Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
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ON THE TOWN RIGHT: Laurie Thornton talks shop over seared foie gras with filet mignon and enoki mushrooms. BELOW: Yokohama maki and sashimi. BOTTOM: The sushi chefs prepare fresh fish flown in from Japan. 88 "This season fashion is all about jumping the pond to the UK." —LAURIE THORNTON memorable moments from Bloomingdale's? LT: Recently, there was a woman shopping for a dress. My sales manager Mary found out that she wanted to wear it to meet the president that night. She was the mother of one of the Boston Marathon bombing victims. She was deciding between two dresses, one more expensive than the other. Mary tracked me down, and I told her to give the customer the dress—and we did. The woman wrote me the most heartfelt thank-you note that night with pictures of her with President and Mrs. Obama. Sometimes we have a unique opportunity to make an impact on people's lives. Nothing feels better than that. Not even a bite of Judy's honey toast. BC PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRYCE VICKMARK continued from page 86 LT: I am always very impressed with local jewelry designers. So a few years ago, we started having jewelry casting calls, where local artists bring their handmade jewelry to our trunk shows. The goal is for these artisans to have a strong response from our clients and to ultimately become part of our baseline assortment. JJ: Do you remember your first time walking into a department store? LT: Vividly. I was four years old in Colorado at May Company with my mother. She forgot about me, but I didn't mind—I was fascinated. I can picture how the mannequins were dressed and the smell of the perfume. I can hear the women chatting about handbags, scarves, gloves, and shoes. I had an early appreciation for accessories, and my grandmother owned a children's boutique on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. She made sure I knew how to put together a whole outfit. JJ: Other than your grandmother, who are your fashion icons? LT: Oh, there are so many: Clark Gable, Cary Grant, Marlene Dietrich, Amelia Earhart, and, currently, Gwyneth Paltrow. JJ: What's your personal shopping modus operandi? LT: I love the classic, timeless pieces from Armani and Chanel. I'd rather buy 10 good things a season than buy dozens of anything less than the highest quality. JJ: What trends will we be seeing for the rest of 2013? LT: This season is all about jumping the pond to the UK. Our fall theme is British Invasion. We have extensive collections and exclusive items from British designers like Reiss, Ted Baker, Karen Millen, and Burberry. You will see jewel tones, animal prints, lots of leather—leather trim, leather panels, leather pants, leather buttons—as well as the punk elements that we saw at this year's Met Costume Institute Ball. You'll see over-the-knee-boots and pointy-toed shoes. JJ: So what's for dessert? LT: I love this story—Chef Judy wanted all her dishes to be as authentic as they are in Japan. So during one of her trips to Japan, she sought out the highest-rated restaurant for this one particular dessert called honey toast. She waited eight and a half hours just to get in, and then spent months perfecting the recipe. It looks like a present. It's become a popular midday treat—our clients meet their girlfriends for tea and honey toast. JJ: Everything seems to have a story behind it here. Do you have any BOSTONCOMMON-MAGAZINE.COM 086-088_BC_SPR_C_OTT_Sep13.indd 88 8/2/13 2:36 PM