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Worth it
Personal shopping in
By Ruby Mata-Viti
the comfort of a sales rep's home
Star-BulletinIT'S a woman's nightmare. She chooses the perfect entry-making dress and walks into a reception, greeting the host before circulating. She tries to be discreet as she admires her reflection in a window. But wait, it's not her she sees, but her dress. On someone else.
That scenario occurs frequently in Hawaii, where shopping options are limited to the major malls full of cookie-cutter designs. So what's a hip, smart woman to do when she lives on an island?
"It's really not fair to live so far away," said Brynn Jolliffe, a hip, smart woman who's found an option.
Jolliffe is a sales associate for Worth, a New York-based line of clothing touting quality materials, exclusive designs and private showings. No more crowded malls. No more begging unaffected salespeople for help, or dodging over-eager, stealth types when you don't need the attention.
Worth works much like an Avon of the clothing industry. Private showings are by invitation only, with samples shown quarterly in the sales rep's home. The company started with 40 members in 1991 and now has more than 400 sales people nationwide, two of them on Oahu.Jolliffe lives in Kahala and will have showings through May 2 by appointment. She sells the W Collection, Worth's casual, resort line.
"You can look at the clothes in privacy, and it's a nicer environment, there's tea, coffee, cookies, and you can try on everything," she said.
Jolliffe says clients generally take a couple of hours to absorb the inventory and try on clothes.
Diane Stowell, a Punahou teacher, has gone to every showing she's been invited to. "I've always liked that I can look at something and not be in a crowd of people. I can try things on and take my time."
Even with unsolicited clothing catalogs spilling out of mailboxes and online shopping at our fingertips, Jolliffe sees the Worth experience as more convenient."This way you can actually see it, feel it, try it on. It's a bit like an interactive catalog. You can mix, match them, bring clothes from your home and make sure they go with what you buy." A benefit over the mail order option is there's no charge for shipping and handling.
Worth's designs are sophisticated and classic, from evening gowns in its "Luxury" line down to the linen shorts in its "W" collection.
Its summer line showcases strong colors like turquoise, grass green, red and citrus in usual combinations. Exotic mixes bring the gypsy look uptown, and the '50s looks of gingham checks, short pegged pants and full skirts are back in swing.
Big sellers have been the linens, sundresses and wrinkle-free items that travel well.
"People that I find who like it are those who work in the community, are in touch with a lot of people and they need to have a good public image," Jolliffe said. Her clients range from bankers to people in nonprofit agencies.
Diane Farias has been a sales rep since January. She, too, has professionals among her clients, as well as small business owners and housewives. Farias is showing Worth through May 12 at an Ala Moana Boulevard location.
The clothes have a couture characteristic, Jolliffe said, high fashion with quality tailoring. "Sleeveless tops have a strap that's sewn (in) which clasps the bra strap in," so you don't have to fidget with a slipped strap.
"When Worth has white pants, they'll line it in chiffon so the pockets won't show through."
Farias says the dye lots are constant, and the Worth design team keeps existing customers in mind, knowing they will want pieces to work with prior purchases. "It's investment dressing," she said.
Stowell, Farias' client, vouches for the fine tailoring. If there's a print on a blouse-and-skirt set, the prints align where the blouse meets the skirt, she said.
She added, "Things aren't cheap but they do last."
Pieces from the W collection run an average of $125. The price range for jackets is $45 to $200. "Bridgewear" and "Luxury Wear" garments range from $95 to $595 per piece.
"Everything I've ever bought I always get comments on because you don't see anything else like it," Stowell said. "They always say "(gasp) where did you get that?"
Even so, when it's just you and the sales rep alone in a room for a few hours, it seems like the perfect environment for high pressure sales. The more time invested the more pressure to buy.
Not so, said Stowell. "Many times I've walked out and not bought anything because sometimes I just don't have the money and sometimes I don't care for the clothes."
"(Farias) leaves you alone, but if you ask for help, she's there."
Marianne Tesauro, a former sales associate who brought Farias onboard and is now a client and consultant, said "If people haven't been here before we tell them just come and look, don't even bring your pocketbook. Feel the fabrics. And if you want to be on the mailing list you can fill out a card.
"For some people, it's not for them, it might not be their style or whatever, and they just say thank you very much and goodbye."
Worth also provided both Jolliffe and Farias with options in structuring their lives. Farias was a former executive administrative assistant who thought about retirement but just wanted a change of pace.
"The reason Worth was so attractive was the flexibility. I would have more leisure time for myself and for my husband. We like to travel a lot," she said.
Jolliffe works full time at Honolulu Academy of Arts and manages to be a sales associate for Worth as well. "It's like your own business, you get out of it what you put into it," she said. "I would like to branch it out into a fashion show.
"It's a great thing for people interested in fashion, who want to have their own store someday. It's a good exposure to business, to see what people buy, what the trends are.
"I would love to bring it more to the young professional scene because I hate seeing them going to the cheap, easy stores just to get an oufit for the weekend, but it falls apart within the first month."
"It's not just clothing they're buying, it's an investment. When they buy these clothes, they're buying into a lifestyle."
To find out more about Worth, call Brynn Jolliffe at 734-3045 or Diane Farias at 941-6973. Catalogs are available, but list no prices.
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