Marie Antoinette was a style icon too
by digby
This depressed me as much as anything this week, I don’t really know why. I guess I just keep viscerally rejecting the idea that some women actually like that misogynist cretin. I know they do and yet I still can’t wrap my mind around it.
Ivanka Trump’s clothing and accessories brand saw a spike in sales in February, according to the company’s president and market research data.
Abigail Klem, who took over as president of the brand after President Donald Trump’s daughter stepped down in January, said the company has seen near-unprecedented success since last month.
“Since the beginning of February, they were some of the best performing weeks in the history of the brand,” Klem said in a statement. “For several different retailers Ivanka Trump was a top performer online, and in some of the categories it was the [brand’s] best performance ever.”
While the company does not publicly share sales figures, recent market research reports backed up Klem’s statement.
Lyst, a British e-commerce website that sells thousands of different brands, said sales of Ivanka Trump products increased 346 percent between January and February, while sales of the brand are up 557 percent over last year. Ivanka Trump was the site’s 11th most popular brand in February, up from 550th in January.
“To see such an extreme spike in one month is completely unheard of and came as a huge surprise to us,” Lyst spokeswoman Sarah Tanner told the BBC earlier this week.
Ivanka Trump’s clothing line is selling well, even though she has formally stepped back from the company and there have recently been boycotts of retailers that carry the brand.
Market research firm Slice Intelligence, which tracks purchases from 4.4 million consumers who have allowed the firm to analyze their email receipts, saw a 207 percent increase in purchases of Ivanka Trump products between January and February. (The same firm reported a 26 percent drop in the brand’s sales in January over the same month of the previous year.)Amazon, one of the most high-profile retailers carrying Ivanka Trump products, did not immediately respond to a request for sales figures for the brand. However, Ivanka Trump perfume is currently the website’s best-selling fragrance.
And a company spokesperson said sales of the brand were up by 21 percent in 2016 over the previous year’s sales.
That spike may be attributable to increased public interest in the Trump family over the last year. The February sales surge coincided with the president’s first month in office, during which Ivanka Trump made multiple high-profile appearances, including at the inauguration and the president’s address to a joint session of Congress.
The surge also came after several stores, including Nordstrom, dropped or stopped promoting the clothing line amid calls for boycotts against companies that sell Trump family products.
Following Nordstrom’s announcement, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway urged consumers to “go buy Ivanka’s stuff.”
“I’m going to give a free commercial here,” she said Feb. 9 during an appearance on “Fox & Friends.” “Go buy it today, everybody. You can find it online.”
Many ethics experts condemned Conway’s remarks, and the Office of Government Ethics called on the White House to discipline her for potentially violating a rule prohibiting officials from using their positions of power to promote products. However, the White House declined to penalize Conway, arguing the comment was made “in a light, off-hand manner.”
The president himself attacked Nordstrom for dropping Ivanka Trump products, tweeting that the department store chain treated his daughter “unfairly.”
I guess all those women who love a man who just grabs ’em by the pussy out of the blue are excited to wear Trump’s name.
Here’s a little humor to leaven the depression from Cathy Lew at the New Yorker who “interviewed” Ivanka about fashion:
How do you define “style”?It’s a diamond-encrusted watch that doesn’t lose its lustre when you’re baking chocolate-chip cookies with your children. It’s a fitted blazer that inspires confidence, whether you’re jetting to playdates or jetting to meetings you’re not authorized to attend. It’s makeup that feels “barely there,” which is coincidentally how I will describe my presence in the White House during congressional hearings years from now.
What trends are you anticipating in 2017?
People say New York is the fashion capital of the world, but since moving to D.C. I’ve noticed that the color of the season isn’t black—it’s pink! I’ve always had a keen eye for fashion trends, and I’ve noticed that oddly shaped pink headgear is so popular right now. Pink headgear is popping up everywhere—on the streets and Instagram feeds, even in the pages of teen magazines. I plan on putting my own Ivanka Trump pink hat into production for spring. I’ll be adding some of my signature flourishes to the design—that is, I would be, if I were still involved with my company, which I’m most certainly not!
What are some of your fashion challenges?
Definitely airport style: creating a fashion-forward look that’s also pragmatic is always a challenge when you’re travelling with little ones. But lately I’ve found that the bigger challenge is just getting to the airport! There are so many delays, congestion is an absolute nightmare, and, for whatever reason, airports have become a cool place for young people with colorful posters to hang out. It can be stressful, which is why I always recommend comfortable stilettos, a slouchy Ivanka Trump All-Day Tote™, and flying on Air Force One whenever possible.
Who are your fashion icons?
My family, of course—the style I have curated continues to inspire me. For casual looks, I think Taylor Swift has an amazing all-American vibe that is chic and refreshing. She and I share so much in common, from our fashion sense to the way we are always talking about women’s equality. If only I could sing like her! For more of a vintage, feminine date-night look, I love Marie Antoinette and her aesthetic. I once studied abroad in Paris, and ever since haven’t been able to stop thinking about her elegant gowns.
What do you carry in your purse?
I can’t live without my day planner, the Ivanka Trump Two-in-One Pocket Calendar and Wallet Clutch™ in ivory and gold. I designed it with my hectic life in mind, and then I realized it would be selfish if I didn’t make it available to the rest of the world’s working women. I always carry a handwritten copy of my recipe for banana-bran muffins so that I can change the topic of conversation at a moment’s notice. (Ask me about the secret ingredient!) I also never leave the house without a small bottle of my favorite fragrance, which is a signature blend of freshly cut grass from Mar-a-Lago and Old Bay seasoning from the Trump Grill. And then, of course, a few pacifiers for my dad—for when he babysits the kids!
What trend needs to go?
It’s time to say goodbye to puffy coats. They’re not particularly flattering, and we are so lucky that this has been one of the warmest winters in history. Who can explain why temperatures have hit record highs in March? I like to think of it as a little gift from the fashion gods!