The Vera brand is continuing its revival, with a new licensing deal.

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It’s an old idea, and it is often forgotten in the rampant cost cutting in retail. It’s the clothing retailer name tag. Only a generation ago, it was a common practice, as it served as a permanent advertisement for the retailer after the piece of clothing was sold. Every sort of clothing retailer would do [...]

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Izod Lacoste wasn’t the only popular polo shirt during the preppie craze in the 1980s. Folks who wanted to be even more country club than the rest were wearing Boast, which, contrary to popular belief, did not have a pot plant on the shirt (it was a Japanese maple). Of course Americans now call them [...]

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One of the great 1960s men’s fashion brands is Rooster, the tie company. Rooster ties were a cultural item, and one of the rare brands of American ties that are so interesting that they can exist on their own without being part of a full line of menswear. Illustrator Steven Guarnaccia has a collection of [...]

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Tretorn. The Swedish brand still has that country club allure, made even more exotic by the fact that they are still a bit hard to find in U.S. stores, though now seem to be reappearing. Above, an old commercial for the brand that seems to date from a 1990s revival of the brand in the [...]

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Last weekend, the teens were in the yard getting ready for church camp. They had to get a LOOK together. And what did they decide to do? Head on over to the store (I forgot to ask which one) and buy a bunch of packs of Rit Dye to do tie-dyed shirts. It made us [...]

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CLEVELAND – We are indebted to the website A Treasury Of for telling us about the sweaters of Ohio Knitting Mills. The mill has closed, but some of their product samples survived. While not all are being sold, some are. It’s like a vintage store, but its all new! At right, a promotional poster from [...]

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This fashion house was named for Norman Norell, the famous American fashion designer and movie designer most famous for dressing Gloria Swanson. Norman Norell died in 1972 and his brand lives on in a perfume, Norell, but the fashion brand does not. A 1997 revival was tried, but it never really took off, though the [...]

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PALM BEACH GARDENS – Lilly Pulitzer opened up a new boutique in The Gardens mall in Palm Beach Gardens. The website The Selvedge Yard snapped a photo of Lilly herself in a post entitled Pink-a-palooza. The store opened April 17, 2009; it is the second company owned store in Palm Beach County. In many cases, [...]

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We happened upon an interview with Peter Brundige, published in the Luxe Chronicles. It applies to fashion brands, of course, but it also applies to anyone trying to relaunch a brand. The two important factors in a brand relaunch are: research staying true to the original with a new twist. Brundige, now an independent consultant, [...]

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