“Glad you´re home again, Iris,” Anne said. “I´m afraid we´ve really got you on the run.”
“Oh, well, somebody´s got to do it, and I do enjoy it. But I really want to spend some time with Heather and get into the design side more. I think the next week or so will settle down some. I´m really still reacting to the first craze.”
“I saw you on TV last week when I was in Chicago,” Jim said. He and Denise had come for the meeting.
“Oh, that morning show. What a bunch of macho pigs those guys were. They don´t come over that way on camera, but as soon as the tell-tale goes off ...”
“It´s doing a great job for the sales side, Iris. We´re moving a lot of merchandise,” Jim said.
“Just what are we moving, Jim?” Anne asked.
“Okay. Overall, the VeeCees are moving well. Evening wear seems to have a steady, increasing volume, some peaks, especially around Halloween. I think it will peak again during all the party seasons. The larger sellers are sportswear and better blouses. They seem to have really caught on. I don´t know where people are wearing them, but they sure are selling.”
“Jim,” Iris noted, “I´ve had a lot of women sidle up and ask me, ‘Can you really get away wearing a virtual blouse to work?´ So I give them a flash, and they´re sold.”
“Terrific. At Victoria´s Secret, they´re very pleased with the racks we suggested. The pictures of you women wearing virtual blouses really seem to attract the shoppers, both men and women. It was an inspiration to have Margaret in there, too ... We should look at offering the racks to the boutique trade, too. Boutiques don´t seem to know how to display our merchandise very well. They´re too hanger-oriented. And, some more pictures of you wearing evening gowns.”
“What about VeeJays, Jim?”
“VeeJays are kind of a problem, Anne. We need to merchandise them better. Maybe a rack that hooks onto the blouse rack. They´re much slower to move. I think we need to do a lot more promotion in that area. Show women how they can use VeeJays effectively. Iris, what do you think?”
“Well, yes. I admit I don´t do much with them, right now. Let me think about it. I´ve always thought of VeeJays as something to wear when you´re not wearing anything else. We need to either change that perception or play on it harder.”
“Heather,” Anne said, “the stuff you did in Atlanta was beautiful, don´t you think so, Will?”
Will said, “Yes it was and it is. You got the whole range, Nudes, Erotics and Explicits. You must have had quite a time.”
“Well, Will, it was sort of like when you´re on a sketching jag. Sitting there bare-ass, sketching people screwing. Makes me horny as hell, that´s one thing, but it´s a real challenge, especially when the people are such wonderful colors. Only thing is, I didn´t know most of the people and I ended up really just screwing Al and Margaret. Guess I´m getting choosy in my old age.”
“Never mind. We got some wonderful stuff. I talked to Al last night, and he was wild about Alex´s new catalog proofs. Wanted to know if we were going to do a special run for African-Americans.”
“What did you tell him?”
“Well, I said I want to talk with all of you. My feeling is, we should have all our stuff in one catalog. I don´t like the idea of dividing it up.”
Alex said, “For the ‘Nudes and Erotics´ catalog, I agree, but we do need to group things thematically.”
“Sort of like Land´s End,” Sigrid put in. Everyone laughed.
“Yes, exactly. And for the Explicits, that´s smaller, I can´t see breaking them up, either.”
Anne said, “Do we agree? Good. So do I ... Jim, I forgot to ask about Breastworks. How are they going?”
“They´re a nice, solid background item, Anne. Steady sales, and people keep coming in, I´m told, to look for new items. Please ask Mei-Ling to keep the designs coming. Oh, and you know what are really good sellers? Gag items and seasonal stuff. Pumpkins at Halloween. Starbursts for the Fourth, Santas. Some of it is really dumb, but it sells, and the margins are solid.”
“Iris,” Anne asked, “is there anything you can do with Breastworks when you´re on the road?”
“I don´t think so, Anne. It´s really something where we´re better off looking for placements in magazines – Cosmo, Elle, Vogue, that stuff. Oh, and I´m working on a feature on Breastworks for ‘Penthouse´.”
Sigrid spoke up, “Iris, when you talk to the business media, you might want to start talking about how VeeSes are going to slump in the winter.”
“What do you mean, Sigrid?” Anne asked.
“Hey, I don´t know about you, but panty-hose keep me warm in winter. Come January, I´m hanging up my VeeSes and going for nylon. So will a lot of other women.”
“Hadn´t thought about it,” Anne said. “You´re right, we need to make sure the media understand what´s going on when – if – sales slow down.”
“I´ll keep that in mind,” Iris said, making a note.
“Will, you wanted to say something about horses,” Anne continued.
“Yes. I´ve got a small problem. I´ve got so many commissions now, I´m a little backed up on Nudes and Erotics.”
“Are you complaining?” Ken asked.
“No. I love doing the horses, and the money´s good. But, I love the rest of it, too. I´ve either got to cut back on Nudes and Erotics or turn down commissions. Any suggestions?”
“Will,” Saul said, “my take is, you´ve always been our biggest asset. You got us going with your talent, and you´ve been our mainstay. Now, we´ve got Heather, Iris and Mei-Ling to help provide the artistic product. You can do the things you want to. It´s up to you.”
“You make it sound like I could retire.”
Mary said, “No, Will. It´s just that we´ve got some depth now, a backfield. You can relax a little and do what you really want. That´s what the rest of us are doing, why not you?”
“Well, of course, I have been doing what I love. But you´re right. I can spend a little more time experimenting. With horses and with figures. I haven´t done a Goddess of Mei-Ling yet. That´s a great idea. Thanks.”