From Z to A

Me, at left, in desperation need of some hair dye, and Marilla last night.

Last night, Marilla and I were treated to a lovely preview of Spanish mega-retailer Zara's new store in Chicago (the company's biggest store in the U.S. at over 16,000 sq ft). The three-story fast-fashion emporium carries two floors of women's clothing, men's and even their brilliant and adorable children's clothing line. We were treated to a surprisingly fascinating talk about Zara's parent company, Inditex. We learned about their unique business model - Zara’s design process is based on the demands and desires of the customers, putting the stores (and their shoppers) almost in charge of the product. If there is demand for more of this or less of that, the stores report to the design and manufacture teams to have it created as either replacement product (if a particular piece has been popular) or for whole new ideas to be drummed up. This, teamed with continuous product refreshment - new articles reach the stores twice a week - keeps merchandise fresh, on-trend and ensures it is what the people actually want.

And what the people want indeed. Everything was absolutely delirium-inducing. The Zara Woman collection on the first floor was all about volume, texture and embellishment. We're talking strong shoulders, fur, feathers, studs everywhere, sequins. Really anything a girl could ask for. Most items remained under $200, with plenty under $100, which is also anything a girl could ask for. And THE SHOES. Faux snake over-the-knee flat boots in the perfect shade of gray that were totally Devi Kroell. YSL-esque booties and pumps. Chloe and Balmain were also represented in studded flat ankle boots and wild, sexy embellished sandals, respectively. The color palette for most of this line? Grays, Blacks and a touch of camel.

This one was gorgeous.

Sultry shoulders and a feather skirt we flipped over. Must-haves.

The perfect shrunken little leather jacket with studs. Bonus!

We loved the embellishment on this knit dress.

What a great basic turned up a notch with this sewn in detail - instant jewelry!

SO major. I lllllllloved this jacket.

Spotted delights.

Studly.

Great grays.

Love these past season Chloe look-alikes.

Next stop: up the escalator to the second floor for Zara's Basic line. This has a lower price point and a little more of a casual, less fashion-forward/edgy/runway feel. Here were the chunky scarves, fitted blazers, jeans, pretty blouses and more everyday work to casual items. Marilla snagged a gorgeous shawl collar coat in the most sumptuous pale shade from this floor - seriously amazing fit. So pretty and sophisticated yet totally affordable and wearable.

We died over this black jacket with epaulets and white piping.

The third floor, dedicated solely to men, held several different lines, including jeans, suits, trendier looks and, in reaction to the economic downturn, a lower priced diffusion line. Children's clothing was housed on the floor below, in its own large room on the Basic floor. Cute and very fashion-y, divided into color stories - if only I were that chic at age 3.

Thank you to Zara for a fantastic night! We look forward to/dread spending 3/4 of our paycheck on you! xo