FashBlog.com

A new accessory store on the shopping scene may make putting the finishing touches on any outfit just a little bit easier. Diva London, a new offering from Limited Brands, has opened six stores to test the adult accessory market. Targeted to women eighteen to thirty-four, Diva London offers inexpensive yet high style, jewelry and accessories. Diva London is still in the testing stages of development, but if the newly opened stores in the Columbus, Ohio and Washington D.C. area thrive, shoppers will have a high style, low cost place to go to add an international "wow" factor to any outfit.

Diva London is a venture between Columbus, Ohio retailer, Limited Brands and DCK Concessions, an international jewelry and accessory retailer. If you are not familiar with the name Limited Brands, you probably will recognize the names of two of its' divisions ; Victoria's Secret and Bath and Body Works. Limited Brands also owns; The Limited, Express, Henri Bendel and apparel maker Mast Industries. More interesting are some of the stores Limited Brands has had under its umbrella during its' forty plus year history. Lane Bryant, Gaylan's Sporting Goods, Limited Too ( now Tween Brands), Structure and Abrocrombie and Fitch have all at one time been owned by Limited Brands. Some have been sold off to other retailers and some have flown solo. Abrocrombie and Fitch is an example of one of Limited Brands' prodigy that has not only flown solo but is soaring, though under the watchful eye of its' one time owner; Abrocrombie is headquartered down the street from Limited Brands. If you have been in a mall in the United States you have most likely seen, if not shopped at, a Limited Brands store.

This is why Diva London may have a very bright future. Not only is it being launched by a United States retail giant, it is a venture with one of the largest international accessory retailers, DCK Concessions. DCK is one of the leading fashion jewelry retailers in the world. Headquartered in the U.K., DCK Concessions has over three thousand Concessions outlets throughout the world. They market several brand names, including Freedom and Diva. A new line, Destiny, was recently introduced in Matalan in September of 2006. DCK Concessions does not sell its' products directly, they are located within a host retailers' store. DCK Concessions sells its' products in over twenty -two countries and on line.

So two retailing entities venture together and what results is a shopping opportunity for the accessory lover in all of us. The accessories really do pull together the look, and give the fashion conscious consumer the " wow" factor that produces a head turning result from fellow fashion followers. We all know the cost of decent fashion accessories can bust the budget of any outfit. Rummaging through discount or thrift stores can result in interesting pieces, but that takes time and effort. If anyone has shopped for the perfect bracelet or necklace to finish a fashionable look, or merely give a conservative look a fashionable flair, you will not be surprised to find costume jewelry can easily cost you the same dollars as a real piece of jewelry can run you at your local jewelers. This is if you can find cutting edge accessories at all. Large markets have a variety of retail outlets, including those in ethnic or artsy neighborhoods that provide a buyer with stores in which to find interesting but inexpensive accessories. If you do not live in a diverse neighborhood, high fashion accessories are either unavailable or expensive. Even a well funded fashion follower may think twice before spending hundreds of dollars on costume jewelry to give their outfit that " wow" factor we all crave. This is where Diva London comes in, and if it succeeds it will make internationally fashionable accessories a cost effective addition to any woman's outfit.

Diva London has declared its' target market to be women, ages eighteen to thirty-four. While the Diva line of accessories is targeted to teenagers in the rest of the world, Limited Brands is positioning it to a more adult market here in the United States. This dove tails with the target markets of most of Limited Brands' retail stores. It also covers a market that the hugely successful accessory store Claire's and Icing by Claire do not focus on. Claire's is primarily targeted to the tween market. I know I have entered a Claire's store with my tween daughter, and while the price of the earrings appeals to my pocketbook, I feel I would be robbing the grave buying any of their products for myself. While Claire's target market does include young women, it does not focus on adult women. Diva London states it will be selling to an older crowd, filling in that retailing nitch that Claire's does not currently serve. So why is Diva London selling teen items to American adults? I can make a guess, though I must admit I do not have the definitive data to support my theories.

In my experience, It takes awhile for European fashions to infiltrate the American market. Americans feel they rule the world, but in terms of cutting edge fashions, most trends have floated around Europe awhile before they catch the fancy of the American female. Often the first group to adopt European fashions are those exposed to Europe; college age individuals. In my day the crowd who studied, or merely traveled, overseas were the first to wear asymmetrical hair styles and were the only other students I met who were aware of " lite" new wave dance music. Having come from the home of one of the largest college campuses in the country, I was always a little advanced in the music department. Even my fellow students who lived in major metropolitan areas were not aware of certain music trends until at least a year following my exposure to the same trends. The only students who knew what I was talking about were those who had traveled overseas. I must admit they brought fashion trends I had not seen, because my Midwestern town may have been advanced in music, but with fashion they were still conservative, even a little backward.

This was twenty something years ago, but while the internet has shortened the time it takes for trends to travel around the world, the time lag has not been completely eliminated. It still takes American women time to adopt the trends of their British and European cousins. What appeals to the U.K. teen this year may very well appeal to the twenty to thirty year old American woman, while the U.S. teen will walk on by. Luckily for Diva London, DCK just introduced a new line this fall. If the Diva line doesn't work, DCK may have one or two other items that they can offer to the American female. Given today's computer technology, Limited Brands probably already knows exactly which products are selling and which are not. Twenty years ago, it may have taken a week or two to make that assessment and institute change.

You may have guessed, I have been in a Diva London store. It was me and a bunch of tweens. I think the sales clerk was happy to see someone in the store who was older than she was. The headband and other non jewelry accessories were inexpensive, uninspired and comparable to the merchandise found at Target. The jewelry was something else. First, it was inexpensive, I mean cheap. The price tags I looked at were all under twenty dollars, some even breaking the ten dollar mark. And it was cool. Yes, I said cool. There were thick silvery bracelets and interesting necklaces. If they last through a night, you get your monies worth. This is not to say they look cheap, they look great. I'm just sure nothing could be this good, so I am sure there is a problem somewhere. I have not purchased yet, but when I do, I'll tell you what the problem is.

I have seen Diva London recommended on wedding sites as a great place to buy bridemaids jewelry. The only other hipe I have seen is in retail articles. Luckily I could actually check this experiment in retailing myself, and not just look at pictures. I can personally tell you this is a store you should check out when shopping for that perfect necklace or bracelet to put a "wow" factor in your outfit. The cost really is low and you may be able to put a little glamour in more then one outfit and still have money left for dinner. I know I will go back, just do not tell them my age, I am a little out of their target market but it is nothing a little makeup and a hat won't solve.