Rethinking the Runway-to-Retail Lag: Stores Tweak Fashion Cycle

Instant online marketing tied to the outcome of such high-profile events as the Superbowl–and often involving the selling of products that don’t yet exist–is becoming increasingly common. Hours after today’s runway rebirth of Halston at New York’s Gagosian Gallery, fashion e-tailer net-a-porter will be unprecedentedly taking orders for (and shipping!) a couple of looks shown on the catwalk. In recent years, department stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus have mounted online campaigns tied to Fashion Week, and this year, Nordstrom is getting into the act with runway slideshows and a smart series of video vignettes featuring commentary by Jeffrey Kalinsky (owner of the Jeffrey boutiques, in which Nordstrom owns a majority stake).