In the Thicke of Things at Express

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Parent Category: Travel Info

Category: Places To Shop

Published on Thursday, 03 April 2014 04:36

Written by Elaine Ing

On Tuesday, Mar. 25th, 2014 singer Robin Thicke officially opened the Express flagship store in the midst of Times Square.  After a Q&A and photo-op session in the middle of the gigantic store, Thicke descended the escalators wearing the Express “Photographer” suit and Henley graphic tshirt, opened his set to a screaming filled-to-capacity in-store crowd.  Much to the surprise and delight of pedestrians outside the store, his live performance was telecast on Express’ 9,000 sq. foot billboard (the highest resolution billboard ever in Times Square).  Thicke played a number of his hits, including starting off with Give It 2 You, his 2008 song Magic on the keyboard, and of course the 2013 summer anthem Blurred Lines.

The massive new three-story, 28,000-square-foot flagship is in the heart of Times Square. The Japanese redesign of its flagship store, as well as its world-wide store locations, features industrial fixtures, separate women’s & men’s section, a special "denim lab" area, and a runway down the center of each store to showcase special merchandise. In addition, the flagship store boasts interactive iPads, mobile points of sale, and on-site charging stations to enhance the shopping experience. Express has more than 620 worldwide, generating sales of $2 billion a year.  It was announced last fall that supermodel Kate Upton will be the first celebrity spokeswoman to appear in the brand’s campaigns in the past decade. As the brand ambassador for the American company, the model recently wowed the crowd at Express’ runway show in Miami Beach and will appear in their fall ads.

The flagship store opening celebration was the perfect opportunity to see Express’ latest Spring 2014 collection.  The first two floors featured the women’s collection.  The first floor consisted of mainly casual wear, including the recently launched Love Express line (yoga and casual lounge) and Express Core (activewear).  Both lines highlight Express’ aggressive pricing strategy of offering fast fashion clothing and accessories with the same fabric technology as many of the high-end sports/ activewear brand competitors, at a fraction of the cost.

The second floor showed Express’ dressier items and accessories. Lightly tinted blush is a predominant color in their Spring 2014 collection, as well as the au courant monochromatic black / white theme in the form of stripes, polka dots and eye-catching visuals.  These color schemes are echoed in apparel and accessories. The massive retail store utilizes each space well, with separate areas allotted for handbags & totes, hosiery & shoes, jewelry, and fragrance.
The third floor was dedicated to menswear, featuring suits, shirts and casual wear including the “denim lab”.

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