Bloomingdale's is taking new steps to lure in the designer customer to its stores. The event brings customers and designers together for a fashion show, discussion and giveaways.
On Tuesday, the department store held its first Designer Collections Signature event — an all-afternoon happening to lure shoppers to the fourth floor of its 59th Street flagship and get them to dig into their wallets. Brian Reyes, Charles Chang-Lima and Lisa Perry made appearances; there were vendor reps for Donna Karan, Sonia Rykiel, Michael Kors, Herve Leger and Giorgio Armani's Collezioni and Black Label, and models informally presented key pieces from the new collections.
Bloomingdale's also offered a $1,000 "bMoney" gift card for every purchase of over $2,000, and customers filled out ballots for a copy of the $200 La Femme Rykiel book.
"We are approaching a transformation in retail and I think we are all reevaluating our events," said Stephanie Solomon, vice president and fashion director for women's ready-to-wear and accessories at Bloomingdale's.
Bloomingdale's had invited its key new designers and merchandised its collections in a way that the clothing racks were positioned in the middle of the floor. "The idea that the customer was able to get the look now without having to search for it was a big success," Solomon said, adding shoppers had the chance to try on clothes, come out of the dressing room and meet the designer — all while enjoying food and wine and DJ'd music. "These are ingredients that make for exciting retail," she said.
The personal touch and small scale of the event seemed to work well for the retail chain. Clearly there are some good minds tackling the challenges that face retailers as the recession drags on.
Bloomingdale's is taking new 
