Obama poster takes over Saks Fifth Avenue, war erupts in juniors department
Hope!
Hope for better health care! Hope for job creation! Hope to fight poverty! Hope for... uh... oversized jewelry with cropped pants and a slouchy bag?
That's right. Saks Fifth Avenue, which has a store in Tampa's WestShore Plaza, has employed street artist Shepard Fairey to help hawk its new wares starting March 12. You might recognize the little poster Fairey created of our commander-in-chief. It has become certified pop culture bonanza, in 
the vein of those Che Guevara T-shirts skater kids buy at Journeys.
Per Saks, Fairey's studio will create "propagandist representations" of the season's biggest fashion trends. Saks will then use "guerrilla tactics" to push the images on its website, store windows and shopping bags. To REALLY bring in the troops, the store will use cheeky military catch phrases -- Show Your Arms, Stride Forth In Aggressive Shoes, Reform The Polo.
Gosh, isn't is darling to use brutal wartime lingo to sell capri pants?!
Ick factor aside, I gotta say Saks has some brilliant folks in marketing. I can't think of a more popular image than the Hope poster. It even washed over Facebook recently, when thousands of peeps turned their profile pics into Obama icons at Obamicon.me. (See? I made one in tribute to Deal Divas and our all-encompassing love of feathers!)
Question, though. Is there anything built into the stimulus package that gives me enough cash to shop at Saks? Otherwise, I might have to take my hope back to Target.
~ Deal Diva Stephanie
Photos: Times files, My files
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