Date: Fri 20-Sep-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Illustration: C

Location: A11

Quick Words:

Carlisle-Robinson-clothing

Full Text:

(feature on Jackie Robinson/Carlisle Clothes Collection, 9/20/96)

Without The Mall, An Easier Way To Shop For Clothes

(with photos)

By Kaaren Valenta

For many busy working women, shopping - particularly for clothing - is one of

their most frustrating tasks.

Battling the traffic and crowds at the mall, trying to find the right styles

in the right size is difficult. Attempting to put together a wardrobe of

interchangeable pieces is a real challenge, even with the assistance of an

in-store shopping consultant.

Enter Carlisle, a New York City firm which designs and manufactures

couture-quality clothing and sells it exclusively through a nationwide network

of in- home fashion/sales consultants.

Jackie Robinson, who lives on Ashford Lane with her husband, Carl, is the

Carlisle of Newtown representative. As director of sales and distribution

systems for a large company in southern Fairfield County, Jackie knows

first-hand the businesswoman's need for quality clothing and the opportunity

of going shopping at a place where you are the only customer, getting all the

attention.

"I've always, always loved clothes," Mrs Robinson said in a recent interview

at her home, where racks of clothes filled the foyer and living room, and

dozens of sweaters were displayed on the dining room table. A former home

economics teacher, Mrs Robinson holds a master's in clothing and textiles.

Carlisle fabrics are the finest European pure silks, pure cottons and pure

woolens, lightweight to wear and luxurious to the touch. There are silk and

wool blends, linen blends, lustrous silk charmeuses, crepe de chines,

georgettes and chiffons. And there are accents of texture: leather, suede,

corduroy and velvet, and handcrafted buttons.

Carlisle presents four seasonal collections of clothing and coordinating

scarves, belts and jewelry. The 300-piece fall collection was already

presented; the holiday collection will be in Newtown about November 1.

"Everything is a separate, to mix and match," Mrs Robinson said. "That's

especially good because the top and bottom don't have to be the same size.

Besides, a lot of times we don't want both pieces to be the same - it's a lot

more interesting to use separates."

There are jackets, skirts, trousers, blouses, sweaters, basic knit dresses,

scarves and belts in sizes 0 to 16. Over it all throw a "fling," a long

one-size-fits-all shawl in camel, black/camel herringbone or black with

tassels, good for traveling between geographical climates or in

air-conditioned restaurants.

"There are a lot of knits," Jackie Robinson said. "These are very popular with

people who travel, who are in and out of cars, because the knits don't wrinkle

and they are very comfortable."

The Carlisle color palate ranges from new neutrals such as camels, olive, grey

and ink, to vibrant shades of red, peacock purple, fuchsia, green and apricot.

Carlisle's colors are true from year to year; the same exact shade is carried

from year to year, so if you buy a navy piece this year, you know the shade

will be the same in next year's collection.

What's hot this year? Animal prints, zipper accents, sweater sets, olive as a

neutral color, mixing subtle patterns, quilted silk jackets and menswear

looks.

Overall, however, the styles in the Carlisle collection are very classic.

"They will be just as fashionable several seasons from now," Mrs Robinson

said.

That is part of the emphasis of the Carlisle collection: building a wardrobe.

Prices are described as "bridge," between couture and department stores, or

what Mrs Robinson calls "Chanel quality at Ellen Tracy prices."

Jackets, many of which are chain-weighted to hang perfectly, are in the $400

range; skirts and slacks in the $200 reach; dresses about $350; scarves and

jewelry around $100; and belts, $100-$250.

Mrs Robinson calculates a typical Carlisle outfit, complete with jacket, skirt

and silk blouse, at about $800. There is no minimum purchase and after a

client selects a piece, Mrs Robinson assists in adding on separates that work

with it.

"I'll work with their existing wardrobes to incorporate Carlisle pieces and

suggest hose and shoes - even call the store and have them delivered."

Carlisle was founded 15 years ago based on the home showroom format.

Consultants train in Pittsburgh and at the Carlisle showrooms in New York

City. Consultants receive the collection for a six-day period, booking

appointments for each of those days. All Carlisle clothes are ordered and take

about ten days to come in. If alterations are required, Mrs Robinson

recommends seamstresses who can do the job. Either way, the clothing is

delivered, to the customer or to the alteration person. Gift certificates are

available.

"This is a service for the woman of the 90s - who has to do it all," Jackie

Robinson said. "There's no parking hassle, no waiting, one-on-one service. We

keep track of what you buy and help you build on it from year to year. We're

helping you to build a wardrobe, not just sell you an outfit."

For more information about the Carlisle collection, call Jackie Robinson at

270-7779.