Tamara Mellon is changing the way women think about retail
The British designer debuts her own ready-to-wear collection, which hit’s stores next year.
The designer, who has worked at British Vogue and is most recognized for co-founding Jimmy Choo, walked away from the brand in 2011 in order to start her own ready-to-wear collection. This time around she is dancing to the beat of her own drum.
Tamara Mellon has radically restructured her distribution system. Instead of showing winter clothes in the summer and summer clothes in the winter, Mellon plans to release her collection on a monthly basis, enabling women to purchase items when they actually need them.
Mellon is creating the pieces that she has always desired, but could never find in traditional retail environments. Most notably, she created a pair of legging boots, which are quickly being coveted by editors everywhere. The legging boots will look great with a large sweater, a boyfriend tee or even under a mini skirt. She also designed a sweater set, although this one is slightly untraditional –it has a thin sweater with a matching cashmere bra. Tamara Mellon had created a collection with traditional pieces that were easy to transition from day to night, mainly because she hates changing outfits. She wants beautiful clothes that are multi-function.
Tamara designed her first ready-to-wear collection for the glamorous woman who is independent and laid back, but who also appreciates serious luxury. The line has been labeled “woman-friendly” but Mellon calls her collection “attainable luxury,” with skirts and jackets in the $500 range and dresses in the $800 range. She firmly believes that women are much more likely to purchase an $800 dress as opposed to a $2000 dress. The price range and style of her collection would be similar to that of Alexander Wang’s ready-to-wear line.
Next year, she will be opening two stores – one in London, and one in New York, and she will also be selling her collection online. Luckily, the wait is almost over and with her monthly distribution system, we won’t have to wait for months for her fabulous clothes to hit stores.
