You Won’t Believe Who I Saw at Kohl’s

By ZARAH CRAWFORD
NEW YORK TIMES

SimplyVera
Kohl’s, Ceasar’s Bay Bazaar, 8973 Bay Parkway, Brooklyn; (718) 266-6357
ATMOSPHERE This huge store feels empty on a weekday afternoon, and it’s easy and strangely pleasant to believe you’re the only shopper alive.

SERVICE The staff is friendly, but their presence is low-key, almost to the point of being invisible. This lack of service actually makes for an enjoyable shopping experience.

WORTH NOTING Up to 20 pieces will be added to the SimplyVera line each month, so it’s worth checking Kohl’s Web site (kohls.com) to have a chance at the pickings.

I WAS waiting in the checkout line of the hangarlike Kohl’s store at Ceasar’s Bay Bazaar in Brooklyn, my arms full of clothes, when a white-haired lady sidled up to me. “Looks like someone’s getting a lot of Wang,” she whispered. She was right. And frankly, I was as surprised as anyone.

The SimplyVera label, introduced this month, is the result of the seemingly unlikely marriage between Vera Wang, the A-list celebrity wedding dress-fashion designer, and Kohl’s, the department store chain that describes itself as “value-oriented.” For both partners it is a risky collaboration. Despite a label stable with gems like Chaps, the Ralph Lauren line that sounds like a ’70s leather bar; and the stylings of the onetime MTV host Daisy Fuentes, Kohl’s has no real track record with high fashion. And it remains to be seen whether Ms. Wang’s luxury stocks will drop now that her creations can be found hanging cheek-to-jowl with Mom jeans.

When I arrived at the store, I asked a woman who was stacking shelves how well the new Vera Wang line was selling. “Too well,” she said. “I’m back here at least every hour.”

Her answer surprised me because apart from the occasional matron in a tracksuit shuffling along behind a shopping cart, the store seemed virtually empty. Whether this was because of the sheer scale of the site, which once housed Brooklyn’s largest flea market, or the racetrack aisle, a layout that moves shoppers in a large circle around the perimeter of the store, was hard to say. But the sense of wandering like the Omega Man through a vast, depopulated retail landscape was strangely relaxing, and perversely luxurious.

There were no visible sales clerks to offer either the intrusion or indifference that passes for service at more upmarket stores. No one was even stationed outside the dressing rooms to count how many garments I had before telling me I’d have to put some back while sullenly handing me a plastic number. Reveling in my autonomy and anonymity, I went back and forth with armfuls of clothes, trying on everything, without eliciting as much as, “How are you doing in there?”

Happily for me, the Vera line had been on the floor for only a couple of days, and Ms. Wang had yet to make her Sept. 14 promotional appearance on Oprah. So while some of the smaller sizes were sold out — Kohl’s sizing is forgiving, and an M here can often be equivalent to a standard XL — most of the key pieces were still in stock.

MS. WANG’S first collection for Kohl’s is a slightly diluted version of the coquettish grunge she has explored under her own imprimatur. Her penchant for layering — voluminous skirts, coats and chunky knits over more body-conscious foundation garments — has allowed her to create a series of high-fashionish silhouettes out of very wearable individual components.

Thus wardrobe basics like a poplin wraparound shirt ($59) and “denim appearance” jeans ($50) are presented alongside a long belted jacket with short puffed sleeves ($129), which I bought, and a bubble skirt in inky floral jacquard ($98), which I didn’t. I loved the skinny fit of cotton poor-boy cardigans ($48) and silk mix spenders ($34) and grabbed two of each in black and charcoal.

Despite being the most expensive of Kohl’s brands, some SimplyVera items suffer more than others from the pressure to deliver designer aesthetics at a budget price. Handbags, at $49 to $99, are more “Ick!” than “It” — although the fact that no animals were harmed in their making, beyond the occasional tummy tuck’s worth of patent leather trim, may win them points with a penny-wise vegan crowd.

In general, the shoes, too, have a cut-price look to their finish, and to their stylings at times, without actually being competitively priced. High-heel Mary Janes ($69.99) are serviceable enough. But models like Latte ($64.99), the woebegone offspring of a clog and a mule, and Demitazza ($59.99), bejeweled satin ballet flats with a frayed finish that gives them the appearance of having been gnawed on by a dog, seem almost patronizing, as though Ms. Wang was consciously playing down to her new mass audience.

Kohl’s vision for SimplyVera is that of a luxury, albeit affordable, lifestyle brand. Accordingly, there is a small range of lacy but undistinguished lingerie ($9 to $48), as well as sleepwear, towels and bedding. Of the nighties, Empire-line chemises ($34) have a slightly deconstructed rawness that makes them look expensive, but because they are 100 percent polyester, wearers should probably exercise caution when cavorting before naked flames.

Interestingly, it is with the bedding ($49.99 to $389) that Ms. Wang most betrays her bridal roots. Fussy satin bolsters, cushions and coverlets with embroidered floral sprays seem designed purely with the emasculation of husbands in mind.

Ms. Wang has said that she views SimplyVera as an opportunity to democratize her design and to “dress more people.” A few boho blouses and some ruched capri leggings hardly make her the next Walter Gropius. But in fairness, her first attempt at creating interesting, affordable design is a success, particularly in terms of sales, which are the ultimate measure. Pieces I saw in the store a few days ago are now selling for triple on eBay, making the couple of hundred dollars I spent seem like a good investment.

There was only one thing about my Kohl’s experience that palled. At checkout, the cashier carefully removed all the nice black SimplyVera hangers. “These have to go back,” she said. The woman behind me perfectly summed up my feelings. “If I’m spending over a hundred dollars,” she said, “Girl, you know I want my hanger!”

Vera deals.(The Month in Fashion) Date: May 1, 2006 Author: Karimzadeh, Marc | Copyright information COPYRIGHT 2006 Fairchild Publications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.

The big talk on the first day of New York Fashion Week in February: Vera Wang was being courted by Irvine, California--based fashion house St. John to be its creative director. St. John has been looking to steer the business in a more fashionable direction ever since creative director Kelly Gray's departure last July. Wang, who dressed Keira Knightley and Michelle Williams at this year's Oscars, certainly fits the bill. There was just one hitch: The designer was also talking to Haim Dabah, chairman and chief executive officer of Regatta Pacific Alliance, about creating a lower-priced line for Kohl's Department Stores.