Open To Buy: Let’s Have a Style Out

Let’s be merchants, the category is Blazers. And beauty items I’ve been testing.

In this send: This week I put on my favorite hat, being a merchant! Styling out the Blazers for Private Label and testing out beauty products to see which ones earn a spot in my beauty closet. (Really, just a drawer.) Plus: open to buy, basics, scoop neck, Pool Lash Lacquer, Asics x Gohar World, the latest influencer to join Substack, and the top clicked links of the week. Enjoy your weekend and your open tabs.

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Hi — Thank you to everyone who joined Viv Chen and I for our conversation about Vogue World, San Francisco fashion, style, and retail. My first time using the live feature on Substack and it was so much fun. We will link the full episode early next week and share some notes from the Substack Live.

This weekend I’m celebrating a family friend’s Bat Mitzvah and I can’t wait to see what the teens are wearing. Between that and sideline sports I’ll have plenty of observations to share.

Open To Buy

• Style Out - Let’s be merchants and buy for the store

• Field Notes - Retail discoveries

• Beauty Finds — I’ve been testing!

• In My Feed — search terms, I learn how to wear red, and the top links from Private Label this week.

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Private Label’s Style Out!

Let’s set the scene. A style out is when the merchant team at a retailer or brand has been looking at everything available in the marketplace (wholesale vendors) or what the in-house designers have worked on for a season. Every option is being considered before deciding what will actually be placed in the store and get a purchase order. The final cuts are being made.

Inventory planners are there to help allocate the Open To Buy¹ (how much is in the checking account to spend), the fashion director is there to lead the trend direction, marketing often stops by because they need to know what they will be photographing and writing about later. Everyone is looking at the product and determining what earns a spot on the selling floor.

Instead of “I love this” and “I would buy that”, it is more of going through what actually sold previously and how you will make up that revenue this year. Think, if you had 5 black pointed toe flats last year could you do the same volume with 3 black pointed toe flats and add in a red round toe this year? This is the place where style and design meet finances, strategy, marketing, customer service and so much more.

I could write a whole letter about how you should apply this to your own closet, but instead I’m going to stick with retail today and we are going to do a Style Out for Blazers. Also, we are going to suspend belief. In Private Label’s store I can carry whatever brand and inventory I want. 😉

The Core

This is the style you always have in stock, because the customer can reach for without thinking. In some ways it defines the basics in the category. Again, I don’t mean basics as boring or plain. Basics are the bread and butter in retail. This style you can stock year-round since the Virgin Wool material makes it an option for air conditioned offices in the summer. If someone comes in looking for a “basic blazer” this is the choice. You will stock this style in all sizes, always have 6 to 8 weeks of inventory on-hand, and replenish as needed. This style is driving revenue for the department. Core colors for a blazer: black and navy. Occasionally you will bring in another seasonal or on-trend color or pattern for a limited time with less units. For this option I chose Nili Lotan, a style anyone can close their eyes and picture a women’s blazer and this is what you get. Again, said as a compliment.

The Update

A fresh take on a classic. This is the style that shows what looks a little different this season. For blazers, the scoop neck is a break from the traditional lapel or double breasted styles. An Update is the reason to come in for something new this season, you are covered in the basics as a shopper. Argent fits this category really well because it is still a classic blazer, a smart investment, but offers the customer something new in a category she already has covered. The cinched waist and 7 buttons create a nice update too.

The Investment

For the Investment category we are stretching the price point to bring in a blazer that is a classic but is at the top-of-the-top pricing wise. You’ll have a high price point and an opening price point and both anchor the department. It also gives credibility to the store. The store’s personal shoppers know exactly which clients to call and hold for. Perhaps this item already has pre-orders reserved for the best clients at the time the Purchase Order is placed. For Private Label I’m going for something truly special, worth the investment, and a different silhouette. Chanel², swoon.

The Editorial

You are likely buying the least amount of inventory for this one. It is often referred to as “the pop” or what will drive you over to the department. Editorial can also refer to the marketing opportunity here. You typically don’t need to advertise the Core style. Your customer always knows they can come to you for that. This one is different. It shows the direction and trend you are going in for the season. Dries Van Noten’s Floral Embroidered design has a tailored fit and unique embroidery. Definitely the option that will pull you over to the department to see what is in stock and would grab your attention in marketing or in an ad. It is on the mannequin and in every magazine. If the PR team called around pitching an item they are much more likely to get coverage for this versus the Core item.

Sure, there are so many more I want to add in. A leather Khaite, Aritzia’s opening price point, and an oversized option from Toteme in a beautiful herringbone. But I don’t want to be over assorted.

I’d also want to add in accessories like silk or cashmere scarves and brooches for this season. And I would send everyone to the t-shirt department to purchase one of these tanks in black and white.

What category are you adding to your store and which item wins that spot?

Field Notes

• Atorie, the direct to consumer “inspired by” retailer with merchandise just like from the designer brands (consider Atorie the Quince of luxury and designer brands), just raised $9.5 million in a seed round. Investors include a16z speedrun and Night Capital. Night Capital’s protfolio includes Kalshi, Warby Parker, Notion, and Farmer’s Dog. Atorie had been on my radar because of all the inspired by handbags I saw and seeing ads across my feed. Then this coat made it into the ShopMy Top 10 that I reported for Line Sheet last February. See an example of their ads below. [Tech Crunch]

  

• Kallmeyer x Nike! Can’t wait to see this. Wonder if we will see on the US Open courts.

• Shopbop x Daily Drills for an exclusive collab. This weekend they are also doing a pop-up in Malibu to shop it IRL. I would put Daily Drills in the same category as Parke — community led, influencer first founder(s), appeals to teens, athleisure, etc. Shopbop has been able to give these brands exposure and more wholesale opportunities.

• Another brand collab with sports, now at Loft. When is Quince going to get into the game day action? Old Navy has MLB and FIFA but no NFL, NBA and very limited university options. Industry rank wise Old Navy is #5 in activewear so I’d like to see even more collegiate and sports collabs for them.

• Spotted in Emily Sundberg’s Feed Me on Friday regarding a new boutique from EMILY DAWN LONG. What I love about this is the combination of EDL’s own brand and merchandise along with other products that aren’t over saturated in LA already. Seeing how the designer pairs her products and what she is pulled to.

  Emily Dawn Long is opening a boutique in Los Angeles. The Eastside Rag broke the news earlier this week, including multiple “sources” with details about the store. So I went to the real source – EDL herself. She told me that she is indeed curating a Los Angeles retail store, in the former Des Pair Books location in Echo Park, with friends like Kansas City-based Mergers and Ian Felton. “Celine from Olga Basha and I curated the brands,” she told me. The store will be 40% Emily Dawn Long, and will act as the EDL flagship (and her only LA stockist), while the other 60% will be “really good brands that aren’t in LA.” — Emily Sundberg via Feed Me

🛍️ Quick note: I write a lot (too much good stuff to share!) If you’re reading via email only, you may need to click through to the web version or read on the Substack app. I promise it will be worth it. 🛍️

Beauty Finds

• Fara Homidi’s new Pool Lash Lacquer is now available. This mascara is $48 which positions it actually in the middle of price-per-mL despite that the sticker price being higher than the competition. I looked at a variety of options and Fara Homidi’s is $4.80 per mL whereas Lancôme is $3.75 per mL, Merit’s newest Clean Volume* is $3.95 per mL, on the higher end Westman Atelier is $5.25 per mL, and Victoria Beckham is $7.29 per mL. Victoria Beckham is the one I’ve used for the last year or so. Maybe I’ll start to switch it up.

• I’ve been testing Merit’s Clean Volume* mascara and this wand is incredibly pared down and petite, making it easy to do corner and bottom lashes. In terms of definition this has given me nice lashes with no clumps but it isn’t an extreme difference (I do two coats). It is a nice everyday mascara. Zero clumps for me.

• I’m not much of a foundation person, at least not for everyday. These two options are ones that I forget that I’m wearing immediately. In no way do they actually feel like foundation but more like slight coverage. I recently mentioned how much I’ve been enjoying No Makeup Makeup’s foundation*. This one feels like a blur or a filter versus actual make-up. Which is a good thing given the company’s name. Then, the Ilia Super Serum Skin Tint* is light coverage but I really like that it is just enough to feel like a canvas. For both of these I use a brush to buff it in.

• If you are curious about Sarah Creal’s make-up you should check out the HTSI article ahead of her big debut in the U.K. with Sephora and Space NK. I love her creamy concealer and consider it my option with the most coverage for my eye area. I stay up late writing so I need something! This article made me want to try her kajal liner since my current go-to is the one she designed for Victoria Beckham. When I was Channel Checking at Sephora last weekend I played around with the ph lip liner from Sarah Creal. While I did like it, (my preferred shade is the darker “On Edge” mauve) it wasn’t a must have at the moment since I’ve been playing with the Basma lip liner* and really like that one.

• The combination of this hair straightener* and the brand’s Gloss Shock* has been impressive for helping my wavy, frizzy, dry hair smooth and glossy. I air dry for a curly/wavy style and the next day I can use these products for a nice, smooth finish. It’s so easy my daughter also did my hair this week and everyone thinks I got a proper salon blowout. For the air dry I used Alli Webb’s Rough Dry Styling Cream* for her new brand Messy. Curl/waves stayed all day, tamed the frizz, and since there is heat protectant in it the next day I had added protection. I also use this as a heat protectant.

In My Feed

• Fun content and partnership. I like it when there is some tension between brand pairings — wondering how they linked up product wise. Asics x Gohar World is surrealist performance art.

• Nell Diamond is spilling the beans on how new inventory might show up on multi-brand retailer sites before their direct-to-consumer Hill House Home site. Back in 2024 Steven Kurutz covered Outerspace, Hill House Home’s 3PL³, for the NYTimes (gift link) and it is a really interesting read.

• My friend Julia @smarterinasec sent me the link to this sweater and I probably need it to represent my favorite beverage.

• To follow-up on The RealReal’s Resale Report (here is my recap), The RealReal shared the full list of the top 100 most searched brands. What do I look for in lists like this? Which brands shoppers are typing in on their own versus being served from the navigation or highlights on the website, brands shoppers are still curious about, brands shoppers are looking for a deal on, and brands shoppers are looking for price guidance on.

• Another trusted influencer has joined Substack. hannah chody posted for the first time Friday. Welcome to Almost Relatable. In her first post she shared her carry-on must haves. You know I love travel content! Chody has over 100K followers on Instagram and 270K on TikTok.

• I found plenty of inspiration for how to wear my new red handbag and shoes this fall from Frosso with “How to wear color like a Parisian: RED”.

• Top links of the week: the scarf brand I expect to be popular this fall/winter, everyone is curious about the tiny rollneck, the teen sweatshirt du jour, and the blazer that has the coolest hidden elastic bands to keep the sleeves in place when you push them up.

Made just for you — always. See you Tuesday

xx, Sarah Shapiro

Private Label Issue 40

Catching Up:

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Quick note: some links here are affiliate links — I may earn a small commission if you shop through them, at no cost to you. It helps keep this newsletter going. Gifted items are marked with an *. All opinions are my own, and everything I share, I’d tell my best friend about and probably already have.

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1. Merchants/Buyers and Planners live and die by their open-to-buy. It is how much money you have to spend on Purchase Orders for new inventory each season. If we want to get into the nitty gritty I can do a Retail 101 with how the open-to-buy adjusts in season based on performance and inventory and how the open-to-buy amount is decided.

2. In most stores Chanel is a shop-in-shop and would bypass this Style Out process completely. Chanel would do their own version internally and decide which retailers and boutiques get which items. But this is where we are suspending reality. A merchant can dream.

3. 3PL = Third Party Logistics. You know I love my acronyms. A 3PL covers shipping and logistics (packaging, returns, tracking) for businesses when they don’t have their own warehouse or operations in house.