CHICAGO — On a gray fall day about 30 miles north of the city in the tree-lined suburb of Winnetka, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen were making a personal appearance at Neapolitan Collection.
The sisters, clad in black winter coats, stood toward the back of the glossy boutique and chatted with customers about everything from their favorite pieces from The Row’s resort collection to their store on Melrose Avenue, which also carries furniture.
An in-store designer appearance of this magnitude is not rare for the North Shore retailer. In October, Wes Gordon spent two full days — in the midst of the busy CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund competition — to host his trunk show there. Other designers who have ventured out to the Midwest boutique include Derek Lam, Gilles Mendel of J. Mendel, Irene Neuwirth and Federica Rettore — who flew in from Milan just to promote her jewelry.
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“People always love to meet the face behind the brand,” said Kelly Golden, owner of Neapolitan Collection, who’s planning 12 trunk shows this fall and brings in about three designers each season. “Wes [Gordon] got our season off to a good start. A lot of the designers come in for a couple hours or one day and for him to spend a couple days here, it’s amazing. Who wouldn’t want to be styled by the designer themselves?”
Gordon now has Neapolitan on his trunk show schedule twice a year. It’s something, he said, he looks forward to each season.
“At this point, all of Kelly’s clients are friends,” said Gordon. “I’m a young designer and it’s a small company. As much as it’s important for sales, it’s also important for brand building and recognition. I come, I see the same faces, I know all the pieces they have in their wardrobe and it’s fun for me to have that relationship.”
The 4,000-square-foot store, whose racks also feature names like Dior, Valentino, Victoria Beckham and Saint Laurent, celebrated its 10-year anniversary last year. It now has the luxury of experience to attract top names.
And numbers talk. Sales for Wes Gordon’s trunk show were up 50 percent over last year, reaching into the six figures over the course of the event.
“It takes a while to build up the credibility,” said Golden, who holds an MBA and worked in executive recruiting before opening her store. “Dior is not going to do a trunk show the first season. Now, clients ask, ‘when is the Derek Lam trunk show?’”
In addition to offering an array of seasonal trunk shows, Golden tries to set the store apart with a one-of-a-kind designer assortment.
“Designers will often pitch ‘this is the most popular dress,’ so I’ll pick up the dress in a different color or length. Our customers want something that is not everywhere,” she said. “It’s the kiss of death if it’s everywhere or a star has worn it. Social media is great for the brand in general but not for that piece. By the time that piece is in the store, people are over it.”
For Gordon, trunk shows offer an education he didn’t get in school.
“I started the company when I was right out of school,” said Gordon, who does about six trunk shows a season at retailers around the country. “Doing trunk shows teaches you something that a design school could never have taught you. You learn who your woman is, how she lives, her life and what she’s looking for. It’s an honor to get to come here.”