No. 102 // BOUFFANT HAIR BLAIR

THROWBACK // 

Throwing it back to the days of bouffant Blair! This jacket was one of my first RED Valentino purchases and I still adore it! It is so pretty back to a pair of skinny black pants and pumps or with a full skirt and chic flats.

Question: I am interested in pursuing a career in fashion and am interested in merchandising or buying- what are the key differences?

Answer: I give a pretty in depth overview of what merchandising is here – as well more about my career path – but happy to break down what I see as the key differences! Merchandising sees the product from start to finish, working with design and production teams to make the product as well as assort it, color it out, price it, set units against it (depending on the company you are in), and recap selling progress and determine mark downs. Buying typically comes in after product has been complete and determines what (and how much) they want to buy and from there then tracks selling and set mark downs. Merchandising (as I explained it above) only exists in vertical companies. Meaning you would only be a merchant for a brand that creates its own product (J.Crew, Gap, Tory Burch, Coach, etc), whereas buying you could work for a retailer (Shopbop, Nieman Marcus, etc.) and buy ALL the contemporary brands or all shoes for an entire site or store. Some very large companies do have buyers within a vertical brand. As an example, Tory Burch had a merchandising team but then also had buyers for our retail stores, but that is not as common in the industry. Overall merchandising is typically restricted to one brand, but you oversee the entire lifecycle of the product. Buying interacts with many brands, sometime hundreds, but doesn’t typically help create the product or assist in development! Hope that helps!

LINK LOVE // 

Speaking of RED Valentino, their pieces still make my heart sing. This scalloped, plaid cape coat is at the top of my list for fall.

“Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.” – Jim Rohn