Evine Names Chief Human Resources Officer

Evine has appointed Lori Riley as senior vice president, chief human resources officer, the network said Friday.

Riley joins Evine with more than 15 years of experience in the retail industry, serving in leadership positions at Target Corp. and UnitedHealth Group where she oversaw a number of responsibilities, including leadership of global employee relations, HR operations, payroll and employee experience.

“Lori comes to us with over two decades of human resources experience and a proven track record for driving exceptional performance by building strong and talented teams,” Evine CEO Bob Rosenblatt said in a canned statement.

“I am excited for her to join Evine’s already strong management team and help shape our ‘Be Good to Yourself’ culture.”

Riley joins Evine after serving as vice president of human capital at UnitedHealth Group where she accelerated the company’s talent analytics strategy, drove innovative HR operations to scale with global growth, reinvigorated the diversity & inclusion strategy and established a values-based, positive culture with strong customer service focus.

Prior to that, she spent 15 years at Minneapolis-based Target in numerous human resource positions.

“Being from the Minneapolis area, I’ve followed Evine’s story for some time now,” Riley said. “Bob has shared with me his vision for the Company, and I truly believe the best days are yet to come. Evine already has a strong foundation to build upon, and I look forward to working alongside the team to develop a world-class team and culture.”

Riley received her MBA from Northern Illinois University.

QVC Guru Isaac Mizrahi Featured At Jewish Museum

QVC’s design maestro, Brooklyn-born Isaac Mizrahi, is the centerpiece of a new exhibit at the Jewish Museum in the Big Apple. And “Isaac Mizrahi: An Unruly Past” has gotten a lot of press in New York, including several stories in The New York Times.

The articles we’ve seen mention up top the fashion designer’s work for QVC, as well as the collection he used to do for Target, which we loved.

The current exhibit, however, focuses on his high-end clothes. The stories are an interesting read.

Joy Mangano’s New Miracle Mop Gets Lousy Reviews

Joy Mangano’s updated Miracle Mop has only averaged a 2.2 rating out of five stars, based on more than 1,400 reviews, according to HSN.com.

But when we started to go through them, we had a hard time finding anything but “pristine” five-star ratings. What’s up with that?

http://www.hsn.com/products/joy-new-miracle-mop-wself-wringing-helix-technology/7861086

We heard from one reader that the mop is so tricky to assemble that the home shopping network has now included special instructions on putting it together on its website.

We’re a little behind to blog about this point, but Mangano’s products are now not only being sold in Macy’s. They are also being peddled in other brick-and-mortar retailers such as Bed, Bath & Beyond and Target.

If we had known that, we would not have bothered to order Mangano’s mop and bucket from HSN.

Right now they are sitting, still in their boxes, in our living room.

Mangano, the inspiration for the Jennifer Lawrence film “Joy,” sold more than 210,000 mops in one day.

How HSN Vendor Liz Lange Spends Sundays

Want to know how HSN vendors spend their time when they’re not hawking their wares on the home shopping network? Well, fashion designer Liz Lange spilled the beans on her weekends in The New York Times’ “Sunday Routine” weekly column.

The 48-year-old has rented a “famed” East Hampton estate Grey Gardens this summer, and is spending long weekends there away from steamy Manhattan with her lawyer fiance, her kids and their Goldendoodle, according to The Times.

Perhaps surprisingly, Lange didn’t plug her HSN collection, but did mention her maternity line for Target.

http://www.hsn.com/shop/liz-lange/7263?query=Liz%20Lange&isSuggested=False&

“Maybe Target customers, who we call ‘guests,’ maybe they have questions,” Lange told The Times. “I love to answer them all personally.”

http://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=Liz+Lange&category=0|All|matchallpartial|all+categories&lnk=snav_sbox_Liz+Lange

The story says that Lange sold her own maternity-wear business in 2007. Guess that’s how she can afford that Hampton rental!

She says her favorite eatery is Sette Mezzo, and that on Sunday eves at 10 p.m. she binge-watches TV movies on Lifetime and Hallmark Channel. Now that’s a damning confession.

Oprah, We Found A Cheaper Blouse Than The QVC One You’re Wearing At Target

Sorry we’ve been remiss posting, but we were suffering from carpal tunnel and a shooting pain down our neck and legs. It hurt so bad we almost cried when we sat down to write, and we had to take action. Having to wear wrist braces when you sleep doesn’t do much for your love life.

So we bought a new desk (it took BFF Ann and us four hours to do the “easy” assembly yesterday), a new desk chair and an ergonomic keyboard. Hopefully, these we alleviate our agony, but we’re way behind on blogs. We’ll start off on a shortie.

We swiped a copy of the August issue of O: The Oprah Magazine from our gym this week, and on the cover Oprah Winfrey is wearing a white ruffled Isaac Mizrahi QVC blouse. The cover was promoting an “Items Under $100” feature, and the QVC blouse, A209933, is $70.

Thursday, we tried on a nearly identical blouse in Target (which Mizrahi used to design for), part of the in-house Merona label. It was either $30 or $35, and just as nice as Isaac’s — and half the price.

Pop Quiz: What’s A ‘Jegging’? Well, HSN’s Diane Gilman Sold A Record 100,000 Of Them Saturday

HSN sold more than 100,000 of these Jeggings

It looks like jean designer Diane Gilman hit a landmark on HSN with her Today’s Special, which was a pair of DG Stretch Denim “Jeggings” for $25. She sold more than 100,000 pairs of them, selling out in the early afternoon.

What the hell are those, you ask? We’d never heard the term, but we were in Target tonight and what did one of its signs say: Jeggings. They are a combination of a jean and a legging. They have the appearance of a jean, with false pockets and denim, but are made of very stretchy material and have an elastic waist.

Gilman, whose red hair looked tame and beautiful this visit (unlike our’s Saturday) produces jeans for “real women,” as she often says, with a lot of stretch in the waist. During one of her shows Saturday it was said that her jeans are the biggest jean sellers on HSN, if not the world.

We have several pairs of her jeans, and we love them. We’ve always dreaded trying to find jeans that fit right. It was tortuous. We remember one year when we vowed to find a great-fitting pair of jeans, and at that time we would have paid several hundred dollars for them. We tried on jeans everywhere — from Macy’s to Neiman Marcus — dozens of them — and couldn’t find any we liked.

Now we’re swearing by Gilman’s jeans and, believe it or not, Target’s, where 25 bucks can get you a really sharp pair.

Just In Time For Easter, QVC’s Isaac Mizrahi Lays Another Egg With His TSV: Continued Disappointment With This Talented Designer

We had high hopes when we heard that designer Isaac Mizrahi was coming to QVC. We met and interviewed him almost a decade ago, and he was delightful. And we loved his clothes at Target.

As we’ve said before (sorry if you’ve read this already), we wore a $59 black cocktail dress that Mizrahi did for Target to the Emmy Awards in LA in 2008. And, we swear we’re not bragging, we looked just as good as many of the women who had thousand-dollar gowns. We dressed up that LBD with big jewelry and were good to go.

But after all the hype that QVC generated about Mizrahi coming on board, when his line debuted we weren’t very impressed. But we have tried to keep an open mind. When we heard he was doing the Today’s Special Value for Monday, we were looking forward to seeing it. Well, it was quite the disappointment, as has been the rest of his QVC collection.

It’s a scoop neck knit top with “embellishment,” namely a few jeweled flowers and a denim/grosgrain ribbon flower pin, which is removable. The TSV is $40.

That top is as uninspired and pedestrian, and even ugly with the “embellishment,” as it could get. Isaac, what is wrong with you?

We checked out the QVC online forums to see what posters thought, and they echoed our gripes about the TSV.

Here are some of the brutal comments on the Mizrahi top:

“My computer broken or are we not even talking about Issac’s TSV? I don’t want it, it is just not for me. This is the first time in a year that I have not seen people talking about the new fashion TSV. Bad sign, I think.”

“My first thought was K-mart meets Quacker Factory. I have nothing against the man, but somehow I feel insulted by this item.”

“I am all for stimulating the economy and I wish him great success but I would only order it at the $19 end. And he could keep the pins.”

“$45.00? Wait a sec. Did I see and read this correctly? $45.00 TSV is a cheap tacky T-shirt that is selling for $45.00 (after S&H) that is just insane!!!”

“You aren’t the only ones who dislike this merchandise line, trust me. TSV is just ridiculous! Who on earth…. WHY on earth would anyone wear something like that unless it was their child’s art project???…And topping it all off? That huge black ribbon thing reminds me of something a person wears as a gesture of mourning. Personally I think QVC needs to step it up and dump some of the ‘Blue Light specials’ that it pushes on us. Actually this would work great as a Blue Light special but the price would have to be slashed from $45.00 to maybe $9.99.”

“Walmart wouln’t even sell that — that is horrific and a ridiculous price.”

“Methinks its headed for the clearance section…I like Isaac and have a few of this things but this top doesn’t say spring to me.”

Yes, these ladies are frank. But we happen to agree with them.

Isaac, you better step up your game. Please bring the zing and zest your Target collection had to the Q.

Liz Lange To Launch Clothing Line, ‘Completely Me,’ On HSN — You Don’t Have To Be Pregnant To Wear It

Liz Lange, fashion writer and founder of one of the most recognizable lines of maternity wear, is launching a ready-to-wear women’s collection exclusively on HSN Feb. 19, officials said Thursday. And it’s not for pregnant women.

The new line, Completely Me By Liz Lange, will be available this spring at HSN. Bluestar Alliance, Liz Lange’s brand management firm, has signed a licensing agreement with Tiger J to produce the collection.

A former fashion writer at Vogue magazine, Lange has had great success with her Liz Lange Maternity line.

“Completely Me By Liz Lange offers style that embraces her favorite attributes and adds a vacation-wear fun to her everyday wardrobe,” HSN said in its press release.

The pieces are all priced at less than $100, the spring 2010 collection ranges from knit leggings for $24.90 and a three-quarter sleeve embellished knit top for $44.90 to a heavy knit double-breasted sweater jacket for $69.90, with all styles available in spring colors such as navy, white, turquoise, bright orange and lime green.

In the 1990s Liz Lange redefined maternity by providing modern women stylish clothing while simultaneously accentuating the beauty of the female body during pregnancy.

After being approached for years by customers seeking a line of non-maternity wear, Lange decided to design a collection of separates using her signature chic sensibility. With the addition of a ready-to-wear collection under the Liz Lange umbrella, the brand will further its growth as the choice for fashion-forward women.

“We are thrilled to be taking this natural next step together with HSN and Tiger J,” Lange said in a prepared statement. “Women have so much to balance in their lives; our collection will keep you looking great while adding simplicity to your wardrobe. The fit and fabric of this collection is essential, but more than anything it is the optimistic attitude and approach to life that exemplifies the brand.”

Completely Me will launch on HSN Feb. 19 and be on again at Feb. 20.

“We’re excited to partner with Liz Lange to bring to life her exclusive ready-to-wear designs,” HSN Mindy Grossman said in a prepared statement. “Liz has a terrific connection with her customers. The addition of her collection to HSN reinforces our commitment to respond to our customers’ needs — women not only want to look and feel beautiful, but they also seek comfort and fit.”

In the 1990s, Lange redefined maternity with a revolutionary approach, providing a stylish, yet well-made elegant collection for the modern woman seeking clothing that accentuates the beauty of the female body during pregnancy. Behind her success of Liz Lange Maternity, lies an understanding of mixing comfort with contemporary edge, designing for the businesswoman to the stay-home mom. Today she has developed one of the most recognizable lines of maternity wear, with product currently available at Target.

Bluestar Alliance was established in January 2007 by Joey Gabbay and Ralph Gindi. The fund’s purchase of Liz Lange was preceded by its acquisition of better men’s apparel firm Ron Chereskin Studio in September 2007 and quickly followed by that of junior brand Hot Kiss in February 2008.

Bluestar Alliance recently purchased The Sharper Image. Gabbay is also president of Wellington Capital Group, which purchased the Harve Benard ladies’ brand in September 2006. Each of these apparel companies operates as a wholly owned subsidiary.

Got A Spare $50? ‘Plaid Mad’ Designer Isaac Mizrahi Gives Us $40 Plaid Junior’s Cheescake, With $11 Shipping and Handling, On QVC

Mizrahi's Plaid Junior's Cheesecake

We love Isaac Mizrahi, who had his official debut on QVC Saturday night, but we’re not crazy about how he’s “plaid mad” with his collection for the home shopping network.

And we are especially disappointed that he and QVC are hawking plaid cheesecake from Junior’s for a “holiday surprise price” of $39.94.

Let’s see, with $11.22 handling and shipping, that makes this 8-inch cheesecake more than $50. Well, we guess that’s a bargain compared to the regular price for the cheesecake, which is $48.50. So with the regular price plus shipping and handling, Mizrahi’s QVC plaid cheesecake is roughly $60.

“It’s going to be the best cheesecake you’ve ever had,” host Lisa Robertson said.

Not for nothing, as we say in Jersey, but it better be the best at that price. We don’t care if it got three five-star ratings already online.

Tiime out for a reality check: Has anyone told QVC, or Mizrahi, that there is a recession and a 10 percent unemployment rate in this country? As part of that tenth of the nation we will not be buying $50 plaid cheesecakes for the holidays. But QVC sold more than 2,000 of them.

“My first food product,” Mizrahi said. “Plaid cake, plaid plate.”

The Brooklyn-bred designer was talking about the various plaid houseware items he has done for QVC. But there are also plaid shoes, plaid clothes, plaid blankets, plaid pajamas, plaid everything. We’re not so crazy about the plaid, to be honest.

QVC shot Mizrahi’s show at his studio in Manhattan, where the home shopping network has built a set to show off the designer’s line. There is a modern living room area with an off-white fireplace, white sofas and glass tables. There is also a nook that’s got a bed in it, all the better to show off Mizrahi’s plaid blanket.

There was a painting of Mizrahi’s dog Harry over the fireplace, and one of his dog Dean over the bed. Harry was featured in a silk scarf that incorporated sketches that Mizrahi drew of his mixed-breed mutt. The scarf was $47.

“This is going to be my Christmas present to everyone,” he said.

Mizrahi said he’s been working on his QVC collection for the past six months, and showed viewers his “Inspiration Board,” where he posts photos and fabric swatches as he works on his couture collections. He said he has one for QVC, as well as a personal one at his house.

Mizrahi and Robertson had a nice rapport, although when they took calls from viewers they kept speaking over them. Robertson said that because they were in New York, there was a time delay with the calls that was causing the problem.

The logo for QVC’s Isaac Mizrahi Live! line is “a daisy of exclamation points,” according to Mizrahi.

Sorry to bore people who have already read this, but we interviewed Mizrahi years ago for a story on the impact of AIDS on the fashion industry that won us a Gerald Loeb Award. He was nice, smart and articulate.

We loved — and miss — his apparel at Target. In fact, we wore a one of his black Target dresses to the Emmys last year. The price of the dress? A whopping $59.

By the way, Robertson was rocking some cleavage, especially when she bent over the plaid cheesecake. And of course, she said she was going to buy half of the Mizrahi items she presented.

HSN Handbag Designer Carlos Falchi Is Profiled In New York Times, His Target Line Debuts Nov. 1

Designer Carlos Falchi, who has expanded his HSN line beyond handbags to shoes, clothes and accessories, is profiled in the “Thursday Styles” section of The New York Times today.

The second graph of the story talks about Falchi pullng an all-nighter at HSN, where sales for his $100 faux leather coat were at more than 16,000 pieces that day.

In the profile, The Times also talks about the designer’s move into additional products, not just handbags, for HSN with his new Chi by Falchi line.

The story was a good read for us, because we didn’t know much about Falchi’s background. And we weren’t aware that Falchi will be doing a line of purses for Target, priced at $20 to $50. They go on sale at Target Nov. 1, and will be available for two months, according to The Times.

Falchi’s signature leather bags for HSN are much pricier than that, topping out at $850, and he favors floppy, unconstructed designs.

He does about $100 million a year in retail sales, according to The Times.