Work It Wednesday - #MacysBTS

It doesn't seem right that it's only mid-August, and I'm talking about back-to-school. Truth be told, I've been setting up BTS at the store for about four weeks now. It broke my heart when I was setting a graphic for an aisle statement and a little girl grabbed her friend and said, "Look! She's holding a sign that says back to school, but we just got out! That's not right!"

Kid, you have no idea...

Despite the retail industry speeding up BTS, and pretty much everything in general (swimsuits in April? Christmas in October?), I'm pretty excited about some of the work I've done to prep the store for BTS. Here are some pictures of the ledge I set up geared toward Millennials:

Also, my boss asked for my input regarding some visual collateral we could create to beef up our BTS presentation in the Juniors' department. When she asked me what I thought of when I thought of BTS, I immediately mentioned chalkboards, backpacks and school supplies. I then suggested that if we could create some chalkboards with the paint you can buy (thank god for Pinterest, or I might have never known about this paint!), we could hang some chalkboards over the Juniors' runway. Here is the result of my stroke of brilliance:

Once we built the chalkboards, I had a blast with the chalk getting them all beautified and colorful. I hadn't played with chalk since I was a kid - I don't remember it being as messy and dusty as it was the day I did this project. But no matter, it was so much fun!

What comes to mind when you think of Back to School? Does it bug you that these seasonal events come earlier and earlier every year?

Maison Jules launching at Macy's next month

Have you heard the news? Macy's is introducing two new private line Millennial brands in August - Q Mack and Maison Jules. The store I work at will be making room for Maison Jules, and I am very excited to work with the product. Seriously, I can't wait to set up the visual collateral for the shop! We're getting a red beach cruiser bicycle to raffle off, but before it leaves the store, it will be part of my visual presentation. (I already called dibs for the first ride through the store... if I manage to get some photos, I will be sure to post them here!) I wish we were getting Q Mack as well, but I will have to go to the Boston store for that. In the meantime, I've been drooling over their Facebook page!

Maison Jules is a "Girl Next Door" collection with Parisian flair. Who doesn't love a little Paris-inspired flair for their wardrobe? Picture it: tees in quirky (but cute!) conversational prints, feminine A-line dresses belted at the waist, color-blocked skirts, leggings, skinny pants, and cardigans. The collection is all about knits, cute little dresses, and layering pieces which are perfect for mixing and matching. Here are some of my favorite pieces and looks:

I'm obsessing over the polka dot dress, yellow boyfriend cardigan, and that cute bicycle printed tee. My rule of thumb when shopping is to come up with three to five different ways to wear an item with the stuff already in my closet. These three pass the test with flying colors... Macy's might as well keep my pay check. To see the entire line, head over to your local Macy's next month, or check it out on their website, here.

Also, here's some of the hype about this new private line at the following sites:

• Refinery 29 - Macy's And Garance Doré Team Up For A New Parisian-Inspired Line — Ooh La La!
• Elle.com - Maison Jules Creates Bikes with the Martone Cycling Company - Macy's New Maison Jules Brand

And check out Jeanne Damas, the "It Girl" behind the collection. Her personal blog has some gorgeous photos! http://jeannedamas.blogspot.com/

FB #9 - New formats for creating hype

One of the things I love about the Internet is how it's accessible in so many ways. Computers, tablets, mobile phones, and even gaming systems (I can attest to having web access through my Wii) are the most popular ways by which web surfers do their browsing, research, shopping, work and socializing. Because there are so many ways to access the Internet, there are so many different ways fashion companies can connect with consumers to create hype for their products.

Today, having a presence on the web is about more than just having a webpage. Social media used to be about connecting people with people. Now it's connecting people with brands, organizations, educational institutions, causes, and any other thing you can think of. Utilizing social media has practically become a requirement for brands looking to get all of the visibility they can muster, with the added benefit of not paying a cent. That's not to say that advertising budgets can go out the window in favor of free publicity on social media, though.

For a rapidly-growing lifestyle brand like Michael Kors, connecting with their target market via social media is the way to go. Web-savvy Millennials with money to burn and a love for affordable luxury fashion are already dialed in and ready to pay attention.

Michael Kors has a presence on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and Pinterest. One of my favorite ways to get my daily MK fix is through Instagram. Here are a few of my favorite recent posts from Instagram:

One of the things I love about Michael Kors product is the abundant use of color. To get my MK color fix, I take a quick browse through the Michael Kors profile on Pinterest. I can't help but love how The Color Edit board is so deliciously colorblocked with inspiration and MK product. I love color, but I also love tidiness and having everything in order, so this page appeals to my senses and sensibilities. Click through to check out how blue transitions into green... gorgeous! I happen to be in the market for a spring/summer handbag, and anything in green or blue would do!
 
If you're ever looking for a new hashtag to follow on Twitter, I would recommend #JetSetGo. Sometimes you get a random person tweeting about how they're on their 13th flight of 2013... But at least half of the time you're led to tweets from Michael Kors, and tweets about Michael Kors. I love the tweets with photos!

Then of course, there's Facebook which features many of the same photos from the prior three social media sites, and YouTube which has some great behind-the-scenes videos, as well as footage from runway shows.

All of this stuff is on top of the budgeted advertising plan... it's a ton of work keeping multiple social media pages fresh and interesting (as many bloggers know, and new bloggers will find out!). As someone who follows MK on Instagram, I admit that every time I see a new picture I get really excited. It keeps the brand at the front of my mind and makes me want to go shopping! This is precisely what retailers want, because when consumers have a little extra cash to spend, retailers want to capture share of wallet before their competitors do. Putting effort into social media as a way to promote fashion is arguably the most important way to get consumers' attention today. Welcome to the new norm!