Greg Norman and Macy's Hook Up

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Big news from Sharkland on Business Wire today:

press release

NEW YORK, Aug 31, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Macy's today announced that it would be teaming up with iconic golf brand Greg Norman Collection. Partnering with Macy's exclusive upscale menswear brand, Tasso Elba, the company will design a collection for men featuring performance-based, golf-inspired sportswear. Greg Norman for Tasso Elba will launch in Macy's stores and on www.macys.com in January 2011.

For more, read here.

TAGS: thebiz : greg norman collection :

Radio Silence

Monday, August 30, 2010

I'm out of town with very little wifi access ... so afraid I'm off-the-grid, as they say, for a few more days. Going to try to post the next time I run to Starbucks ... but I can't promise anything. I'm kinda liking this no email, internet stuff. It's so vintage ... :) Annmarie

Our Near Logo-less Leader

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

The Obamas are finishing up their family vacation on Martha's Vineyard. Rainy weather has put a stop to much of the golf President Barack Obama had planned. I have to say, and MV is no exception, I've noticed that whenever the POTUS is photographed at leisure, the man travels with golf shirts in tow.

Obama is a golf lover, and plays it whenever he can, I'm not going to fault the man for that. There are plenty of people doing that already. I love that the president plays golf, actually. It's a closet obsession for far too many and that's not surprising considering how the game can be demonized at home, in the workplace, in the mainstream media. The issue I have at hand is this: his golf shirts.

The picture above is of Obama leaving a bookstore last week in Vineyard Haven. He's wearing a Nike Golf shirt here and I went through a ton of images to be sure it was a Nike Swoosh on his left sleeve. This is a rare sighting on the President, who mostly golfs in logo-free golf shirts. The rarest of American male golfers, right?

I've looked at images from Hawaii, Martha's Vineyard and the D.C. area and for the most part Obama is logo less. He's a classics guy, well-worn FootJoys and a navy golf polo. Where am I going with this? I'll tell you, I think he can do better.

Obama is trim and in shape, I've mentioned before that an oversized polo can add 10 pounds to a man's appearance ... obviously he can stand the extra 10, many men cannot. For a man who can wear slimmer styles and with a wife who's gone miles to promote American fashion and apparel companies, I wish Obama would do a little for golf what Michelle Obama has done for Seventh Avenue.

Bring in the shape of his golf shirt just a bit. And add color. He can keep his flat-front khakis and saddle shoes. He's wearing Nike Golf here, great! Keep it going! Polo Golf. Under Armour. Fairway & Greene. Peter Millar. Greg Norman Collection. Eritage. Jack Nicklaus. Vineyard Vines. Bills Khakis. Jack Nicklaus Apparel. Callaway Golf. Antigua. Bobby Jones. Ashworth (I know it's owned by Adidas Golf, but I can't think of anyone more All-American than John Ashworth and the brand is still very American.) ...

The list goes on and it should as America is filled with great golf brands and in many ways drives (pun intended) the game. Several U.S.-based golf apparel brands are the sorts of small businesses touted as vital to the nation's economic recovery. Plus, they have the goods that can project a commanding image on course for Obama (and in the photos broadcast worldwide) so this isn't a gimme. Instead of damning him for the 40-something rounds of golf he's played while in office, I'd love it if this could be turned into an opportunity to promote the benefits of playing golf and the $190 billion industry rooted in this country.

Think I'm crazy? Know what his wife has done for J.Crew? Obama puts on a fabulous polo and golf shops around the country will feel it in a good way.

Know what I'd love even more? If the president was photographed teaching his wife and daughters how to play the game. Dressed chic, having fun, sharing a laugh and competing. Sure, golf may be his fortress of solitude, in a way and I respect that, but the game could also use the spin that it's not just a game people sneak away to.-Annmarie Dodd

TAGS: golf fashion : barack obama :

Ripped from the Headlines

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Golf apparel is grabbing some ink these days, among the stories:

Former fashion editor, Toby Tucker Peters, launches a women's golf collection (Gee, why didn't I think of that!! I hope to have more on Toby soon), by Hope Greenberg on Lucky.com. Link here.

On Bloomberg: "Tiger Woods Fans Snub Shirts as Golfer has Worst Year of Career" by Alex Sherman. Link here.

Golf apparel sales, they say, and thankfully, are on the climb. Golf Datatech gives the sweet spot for prices via Club and Resort Business website. Link here.

Could Las Vegas and the golf business finally get a spring trade show going? After along, meandering history and a revamped show, there's a good report coming out of the west fort he 2010 PGA Fall Expo. Show attendance was up 16 percent this year, according to the PGA. I've traveled a ton this summer, and this is one of my regrets ... I couldn't get to Las Vegas to check this out. I'll have to make that right next year. From PGA.com. Link here.

TAGS: grabbing headlines :

Playing Favorites: Jack Nicklaus Apparel, Spring 2011. Part 1

Friday, August 20, 2010

I've been waiting a few months to see what David Chu and his design team could come up with for a refocused Jack Nicklaus Apparel. I was not disappointed.

The new collection is clean-lined with a nod to both sartorial and the tech changes fueling golf apparel. It's been a while, actually, since I've seen a golf collection with such Preppy leanings that comes with a sense of purpose -- meaning, it the collection doesn't wear Preppy as a handle, or as kitsch, and lets a garment's use, fit and color speak for itself.

Fit is more important here than in many other collections crowding the higher end of the golf market. Watch for this to be a factor as competition heats up for golfer's attention next spring. This new Jack Nicklaus line is one of the elements I see refining better golf wear next year that could change the line up at your local golf shop. And, in most cases, this is a very good thing.

Jack Nicklaus Apparel frames its seasonal deliveries around the colors and personalities of Jack Nicklaus courses around the globe. For spring 2011, this means Sebonack Golf Club on Long Island (clear pastels), Ocean's Edge Resort and Golf Club on Cape Cod (classic brights) and Killeen Castle Golf Resort, near Dublin, Ireland (dark orange and grays).

Here's a bit of the spring collections. Among my favorites are the pique button up take on the Oxford shirt, the printed stripe fabric used as a design detail, a modern, clean outerwear jacket and the bright chino short embroidered with a bear's paw print. -Annmarie Dodd

TAGS: playing favorites : golf fashion : jack nicklaus apparel : spring 2011 :