Inside Fashion Houston 2011

Fashion Houston 2011
Wortham Center, October 10-13, 2011

NYC Fashion, NYC production, internationally known fashion designers, with one special twist…Fashion Houston shows are open to the general public! This is huge! Fashion shows in New York, Paris, Milan and Tokyo are exclusively for buyers, celebrities, stylists, media and a few special guests. Real people can’t get near them.

Fashion Houston creator Jared Lang, owner of Momentum Audi, has a passion for fashion and for his community. For the second year in a row, he’s bringing cutting-edge runway fashion shows to Houston and made them accessible to everyone. Every seat has a great view and tickets start at $31 per person!

Fashion Houston is different from other fashion weeks in another important way – you’ll see collections for THIS season. While other cities are showing Spring 2012, you’ll see styles and looks that will inspire outfits that you can wear right now. You’ll see Fall 2011 collections up close and personal from up and comers like Patrick Schwarzenegger (yes, that Schwarzenegger) and Fabiola Arias, local favs like “Project Runway,” Season #2 Winner Chloe Dao and Lifetime TV’s “The Fashion Show” Contestant Caesar Galindo, as well as international super stars like Carmen Marc Valvo and Camilla.

High-end designers are thrilled to show here because they know that Houston takes their fashion seriously. They flock to Houston because there is a huge fashion base here and we spend more on fashion in department stores, boutiques and trunk shows than any other American city. WOW!

For a full list of designers, show schedules, videos of last year’s event and tickets (starting at $31 per person), go to FashionHouston.net.

TV Lesson - Answer THE Question!

The Background: The Fashion World went nuts yesterday...nuts for Missoni at Target. Target has a history of collaborating with with high-end designers to bring great design and fashion to the masses at affordable prices. Yesterday, Target launched it's biggest collection yet - a limited edition line from Missoni. Shoppers crashed Target's website and mobile website and swarmed stores like locusts in their excitement and the merchandise was gone in the blink of an eye.

Glitzy Missoni ads are still running on TV and in print, more than 40 magazines on newsstands have stories about the line, and consumers are hungry for the merchandise.

Meanwhile, Target store shelves are bare, Target's website is STILL down, The Missoni For Target merchandise is already selling on eBay for more 5 times the retail price, and every local and national news organization is covering the story.

The big question on Target shopper's mind is - WILL THERE BE MORE MERCHANDISE??? Most shoppers are disappointed, frustrated, and upset that they can't get the Missoni. Target VP of Communication Dustee Jenkins appeared on GMA this morning and had an incredible opportunity to speak directly to shoppers.

Here's what happened on TV:

The questions were: Will there be more merchandise? Did they plan properly? She could have thanked shoppers for their incredible response, acknowledged the situation directly, and provided some useful information - no, there's no more merchandise. Some shoppers will return items, so you may see some merchandise returned to stores, but we can't predict when and where that will happen. We thought we planned well - we ordered twice as much as we usually do for our designer collaborations, but we didn't anticipate THIS much demand! We're sorry if you didn't get what you want. We will use this information to plan future launches. Thank you for your patience, understanding and for turning out the way you did! This would have built trust with shoppers and helped them remain loyal to the brand despite a bad experience.

Instead, Dustee smugly patted herself on the back for running great pr campaign, flaunted the great line in front of customers that can't get it, and coyly said keep checking back to their stores to see if there's anymore. Way to slap customers in the face Dustee! Target blew the opportunity and fanned the flames of customer frustration instead of informing, appreciating and soothing customers. Bottom line, this is going to cost Target at the cash register and in customer loyalty.

Target knows how to handle this situation. Target has been doing a great job interacting with frustrated customers on Twitter and Facebook. Unfortunately, Dustee blew it in front of millions of viewers and customers. Time to give Dustee the boot (preferably the Missoni zigzag rainboot for Target).

Here's the segment so you can see for yourself...

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

When Is It Okay To Break Fashion Rules?

Labor Day always brings the question…do you have to stop wearing white? The bigger question is “do traditional fashion rules still apply?” And” is it ever okay break the rules?“

From a fashion perspective, the traditional rules don't apply in fashion anymore. The rules of no white after labor day; match belts, bags and shoes; women over ___ shouldn’t wear ___ etc., were created decades ago. The world has changed since then, and so have fashion rules. Now, there's much more opportunity to wear what you like, express yourself, and only wear what's flattering, regardless of the current trends and rules of years gone by.

From an image perspective, it’s useful to look at the effect of breaking with tradition. What does that say about you and what is the impact on other people?

If you are an innovator or creative in the way you work or live, then breaking the old rules is consistent with who you are, what you do and makes sense for your image. If you are in a traditional industry or social setting where stability, predictability, and safety are important, then breaking the fashion rules would create an inconsistent message in your image.

Following or breaking the rules can help you connect with others more deeply or create disconnection. If the people you are working/meeting with are rule-breakers, breaking fashion rules will help you connect with them. They will appreciate your cutting edge approach and have a tendency to trust you more. If you follow the traditional fashion rules, you risk undermining that connection.

If they are more traditional, then breaking past fashion rules will create disconnection. They may make you wrong for breaking the rules and be distracted or put off by your disregard for tradition, and you risk loosing their respect or attention.

As always, the “right” answer depends on who you are, what you do, and who you are with.