The Business of Style: I Haven't Got Time for the Vague

So this week, my Outlook has been saturated with e-mails from designers, showrooms, boutiques and fashion reps all looking for the same thing.

That coveted spot in our “Introducing” article or a place in the sleek revolving “Ones to Watch” yet alas each e-mail has neglected to have the two key things that will take the message from “skim”to “reply” a photo of the product and price point.

On Monday I thought, surely this was just a quick oversight by someone bogged down with back to work week business.

On Tuesday I figured maybe it was a request to get information before giving information.

But then Wednesday, I found myself reading Elle magazine, dreaming of a 1940’s Stephen Russell cuff to wear to the Art Institute's opening of the Modern wing and I noticed only one price tag attached to the entire page. This was not just a “if you have to ask you cannot afford it moment. Fashion filers everywhere are leaving out key information. It wasn’t just me…

Thursday I received a forward from a colleague informing me of an initiative at Madison Square Gardens for Fall 09 where Charitable Fashion Shows will be held throughout the month of September, however the Press Release could not mentionany details aside from naming themselves the “New York Fashion Week Organization”, and citing that “more details were to come”, which got me to thinking.

I haven’t got time for the vague (hum it to Carly Simon’s little ditty… trust me, it’s catchy).

Is the world so messed up by the economy that they a) are afraid to tell people how much things cost and b) when launching a new project they are so scared to market the thing to it’s potential in case of sponsorship fall-out, that no news is better that any news?

Consultants and strategists are predicting that “ease” is what is going to push business to the next level. For consumers that might mean more on-line shopping. For business owners it might mean diversifying their existing business to build a larger customer base.

For editors, that means, giving us as much information as you can so we can see your product in multiple stories. It eleviates the disdain of, “well come back to this later when we get more information”. We want to give you press. In this busy time of oversaturated markets we are looking for that diamond in the rough so if you answer Who, What, When, Where, Why, How for us, then we might answer back with some publicity for you.