Holiday Wishes from the Retail Design Diva

The Retail Design Diva is off enjoying the holidays, but wishes everyone a wonderful and safe week. Don't fret, she'll be back on Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2007, blogging away on something you won't want to miss. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Hooters Has a What?!

Hooters of America Inc. (yes, the company that owns that casual-dining restaurant chain known for its...owls) is launching something that it boasts is "just in time for the holidays" and "the perfect gift." Is the anticipation killing you yet? It's a cookbook!

Yes, that's right, a cookbook (don't laugh, I'm not joking). The Hooters Cookbook (seriously, stop laughing!) will feature 144 pages of...drumroll please...wings recipes! Okay now I'm joking. While the cookbook does have a section dedicated to wings, it also features chapters on tailgating (Go Dawgs!) and grilling, recipes to impress, cooking tips, food and sports factoids, and highlights of the restaurant's history. A press release says the cookbook contains recipes inspired by various Hooters menu items, such as the "Hootie's Burger," "Drunken Chicken" and "Don't be Crabby Dip."

In case you feel so inclined to replicate the Hooter's dining experience in your own home, you can buy the cookbook (orange micro-shorts not-included) in Hooters restaurants, at Hooters.com and at major retail outlets. Let the cook-off begin! (Hey, I said stop laughing!)

Oh and one more thing...don't you hate how everything is touted as a "gift" around this time of year? Yea, me too. Has anyone ever seen a commercial for an electric toothbrush and actually thought, "Ah-hah! Now that would make an awesome gift!" Doubtful. And if this thought has occurred to you, then I really hope I'm not on your list.

--Jessie Bove

Who Are You Calling a Copycat?

The Pottery princess is miffed at Queen Targèt. Translation: Williams-Sonoma is suing Target. Why you ask? Well, according to The Star Tribune, Williams-Sonoma Inc.--which operates Pottery Barn and other chains--has filed a lawsuit against Target Corp. for copying its designs on a variety of goods, including Christmas stockings and candleholders. 

In the article, it states that Williams-Sonoma filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday, claiming that a quilted Christmas stocking sold at Target stores contains "every distinctive element of the Pottery Barn Christmas stockings." The retailer added that the stocking infringement is part of a "long-standing pattern of copying by Target of [Williams-Sonoma] designs for rugs, linens, tableware, furniture, lamps and other products." Quite an allegation.

The story gets stickier, involving several products and far too much more to get into here. (To read more about the whole complicated mess, including more claims and specific allegations, click here.)

And another thing...Williams-Sonoma isn't the only one making these kinds of allegations against Target. This past year, Lucky Brand Dungarees and Vera Bradley have made claims of copyright infringement as well. And in September, Coach sued Target for allegedly selling counterfeit handbags, which Target claimed it had purchased at a department store liquidation sale. Coach had the lawsuit dismissed the next month. But Target's not the only one feeling the heat. Fellow big-box retailer Wal-Mart and its Sam's Club division have had claims filed against them by Anthropologie Inc. and Fendi within the last two years.

But I digress...back to Williams-Sonoma v. Target...I love Williams-Sonoma and its brands (Pottery Barn especially!), but I love Target too. Therefore, I refuse to pick sides. I say lets quit pointing fingers and just get over it, shall we?

--Jessie Bove

Photo: Stockings from Potterybarn.com

You're No. 1

As everyone waited eagerly to learn who would be TIME's Person of the Year for 2006, it came as a surprise that "person" became "people" quite literally. That is, "you," and everyone else in the world who contributes to the mass sharing of information on the World Wide Web is the "Person of the Year."

I, for one, was shocked. Isn't this the easy way out, especially for a year wrought with distress? Was there not one individual that made a difference big enough to be recognized? TIME thinks that the collective efforts of users of such Web sites as YouTube and MySpace  have radically changed the  world we live in.  So, in that regard, maybe posting a video of the pet parrot or high school prom really did pay off.

Otherwise, the Internet has provided a powerful tool by dissiminating widespread information (some fact, some opinion), enabling creativity and individual expression, and providing a sounding board that brings complete strangers together for a single cause. But, for such a prestigious designation, maybe narrow it down to someone who has really made a difference online.

--Rachel Brown

Bonus? Buy a New Condo and Some Self-Celebratory Bubbly

Diva is green with envy: those Wall Street high-flyers will be toasting themselves this holiday season. Stockbrokers and investment advisors on Wall Street are celebrating the biggest bonuses--ever! According to The Wall Street Journal, first-year associates will average bonuses of $300,000 to $425,000. For the higher-ups, annual bonuses of $12 million to $40 million and more are not unusual. (Rumor has it Goldman Sachs had $16.5 billion to divvy-up in bonuses.) Overall, the bonuses are up by 15 percent to 20 percent this year, compared to last year. Diva suspects that the sucking sound we heard earlier this year was all that money being yanked out of the real estate market and being put into the stock market, which closed this week at the highest level ever, above 12,000. New York is in a frenzy, as all those financial Masters of the Universe rush to buy new cars, real estate (yes, real estate; they are scooping it up in spades, after telling everyone else to get out of the sector) and splurging on expensive restaurants and vintage wine [show-offs].

Here’s some gift giving advise from Diva for all those newly minted millionaires. Give your 100 closest friends bottles of your own personal branded wine. No problem getting your mug and name on a wine label these days. Several companies offer such custom services, among them Signature Wines of Hayward, Calif., and Personal Wine out of Austin, Texas. There’s already a Marilyn Merlot, a wine that is a tribute to Marilyn Monroe, that has been available for years, produced by Nova Wines of Napa Valley. And if your bonus was really special, consider hiring a top-name designer--maybe Ron Arad or Marc Newsom--to design a prestige label.

Bottoms up and Cheers! Happy Holidays from Diva!

--Diva

Photo: By Jim Lo Scalzo for USN&WR

Amazing A/V

Forget Big Ben, if I were going to London soon, I'd want to see this! London's Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum features a new, luminous and interactive audio-visual installation in the John Madejski Garden. The installation, called Volume, is a sculpture of light and sound. An array of light columns positioned dramatically in the center of the garden responds to movement. If you step inside the installation, you'll be able to "see your actions at play with the energy fields throughout the space, triggering a brilliant display of light and sound."

The piece is a collaboration between lighting designers United Visual Artists (UVA) and Robert Del Naja (alias 3D) of Massive Attack and his long-term co-writer Neil Davidge (as part of their music production company, one point six).

Volume also is part of the PlayStation Season, a series of contemporary, interactive events at the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Arts, The English National Opera, Sadler's Wells, The British Film Institute and the V&A. It is free to the public and will be open until Jan. 28, 2007.
All I need now is a plane ticket...

--Jessie Bove

Photo: Volume installation in the V&A's John Madejski Garden. (Supermatic / United Visual Artists Photo by John Adrian.)

Another Inconvenient Truth

Perhaps you went to the movies last weekend and saw “Blood Diamond,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio. The film was a stirring combination of adventure/action and morality tale. Indeed, it may be one of the best films this year, with DiCaprio finally coming into his own--he moves through the plot like a young Ernest Hemingway on steroids--with acting that lifts, energizes and tugs at the emotions. There’s enough warfare and bloodshed to appeal to the male youth audience, while mature viewers will connect with the human ties and unfolding, edge-of-the-seat drama.

For some, the movie may be a revelation about how diamonds are obtained and sold. Most consumers have little notion of the bloodshed, human deprivation and warfare that goes into procuring some African diamonds--many of them from Sierra Leone. (The diamonds are used to fund rebel groups in local wars that have led to the deaths of more than 4 million people and also left millions more homeless. As seen in the movie, many children are captured and forced to become soldiers against their will.) About 65 percent of all diamonds in the market today come from Africa. There’s a reason these stones are called “conflict diamonds,” or as in the movie title, “blood diamonds.” The movie is very realistic and historically accurate in its portrayal of events that occur before that stone finds its way into a wedding ring setting. It is the story of another inconvenient truth about our modern world. One suspects that many consumers would rather not know about these things.

The jewelry industry is waiting to see what impact the movie might have on their business--some customers may think twice about buying diamonds. The industry has taken some action to try to document the origin of diamonds, to prevent conflict stones from entering the market. For example, the Kimberly Process, started in 2003, provides one tracking system. Some diamond sources now place laser signatures on stones. Most reputable diamond merchants are sensitive to their customers’ preferences and limit their buying to verifiable sources, but diamond traffic is difficult to control and once illicit stones are mixed in with other diamonds, in packets for commercial sales, it is difficult to tell one stone from the other. Diamond sales grew last year by 7 percent, to $33.7 billion worldwide, with Americans purchasing about 50 percent of all diamonds sold. There isn’t a lot that consumers can do beyond asking about origin and buying from trusted sources.

According to an article in The New York Times, at the premiere of the movie, a “bling-free” Jennifer Connelly, the female star of “Blood Diamond,” said: “It’s unconscionable for us, for the sake of vanity, to contribute to the destruction of a country.” Going “bling-free” is definitely bucking current trends, which dictate: the more bling-bling the better. As DiCaprio said in the movie: Africa isn’t about bling-bling; it’s bling-BANG!

--RoxAnna Sway

Seeing Red

What is it about these Elmo dolls that makes me see red? I remember the frenzy that surrounded the original Tickle Me Elmo doll when it debuted 10 years ago. I remember, in particular, how dumbfounded I was that so many people were obsessing about and fighting over this toy (which, if you're familiar with the Retail Design Diva, you already know I find creepy, especially since Elmo replicas were recently used to transport drugs).

Well, then came T.M.X. Elmo, which debuted in September only to be sold out quickly. Some consumers were then angered by the shortage--which many rumored to be fake--and that the toy was being sold online for outrageous prices. The hoopla over this toy has even warranted an actual press release written about a missing shipment of 100 T.M.X. Elmos arriving safely to their location a few days later.  How exactly does one of the world's most successful warehouse companies let a truckload of dolls go missing? 

Then on Dec. 12, Wal-Mart announced that its Web site Walmart.com would be releasing 4,000 (yes, 4,000) T.M.X. Elmos each day around noon until Friday Dec. 15. Shortage, schmortage.

--Jessie Bove

Material Girl

Just a few months ago, Madonna was turning heads (what else is new) with the debut of eye-catching window displays at H&M's New York flagship store on Fifth Avenue. Two-story-tall images of Madonna, displayed in a stunning Light Emitting Capacitor (LEC) fashion, illuminated Fifth Avenue as part of this first-time collaboration between the Stockholm, Sweden-based retailer, LEC technology manufacturer CeeLite, and large-format graphics company Blue Ocean WorldWide.

Now, Madonna and the fast-fashion retailer are teaming up once again to launch a new fashion line in March 2007. H&M and their head of design Margareta van den Bosch have partnered with Madonna to create a line of clothing and accessories that will be offered in all stores carrying the women’s wear collection around the world. The company says that the 'M by Madonna' fashion line will reflect Madonna's timeless, unique and always glamorous style. And, the company boasts that the material girl was involved in even the smallest details of every design. Sounds great, just please no pointy-cone-bra thingies. H&M just keeps on giving me reasons to love them! Now if only we could get one of those stores here in Atlanta...

--Jessie Bove

Have a Very Boontje Christmas

That clever Tar-jhay has done it again. Diva went into a Target store and was instantly surrounded with fluttery, white, cutout paper decorations. Filigree panels hung from the ceiling and snowflake chandeliers decorated the aisles. The Dutch artist Tord Boontje, who is known for his unique silhouette cut-work panels with whimsical flora and fauna designs, is the creative force behind it all. Some might say the décor is a bit upscale for a discounter, but Target has never been known to avoid the hip, timely or chic. (Actually, that’s the key to Target’s success.) And staying on top of trends, after all, is what retail is all about. Target also commissioned Boontje to design products for its stores--Studio Tord Boontje for Target, and the retailer launched an interactive, walk-through light fantasy tied to the theme in New York’s Union Square Park, called “Bright Nights" (open through Dec. 26). The theme also turns up in Target’s holiday advertising. If you’re stressed from shopping and fighting the crowds---head for Target and enjoy the tasteful and entertaining store décor--an amazing holiday surprise and a welcome change from the usual dangling, commercial banners so many stores use. Tell them Diva sent you!

--Diva

Naughty or Nice?

Sometimes-naughty Victoria's Secret has turned nice...to the environment that is. According to a press release, Victoria's Secret's parent company Limited Brands has reached an agreement with ForestEthics, a nonprofit organization that seeks to protect endangered forests. But don't think this move to environmental stewardship was easy--it took some goading.

ForestEthics, which has been educating the catalog industry about its negative environmental impact on the Canadian Boreal for more than three years, launched a campaign against Limited Brands/Victoria's Secret two years ago called "Victoria's Dirty Secret," which featured more than 750 protests and events. Shortly after, they began discussions with Limited Brands and since then, Limited has increased its use of post consumer waste (PCW) recycled content, transitioning its clearance catalogs to sustainable paper with 80 percent PCW recycled content. Way to go Limited!

Now, Limited Brands announced a new forest protection policy, which according to a press release "is unprecedented in its scope, and includes several landmark environmental measures and ensures that the pulp for the company's catalog paper will not come from endangered forests." The new policy seeks to prohibit sourcing paper from Canada's Great Boreal Forest, which contains 25 percent of the intact, roadless forest remaining in the world.

Some of the new measures include: "a partnership with its primary paper supplier to eliminate all pulp supplied from the Boreal Forest and British Columbia; shifting its catalogs to either 10 percent PCW or at least 10 percent Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) content during 2007; a preference for FSC certification, the only credible certification for sustainable logging; overall catalog paper reduction; a commitment to continual improvement on environmental attributes of catalog paper and paper use; progress will be audited by an independent third party and made public; a commitment to phase out of endangered forests; and $1 million committed to research and advocacy to protect endangered forests and ensure leadership in the catalog industry."

It's good to see major corporations taking a stand and adopting "green" practices more and more. Even if it does take a little pushing and shoving to make it happen. The important thing is that it's happening, and that makes all the difference.

--Jessie Bove

Would You Put This on Your Countertop?!

Jumping on Target's "Design For All" bandwagon, Home Depot is launching a new line of design-friendly versions of standard household products. The home improvement retailer has partnered with Peter Arnell, founder of New York-based marketing firm Arnell Group, to develop the "Home Hero," a sleek-yet-functional fire extinguisher for the home. The brushed-nickel extinguisher is said to look like a "space-age coffee grinder," and will be just a stylish on the countertop as the wine rack.

The success of Michael Graves' line of home goods for Target made consumers giddy (I now attempt to cook like a high-class pastry chef, thanks to my super spiffy Graves measuring spoons). The instant buzz rang loud in the ears of designers as well, as many were soon to follow. Philippe Starck's Alessi "Dr. Skud" fly swatter and Karim Rashid's Dirt Devil Kone are both on my Christmas list. These products literally make me want to hunt flies and demolish crumbs. Why wouldn't Home Depot want to get in on the action?

Referencing today's typical fire extinguisher, Arnell has been reported as saying, "It's so ugly, nobody wants to leave it on a counter. We need a product like what Braun did with coffee makers." Hence the new-and-improved Home Hero. You can bet it will be in my house within a week of its debut. I will be armed and ready to put out any fire, and look stylish while I do it! Ingenious!

Now if only someone would design a pen that would make me want to balance my checkbook--my quest for one of those is yet to be resolved.

--Alison Embrey Medina

Wired?

Apparently American kids aren't as "wired" as you may think when it comes to holiday shopping. At least that's what Weekly Reader Research claims according to the results of their recent poll that surveyed 2,866 kids (1,460 boys and 1,406 girls), ages 5-18. The survey asked kids how they plan to do their holiday shopping and found that most are heading to the mall. No kidding!? (pun definitely intended)

Seventy percent of respondents said they planned to do their shopping "mostly at stores," while only 9 percent said they planned to do their shopping "mostly online." Twenty-two percent said they would shop "about equal amounts online and at stores." So does this mean today's generation isn't as tech-savvy as we all thought?

No. It means kids don't have credit cards. You can't exactly buy a back massager from Brookstone.com and expect to pay the deliveryman for it in cash (plus, he doesn't have time to watch you count out $29.99 in change and he's not about to take your word for it). The select few kids who do have credit cards won't be using them to buy gifts (especially for their parents) because their parents are the ones funding the cards. So expect to see the little ones in stores until the day that they too get sucked into the vacuous world of evil, evil credit cards.

--Jessie Bove

When You Gotta Go—

While stores have decked the halls with boughs of spruce and strings of light, Charmin, the Procter & Gamble toilet paper brand, has decked-out a new “outhouse” in Times Square. Now, Diva is not one to get excited about outhouses, but bathroom breaks in Manhattan are few and far between--few stores have public restrooms. Some shoppers spend their time carefully navigating between the big stores that do have decent restrooms, toughing it out for blocks and hours in between.

Bergdorf Goodman is Diva’s favorite restroom in the city. It’s always clean and pleasant. (It used to have a great view up Central Park, until they boarded up the windows in their recent renovation.) Saks’ and Bloomie’s restrooms are okay, but can be crowded and messy by late day. Macy’s--that’s another story. Diva suggests you avoid those if at all possible. They usually smell a bit rank and frankly, don’t usually look too sanitary.

But, I digress--let’s get back to Times Square. Charmin’s 20-stall, attended restroom facility is located at 1540 Broadway, between 45th and 46th streets. The restroom is open to the public through Christmas, and it is generously stocked with Charmin Ultra. A lounge with a Charmin bear adds a cute touch, and Charmin representatives, dressed as toilets, will roam the nearby streets, advertising the restrooms. I guess those employees hope no one flushes them!

P&G’s research has shown that similar efforts in other locations have lifted sales and that customer recall of the product is high, says an article in The New York Times that originally broke the toilet story. We’ve all heard of pop-up stores. Diva guesses that pop-up restrooms are not a bad idea, especially in crowded, busy New York during the holidays. So, when you gotta go--head for Times Square and think of Charmin.

--Diva

Serve Yourself

What ever happened to the motto "the customer is always right" that retailers used to preach as the foundation of customer service? Forget being right, nowadays you can't even get employees to give you the time of day for a simple question. It seems like the motto has become "the customer is always a nuisance."

Recently, I encountered this indifferent attitude toward service at a department store. Desperately in search of a particular handbag that I just had to have, I went to the store where I saw it last. Once I realized the store was sold out of the color I wanted (needed), I did some research online and then called other store branches around town in search of it. What I found was a huge disparity in the quality of service I received. Some sales associates were eager to help, while others couldn't even feign the slightest bit of interest. The same thing happened at a smaller chain store (although it is owned by a large well-known parent company) while I was shopping for a Christmas present this week. And, at a different department store, I came across another apathetic employee whose response to my question was "I dunno," followed by a shrug. What's up with the poor customer service? Be it an inconsistency in training employees or monetary restraints, something needs to change.

I'll admit this isn't all encompassing though. In fact, some stores have too many employees offering help--to the point where customers spend more time politely declining help (every 2.7 seconds) than actually shopping. So which is better? Too much help or not enough?

I'd say it's better for retailers to play it safe and make sure their customers have access to plenty of helpful employees. While I do prefer being left alone while I shop, I'm willing to put up with pesky offers of help because one day the time will come when I'll need it--and then I'll be thankful, and therefore loyal. For those crummy sales associates out there, I have but one thing to say: The customer may not always be right, but without the customer you wouldn't have a job. 

--Jessie Bove