Isaac Mizrahi adores daisies. Orchids? "I would never trash them, but I wouldn't encourage them," he said at Ivy Room at Tree Studios on Friday evening. The designer divulged those floral preferences—along with his astrological sign and details about his target customer—during a 15-minute Q&A that took place at CS magazine and Carson Pirie Scott's private launch party for Mizrahi's Liz Claiborne New York collection (which is available at Carson's).
CS magazine's senior events and projects manager, Samantha Saifer, worked with Heidi Frank, publicity manager for the Bon-Ton Stores Inc., to plan the appearance. The duo arranged for the evening to kick off with an hourlong media reception. While Mizrahi held court in front of a step-and-repeat dotted with Carson Pirie Scott and Liz Claiborne logos, local style writers interviewed him and snapped photos.
Apart from the Q&A, conducted by CS style editor Graham Kostic, the main event comprised specialty Yes vodka cocktails, informal modeling, and plenty of schmoozing among the assembled crowd of roughly 300 PR reps, CS readers, and clothing and jewelry designers. Because the Chicago location of Carson Pirie Scott recently closed, "it was important for us to interact with the who's who of downtown," introduce them to the new line, "and show that it's worth a trip out to the suburbs to see this collection," Frank said.
The next day, Mizrahi got some face time with a different crowd when he headed to Yorktown Shopping Center for an appearance at the suburban mall's Carson Pirie Scott. When asked how effective designers' personal appearances are as marketing tools for a clothing line, Frank said: "Face-to-face interactions are very valuable. When a customer meets a designer and sees him in person, it makes a lasting impression. They feel like they're buying a part of [the designer]," and the shopper's purchase "becomes more meaningful."
To determine the tangible results of Mizrahi's in-store appearance, Frank said that she and her team will look at figures such as the store's sales numbers and shopper traffic from Saturday; they'll also analyze the return on coupons that were passed out to promote the event. "But more than just a hard number, having Isaac interact with the customers really elevates the brand," she said. "Especially because he's so charismatic."
In late March, Mizrahi promoted the Liz Claiborne line with an in-store appearance at New York's Macy's Herald Square; his tour will wrap up in North Carolina on April 18, when he will greet customers at department store Belk.
Correction: The name of Estelle's song "American Boy" has been corrected in a photo caption.
