First of all, thanks to all of you for selecting us as 2008 Best Fashion Boutique of Chapel Hill. It is a great honor, and took us completely by surprise. When they brought the plaque in, you could have knocked me over with a feather. So we do thank all of you for voting for us.
Summertime's at an end, and customers are coming in to try on and buy transitional pieces. We're getting in our Fall clothing and accessories almost daily, so you'll see a big change in the next few weeks.
Customers constantly tell us that we have the broadest selection of great clothing and accessories that you will find anywhere in our area. We have so many new lines that staff has stopped counting.
Color is still the keynote with most of our vendors. Life in the South promotes wearing happy colors, not gloom and doom ones. So you’ll find us packed with burgandy, purple, lacquer red, deep rose, turquoise, metallics, and many more. Of course, we haven't forgotten our earth-tone pals: Eileen Fisher in particular caters to you!
Just to remind you: we carry missy, petite and plus sizes. Very few customers who are actively searching will leave empty handed. And many of our regular sizes with 3/4 sleeves and crop bottoms will fit our petites to a tee, so please look beyond the petite racks. Some of our plus sizes are exclusive, and won't be found in the missy or petite sizes. We are here for all of you!
One of the Trangle’s magazines called me to ask to write a few paragraphs about Fall Forecast. Frankly, lots of styles on the market that I saw at Fall market week 6 months ago have little relevence for our customers. We have a very sophisticated yet practical customer who loves to be able to wear her clothing for many years. Just because someone tells you what is "hot" and what is "not", doesn't mean that you are going to run out and buy clothing and accessories that you'll never wear.
Instead, I focused on wonderful separates for casual, work, and black tie. Each piece will stand on its own, and will work with what's already in your closet. However, if you're in the mood to buy complete new outfit(s), you'll be dazzled with our array of goodies. Tell our great staff what your needs are, and they'll bring you lots of choices.
We hear the “t” word constantly from our customers…travel. You know what a hassle it is to fly, and now the new weight restrictions make things even worse. But we have a solution, in fact, we have many options for you, our tireless traveler.
What’s are our recommendations? First, one of our consistent top sellers is URU. I take only URU on buying trips, as I can pack in the very smallest suitcase and pop it on the plane. I take 2 head to toe outfits (retail lingo for matching tops and bottoms), one white shirt/jacket, and black pants. The textured silk is lightweight, totally wrinkle free, and washable. I mix and match the outfits and always have other retailers asking me the name of the line. We carry handpainted silk scarves that relate to the colors, and “presto” you have a perfect outfit with no fuss. For dressier occasions, we have lots of silk shells to put with them. You’ll see several of us in the store who love to wear it all the time, too, so you know we love wearing URU.
Our wonderful puckered travel jackets and ¾ sleeve tops by UBU are back. These will fit into all the nooks and crannies in your suitcase, and will keep you warm in air conditioning. Totally lightweight and completely reversible to a solid color; you’re good to go with these. A little less dressy than the washable silks, but equally practical.
A third terrific line for travel is our tencel by Toofan. Great colors and styles. We started the season pairing them as sets, but customers requested that we break up the sets into items so they would have more choice in sizing and styles. Of course, nice guys that we are, we complied and the rest is history! And you probably know about the Baker’s Dozen Toofan Club; buy 12 pieces and get one free!
For icing on the cake, be sure to notice our wide selection of ¾ sleeve lace stretch tops in solids and prints. They add a subtle difference to any outfit, pants, or skirt. These pieces make it easy for you to pull an entire outfit out of your closet and be out the door in no time. Most are priced at $54.95, an easy way to expand your wardrobe. And the best part is they are featherweight and wrinkle free for your packing needs.
Another new line that is doing well is Lauren Vidal from Gay Paree, no less. Their motto is, “Perfect pants. Enough Said.” I have to agree with them. Tried on a pair, and fell in love; they’re one of the best fitting pant lines made. All different styles (e.g. straight, narrow, boot cut) and lengths, but with a perfect fit. Be sure to try them on and see the difference. No hip huggers, here – right to the waist. (What? You have a belly button tattoo to show off? Sorry, these pants aren’t for you!)
If you are 5'8" and taller, get on our email list for Fabrizio pants. We don't call them "tall gal pants" for nothing. We have a nice fan club now, so come in and see what all the fuss is about. Well designed, well made, and a fabulous fit - you'll be a fan for life!
Our favorite things: sweaters and lightweight jackets. You'll see many of your tried and true lines here, and some new lines. These are a quick fix to any of your basic pants and skirts. Customers tell us that you love our jackets more than anything. And our jackets this season are “ Fabulous, dahling”! We offer a myriad of colors from which to choose, and lots of sensual fabrics that can still be worn over casual pants, skirts, or dresses. Many are reversible.
We've continued carrying the metallic linen jacket for Fall, since it was such a hit this summer. It packs a little punch and is just enough pizzazz for us.We’ve been selling them like hot cakes. Metallic colors like gold, silver, pewter, and the surprise of all (tongue in cheek, of course), Carolina Blue. The big shocker is that they are washable in cold water, and then line dry. Their weight is perfect, and you’ll wear them all year round in our mild weather.
Be sure to look for the handsome quilted jackets in solids that will be another year-rounder for us. Great for those chilly restaurants, etc. Long enough to hide your fanny (if that’s an issue). Some are in silk, some in cotton. Available in solid colors: white, black, royal, fuchsia; some are reversible, too. Come in soon, as we reorder time is 8-12 weeks.
We are so proud of our hand-painted jackets by Pat Farley and Louise Blumberg. Hand washable, of course. You won’t believe the patterns and colors. From brights to earth tones, and all one of a kind. Pat and Louise are masters , and both create for a very limited number of stores across the county. Their unique work is an investment worth making, and wearable year-round to boot. We have photos on the web site for you to see, but each piece is so different (both colors and styles) that you need to view them in person. News flash: We will have a Pat Farley trunk show sometime this Fall. Stay tuned.
Of course, we’re bullish on Eileen Fisher as always. We receive deliveries every month and always get dressier silk outfits as well as casual and career dressing. A soft blue, a surprising red, watermelon, poppy, teal, and lots of earthtones are in this group. Eileen prefers to show earthtones for MOB, but her sweaters and casual sets offer great color. Like Toofan, we also have an EF Baker’s dozen club; lots of you have received “freebees” over the years.
A customer reminded me that I always forget to mention that we carry great raincoats. We love the Maralyce Ferree jackets and coats, and also the very stunning Mycra Pac. This is year round dressing, folks, so take a look at them when you come in. The only complaint we ever get is that they don’t wear out!
Our Mother of the Bride and Groom dresses and outfits are second to none…unless you want baubles, bangles, and beads. We have many vendors who love to design sensuous, drapey outfits that you can still wear when the wedding is over (and the bills paid!). Some of our lines are strictly a limited edition; when they’re gone, they’re gone. Others can be ordered in your size(s) and color; deliveries can be as soon as 2 weeks or as long as 12 weeks, so don’t procrastinate…
Lee Andersen keeps arriving almost weekly, and it is “to die for”! Really stunning outfits, with lots of choices of styles, colors, and sizes. We can order most of her items, and the turnaround date can be as short as 1-2 weeks. Lee’s work is a prime example of sophisticated wedding attire at reasonable prices. And you will wear your MOB outfit again and again; this one won’t collect dust in your closet. Come in soon to see the entire collection.
Just in...another collection of one-of-a-kind handpainted and handmade porcelain critter pins. More Eric Javits handbags in natural, to wear anywheren and more handpainted silk jackets by Pat Farley. And, since we are a major Eileen Fisher retailer, we receive a new shipment of EF each and every month. It's hard to keep up with all that is coming in the store every week!
One thing we love to do for you, our wonderful customer. We invested in a great digital camera so that we can take photos of you wearing an outfit you love. We understand that you may need to show the outfit to others, and are happy to take as many photos as you need, and email them to whomever you wish. And, if you are buying an outfit, let us take a photo of you wearing it and put it on our web site.
And, for those of you who see us on the web and don't live in the area, we are happy to send you photos of anything you are interested in seeing before we ship them to you.
Great news in product development. I spent some very constructive time with 2 MOB vendors at the last show, and both agreed to develop silk charmeuse outfits for us. One line just arrived, with more colors to come.
These great vendors are focusing on developing new silk “underpinnings” (i.e. shell, skirt or pants) to coordinate with our marvelous hand painted silk jackets. And, they will also make a drapey jacket so that you can be “head to toe” if you prefer a more classic look when you walk down the aisle. Of course, these will be perfect for cocktail parties, black tie events, wedding guest outfits, or church attire; it all depends on how you accessorize, and you know we'll show you how. Flash: you won’t find these charmeuse pieces anywhere else but at Dina Porter!
Sweater Girl alert! Like jackets, we believe in great sweaters no matter what the season. Many of our customers wear cotton and/or silk, all year round. We have cardigans, pullovers, boucles, ribs, etc. in many pretty colors. For Harris Teeter wear, restaurants, or even casual weddings, you’ll love and wear what you find here.
Our Mary is frantically taking photos of all the new goodies, and we will try to get it onto our web site ASAP. It’s finding the time to do it when all our “incoming” is arriving. You may not find the exact piece you see on the site; if we are busy out front and someone buys it, it may take a while before I realize that the photo needs to be removed. And sometimes, we just want to give you an idea of the style of an item if we carry it in several colors. So bear with us while we constantly update the site.
As far as predictions or trends go, you know that we never get into that game. My buying objective is to give you the best product that will last and compliment your figure, while making you look unique If this year’s trend is miniskirts, figure that I will pass. We want you to come in and tell us how many times (over years!) you have worn an outfit or piece, and still get compliments. (Thanks, Bernice D., for raving about the raves you received!)
Most of all, we have the greatest staff to help you. They know when you want space to browse, or when you want their input. We laugh and kid with our customers; having fun is half the scenario when you shop at Dina Porter. Our staff works hard to create a wonderful, fun-filled atmosphere and surround you with terrific merchandise and display. They know how to finish an outfit with a wide range of accessories, and you’ll leave the store knowing your search is over!
They take great pride in representing Dina Porter. Honest, helpful, creative are just some of the words I would use to describe our staff. So give them a pat on the back when you are in the store, as I couldn’t do it without them.
Hope to see you soon. We want to be your store!
Susan
