Chapter VIII: Tips
The Foundation Wardrobe
The most capable corset saleswoman is the girl who has sold herself and will eventually sell each customer on the idea of a foundation wardrobe.
There are certain types of foundations designed to be worn under each type of outer apparel. A woman should have a girdle with a good Waistline, abdomen and hip control to wear under suits and skirts, a panty girdle to wear under slacks, riding, or sports clothes and gardening or working overalls, and an all-in-one to wear under sleek afternoon and dinner dresses. The customer will need at least six bras-three for everyday and three more glamorous styles in net or satin to wear under dressy clothes. There is the customer who wears panty girdles all the time and the woman who insists on all-in-ones for constant use. These customers should own several garments of the favored type.
If your customer has more than one foundation, she will alternate them and launder them more often, insuring better wear from all her garments. This is a strong, honest selling point and should be used when suggesting a corset wardrobe. There is a fashion angle to consider too. The well-dressed woman who appreciates and understands good fashion would not think of owning just one corset.
Laundering
You will usually find laundering instructions on each garment, but in the event that your customer wants a verbal lesson, give her the following washing tips:
- Wash foundations only in lukewarm mild suds.
- Lift gently in and out of the suds.
- Use a soft nail brush on very soiled pieces.
- Squeeze out to dry.
- Wrap in a soft towel and hang in a cool place (preferably outdoors) to finish drying.
- Never dry near heat as the heat will rot any elastic sections.
- Smooth out vertically.
Mending
Large corset departments have a mending service, but if your customer prefers to do her own, give her the following instructions:
Mending Lace:
Set in pieces of lace-baste then darn-overcast or use button-hole stitch.
Mending Elastic:
Set in pieces-use a darning or feather stich for elasticity.
Seams:
Use the same type of feather or darning stitch.
Patching Cloth Sections:
Set in-stitch on machine, if possible. Otherwise, use a button-hole stitch for durability.
Garters:
Before setting in new garters, reinforce the section of the garment where the garters are to be attached.
Accessory Selling
The law of averages will take care of you on accessory selling. Some corset saleswomen have increased their daily sales as much as 15 per cent by doing a consistently good selling job on corset accessories. You will never know which customer might buy an accessory, so make it a habit never to close or total your salesbook without first asking the customer if she would like a pair of chafe-guards, another pair of straps, a new set of garters, or (if she needs them) a new set of bust pads.
Each corset department has a different group of accessories. Study your own department stock and memorize the items and their usage. By adding fifty cents or a dollar to every sale, you will soon increase your total and decrease your selling cost to the store.
Building A Clientele
You have read about the personal requirements of a corsetiere, the fitting of corsets, and the selling techniques. Having the qualifications and mastering the technique of selling will help you to build a clientele.
Now, review the method of selling. You have been pleas. ant, helpful and interested in your customer. You have taken her into the fitting room and accurately measured and judged her figure. You have produced the merchandise quickly as you have mastered the boxing system and stock. Then you have fitted her comfortably in a garment that will do nice things for her figure. You have pleased her up to this point. Now you want her to come back to you. She is your customer, or your client, and you want to keep her.
In closing the sale you might say, "Mrs. Smith, I am going to keep your measurements on file along with a record of the type of garment you purchased in case you want to buy a duplicate of this garment over the phone. And if we have a special sale, I can write or phone you about it immediately."
This should not just be talk, either, as it is a splendid idea to keep a card index file of your customers' names, addresses, etc., and their preferences in garment styles. Perhaps your department does this and your contribution will be a part of their system. If they do not, you can have your own little way of building and keeping a good clientele.
Stock Keeping
Some stores keep all of their merchandise in bins and on shelves. Other stores keep their brassieres on shelves and their corset stock in boxes, either in plain sight of the customer or, in the very high fashion store, off the selling floor in the stock room. Each box is labeled by the manufacturer as to style, size, fabric content, type, etc. Learn thoroughly which system your store uses, and you will be able to sell more quickly and more efficiently. There is nothing more irritating to the corset customer than to be kept waiting while a green saleswoman reads over many box labels as she stands waiting to be fitted.
Your department may not have a perfect system. You may be able to contribute to added sales some day by improving the stock-keeping methods, but there is time for that after you have mastered the system and are in a position to be critical.
If you had the responsibility of opening a new, small department in a little store and were carrying only one manufacturer's merchandise, for instance, there would be a few basic rules to follow. You would arrange the girdle stock first by price, then by size, and then by types. The all-in-one garments would be stocked by price and then by size in each group.
In a large department carrying several lines, the stock is best kept by types and size regardless of the manufacturer. All the high-priced corselets (regardless of make) would be together as would all the high-priced girdles. Merchandise in the stockroom would be grouped just as display merchandise is on the selling floor. The junior garments, for instance, might be kept in one section of the stockroom to make the saleswoman's job of locating a specific garment somewhat easier.
If you sell packaged merchandise in a self-selection outpost department, be sure that boxes are kept in an orderly arrangement.
Keeping merchandise boxed eliminates markdowns due to soiling. This may be one of the many reasons why there are fewer markdowns in corsets than in other types of merchandise.
As noted in the merchandising chapter, the profit margin for the corset department is first, second or third highest in the whole store.
Because many styles are kept in the manufacturers' lines with few changes, these garments have a continuing appeal. If the garments are properly kept, .they will be as salable in four months as they are today. It behooves the corset department personnel to be good stock keepers.
Fiber And Fabric Glossary
Rayon- the fiber manufactured from regenerated cellulose. According to Federal Trade Commission regulation, fibers produced by both viscose and cuprammonium processes are called rayon. So are the new, strong and Polynosic types, qualifying descriptive terms permitted.
Faille- a rayon fine-ribbed material, often referred to as "warp batiste," used for cloth panels in better girdles and corselets.
Taffeta- a strong, light-weight rayon, used in a few bras but mostly in higher priced girdles and corselets.
Satin- a highly lustrous fabric used in bras, girdles and corselets.
Cotton- the soft vegetable fiber obtained from the seed pod of the cotton plant. First known in India about 3,000 BC. The longer the fiber, the better the quality. Lengths vary from less than 1/2 inch to over 2 inches, commonly running about 1 inch.
Batiste- a broadcloth used in bras, in plain, youthful girdles and frequently in corselets of all qualities. The strong, light-weight pimas seem most popular.
Brocades- used for the firmer back-lace, front-lace or maternity garments. Jacquard brocade has a design woven into the cloth rather than printed on.
Rayon and cotton mixtures are used in all the above types; the most common is the brocade.
Nylon- the generic name adopted by the Federal Trade Commission for "a manufactured fiber in which the fiber-forming substance is any long-chain synthetic polyamide having recurring amide groups as an integral part of the polymer chain." Nylon is extremely popular in the corset industry for its combination of light weight and strength. Its use in the corset and brassiere industry has made considerable reduction of weight per garment possible. A nylon and elastic girdle may weigh as little as 31/2 ounces. Nylon is woven in the same fabric types as cotton and rayon.
Findings- accessory items, made generally of cotton, rayon, spandex, nylon and rubber weaves. Many garters of the facings are cut on the bias for the curves to be found in corset construction. Rayon or nylon plush is commonly used to face garment closings where there is apt to be chafing of the skin.
Spandex- the generic name established by the Federal Trade Commission for "a manufactured fiber in which the fiber-forming substance is a long chain synthetic polymer comprised of at least 85 per cent of segmented polyurethane." These are elastomer or stretch ibers. (Note: "spandex" is not a generic term abroad.)
As indicated in both the merchandising and fashion histories, spandex has had a significant impact on the corset and brassiere industry. This stretch fiber is marketed under various trade names by the increasing number of manufacturers who are engaged in its production.
Rubber- the rubber thread used in weaving or knitting elastic fabrics is made by two methods: occasionally it is still cut in the desired sizes from sheets of rubber, but the extrusion method is more commonly used wherein liquid rubber (latex) is forced through small openings to form the thread. Rubber threads are spirally wrapped with cotton, silk, rayon, or nylon. They can be knitted, woven, laid in, and, in general, handled like any other textile yarn. The corset industry uses rubber yarns for weaving lenos, power nets, laces and broadloom, narrow and circular knitted fabrics for foundations, girdles, panty girdles, brassieres and garter belts.
One-way stretch- a fabric design which allows the fabric to stretch in one direction only- either up and down or from side to side.
Two-way stretch- a fabric design which allows the fabric to stretch in two directions-up and down, side to side.
Each manufacturer has his own way of using rubber or spandex in garment construction. Manufacturers' labels explain the fine points of how these materials are incorporated.
The technical fiber descriptions in this glossary are taken from the book, Fabric Facts, published by Fairchild Publications, Inc. See this book for a more complete list of fiber and fabric names and properties.
Retail Merchandisers
Never lose sight of the fact that your corset department is one of the three top profit making departments in the store. Bear in mind that there are thousands of women whose figures are changing daily. Not all can buy over-the-counter merchandise. Many must patronize a corset and brassiere department. Take advantage of the material that schools and manufacturers offer as training aids. Urge your buyers to use the written material available for their weekly or monthly departmental meetings. A trained corsetiere sells more higher priced merchandise and brings traffic into the store. Once the customer has been fitted properly and knows her accurate size in a particular bra, she can pick up several from a display. You will be winning friends and influencing a number of people if you make sure that she is correctly fitted from the first. Efficient, courteous service will promote good word-of-mouth advertising for a corset department, and this sort of advertising is extremely effective for this department.
Sales Training: For stores in or near New York City, the Fashion Institute of Technology offers a 13-week, one-evening-a-week course in Corset and Brassiere Fitting and Merchandising at a nominal fee. No matter where your store is located, you can avail yourself of much free material for your staff. It will prove profitable to spend time educating your staff though it may mean withdrawing them from the selling floor to participate in visiting manufacturers' schools. It is also wise to accept and use the training material given you by manufacturers. The buyers who show the greatest profit are those who help train their saleswomen with the assistance of these aids. Welcome manufacturers' representatives who come to visit your store for sales training purposes. A sound training for your corset and brassiere staff will trade-up the sales of the department.
One of the most expensive departments in a store is the dress alteration department. If the store charges the customer enough to cover its alteration costs, it antagonizes the customer. If it does not, the store's profits are threatened. Since ready-to-wear items are cut for perfectly balanced figures (regardless of size), a dress fitted over a properly corseted figure is naturally going to fit better. Coordination and cooperation between the ready-to-wear and the corset departments will increase sales and reduce alteration costs.
The Small Store
As you do not have other departments working with you like the large store has, keep a very accurate record of your customers' names. In many instances you can not afford other advertising and must depend solely on direct mail. The names and addresses of your customers will give you a mailing list. Also, keep their telephone numbers. When you have a special shipment or a sale, you can call them immediately about their favorite garment. Use all merchandising aids offered to you by the manufacturers. These include bust forms, placards, mail enclosures and fitting guides.
The small store is in an especially good position to go after maternity business. Take advantage of the population explosion. More and more babies are being born each day. A profitable maternity business could add sizably to your overall volume. One way to do this is to become acquainted with the doctors near your store. Tell them about the services you offer. Expectant mothers can walk directly from their offices to your shop. Establish a friendship with these doctors and let them know that you understand your business. You will derive a great deal of personal satisfaction from being helpful to these women. And, if you satisfy a woman during her pregnancy, she will be back as a customer for regular fashion merchandise. This is an effective way to build a new and consistent clientele.
If you do have a newspaper within your trading area, use it. Regardless how small your purchases, take advantage of the cooperative advertising allowance which manufacturers offer you. Even small, consistent ads which tell an exciting story will help you build new business.
The Specialty Shop
Enlist the help of your merchandise manager or storeowner for coordinated windows, store displays and advertising. You should see that signs are put up in the ready-to-wear fitting rooms dramatizing the importance of proper foundations to outer-apparel. They should direct customers to the corset and brassiere section. This will pay off.
The Large Fashion Store Or Department Store
It is sometimes physically impossible to display corsets on live models in ready-to-wear fashion shows at your store. If you have a section which can be closed off for an all-female audience, this can be done. If it cannot be arranged, suggest that your store show ready-to-wear with related foundation garments carried in the models' hands. To be well-groomed and well-dressed in her outer apparel, the customer must have the correct foundation garment.
If your store has a fashion coordinator, she is the person to talk to about coordinating garments with ready-to-wear and intimate apparel. If not, speak to your merchandise manager. When you talk to him about color coordinating lingerie and foundations, about corselets for elongated outer wear, panties to be suggested with slacks, a certain bra that is perfect for a certain dress, and the girdle with waistline fitting to improve the looks of suit skirts, you are convincing him why your department should be included in ready-to-wear shows. You should explain the value of window displays to graphically illustrate the importance of fashion coordination.
The Large Or Small Manufacturer
Your salesmen must be stock keepers as well as salesmen. If your line is in a store, your salesmen should keep it well balanced for the store's benefit as well as your own.
When you establish a brand name, don't drop it. Your name should be familiar to the industry through advertising. But avoid the mistake made by a small manufacturer who spent his entire annual advertising appropriation on a billboard advertisement in a city where he had no distribution. Concentrate your consumer advertising on the areas where you are best represented. Advertising through national media carries more status, but it also costs more.
Be sure your salesman's kit includes more promotional ideas than just your cooperative advertising program so that he will be able to render a real service to his buyers. Educate him to know his industry-and his competition, as well. This will help him find his niche and yours in today's retailing.
When promoting a new garment, plan your publicity campaign as carefully as your advertising. Many small manufacturers think when they buy ad space in a publication it follows that they will receive publicity space as well. This is not true. To get publicity you must have a story to tell. Gear your publicity efforts to the new- to an innovation or something which is newsworthy- and publicity will take care of itself.
Showrooms
Small manufacturers cannot afford to hire top decorators to design their showroom layouts. There is no real need for a lavish decor. The most important requisite for a showroom is just plain, old-fashioned hospitality-gracious people, who make buyers feel that they are important and that they are friends, mean more than decor.
Fashion Shows
Some large companies have fashion showings every day at specified times during market week for buyers and the press. Both large and small manufacturers sometimes hold showings prior to market season (about a month ahead) to which they invite the trade and consumer press and the buying offices. This is done so that the trade press can review the lines for market season and so the consumer press may select garments they wish to use editorially. Fashion magazines work about three months in advance of publication. This early showing also enables the heads of the corset divisions in the buying office to alert their member store buyers of what is being shown that is new and interesting. They will sometimes borrow items they like best for early morning previews in their own offices when the buyers arrive.
To plan this type of showing, the manufacturer must have his new designs "tried and true" before the market week when he wishes to introduce them. This means testing new fabrics, holding design and modeling conferences, and producing finished garments in advance. Planning pays off.
To illustrate, I used the following set of procedures when staging a fashion show for a firm that is famous for its girdles and corselets when they introduced a new brassiere line:
- Have the items to be shown completed and perfected.
- .Decide on the time and place (your own showroom or a hotel).
- Have all invitations printed and mailed out about one month in advance, R.S.V.P.
- Have the staff follow up any invitations that are not acknowledged by phone.
- Decide on the theme of the show. This may or may not be used in the invitation. Build the show around the theme selected.
- Hire models. If you have special models for market, engage them for this show also and book them as far in advance as possible. Some companies book a year ahead. There are also good models who may work for other manufacturers during a market week but could be used for these advance showings.
- Decide if you will be showing accessories. Arrange for them as soon as possible. For the new brassiere show mentioned above, we used long black evening gloves, black net and lace evening hats with black petticoats to dramatize the white foundation garments. (If you are talking high fashion and silhouettes, you may wish to show outer apparel with the foundations. This is even more important for a retail show.)
Once the place and time are decided and you have selected the merchandise, the models and a theme, you next prepare what you are going to say to your audience and arrange the order in which garments will be shown. Next is the dress rehearsal. In the models' dressing room you post the girls' names, the garments they will wear and the order of their appearance.
Run through the show and discover all your mistakes. The models have a chance to hear what you have to say and to gauge their time accordingly. You, as commentator, must be ready with extra ad lib material at your fingertips in the event anything goes wrong behind the scenes which holds up the tempo of the show.
Last, but surely not least, a press release is prepared for the audience along with a list of the styles shown, features and prices so that guests may check off those garments they want to sketch or to mention to their visiting buyers. Many buyers and press representatives appreciate early breakfast shows which take place during their working day and do not keep them overtime.
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Last updated January 30, 1998