Happy Labor Day!

I hope that all the Stateside folks will enjoy a wonderful Labor Day Weekend! I'll be having a little fun but doing lots of work--since I'll be flying out of state next week, I'll need to get caught up on work and errands before I take off. This means (probably) no new posts until another week and a half later.

To salute the hardworking folks who keep this country (and if the folks are not in this country, then in other parts of the world) running, I decided to have a sale in my shop. For the folks that have to forego a vacation and go with a staycation, it'll be a nice little treat.

Have a great holiday!

Doctrine of Equivalents

Since I was talking patents last time, I'll pick up on another patent concept and treat it in a similar fashion.

Manufacturers and retailers often make old dogs play new tricks. After a product has been on the market for a while, and popularity starts to wane, there has to be some type of strategy to recapture the lost loyalists and gain new product users. We're often bombarded by products with boldly-worded labels like New! Improved! 33% more! But is something really new and improved? Or is the new and improved really worth the extra price, which is often sneaked in?

One particularly fascinating strategy is the "less is more" strategy. I'm sure we've all seen things that come in mega rolls or higher-concentrated forms, things that purport to contain just as much as the old product, but fit in a smaller package. Toilet paper, paper towels, and liquid detergent are products that are commonly "reinvented" in this manner. My question is this: are they truly equal? If they are equal in terms of the amount of materials put into the product, are they equal in efficacy?

I believe the answer lies in the portion size you would normally use. I find that if I'm in the habit of using a larger portion of something, it may take a while before I am able to adjust. If I don't adjust in time, I'll end up losing a lot more product than it's worth. However, if you're in a habit of using a fairly small portion of something, the extra absorbance, power, or other specialty attributes will make the consumer feel pretty good.

Another problem with higher concentrations is that the measurements will have to be more precise in order to maximize value. If your measuring skills isn't too great, it is easy to overshot and lose a lot more of the product than when the product is more diffuse, and hence there is a larger margin of error.

What is your take?

Utility, Novelty, and Nonobviousness

The three basic concepts of patent law are utility, novelty, and nonobviousness. Of course, like other terms of art, the meaning of those words are not . . . well, immediately obvious.

Today, however, I will describe a useful item with those words. Remember my ongoing search for the everyday bag? That search has finally ended when I walked into Loehmann's last week with store credit in my pocket. It was a surprisingly easy choice--the moment I saw the Kenneth Cole "Twice is Right" bag, I knew that was "it." It fulfills all of my criteria, and to some extent, surpasses them.

Utility: The main zippered compartment is really roomy. The slouchy shape makes it easy to carry, whether by hand or on the shoulder. The hardware adds some excess weight, but they do make the bag look a little more edgy and equally appealing for work or play (below is a "play" look). Although the front flap appears to be excessive given the zipper, it is actually quite functional. More on that later.

[my own necklace, Trina Turk sweater, Earnest Sewn jeans, Kenneth Cole bag, blue plaid Converse sneakers]

Novelty: The shape of the bag itself isn't all that new or exciting (it even bears a slight resemblance to the Fendy Spy bag), but that might not be such a bad thing. One can't go wrong with a black bag--it's classic and ageless.

Nonobviousness: What I really love about this bag are the easy-to-access outer compartments. As I mentioned before, I hate fumbling for the phones when I really need to get to them quickly. I wanted outer zippered compartments because I didn't want things to fall out, but this bag's cleverly concealed outer compartments, which are huge and secured with strong magnetic clasps, make things easily accessible without compromising security. Now you see it:



And now you don't. Isn't it nifty?

The front flap conceals another of these big outer compartments: embellishment meets function.

On another note, I shortened my first pair of jeans--the pair I wore in the picture above. While I keep a lot of my nicer jeans at longer lengths to go with heels, I did want a few good pairs shortened to go with flats. I chose this particular pair of jeans, which I got during the last weekend of the Barney's warehouse sale, as my first hack at shortening. Since the fabric is not quite so heavy, and because the legs are relatively straight, it was easier to work with them. It took a considerable amount of time to work on this first project, since I had to make tension adjustments, clear out constant jams, and redo some crooked seams. The end result isn't perfect, but it is certainly serviceable and saved me $10.

Richard Chai for Target Review

It's funny how one can walk into the store to look for one thing and end up finding another. At least I didn' t walk out with another.

After my initial enthusiasm at the launch of Luella's collection for Target, indifference has set in. I liked a few things here and there, but I haven't been excited about the entire collection since. This time is different. Many who felt the indifference changed their tune for the latest installment created by Richard Chai. I had no plans to buy anything from the line (just yet, anyway), but I was curious enough to see what got people excited this time.

For me, the tailoring sold me on it. This dress felt like it was literally made for me. While the pattern isn't my thing, the fit definitely is. I wanted to get the navy-colored dress to try on, but there weren't any left. This dress fits true to size. It also fits curves very well.


My next favorite piece is the pair of gray striped skinny pants . . . and this is coming from a person who doesn't do skinny jeans, as they usually make my backside look huge. The fit is very flattering, and I love the stripes and color. I've been wanting a pair of gray jeans, which would be a nice variation in my blue denim rotation. The pants are definitely something I'll hunt for once the markdowns begin.

It seems like simple, clean lines is the theme of the collection, both in terms of the tailoring and the prints. The print on this dress is simply lovely. It is also used as the lining of a super-cute white coat, which is another item I'm lusting after. The dress is cute and very easy to wear . . . once you can actually manage to get it on. The armholes are just too small, and since the dress doesn't have a zipper, the armholes make it difficult to put on and take off the dress. It's another item that would be nice to pick up from the clearance racks later, provided that it is available at one size up.

While the t-shirt and shorts are cute, I prefer the dressier pieces. Apparently a lot of people also have that inclination--many pieces I liked and in my sizes were already snapped up by the time I got to the store.

I am definitely impressed by this collection--for being a budget line, the tailoring is wonderful. The clothes are very wearable by large segments of the population; as much as I loved the Luella collection, the bright colors and edgy styles aren't for everyone. The Richard Chai for Target collection is true to the Target mantra of "Design for All."