Express & Limited Too... interesting/unlimited connections

Today

I'm going to limit myself

To Just talk about

Express

And Limited Too

Today

I washed myself

With "Berry Cool Sparklicious"

Body wash from Limited Too...

Hahaha.... How old am I?

Breaking into the soap stash

With all the Bath & Body Works

I like to be Sparklicious

Glitter is girly

And unexpected

In fact I've gotten

"What the hell are you... a f***ing Pixie!"

"Now I have glitter on me!"

"The herpes of the craft department"

That's what we called it

At my old job... RA's are crafty

Well anyway,

Limited Too

Is for cool kids

Trendy kids

But it is limited

To about 9 - 13.

Preteens who are small

Too small for adult sizes

Today

My sparkled self

Went to the dry cleaners

To pick up Edited Editors

Hemmed to Perfection

From Express

The Express is limited

To people with a good job

I used to not go in there

I didn't have a real job

Now I love the place

So many colors of pants

Cut just right

Perfect for work

I just wish that the pants

Were shorter

I don't wear stilettos

To work

I don't wear stilettos

Period

Express should offer Hemming.

I'm 5' 5" after all.

Express had Express Men next door

Looks like where I should go

To pick up men

Who have a good job

And who look good

At their good job

Men: looking good + having a good job = chick magnet

Interesting trivia & history connecting all the dots... thanks Wikipedia

1912 - Bella Cabakoff emigrated w/ family to U.S. from Russia

Gotta love that 1st generation work ethic

Age 21 - She became the youngest buyer for Lazarus Department Store Chain

I used to shop at Lazarus Department Store in Moultrie

Not sure if this Lazarus is related

1951- Bella & husband, Harry Wexner open women's clothing store, Leslie's

Named for her son, Leslie Wexner

Leslie then started The Limited, for younger women

1964 - Parent's close their store to join Leslie at The Limited

Sure he loved that!

The Limited took off and became public in 1969

It's listed as LTD on NYSE

1980 - Express opens as Limited Express

1982 -Acquires Victoria Secret

1982 - Lane Bryant

1985 - Henri Bendel

Lerner (now New York & Company)

1988 - Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F became publicly traded in 1996)

1989 - Structure opens, now Express Men

1990's - developed Limited Too, Bath & Body Works, Structure, & Victoria Secret Beauty

1998 - The White Barn Candle Company starts out of Bath & Body Work store conversions.

1999 - Limited Too, now part of Tween Brands, Inc

2007 - Limited Brands sold majority stake to Golden Gate Capital Partners

Limited Brands currently operates

Victoria's Secret

Victoria's Secret's Pink

Bath & Body Works

Henri Bendel

C.O.Bigelow

The White Barn Candle Company

La Senza

Obviously, Limited Brands, hasn't been limited.

The body who wears Gap Body

I have decided to become more conscious of the brands I use. We don’t really think much about what companies I support and why, but I wonder maybe I should. I admit, that I really do not shop new much, most things I have were gifts, second hand, or from discount retailers, but still they came to me. I’m curious, with all of these brands competing to gain my attention, why did some win out? What does that say about me?

8/30/10

Tru Flor

iPod

iCraig

Verizon

Gap Body

Maidenform

Fossil

Grass Collection

St. John’s Bay

Born

Nine West

Abercrombie and Fitch

Gateway

Vera Bradley

Wall Street Journal

Dairy Queen

Chevrolet

So many names. So little time.

The surprise is the fact that my current outfit is entirely Gap Body.

Why Gap?

I remember my first time.

I was seven.

I love shopping with Dad.

He believes in quality.

Shopping with him makes me feel special.

He cares about looks.

More than most men.

He critiques his girls’ outfits as we walk out the door.

All 4 of us.

And his wife.

He believes in: First impressions. Strong handshakes. Reputations.

He believes that women should wear makeup in public.

And that the gas station is in public.

He believes that most important thing a woman should own

Is a good bra.

He lectured me about that.

Wet or frizzy hair, ashy legs and panty lines = unacceptable.

He believes in shoe repair and alterations.

Quality trumps quantity and quality comes at a price.

That day at age seven I remember my sister and I trying on three dusty pink outfits. All of the clothes could be switched into different combinations of dusty pink. The bright white childrens’ manikins wore the same dusty pink. Daddy believes if it looks good on the manikin, it will look good on you. The quality is apparent. The cotton was softer, yet sturdier. Gap has quality. I rediscovered Gap around middle school. I couldn’t fit into regular adult sizes, and I wanted desperately to stop wearing kid’s clothes. I could fit into a Gap zero and their kids clothes didn’t look too kiddy. I still wear some Gap Kids size 16 clothes from nine years ago and they don’t look dated or worn out. That’s what I like about Gap, longevity.

Also, Gap Body, seems more my style than Victoria Secret. Victoria Secret many times seems too sexy or girly for me. I’m a laid-back kind of chick. Gap Body’s biggest competitor I think is Aerie. AE is cheaper than Gap, but still has decent quality and timeless appeal. Also, Gap can get a little too plain or middle-aged, but American Eagle is young with the right amount of details. Push comes to shove, I might have the money for AE, but not for Gap. Also, the fun music and comfy couches are less intimidating than the simplicity of Gap. The art gallery look screams, “go hit the outlet store!”