Robin,
Not odd at all . But -my recommendation: When you wake up with these
dreams -take a pill, lie down again, and wait for it to go away…
But, seriously, folks - (This is a bit long, but please bear with
me. I am something of a veteran …)
Once upon a time, the public got its fashion cues primarily from
magazines like Vogue, Glamour, Seventeen, etc… While print is still
critical, it’s impact is supplemental to, and supportive of,
television and film, which are now the most important means of
promotion. The styles worn by the women on, say, ‘Friends’ and ‘Sex
In the City’ - or Oprah - or MTV - are more visible and have more
impact on the “street” than anything in an ad in your local paper.
Just ask Jimmy Choo…
Recognition of that power is the reason ‘In Style’ magazine was born
with its emphasis on celebrity trends (and likely the cues for those
dreams of yours, Robin.) It isn’t enough that a particular store is
interesting, or an item is of good design. It becomes
promotion-worthy if they can name a high-profile celebrity who has
Been There or Worn That. This perceived endorsement establishes a
kind of credibility, somehow, even if the connection is tenuous, at
best.
This symbiotic nature of the fashion and entertainment industries -
or Fashion AS Entertainment - has given rise to the Personal Stylist
as a “Force Majeur”; a catagory of specialist which has become just
as commonplace in this town as p.r. reps, agents, eyebrow stylists,
and vegan caterers. The assistant or stylist functions as the
gatekeeper, one more line of defense for their employers against the
favor-seekers (or worse), understandably and necessarily. To get to
the stars, one must somehow make contact with their personal
assistants or stylists (not necessarily the same person - and not
necessarily the same person as yesterday.)
In recent years,with savvy public relations efforts, some of these
folks have been built up as a sort of cult class of ‘celebrities by
proxy’. They are heavily courted by any - and - everyone with a
product to promote, eager to have a Nicole Kidman or Jennifer Aniston
photographed wearing it, carrying it, or standing somewhere near it.
That confers a lot of potential power upon these individuals, who are
in a prime position to use it or abuse it without recourse.
This brings us to the next level: What’s the first rule of business
success? Recognize a Need and Fill It. Thus, a middle-man industry
has been created to service these ‘servants’, and to provide the
hopeful designer with a practical venue for reaching the target
audience.
Show-rooms have sprung up in Los Angeles or New York, and sometimes
elsewhere, catering to costumers, print stylists, and personal
assistants &/or personal shoppers. Sometimes items are purchased in
this way, sometimes at dramatic discounts from “retail”, sometimes
borrowed and returned, sometimes neither sold nor returned. Depends
on the showroom and the relationships. Different places work it
differently, some on regular consignment, some like a sales rep, etc.
…
These reps, for hefty fees, promise to promote your work to
costumers and stylists. There are, however, absolutely no guarantees
that your piece will actually be worn by your “Friends”, etc… (It’s
rather like the companies who promise, for a monthly fee, to "try"
to help you get your website listed with the most popular search
engines.)
One such rep, about to open a showroom (not in L.A.), approached me
recently.She showed me her contract in which I am to give her the
merchandise which she would, in turn, send to the
costumers/designers on the most sought-after shows - or to the
personal stylists of the alleged stars - and for this I would pay her
a regular monthly fee which varied according to a tiered scale of
service. (This, of course, presumes that she truly has the contacts).
I can’t recall exactly what the figures were, but they had 3 zeros
trailing after them. Of course, she would also take an additional
percentage of any merchandise which was actually sold. You cannot
expect to get your merchandise back if it is not used, and you are
unlikely to be paid for it if it is. You are more than likely never
to see it on camera or in print, either. Your bracelet or purse could
just as likely go home with one of the show’s techs or office staff
as it is to be seen by the actors. (Remember - you are paying a hefty
monthly fee for this…) But, as it was proposed to me, the mere fact
that it was sent to them would ‘technically’ be enough to allow me to
claim that my work was “worn by such-an-such actor” or “seen on this
or that show”…(Who’s to say otherwise, I guess…right? Hmmmm…)
Then there is also a big business here in LA for the now-famous
"gift basket" promotional, the ones assembled for the many industry
events and for awards shows’ presenters and nominees. Not mere party
favours, these. Literally thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise
-per ‘basket’ - or Vuitton travel case - is given away by designers
- who also pay fees, in the thousands, to the gift basket provider
for the privilege of having their products or services included. It
can be a terrific promotional device, even better if the pre-Awards
telecasts give the tv audience a tour of the Gift Tent. It’s a
guarantee that the celebrities will at least glance at your specialty
-if not necessarily use it , or remember it - and if you are in a
position to assume the expense…
Then there are charities or good causes, where you can donate your
work for silent auction, eg., as has been recently discussed, or you
might try to hook up with one of the many opportunites for mass
give-aways of merchandise which occur at openings of boutiques, spas,
etc. which hope to draw a celebrity clientele to promote their
business - and may also often connect the event with some kind of
charity to provide a bit of high-minded cache. In that way, you can
try to hitch your wagon to their promotional efforts.
Are you beginning to see a pattern emerging here? James Binnion
said it well ( and more succintly -lol…). Free stuff has become a
condition of celebrity. The bigger they are, the higher the pile, so
to speak. (In light of the opportunities for celebrities to receive
freebees - or drastically discounted merchandise - you have to wonder
why Wynona would even bother to shoplift…)
All of this giveaway is legitimate, time-honored, even ancient,
promotional practice - if taken to somewhat surreal extremes. It’s
the “you have to spend money to make money” adage. But to make it
work for you, you have to have your ducks in a row. If you are
making jewelry that is cheap to produce &/or have a well-financed
business machine behind you, it may be well worth the gamble. If you
are a small operation, with a big investment in your materials, then
the expense may simply be too prohibitive to undertake this means of
promotion.
Are you prepared to support all of this with appropriate press
releases and photos - which may or may not get used? Is your product
positioned visibly enough already so that, should you actually get
the hoped-for attention, there are places where the paying public can
follow up and find you? And to make the contacts in the first place -
the “Six Degrees”, so-called lucky connection - is very much a factor
- but one, like anything else, which comes with work , effort, and a
little ‘chutzpah’. (Kind of sounds like the old chicken vs. the egg
story, doesn’t it?)
In essence, you are providing your work as part of your advertising
or promotional budget - if you have one… You must be able to afford
the financial consequences of giving away your product, often in
considerable quantity, and on the basis of what amounts to be a very,
very long shot.
In the past, stylists were generally courteous and appreciative in
their dealings with artists and designers who agreed to lend their
work. In the last few years, however, the attitude - and boy, do I
mean attitude - has all too often changed to reflect the stylists’
above-mentioned elevation in status, (and concurrent lowering of age
bracket). Now they are doing you the favour, instead of the other way
around…or more accurately, as I always perceived it, working
co-operatively, as professionals, for mutual benefit. Of course,
this is not true of everyone, let me hasten to say, but, true
enough…
Let me point out, btw, that I have walked both sides of this talk- I
was a costume designer myself, for theatre, film, and television for
16 years before morphing into jewelry design, so I come by my
observations honestly and with an historical perspective… When I
worked on (several) network television series,for example, I
routinely took out merchandise on memo for fittings, promptly
returned what we couldn’t use (in original condition), paid for what
we did use, and never demanded or expected freebies. I was
occasionally offered free goods, but since I had no authority to
guarantee them the screen credit in return - I wouldn’t accept them.
But that was Then. Such ethics no longer seem to apply.
On occasion I have lent merchandise to print stylists, allegedly in
exchange for a credit &/or copies of the pictures for my promotional
use. But, in my experience, not once did any of them actually come
across with either the promised credit or the picture-proof. At least
I learned from others’ bad experiences how to get the merchandise
safely back; When I lend or rent anything, I invoice it, and take
either a signed, blank check or a credit card imprint as security,
with specific terms and charges clearly stated against their timely
return. You cannot imagine how many eager souls are willing to just
hand over their work, so starry-eyed that they forget all good sense.
As a jewelry artist now, my work is seen on television and in films
- but the stylists I work with will buy it. So, too, have the actors
on the shows. And, yes, I have lent jewelry to celebrities at times
to wear to awards shows - often even specially designing pieces to
work with the clothes. It’s a great, fun experience - although
sometimes you can find yourself dragged right down the rabbit-hole,
straight into someone’s Adventure in Bi-polar Wonderland. (The
Beautiful People ain’t always Pretty…) I have been promised
"thousands in free publicity" for the honor of having my work worn
for all the world to see, only to have it covered up by a
coat…sometimes the actor makes a conscientious effort to publicize
your name, sometimes not. Publicists have promised to write stories
about me for the news media in trade for my jewelry for themselves or
to massage their actor-clients, only to hedge on the deal and throw
up yet more conditions to be met… It’s all a game.
At this point, if I do it, it’s for my own sense of satisfaction,
for the fun of it, and with my sense of perspective and my sense of
humour well-tuned. I am ever optimistic, but try to stop short of
delusional. I have yet to see any tangible, direct benefit derived
from most of this. But - one never knows… A certain"someone"
earnestly assured me, after receiving compliments on (my) jewelry at
the SAG Awards, that I should expect that Lorraine Braccho, Julianne
Moore and Adrian Brody’s mother will be calling me soon… !
(Oh - and need I mention that I haven’t gotten the promised photos
yet from that one, either - lolol…)
Margery Epstein
and the design was definitely
And well, the closest I got
Anyway, glean