“I Mean…What?!?” – Abe Gurko

Shutter at the thought. Over the past ten years, retailers became drunken sailors, opening stores like they were going out of business. Well, you know what I mean. But it was the act of opening so many doors that they are now faced with the perception that they are failing miserably. In an effort to keep their heads above water, they have no choice but to shut down these superfluous outlets. The list is pretty serious. Saks Fifth Avenue is closing five department stores this year and the CEO hints that there might be more than that. They are experiencing… Read More »

What in tarnation is going on in New York City with all these bedbug outbreaks? It used to be that mice and cockroaches were the big evil that plagued our city, but bed bugs? Really? I am breching (vomit in Yiddish). Bedbugs have been discovered recently in theaters, clothing stores, office buildings, housing projects, posh apartments and hotels. Gross! The city fielded 11,000 complaints about bedbugs last year. The thing that is sooo gross about bedbugs is that they make crabs look like the bug of choice. A little pubic scrub and some laundry and off you go…being the town… Read More »

So, Target is under fire for making a generous contribution to a wanna-be, fag-bashing hater in Minnesota. That is, after all, the Mecca of style…downmarket style anyway. Target is such a contradiction of terms. Who is their “target” consumer? We see by walking into any store who is stocking up on child-labor made goodies. Whenever I enter the few stores that are a stones throw from Manhattan, I think, “Am I in Kansas? Where do these people come from?” However, Target is brilliant at all levels of marketing and public relations, well, except for the current fag-hating thing. Their visuals… Read More »

Nothing is garnering more media attention than Fashion’s Night Out. Not the Oscars, the MTV Music Awards, New York Fashion Week, Snooki. Nothing.  When we look at what drove Anna Wintour to devise one of the greatest marketing plans on Earth, we see at the core, a beautiful, well-intended, generous, spirited gem of an idea. “Bring people back to the stores.” Funny, that when George Bush said the same thing after 9-11, that people should just “Go Shopping”, it was met with mixed emotions. Actually, Democrats were apoplectic. But if you think about it…it was a good idea. When is… Read More »

Literally…I die. I die every time I watch The Rachel Zoe Project because she dies so many times that I die watching her die. Last night, she almost died doing the Naomi Campbell Fashion For Relief: Haiti event. When Rachel pulls Brad, her trusted sidekick, aside after meeting the Haitian male model, forcing a tear saying, “I have a thing about Haitians…they are like the nicest people in the world….it’s like every time I meet a Haitian….I…like…know how sweet and kind they are….I say…are you Haitian…and like they say yes.” Well, I thought I was going to die. Last night’s… Read More »

Oh, admit it. You were just sitting there, waiting for Adam Levine from Maroon 5 to announce that he is doing a new clothing line. Right? Chances are you were not a tween and have nothing that you can purchase from Madonna’s Material Girl collection currently at Macy’s. And there was not much by way of smart tailoring at  Jay’s Z‘s or P. Diddy‘s collections that have you rushing to the stores either. And you are not a size 2, so squeezing into Posh Spice’s Victoria Beckham collection is not happening either. And like me, you are still holding on for… Read More »

What started out as a great way to connect college students has turned into a key marketing strategy for many industries…most notably…fashion. When you think that a bunch of beer keggers were the original sought out members of this non-elite community, one can’t fathom how that changed to the point where now, so many fashion designers are retooling their public relations efforts to reach their audience through such a down-market channel. Most of the people trolling Facebook would otherwise be shunned. You too can be a member of the Chanel or the Oscar de la Renta fan club. The thing… Read More »

There has not been this much talk about a dress since J Lo wore that green, Versace scarf number. In case you have been under a rock, I am referring to Chelsea Clinton‘s Vera Wang number. The cover of today’s Women’s Wear Daily declares Chelsea’s Moment, but in truth, it is Vera Wang‘s. Miss Wang, known mostly for her wedding collections could not have asked for a better PR moment than the Clinton wedding. Her ready-to-wear collections are much more modern and edgy than her frothy wedding gowns. Though Vera receives a good amount of attention and editorial for her… Read More »

There is a great article in Sundays’ The New York Times Magazine about Fat Fashion called Plus-Size Wars. It is appropriately titled, because the Battle of the Bulge is a lifetime commitment, most often, a losing one at that. Fat and Fashion rolled into the same conversation is not the sexiest of topics, however it is a growing (no pun intended) market, yet the F word still has its adverse effects on the industry. No one wants to be called fat. Having been a fat child, I know all too well how painful it is to be ridiculed for just… Read More »

OK Kiddies…I Mean…What?!? is having our first Twitter Promotion. And it is quite a groovy prize indeed. Follow I MEAN…WHAT?!? on Twitter and retweet the message below and you will be entered to win a cool, G-STAR outfit. I just entered to win a G-Star Raw outfit from @Imeanwhat. More details here: http://bit.ly/IMWcontest #IMWGstar… Read More »