Optiboard's Re-Birth

[DanLiv]

Saw Liz Claiborne today.
Previewed Under Armour.

Liz is getting a huge boost because Saks is gone and Liz will take it's place in the lineup. I'm happy with it too, more modern than Saks and lots of petite options. I'm going to have to find a LOL replacement, that's what I has Saks for.

UA is new and should get a ton of development, especially with news that SMITH is being handed back to an independent sales company (like it was prior to three years ago) and is going to back to exclusively sun, the entire SMITH ophthalmic line is disappearing. SMITH ophthalmic started pretty weak when they launched and I held off for about a year, but then got nice. UA has launched stronger so I look forward to lots of progress. Of course 50% of the collection is on backorder...

[drk]

There's a definite "Smith-vibe" to the UA ophthalmic, which is OK. We didn't do well with Smith Ophthalmic but our mean elevation in Ohio is like 500 feet above sea level or something, with a standard deviation of 100 feet.

[drk]

OK, saw Armani Exchange today.

Inexpensive. Kinda gaudy in half of the styles. Male styles are better represented than female styles by a significant margin.

Having said that, it is an easy sell at the low end because the style + price + quality + brand = value.

So we display about two dozen of them. Works for younger people (including tweeners), works for lower-end vision plans, cheapskates, extra pairs, you know the drill.

[ak47]

Respectfully I must disagree. I've had the displeasure of filling Rx in a couple of new Armini frames brought in by patients recently. They may very well be the worst plastic Rxable frames I have ever worked with. Will not hold an adjustment at all, even after plunged into an ice water bath for 10 minutes after adjusting warm. Absolutely an embarrassment to the brand to put their name on this junk.

[drk]

I agree the plastics are made of recycled water bottles or something. Not all are that bad, though.

By no means are these killer quality. Just passable quality.

[drk]

Looked at Safilo, yesterday.

1. Chesterfield. Is there a better XL collection on the planet?

2. Adensco has a weird niche. It's pretty darn good styling and quality for a semi-bargain price. It's not the highest of the lower-priced frames, it's the lowest of the highest-priced frames. IOW, it's a rich man's "value frame" or a poor man's "luxury frame".

3. Tommy Hilfiger sells for us. I think it's all the Preppiness.

[drk]

I also heard a rumor that will affect DeRigo/REM and Safilo but I won't say anything.

[mervinek]

I also heard a rumor that will affect DeRigo/REM and Safilo but I won't say anything.

It's not a rumor... it's a fact. Met with my DeRigo/REM rep yesterday afternoon. Carolina Herrera is moving to Safilo. That being said... supposedly the frame designs are actually DeRigo frame designs and were just approved by CH. So DeRigo will be releasing their own in house line with those frame designs tweaked a little (no circle logo on the temple tips). They should also be a bit lower in price. Apparently it was DeRigo's decision to drop CH because she was being too demanding. Wanting high minimum orders, raising prices and saying that offices aren't up to her standards to carry her frames. (My rep told me he would have to drop 1/3 of his accounts because CH didn't like the looks of the stores...and he said there was nothing wrong with them...not trashy places or chains)

[drk]

Interesting intel.

So, do you trade out DeRigo's CH for the house brand, or do you sweep them clean?

And it's probably a cover story that CH was being a biyotch. "I broke up with her, she didn't dump me!"

Probably Safilo lured her away in his Carrera.

[mervinek]

Interesting intel.

So, do you trade out DeRigo's CH for the house brand, or do you sweep them clean?

And it's probably a cover story that CH was being a biyotch. "I broke up with her, she didn't dump me!"

Probably Safilo lured her away in his Carrera.

Hahaha! You Funny Guy! Seriously though, I know my rep well and he is a great guy and I believe what he tells me. As far as what are we going to do? Well he told me not to do anything for the time being. He said they are well stocked for any warranties for the next year. (And if we did have a problem he would take care of us, which I believe because he really is an awesome rep). At this time he doesn't have the house brand yet. He said that they were set to do a new release with CH and instead, they tweaked them and these are actually what the new releases would be. When he's back in my area in Oct, he will have the new styles to show me and also incentive to order. ($$ for each CH frame we have in stock towards the house frames that we order...something like that without getting too specific). At that point, if what he is telling me is true that they are really like the CH line, I do think we would sell off CH and bring in the house like especially if they are giving us money off the frames to order in. I will decide when I see them in person in Oct.

[Robert_S]

Thanks for sharing

[mervinek]

Thanks for sharing

Absolutely! That's what Optiboard is all about!

[drk]

OK, I got an appointment with the DeRigo/REM rep today.

1. They will be doing business as usual with CH until year end. Plenty of frames on the market/warehouse/factories. Then they will be selling them at a discount.
2. In the fall, they will launch a new line based on the CH design, as a new house brand (hispanic-sounding but I forget it) with spokesmodels Cindy Crawford (schwing! She's already on some JNY POP) and someone else I'm not cool enough to know.

[drk]

P.S. JNY is still pretty good. It's a little pricey for what it is, but there are good classic updated styles for the slightly more conservative woman. (But still a hot babe.)

[MissMolly]

Oof, I FEEL this and it hurts! I am fortunate enough to be part of a practice where we put quality/independent frame lines at the top of our priority list. I personally love

LA Eyeworks - Playful acetates, super lightweight due to no injection molding
Bevel - For their metals. I know it's kind of pricy, but if you're looking for durable--- this titanium is supreme and keeps its adjustment forever! I have never found something more durable and the satin/matte finishes are really nice.
Etnia Barcelona- Best all-around! Great colors, shapes, fits, mens and womens and even kids, plastics and metals.
Face a Face - Beautiful. Amazing. Hardly ever see them come back for adjustments!

It's been years since I've seen a frame line that even remotely turned my head sadly. Seems the "build it like rubbish and jack the price WAAAAY up!" ala Lux et all is the rule of the day. Broadly, ridiculous fitting frames, cheapest possible materials, frame fits that don't even seem to be loosely based on human facial anatomy, lack of adjustability etc etc seems to be the corporate frame rules to live by. There are the odd independent makers sure, but then you're commonly dealing with stock availability issues, poor communication, or just a smaller overall collection. I miss the days of better frame options!

[Sledzinator]

Ok so up to this point the only Lux brand we carry is Ray-Ban and only by popular demand. The rep for Coach and Brooks Brothers came in yesterday and I am honestly a little tempted. I was hoping to get some feed back on the brands. I know it's bad to feed the beast but the price point for both brands seems pretty good. Any feedback?

[drk]

We have Coach but it's pretty sleepy. I don't really get the target market, anymore. We get some very young ladies in the eye candy colors/styles, but generally it's boring to me, now. The sunglasses work OK.

[drk]

Is big, chunky, colorful, squarish, edgy zyl getting to be a thing?

[drk]

I have a fevah. And the only prescription, is more Carrera-bell.

Just sayin.

[drk]

OK, we know Carolina Herrera has been discontinued by DeRigo/REM, and they have re-branded the line as Yalea and...Cindy Crawford!.

So I saw the line today, and I think if you liked CH, you'll like Yalea. It's very well-done as far as making it a credible brand...the colors, the cases, and...Cindy Crawford!

It has a few themes that are consistent through the line...mostly color. I bought all colors in the styles I liked because that's a big part of the collections "DNA" (if you will).

I would guess the median age for the target lady is about 40, but you could easily see +/- 25 years on that bell-curve because they're so pretty.

I think it will do great, and not the least because...Cindy Crawford!!!

[mervinek]

OK, we know Carolina Herrera has been discontinued by DeRigo/REM, and they have re-branded the line as Yalea and...Cindy Crawford!.

So I saw the line today, and I think if you liked CH, you'll like Yalea. It's very well-done as far as making it a credible brand...the colors, the cases, and...Cindy Crawford!

It has a few themes that are consistent through the line...mostly color. I bought all colors in the styles I liked because that's a big part of the collections "DNA" (if you will).

I would guess the median age for the target lady is about 40, but you could easily see +/- 25 years on that bell-curve because they're so pretty.

I think it will do great, and not the least because...Cindy Crawford!!!

With the exception of the whole Cindy Crawford thing, that's good to know. I have an appointment with my Rep 10/20 and I was planning to swap out my remaining CH for the new stuff. Thanks for the info!

[drk]

"I'm offended"

[drk]

I will say, however, there are only a handful of styles right now. Eighteen to 24 pieces for ophthalmic will max it out.

[drk]

Saw Ralph/Lauren/Polo yesterday.

We carry the Ralph and Polo. (Although they have Ralph Lauren for upscale ladies and even RL for men, now, which is somehow different than Polo).

Polo first: They continue to stay with a very tight theme and they do a good job of "bringing the branding" on almost every frame. You know you're wearing Polo, which makes it probably the most branded glasses (like Burberry or Vera Bradley) by coloration and design without the easier way of just slapping a large logo on the temple.

They are doing some thin metal retros which are quite nice. They have a few thinner plastic pieces that I admire. They continue to predominantly have a thicker metal and plastic look that goes with their thicker plastic look (I'm so over that look and it curbs my enthusiasm for the collection). Sunwear is sporty/classy/preppy and if you have somewhat sophisticated men clientele that just don't want a Rayban or Oakley clone, this is for them.

Ralph is their bridge line. The ophthalmic is generally pretty repetitive...lots of upsweeps, some rectanges, some rounds. They are super-into the spotty tortiose look (browns, blues, violets, etc) which makes a lot of them quite loud. They don't neglect the black and darker tortoise, though, for balance. I feel that you can "do" the collection with a minimum of styles due to repetitive styling. We're carrying about 9-10 styles in two colors and sizes. It's fun, and the price is moderate.

Ralph sunwear is very useful if you like to Rx ladies' sunwear. They have several very workable pieces, and you can easily get 6 styles in two colors to work with. Even have some metals which helps since that's harder to find.


I don't looooooove these collections but they're solid. I would imagine the brand would resonate more in some areas of the country than others.

[drk]

I know this isn't going to earn me any brownie points, but I just saw Rayban. Their ophthalmic is pretty "wow" right now. It's new and moving forward and yet it is very strong in it's styling heritage. (It's almost like it has a heritage, which of course it barely does, but they are sorta re-inventing history, if you will.)

I'm telling you it's going very strong.