy Becker used to have kids send in five squiggles, and he would create this whole world out it. I don’t have a plan ahead of time; I like to see what I’m going to get and then let it form.

So how much of the content reflects your own personal interest?

The content interest of others really. What others are telling me…what artists are bringing me. Then I shuffle it around. Form it.

Who reads Vintage Magazine?

Well educated people from college up. The nineteen to twenty-five group is loving it. People in Palm Beach, professors in London. Someone has a subscription in Mumbai. Libraries all over are picking it up. More boutique shops are carrying it. It’s been really interesting actually. I check my Facebook, and it has fashion and style-oriented fans all over the world.

Facebook at it’s finest.

I’ve been told this magazine is so anti-web, but there are levels and textures of a website that have yet to be explored. I’d like to use my website as a platform for that. It’s not about replicating the magazine on the web. Some art is meant to be appreciated on the web. Writing takes on a different form on the web. A sentence has a new form when it’s written on the web.

And advertising? There are rumors you’re quite secretive about Vinatage’s private financing. Eventually it has to generate revenue.

I’ve been going slow with the advertising. I think advertising can be beautiful and that needs to be embraced somehow but with dignity – a wonderful, creative feeling that I love. Advertising in this capacity then translating it on the web is a challenge. There has to be a format besides flashy banners running across – a proper way to present it.

Vintage Magazine is available at select carriers or by subscription at vintagezine.com.

Emma Dinzebach

Brooks Ross knows cashmere, as he should. His mother, Ann Ross, founded Madison Avenue’s upscale destination for women’s fashion, Leggiadro, in 1985 and now has boutiques in New York, Americana Manhasset, Melrose Place, Ocean Reef Club, Monticeto, Palm Beach, Nantucket, Palm Desert, Naples, Sarasota, Dallas and Charleston. Sticking with the foundations of luxury, Leggiadro designers and craftsman all Leggiadro clothing is spun and died in Italian factories. And their pillow soft cashmere is the best in the world…or pretty darn close.

What’s so great about cashmere?

Everybody loves cashmere – the texture, the warmth, the luxury. Have you felt it?

I mean it’s beautiful, but why is good-quality cashmere so expensive?

There is a lot of fundamental differences between types of cashmere. Five things to keep in mind are: length of fiber, location of raw fiber, color of raw fiber, location of production and weight of item.

So it’s like pima cotton – longer fibers make it softer? 

Exactly. Longer fibers create greater strength Think of it like interlocking hands with a person. If you are holding each other by your fingertips, it won’t take a lot of force to break that bond. If your hands are fully clasped, it will take more force to separate. Shorter fibers have a tendency to pill.

Then where the fiber comes from is important as well. But isn’t a goat a goat? 

There are Kashmir are in many countries; it’s where on the goat the fibers come from. Premium fibers come from a very small area in the center of its chest, the underbelly, and are hidden underneath a coarser outerlayer of hair called “guard hair.” The hair that comes from there is also the purest in color. Other parts of the animal might have fibers gray or brown. Those are harder to die.

Why Italy? 

Italians have ingrained, historical knowledge of how to deal with the fiber. Leggiadro spins their fabrics in Italy because of their ingrained luxury tradition of both spinning and dying the yarns.

What was the fifth one? 

Weight. So it might seem counterintuitive, but the lighter the material, the more delicate and luxury. A very fine sweater requires almost three times as much time to make the same sweater at a heavier weight. Our artisans are more careful about small imperfections. A broken needle or small twist can entirely ruin the quality and weave. They must be extremely meticulous.

Hence the name Leggiadro.
Right. Leggiadro means aesthetic beauty with lightness and grace.

Emma Dinzebach