Fashion Death in The Afternoon!

The latest from Red House – but first, The Natalie News: My niece has come up with a new internship. Paid this time. (Hey, Red House is a young business, and our ex-intern still gets room and board.) Nat will be helping out at the boutique winery owned by Stefan’s parents, which is to say she’ll be mopping the tasting room, washing glasses and hosing out tanks. I think she’d do anything to spend more time with her boyfriend, who, it turns out, is still in high school (!) His grades have been suffering, as “he’s had to work too much.” I can think of other reasons (the Nat Factor!) that may have had an impact his grades, but his parents have the classic European attitude towards young male exuberance - very laissez faire. And after all, they gave him the motorcycle. Anyway, Nat will work mornings and afternoons. All day she can look forward to seeing Stefan when he gets home from school. That just might be incentive enough for her to show up. And although she didn’t come right out and say it, Kerin couldn’t be happier to have the Red House office devoid of drama and cigarette butts. Can’t say that I blame her.

That reminds me, I need to ask Kerin to return some zippers for the Red House Men’s Silk Twill Jacket (RH28). Would you believe our supplier sent 12” long zippers! Of course, they’d be fine if we were going to offer a cropped style, or maybe something in silk satin for a matador or jockey look, but I don’t think so - our signature style is a bit less radical. It was a customer who suggested the Red House Men’s Bolero, but I think she (and the general public!) would complain vociferously if they actually encountered men in mini jackets as the guys would probably skip the shirt during the summer, altering the trend but exposing midsections on the golf course and at winery picnics. (I’m trying not to picture this!) Maybe though, with an oversize version of the Red House Polo (RH04) underneath, we’d have something - no? No! My vision for Red House will continue to reflect the relaxed elegance of the wine country lifestyle rather than pioneering dynamic new traditions in menswear. And fortunately, problems like the mini-zipper don’t happen every day. They do keep me on my toes, though. And my clients keep me laughing.