VELVET IS HAVING A MOMENT

Luxury department store chain Neiman Marcus reported lousy quarterly earnings last week, with sales down more than 7 percent from a year ago. But one thing that’s flying out the door of its 42 stores are velvet shoes and handbags. “This fall we had amazing success with velvet,” said Chief Executive Karen Katz. “It was all over the shoe, bag department. We didn’t have enough velvet shoes and bags.” Adding her thoughts is Roseanne Morrison, fashion director of The Doneger Group, who says, “Velvet is having a moment. Demand hasn’t been this strong in close to a decade.”
* This proves exactly what I’ve been saying: this is a really slow news day.
* Velvet shoes and handbags? No velvet paintings of sad clowns or kids with giant eyes?
* Sales are down 7 percent, velvet’s flying out the door – so … here comes the huge price increase for the velvet stuff.
* Velvet shoes and handbags. Just what you want heading into the snow and slush season.
* Umm, this fashion director is not exactly helping by saying “velvet is having a moment.”
* That suggests something fleeting that will end before you even make it out of the store.
* I can hype better than that and I’m not even in the fashion business.
* Here’s how you do it: “The hottest must-have fashion trend of the year is velvet. If you don’t have velvet shoes or a velvet handbag you are officially a loser.”
* “Trade in your IRA account, sell your blood, sell your home … whatever you have to do … just don’t be without velvet this year or you’re dead to the fashion world.” See? That’s you hype it.
* I wonder what’s next? Corduroy?