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The famous design duo with bags of experience
By Samantha Critchel |
October 17, 2010, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
RICHARD Lambertson and John Truex are rock stars at the flagship Fifth Avenue Tiffany & Co store. Their new collection of leather goods has men buying purple wallets and women lining up at mirrors to model bags from the design duo.
There was even an autograph moment on a recent visit, when a woman asked them to sign three pricey purses for her daughters. The two were happy to oblige: The boom feels good a year and a half after they landed in bankruptcy court and their namesake line was sold to Tiffany.
The first few months was spent absorbing the atmosphere, Lambertson says: getting to know people who shop at Tiffany and understanding the different demographics of a variety of locations.
While the New York store attracts a lot of professionals and tourists, both needing totes, Palm Beach, Florida, has snowbirds looking for luggage. The duo collected tearsheets from magazines and newspapers depicting shoppers, making up backstories about whether a particular person had a vacation home or if they were travelers.
They still watch the way customers feel the leather, flip a bag over the shoulder and compare weights of various wallets. Even with their own expertise, there remains something to be learned from customers, Lambertson says.
Truex never doubted their ability to create products that people want, sometimes enough to pay thousands of dollars for them. A croc tote bag on the Tiffany website, for example, is listed at US$8,500.
Their work is worthy of "the Tiffany experience," says Jon King, the company's executive vice president. "Their vision and mastery of the craft combined with the skill of the finest Italian artisans have produced a leather collection of timeless simplicity."
The admiration is mutual. Partnering with a famous retailer that has already carved its place in the heart of the public offers an almost limitless marketplace, Truex says.
"Luxury isn't necessarily a brand name," he says. "The thought process and design details matter. With something like a US$1,200 price tag, we don't want you to carry it for only a season. We want to give you something for the cost."
He ticks off things to look for:
- It should be one movement to put a bag in position on the body.
- The length of the strap or handle should accommodate the season, with longer ones in the winter to allow for bulky coats or gloves.
- Hardware should be manageable with one hand. If it takes two to open a bag or get into a pocket, it is one too many.
- Credit cards, business cards or ID badges should slide in and out with ease.
It's more than ease or ergonomics, however: the best purses or totes make the wearer feel good. "When you see a woman looking in a mirror, trying on a new handbag, she's looking at herself, not the bag. She'll fix her hair and her jacket, and that's the way it should be," Lambertson says.
There was even an autograph moment on a recent visit, when a woman asked them to sign three pricey purses for her daughters. The two were happy to oblige: The boom feels good a year and a half after they landed in bankruptcy court and their namesake line was sold to Tiffany.
The first few months was spent absorbing the atmosphere, Lambertson says: getting to know people who shop at Tiffany and understanding the different demographics of a variety of locations.
While the New York store attracts a lot of professionals and tourists, both needing totes, Palm Beach, Florida, has snowbirds looking for luggage. The duo collected tearsheets from magazines and newspapers depicting shoppers, making up backstories about whether a particular person had a vacation home or if they were travelers.
They still watch the way customers feel the leather, flip a bag over the shoulder and compare weights of various wallets. Even with their own expertise, there remains something to be learned from customers, Lambertson says.
Truex never doubted their ability to create products that people want, sometimes enough to pay thousands of dollars for them. A croc tote bag on the Tiffany website, for example, is listed at US$8,500.
Their work is worthy of "the Tiffany experience," says Jon King, the company's executive vice president. "Their vision and mastery of the craft combined with the skill of the finest Italian artisans have produced a leather collection of timeless simplicity."
The admiration is mutual. Partnering with a famous retailer that has already carved its place in the heart of the public offers an almost limitless marketplace, Truex says.
"Luxury isn't necessarily a brand name," he says. "The thought process and design details matter. With something like a US$1,200 price tag, we don't want you to carry it for only a season. We want to give you something for the cost."
He ticks off things to look for:
- It should be one movement to put a bag in position on the body.
- The length of the strap or handle should accommodate the season, with longer ones in the winter to allow for bulky coats or gloves.
- Hardware should be manageable with one hand. If it takes two to open a bag or get into a pocket, it is one too many.
- Credit cards, business cards or ID badges should slide in and out with ease.
It's more than ease or ergonomics, however: the best purses or totes make the wearer feel good. "When you see a woman looking in a mirror, trying on a new handbag, she's looking at herself, not the bag. She'll fix her hair and her jacket, and that's the way it should be," Lambertson says.
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