Viva & Libby: A Candid Look at Manhattan’s Carlisle & Per Se Showroom
by Kristopher Carpenter
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| Libby Fitzgerald arrives for her nine o’clock appointment with Carlisle/Per Se Wardrobe Consultant Viva Bhogaita. |
| Photographs by Jonathan Hokklo It was a grey and dreary Wednesday morning in the Big Apple complete with torrential downpour, but on the 16th floor of the Carlisle Collection at 16 east 52nd Street, the sun was shining as Mrs. Libby Fitzgerald stepped off the elevator into the bright and gilted columned quiet of the private retail showrooms of the Carlisle and Per Se women’s wear collections. Unaffected by Mother Nature, Libby arrived perfectly primped and polished for her nine o’clock appointment with her Carlisle/Per Se Wardrobe Consultant Viva Bhogaita. You can tell quickly that shopping here is wholly unlike shopping anywhere else. The “by appointment only” experience is a unique affair. It’s a fully private retail experience. Shopping is not only easy – indecision and confusion caused by finding matching pieces is eliminated – there is zero time spent searching for sizes, and the slightly chaotic nature of department stores is squelched by the calm quiet of Carlisle and Per Se’s penthouse environment. |
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| This was not Libby’s first time at the collections. Had she been a new customer, Viva would have started by getting to know her, especially certain details about her lifestyle. “If the client is an executive at Morgan Stanley, she has different fashion needs than a mom-at-home who does charity work.” Libby Fitzgerald is the latter, a proud mother of three who does quite a bit of charity work for Memorial Sloan Kettering, and also pops back and forth frequently from New York City to the farm that she owns and operates with her family in Roxbury, Connecticut. |
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| On this day they headed for the dressing room where Viva had already combined several “stories” (outfits). A loyal Carlisle shopper for over ten years, Libby has actually worked with Viva before several times. “I love the Wardrobe Consultants, and Viva already has certain pieces in mind that match my tastes and lifestyle.” Libby said about the ease of the experience. “With three boys, a farm, and all of the charity work, I don’t have a lot of spare time, so Viva’s preparation before I arrive, bearing in mind what I’ve bought in previous seasons, is a wonderful timesaver.” How does Viva know what outfits will match Libby Fitzgerald’s previous purchases? In addition to her files on what every customer has ever bought – Carlisle and Per Se feature a unique design sensibility toward building a wardrobe that they call the “Carlisle Advantage.” |
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| Both Carlisle and Per Se collections are designed with pieces that stand out, garments that also hold as design cornerstones for the rest of the collection. So the design team actually focuses on creating utility for what Viva called a built-in, easy to coordinate, wardrobing function. “If a client likes a blue, blazer-style jacket there are several pieces designed to coordinate with it, and those pieces also coordinate well with other parts of the line. So if someone buys three jackets, three bottoms, and three blouses, she can combine those nine pieces in about 30 unique ways.” |
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| Viva Bhogaita, Libby Fitzgerald, and Katy Lyons. |
| To further extend the Carlisle Advantage, the design teams at Carlisle and Per Se use colors and dyes that match the colors and dyes used in previous seasons. The coordination can continue for years. “A jacket from Carlisle works in the city with dressy trousers, or on weekends with jeans. The versatility is a major plus.” Said Libby. “The clothes are also exceptionally well made, and hold up incredibly well, I’m still wearing pieces that I bought 10 years ago!” The Carlisle Collection was founded by William Rondina in 1981, and The Per Se Collection, which began as a line to supplement Carlisle in 2005, was expanded into a full line in 2009 and is sold in the same Manhattan showroom, which opened in 1997. However, the Per Se space is quite different. |
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| The Carlisle showroom. |
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| The Per Se showroom. |
| “Having the Per Se in the showroom is a wonderful addition to the classic style of Carlisle,” said Viva, adding, “giving clients access to modern pieces with different fits and details that can spice up pieces from Carlisle. Of course Per Se can also be shopped as its own line for a slightly edgier look.” The Carlisle / Per Se showroom is currently taking appointments to shop the 2010 Holiday Collection which will be available in conjunction with the Fall collection from September 23rd. New York City Showroom Details: Address: 16 east 52nd Street, 16th Floor Phone: 212.751.6490 Website: WWW.CARLISLECOLLECTION.COM/SHOWROOMS/NYC |
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