blog.jmbyington.comThe Importance of Earnest Service

The Agency Case Histories What Distinguishes JMBAI? Who Runs the Shop Contact Us Thoughts from JM Byington & Associates, Inc. About This Blog Service of Fashion that’s Memorable, Comfortable and Makes You Look Good May 13th, 2024 Categories: Comfort , Fashion Last week I heard an interview with Vanessa Friedman, New York Times fashion director and chief fashion critic for the past 10 years [photo below, right]. Earlier that day I attended a member preview of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute show, Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.” Friedman spoke of clothes with memories—I have a closetful. She endorsed keeping and wearing favorites for a long time and mentioned that people look best in the clothes they are most comfortable wearing. Vanessa Friedman, left. Photo by Nancie Steinberg I thought about a young woman I saw decades ago at a trendy SoHo bistro. She was trapped in a super hip getup that fit neither her shape, face, posture, hairstyle or expression. It pained me to see her. She could not have felt comfortable in her getup. I reached out to a bunch of friends asking if they might describe a favorite outfit or piece of clothing they now or once wore that looks or looked good on them because they are/were comfortable wearing it. Tulip evening cloak, House of Worth, 1889, Met Museum, spring 2024 Costume Institute Show Me first : After visiting Bourges cathedral in France, Homer, who despised shopping, indulged me while I ducked into a typical tourist giftshop with its standard junky fare. In striking contrast, in an armoire in a backroom were four jackets breathtakingly constructed and finished. One of them [photos top, left and right] fit as though it was made for me. When I wore it, I felt dressed perfectly and received countless compliments for years. I still have it and haven’t worn it for a very long time. I don’t even know if it still fits. These days my favorites are my Uniqlo puffy vests. Poppy fascinator, Met Museum, spring 2024 Costume Institute Show Francine R I absolutely love the fleece pullovers from J Crew. Half zipper can give you a cozy turtleneck. Zippered pockets. Can be worn in every weather, except hot, with layers. Washes wonderfully! Bob G- I really don’t think about clothes. If they fit right, then they are comfortable. ? jeans. I hate wearing suits, but I had to buy one for a wedding this summer. ERB I have been and continue to dress in layers way before they became fashionable.” Keep in mind that I don’t and never have given a holy hoot about prevailing fashions. I dress to please myself. RF This is historic. I’ve had many pieces of clothing that fit that description. In the era when I got married, it was traditional for brides to change into what they called a going away” outfit, before leaving a reception. (This is probably no longer a thing today.) For that occasion, I wore a dress with a short jacket by then-popular designer Geoffrey Beene. The outfit was a lightweight navy wool. The dress was sleeveless and slightly Aline hitting at just below the knee. The jacket was lined in navy silk with white polka dots. The jacket had three buttons that were navy rimmed with white. I had an early spring wedding so the outfit was perfect for the season. And worn with a pair of Donald Pliner low heeled black patten leather pumps. And a black patten leather Chanel style bag. That suit/dress outfit was perfect for so many occasions that I wore it for years. EAM While I’m WFH, leggings have become a staple in my wardrobe. I’m also a big fan of sweater sets which include a tank and a sweater or camisole and sweater. Sneakers have also become a necessity esp when commuting, I have several pairs and adapt them to every outfit. I recommend black sneakers, white soles which have become versatile. Jim Gordon I have little concerns or thoughts about clothing. I buy stuff that I think looks alright, but not often, because I don’t have anything fancy or expensive. I like to look nice and that’s it. I almost never go shopping because my clothes last a long time. I wear dungarees most days and shorts in the summer. I dress mostly conservatively except for some political tee shirts. DK I wear black trousers with assorted black tops (sweaters) & business jackets. Work attire that can be smart casual. Do some of the clothes in your closet bring back memories? Do you agree that to look great in what you’ve chosen to wear you must feel comfortable? Can you identify a standout piece of clothing you had or have? Do some of the examples above resonate with you? 1930 wedding ensemble from Callot Soeurs by designer Pierre Gerber, finale, Met Museum, spring 2024 Costume Institute Show 6 Comments » Service of Comping—Yes, or No? May 9th, 2024 Categories: Comping , Events , Restaurant , Service , Theatre You be the judge in these instances which could go either way: To comp or not? You have costly theater or concert tickets and your companion can’t come at the last minute. If you ask a friend or acquaintance to take his/her place, do you expect the person to pay for their seat or should they get a freebie? You’re producing a networking event, with speaker, in elegant surroundings, serving Dom Pérignon and catered nibbles. Based on RSVPs in hand, you’re concerned that not enough people will come to duly honor the speaker, so you plead with some members to attend. They normally pay for membership as well as for each event. Do you comp or charge the ones who are doing you a favor by attending? Your kitchen was slow in food prep and the waitstaff was thrown off its game. Service plummeted. As a restaurateur do you offer free desserts/after dinner drinks to the guests who were impacted, simply apologize or don’t mention anything? Where do you stand on comping others or being comped? Can you share other examples? 6 Comments » Service of Surefire Inducements to Channel Surf–Irritating Commercials May 6th, 2024 Categories: Advertising , Annoying , Commercials , Irritating Some advertisers want me to run for my remote control to move away from the station I’m on. That’s what happens the second I hear their viscerally irritating commercials. This isn’t the first time I’ve covered the subject. In 2018 I berated the forced laughter in 1-800-I-Got Junk radio commercials that put me on edge. Then there was an E*Trade ad designed to scare 30-somethings to save now or end up like the 85-year-olds depicted dropping heavy packages and dragging weighty fire hoses to the music of a favorite Harry Belafonte tune, Banana Boat Song.” In that post I praised NYU Langone hospital and State Farm for their pleasing adverts. The year before my tooth-grinding hit list included My Pillow, Flip this House and Kars4Kids. There were a few posts going back to 2014 about false advertising, such as DirectTV offering a cheap subscription for a year without noting it was contingent on a two-year contract. I wrote about some goofs such as Bud Light’s label boast The perfect beer for removing ‘no’ from your vocabulary for the night. #UpForWhatever,” which some interpreted as condoning rape, and off-putting company name choices—CheapOair was one. Rereading something I wrote in 2011 made me laugh again. My husband had shown me a full-page ad in the Sunday New York Times Book Review section that left out a crucial piece of information: Who the book was about! There was a photo of a past American President on the featured book cover, but the face wasn’t familiar to my husband who had read thousands of pages of American history and had a great memory. The title included the word President–but not which one. The ad had room for plenty of copy–the usual praise such as gripping” and compulsive reading” to harrowing and fascinating saga” and crackling tale of suspense.” Mistakes happen. Here are a few current examples of commercials that grate on my ears these days: Haribo gummi candies lead the list. Those whiney children’s voices coming out of the mouths of grownups—whether...