Stacie Clark This is Me

 Web References

1. 1. Fashion follies: Turning predictions into profits

   www.startribune.com/217/story/ - [Cached]

   Published on: 2/8/2007   Last Visited: 2/8/2007

   Stacie Clark
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   With Fashion Week in New York not quite over, here are some top trends for fall as predicted by Twin Cities-based Stacie Clark, women's fashion director for Macy's North.
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   Clark is no psychic.As the women's fashion director for Macy's North, she scouts the runways to predict which high-fashion trends will turn into department store profits next season.Unlike a buyer who works directly with merchants to select items for stores, the 33-year-old Clark, who is based in the Twin Cities, researches the trends in ready-to-wear clothes, shoes, handbags and accessories in the trenches.She often travels to New York, Chicago, Miami and Los Angeles to see what fashion-forward types are wearing.This week, she's packing in a marathon of runway shows during New York City's Fashion Week.What's she after?"Validation," she said."I'm validating the expected and looking for the next big trend."Frank Guzzetta, chairman of Macy's North, was also in New York this week to attend shows.He called Clark's job "high-pressure.The fashion director has to sell her ideas, to convince everyone of the future that she sees.It's a combination of learning, instinct and a sensitivity to fashion."Front row centerOn Tuesday morning at the Tibi show, Clark put down her Yves Saint Laurent handbag on a prime seat in the front row.The contemporary Tibi line is new to Macy's, and she was hopeful that the fall show would be a winner."This is the year of the dress," Clark said confidently, pre-show."Trends have a two-year cycle and dresses are about to explode."Once the show began, Clark examined the models from head to toe, considering the total package and its separate pieces.She jotted notes in her notebook about almost all of the 42 looks."I love that," she said, when a black dress with shiny trim and an inset belt paraded past.Buyers who are responsible for stocking the stores try to identify specific looks.Not Clark: Her jottings included such general observations as "knit hats," an accessory most of the models wore, and "statement coat," terminology for the bold outerwear.She summarized some of her findings (or "validations") in true fashion-speak -- "plaid is the new animal print,"sweaters are the new jackets."She noted that dresses are going both extremely long and short, with an emphasis on the back.It must help to be ahead of the trends: At September's Glamorama, the Macy's sponsored fashion-filled local benefit event, Clark wore a black Ralph Lauren full-length dress with a plunging back.Five shows a dayClark generally attends an average of five shows a day and often has several appointments to see others.On Tuesday, she went from Tibi to Monique Lhuillier, a line not carried at Macy's."She reinvented the evening gown," Clark said of Lhuillier, a celebrity fashion favorite.At the Bill Blass show, Clark read the description of the show's theme left on each chair, beginning with a quote from the late 20th-century style maven Diana Vreeland: "Indiana, Indiana... don't tell me he is from Indiana.
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   Clark said.Originally from Danville, Ind., Clark was voted best- dressed in her high school.She went to her first fashion show -- Todd Oldham --while studying apparel merchandising and business marketing at Indiana University.After graduating 11 years ago, she moved to the Twin Cities to work at the Dayton's buying office, and has stayed with the company through its transitions to Marshall Field's and now Macy's.She has been fashion director for more than two years.Tools of the forecast trade"In a week like this, there are eight to 10 trends," said Terry Lundgren, CEO of Federated Department stores, Macy's parent company."The key to retail success is to choose two to three" trends that become surefire hits with shoppers.Clark, who forecasts trends a year before they're hitting the stores, started working on Fall 2007 six months ago.She said that she maintains close ties with such vendors as Nine West, sharing information to ensure Macy's will get the most popular merchandise in its stores.Clark uses companies such as WGSN, a corporate news and trend-forecast service, to gather information.She also depends on her instincts."I have to," she said.

2. 2. www.milwaukeewoy.com

   www.milwaukeewoy.com/StyleTren - [Cached]

   Published on: 4/5/2008   Last Visited: 7/3/2008

   Stacie Clark's Bio
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   Women's Fashion Director, Stacie Clark, tells us what's HOT in 2008.
   
   Stacie ClarkWomen's Fashion Director, Macy's North

3. 3. www.milwaukeewoy.com

   www.milwaukeewoy.com/StacieBio - [Cached]

   Published on: 4/5/2008   Last Visited: 7/3/2008

   Stacie Clark's Bio
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   Stacie Clark
   
   Women's Fashion Director, Macy's North
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   Stacie ClarkWomen's Fashion Director, Macy's North
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   Name: Stacie Clark