Grand Re-Opening of The Limited at Triangle Town Center

Who says a store can't reinvent themselves? I met up with the district manager Mandy Gaitskill on Friday to walk the new store for the grand re-opening. Last time I blogged about The Limited it was for the grand re-opening at Southpoint in Durham. As I approached the store, I immediately noticed a whole different feel starting with the store windows. The display window back drop was a sheet held together by clips with handbags hung on a strung rope. On the store front windows there were masking tape lines and letters guiding the eye to various items displayed on the mannequins. Hmmm, edgier and definitely trendier. I noticed the pleather handbags were textured or patterned and the mannequins actually were showing how to wear pattern on pattern. Hmmm, no matchy matchy, I'm liking this.

Mandy was armed and ready to walk me through the store as I began my barrage of questions. The focus is now on the front of the store with the first five mannequins detailing the featured items of the month. Each look is designed to represent a different part of lifestyle dressing: casual, wear to work, business casual, trendy casual, and evening. The focus was on the coordination of the separates with various accessories. The feeling is almost as if I had entered my own closet! Floor fixtures now feature the clothing and the coordinating jewelry, scarves, and belts. Many of the standard long table units were replaced by round tables, or what they refer to as wardrobe tables, with a few coordinating items.  The walls now look like a wardrobe wall unit with shelves of complete looks with a few tops and bottoms and jewelry to match. The mass merchandise look is gone and the feeling of my closet was before my eyes. The new look is inviting and exciting all rolled up into one, including the wrap desk stationed in the middle of the store - no longer at the end of the store. The beautiful chandelier is now above the 3-way mirror in the fitting room and not the focus in the middle of the store. Think I could get the new visual designers to come to my closet? Wow!

Thrilled with the visual aspects of the store I began my hunt for what Mandy referred to as the "fashion right products on trend." The stores suiting is merchandised in the middle of the store and continues to be a strong part of their business with various fit styles. The fabric and die lot doesn't change from season to season and is a wonderful staple for business dress. As a trendier item, the company is offering texture blend skirts in yellow with a patterned blouse and small pinstripe one button jacket. The look is fabulous, and of course I begin to wonder if the customer is going to get that look. Mandy assured me that customers were literally buying an entire assemble from the displays. The herringbone cropped pant and the small print sleeveless blouse? I am loving it and celebrating the edginess of it all. I really started whooping and hollering when I came upon what I call the MC Hammer navy and white small pinstripe pegged cropped pant. Hard not to notice the colored melon pants and cotton sateen jackets, too. I think my favorite part is how well the accessories are displayed right along with the clothes. No doubt The Limited has realized the importance of accessorizing. Amen to that!

The store is beautiful and definitely worth checking out this weekend. For this weekend only, the entire store along with the other three stores in NC are 40% off, even clearance. Triangle Town Center is giving the gift of a scarf with every purchase for as long as they have them, as well as doing a drawing for a $500 gift certificate each day. best part, you don't have to be there for the drawing - just stop by the store, do a little shopping, and enter to win. Stop by and tell Jessica, the store manager, I sent you, and be sure and look for the Colin shirt, my new favorite!

From my little old closet to yours,

Suzanne