Holiday Jaunt
Veteran Manhattan personal shopper Redman Maxfield, who last week outfitted a female client for a Palm Beach holiday jaunt, finds himself helping the wealthy stretch their dollars.
“All of my clients are conservative about money,” he said. “It’s still about need versus want.”
When buying for themselves, wealthy women more than ever before are mixing the most expensive designer goods with less costly alternatives, Maxfield said. The idea he promotes is to don a simple $400 dress, clasp a faux bracelet onto the wrist, and carry a beautiful $2,800 handbag, he said.
His clients have moved away from trendy items and in-your- face logos, and instead are looking for small brands no one has heard of, the kinds curated by Barneys New York Inc.
“Finding something unique that no one else has, that is the thing,” he said.
His male shoppers are being careful in their spending and going for top quality: suits from Brioni and Kiton, tuxedos from Ralph Lauren’s highest-priced black and purple labels, and other items from Turnbull & Asser, he said.
Inconclusive Economy
Justin Rosenblatt, a 40-year-old vice president of alternative programming at the CW Network, is being frugal this year because “the economy is inconclusive so I’d rather be smart than impetuous.
‘‘I’m just trying to save more money and look ahead to the future,” Rosenblatt said, adding that many of his friends are behaving in much the same way.