Have you ever wondered how your favorite stores decide what to sell? Do you wish you could have some input? It’s that time!

At La Grande Dame, our buying method is part science, part art and lust.

Part One, The Science (AKA, the non-creative part) – we take a look at what sold in the last couple seasons. Was there a designer that sold particularly well? Was there a designer that had a very high return rate? Were there styles that were universally loved? This step involves sales records and statistics (fun!!). It also involves figuring out how much we sold of each style/designer/color/etc and then forecasting what we think will happen this season.

Part Two, The Art – This is where buying gets really fun. We go to NY and LA and have sales reps come to us to look at everything the designers are offering for the upcoming season. We get to touch the fabrics, see the styles and really interact with the designer (or rep) to decide what our customers will love. In this step we are looking at:

1) Style!! Is this a beautiful, flattering, fashionable piece that women will love? Is it on trend? Is it a classic “must have”? Is this something I would want in MY closet?

2) Fabric: Will the fabric lay nicely on the body? Will it hold up well? Will it wrinkle as soon as you sit down? Will it be horribly uncomfortable? Sometimes this step involves saying no to items we love because they just won’t lay properly on the body. Fabrics that don’t lay smooth on a manequin will never look right on a living, breathing, curvy body.

3) Fit: We know not every woman is going to look good in the same items but there are some things that no matter how cute, won’t flatter the majority of our customers bodies. Oversized 80’s t-shirts? They might be cute in principle but they are not going to flatter our customers curves and no one will buy them. If they don’t look awesome on our models you won’t buy it.

4) Price: Based on previous experience, is this item priced at what customers will pay? We are looking at designer name, quality of construction, quality of fabric as well as style and cut. If an item is priced incorrectly you let us know by not taking out your credit card.

5) Will the quality of the fabric and design translate to online shoppers? Since we are an online store you can’t touch and try on our clothing. Therefore, we have to rely on photographs and product descriptions to get across the quality of the fabric. Sometimes expensive, sumptuous, luxury fabrics do not translate well into sales on an online store because photos just can’t capture the beauty of the item.

There are no good formulas for figuring out the “art” of buying so it is mostly based on experience and gut.

Part 3 – LUST: Sometimes the art and science fly out the window when we see an item we absolutely can’t live without. It must be in our collection NOW! These are the items we dream about until they arrive and then wear until they fall apart.  This step is how we introduce new designers, fun trends or just something a little bit different.  We just plain love fashion and clothes and sometimes can’t say no!!

Are there particular styles or designers that you would love to see us carry? Is there a particular area that you think we are missing? We would love your input. Please make recommendations in the comments!!

Tags: Plus Size Designer Fashion