Warm-weather leather, lace and printed skinnies were just some of spring’s hottest trends to be showcased at The CUSP Launch at Neiman Marcus Saturday. From darling Alice + Olivia lace maxi skirts to the exquisitely tailored Vince leather jackets, there were enough drool-worthy pieces to fill up any fashionista’s closet. After an afternoon of voting on the best professionally styled ensembles, watching models graze the catwalk in the season’s best CUSP pieces, and even live art entertainment, I was lucky enough to sit down with CUSP manager Beth Wilburn and PR manager Cheresse Pentella to dish on the latest trends, exclusive CUSP designers, and price points that may surprise you and your wallet.
What collections were you most excited to see today?
Beth Wilburn: I really love what Vince has to offer this season as well as Theory with the whole warm weather leather trend. No one does a leather like Theory or Vince. They really do it in different ways, which I think is key, from the leather legging continuing from fall into spring. Theory did that sleeveless leather vest. They both did jackets and leather from black to blue to caramel. But I think Vince and Theory look amazing for spring. I’m really excited for Joie. It started as a top vendor for us and it’s really exploded into more. This is the first season we have seen bottoms from them, pants and shorts and dresses. So with that whole idea of the prints, they really have some great printed pants.
What price point can Neiman Marcus customers expect to find at CUSP?
BW: This whole idea of CUSP was that Neiman Marcus wanted it to have a boutique feel. So we now have accessories, handbags, jewelry and shoes. They’re more at an entry-level price point. We still have the designer labels like Chanel but Sam Edelman is a slightly more approachable price point. So in our separates category, like our tops and denim, a girl can come in and get a great top for less than $200. But we still are offering the more advanced vendors, like Robert Rodriguez and Haute Hippie.
Cheresse Pentella: I still think the price point might be expensive to some but then in our jewelry there could be a really beautiful earring done by a designer for $50. And some of the shoes, like the Sam Edelman, are very price conscious and affordable. I think that’s something from a marketing aspect that Neiman’s as a whole is really trying to incorporate because it’s getting some different types of customers in the different age brackets in and then having them stay for a while as they continue to grow into other labels. I think that’s something that’s interesting, as well. CUSP will continue to grow and get even more names and bigger names, too.
BW: The separates category is being bought very differently. Our buyers used to go and buy full collections. But they’re really changing their way of thinking. If they walk into a showroom and they love three tank tops and they’re $68 to $88, they’re just going to buy a few tank tops. And when we sell through them we will move on to the next thing. It’s very much that whole boutique idea where we have it, sell it, it’s gone. There are definitely things you can get for less than $100, like the Splendid line.
CP: And for the ladies who really want the designers, there are those $500, $600 and $700 pieces. It’s very across the board which I think opens us up to a lot of different kinds of people to come and shop with us, which I think is great.
BW: We’re seeing a lot more of the mother and the daughter customers. And the mother may shop on one side of the department at a slightly more elevated price point and the daughter is shopping on the other side. So it’s really exciting to see that we are getting people in at both price points.
CP: And just because the price point may be affordable, doesn’t mean that it’s not a luxury item and it still has incredible wear and tear. It doesn’t mean it’s something less expensive but not as durable. And even the look of CUSP, it’s so bright and light and engaging. That’s one of the biggest things that I have heard since we re-did everything is that it pulls people in. Even if it may not be for you, you still want to go in and look around. There’s a lot of mixing and matching within the store. You might see someone in fine apparel or couture come down and pair something with CUSP, which I feel didn’t happen as much before.
BW: The whole idea of head-to-toe Theory or head-to-toe Armani is just not the way we style anymore. It is very normal for us to pull a top from CUSP and pair it back to a $2,000 Escada piece.
How long has CUSP been around?
BW: CUSP started as a free-standing store.
CP: St. Louis is the second launch for CUSP stores. There was us and ten others that hadn’t had our CUSP launch yet. Neiman Marcus decided that they wanted all their stores to have CUSP. The stores started their transition in the fall from Contemporary to CUSP. It was January when we were done with all the construction and everything.
BW: Neiman Marcus customers can now expect to see a cusp in every store, which is a big deal because a lot of people would go to Chicago because they had one. And then they would ask why we don’t have one.
Is there anything that sets St. Louis CUSP a part from CUSPS in other cities?
BW: Every CUSP’s vendors vary. Haute Hippie is an exclusive we have. Robert Rodriguez is exclusive to us. And for pre-fall we will be getting Helmut Lang. We are really excited to have Helmut Lang for pre-fall.
BW: Neiman Marcus does a really good job of pinpointing the trends. Another thing that sets us apart as a whole is our shopping experience. Our sales associates aren’t just clerks or sales people, they are stylists. Pulling that show, my sales associates had input. They’re on trend, they know how to style a client.
CP: And they’re personal shoppers. The client can come in and everything is pulled and ready for them.
BW: We have a really good merchant organization. They’re always looking for the next big thing.
CLICK HERE FOR IMAGES FROM THE CUSP LAUNCH EVENT, INCLUDING THE SPRING FASHION SHOW.
