Posts Tagged ‘Hitha Prabhakar’

So excited to use our SFG flip cams for FW10, originally uploaded by Style File Group.

Since I started blogging I’ve tried to come up with new and fun ways to document my life. That’s why when someone put a Flip Mino HD in my hand a year ago I was DYING. My friends and I marveled at the resolution of the picture and the size of the device. Being video journalists we were so used to lugging around huge cameras– this fit right in our handbags! For Mercedes Benz Fashion Week FW10, the nice people at Flip video let us design our own Mino HDs (notice the Style File Group logo on the camera and in Pantone color violet for SS10) to record our lives. To create your own go to www.theflip.com.

Wal-Mart Reorganizes, Strikes Deal With Li & Fung:

Interesting… let’s see if Wal-Mart will be able to get it  right this time. But with a partnership with Li & Fung I have a feeling they will.

It’s almost here! Fashion Week is one of our busiest times of the year, so to help out and to ensure a smooth Fashion Week 2010 we are looking for an intern to help us take video and pictures at some of the shows. This is a great opportunity for a student to gain access to the tents and add to your resume! We are looking for someone who is truly dedicated, professional, great with social media, web and video! If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, send us your resume to info@hithaprabhakar.com

I find it strange how 99% of retailers are scrambling to get the consumer to start spending and build customer loyalty through rewards programs, etc., (Eye on you Amazon (AMZN), Target (TGT) and Best Buy (BBY)) meanwhile they have some of the worst return policies on the planet! This morning I discussed the best and worst return policies on NPR’s “The Takeaway.” Really JCrew (JCG)? Are you REALLY not going to let me return a sale item for a full refund? Ugh. Here are my notes from the interview:

What do you think is the ideal/fair return policy?
I think a full refund (which very few stores rarely do) is fair, OR return/exchange a gift without a reciept which is what H&M is doing. Target (TGT) is also sort of doing that just as long as the price of gift does not exceed $70 in one year.

What do you think is an unfair policy?

Definitely “final sale” at J Crew (JCG) on sale items. What is that all about? Also,

Amazon (AMZN) has 29 different product-specific return policies in addition to it’s regular one for example:
-most unopened items can be returned within 30 days
-items they do not accept back: Hazardous materials, Kindles (after 30 days), downloadable software products, gourmet baskets, health and beauty products, some jewelry
AND If the value is $75 must have a tracking method, items at $500 must be insured. If you are missing orgininal documentation, there will be a 15% re-stocking fee. Annoying!

JC Penny (JCP) requires special occasion dresses to be returned with the “return tag” still in place which prevents people from
wardrobing i.e., buying wearing once, and then returning it.

Overstock.com has a 60% restocking fee for some open used or late items.

Office Max will not accept returns of opened cameras and software unless it is defective.

I don’t think a lot of people are fully aware of these return policies at these stores.

What kind of the hardest items to return?
Undergarments, swimsuits, software, electronics (due to restocking fees, shorter time to return the item and sometimes stores won’t take them back at all).

If I have to retun a gift for a store online do you have suggestions on how to make this return as EASY as possible?
Do your research- most stores do not post their return policies for example, Best Buy lengthened its holiday return period for most items by one to three weeks (until Jan. 31st) but computers still have their 14 day return policy so computer bought on Black Friday can not be returned.

Ask about re-stocking fees: If an item is open add the fee, 30% from Overstock.com, Macys, 15%

Be aware of the tier method (what Amazon and Best Buy (BBY) are doing) : apparel that might have a different date you can return at vs. different than electronics

Buy things on your credit card in case you lose your reciepts: I tend to have about 1,000 slips of paper in my wallet/handbag and the most important reciepts get lost in the tsunami of paper. If you put purchases on your credit card the retailer can pull it up your purchase more quickly.

How GORGEOUS does Rachel Bilson look here? This was taken at the Giuseppe Zanotti party at Fashion’s Night Out.

An $850 million acquisition of online retailer Zappos.com by Amazon. The Sex and the City sequel where extras are clamouring for Carrie Bradshaw’s shoes. Children’s footwear posting an 11.8% dollar volume in sales increase. While the retail industry in almost all areas is experiencing one of the worst economic downturns in recent history, the shoe industry in the last three months has proven to be a bright light at the end of a very dark, damp, dismal, depressing tunnel.

“When the product is right and offers multiple reasons for wear, the purchases will come,” according to Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst for The NPD Group in an interview done by just-style.com.

“Consumers are showing they want footwear and are willing to show their passion on their feet rather than on their backs.”

Cohen’s sentiments could not be more true considering what I saw Mercedes- Benz fashion week. While the most of the collections had buyers barely raising an eyebrow, the shoes on the runway caught everyone’s attention. here are some of my favorites:

Check out these Giuseppe Zanotti for Balmain animal print boots. Yes they are priced at over $1,000 but guess what? People are buying them like crazy. Why? Because this country’s mantra when it comes to spending is “where there’s a will, there’s a way.” We’ll discuss that later.

Another Giuseppe Zanotti for Balmain boot. Awesome right?

These are my FAVORITE.

Again, another crazy pair of shoes from Giuseppe Zanotti. What would you wear these with?

I think Rhianna was eyeing these…

While it’s not really my thing to a) spend upwards of $300 on a pair of shoes and b) purchase anything at full retail price, these shoes were worth talking about because they are metallic. I have several pairs of metallic shoes and they are the best accessories in my closet!

Hitha Prabhakar @ Mercedes-Benz FashionWeek – Lunch from Hitha Prabhakar on Vimeo.

It’s been an INSANE 48 hours as you can see from my previous posts. And while I could probably tell you details about all the clothes I saw down the runway, give you my opinion (btw, I not a fashion critic), I am gonna go ahead and give you an insider’s look as to how we eat during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Basically whatever we can get…

I am seriously OBSESSED with getting my hair done. So obsessed, I refused to wash my hair with regular hotel shampoo and style it myself because I wanted it to look PERFECT. And for 20 quid, this blow out was SO worth it. Topshop blow outs = A++ in my book!

Yay! Smooth, straight and clean hair! from Hitha Prabhakar on Vimeo.

Right in the middle of my blow out I realized a) Patrick, my amazing stylist at Frederic Fekkai, cut my hair way too short for my taste (cute if I wanted to be a full time anchor, but I don’t) and b) it’s all about the round brush for smooth and straight hair!!

Part two: Hitha discovers the “round brush” from Hitha Prabhakar on Vimeo.