The Glitter Plan

How We Started Juicy Couture for $200 and Turned It into a Global Brand

By: Pamela Skaist-Levy, Booth Moore, Gela Nash-Taylor

Narrated by: Rose Itzcovitz

Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's Summary

Part memoir, part business manual, and 100% juicy - the inside story of Juicy Couture, one of the most iconic brands of our times

While working together at a Los Angeles boutique, Pamela Skaist-Levy and Gela Nash-Taylor became fast and furious friends over the impossibility of finding the perfect T-shirt. Following their vision of comfortable, fitted T-shirts, they set up shop in Gela’s one-bedroom Hollywood apartment with $200 and one rule: Whatever they did, they both had to be obsessed by it. The best friends’ project became Juicy Couture. Pam and Gela eventually sold their company to Liz Claiborne for $50 million, but not before they created a whole new genre of casual clothing that came to define California cool.

Pamela and Gela built an empire from the ground up, using themselves as models to build their patterns and placing their merchandise by storming into stores and handing out samples. They balanced careful growth with innovative tactics - sending Madonna a tracksuit with her nickname, Madge, embroidered on it - and created a unique, bold, and unconventional business plan that was all their own: The Glitter Plan.

Now, Pam and Gela reveal the secrets of Juicy’s success: How they learned to find and stick with the right colleagues and trust their instincts when it became time to move on to their next project. They also share their missteps and hilarious lessons learned - like the time robbers stole one thousand pairs of maternity shortalls, which the partners took as the first sign to get out of the maternity clothing business.

Told in the bright, cheery voice that defines Juicy style even today, The Glitter Plan tells listeners how to transform passion and ideas into business success. Aspiring designers, Juicy fans, and business people of all stripes will be enthralled by the story of spirit and savvy behind Pam and Gela’s multimillion-dollar fashion empire.

©2014 Pamela Skaist-Levy, Gela Nash-Taylor, Booth Moore (P)2014 Gildan Media LLC

Elementary, at best

What would have made The Glitter Plan better?

Ok, I had just finished #girlboss and was eager to find another inspiring read. I saw this one had good reviews, so I went for it. Once I start a book, I can't leave it unfinished and this ended up being a very painful 10 hours.

First of all, it's very poorly written. Like, high school essay level. I don't know if they really are as ditzy as this writing makes them sound ... I hope not.Next, the person who reads it is beyond annoying. Poor cadence, odd pronunciations ... if I have to hear her say "entrepreneur" so weirdly one more time ... ugh.

Nothing that was said was something that was helpful. According to these women they: invented the concept of sending celebrities clothes, are responsible for today's perfume bottle designs, were the first designers to throw a fun fashion launch party, etc. So ridiculous. And the definitions they give you are beyond elementary terms that everyone who takes themselves seriously should know. "No, 'marketing' isn't spending a day Whole Foods, it's how people find out about your brand." Please.

I also don't take them as the representation of the kind of businesswoman I strive to be. Rather than the empowering "women can do anything" message of #girlboss, this book literally told me to "play naive or just be a girl" when it comes to an unfamiliar situation. I audibly scoffed at that point.

Don't waste your time.

Annoying Voices

Valley girls voices are so annoying I had to delete. Good book, better read not heard.

Fun, enjoyable and informative.

I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this book. I also learned a lot about this business and it was very interesting to see what happened to Juicy. Love!

Meh story plus the narrator from hell.

Would you try another book from the authors and/or Rose Itzcovitz?

Would NEVER listen to narrator again.

What didn’t you like about Rose Itzcovitz’s performance?

I didn't like anything. Please, someone teach this woman how to pronounce names (Hamish, for example) and say the word entrepreneur. Every few minutes I was jarred out of the story by a crazy mispronunciation. This narrator is too young and inexperienced sounding to be taken seriously.

Do you think The Glitter Plan needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Nope. This covered it.

Good information, Unforgiveable Mispronunciations

Where does The Glitter Plan rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It ranks high amongst the business books for its detailed information on entrepreneurship in general and the fashion industry in particular.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Glitter Plan?

There was a very memorable moment when they discussed selling Juicy to Liz Claiborne, but not in a good way. They spent most of the book portraying themselves as fashion-obsessed airheads who couldn't be bothered to follow industry standards in most aspects, just sort of "doing their own thing" and, whaddaya know? It all worked just so AWESOMELY well; except for their warehouse staff. Apparently these employees were pretty much left to their own devices, as long as items shipped on time. Levy and Nash talked about how obscenely expensive their subscriptions to industry fashion mags were, but, dude, they NEEDED to see all the fashion shows. What a shame for their employees they decided they DIDN'T need to train their warehouse employees in up-to-date industry practices because when the people from Claiborne reviewed their process, they decided that none of the employees were worth keeping because they were so far behind current shipping technology it wasn't worth the money it would take to train them. Maybe if Levy and Nash had worried more about being responsible employers for their hundreds of employees and less about making sure they didn't miss pictures of a few designer lines, those jobs would have been saved.

They go out of their way to brag about how they made sure their clothes are all "Made in the Glamorous USA" as they claim their "Republican fathers" would have wanted; aside from the awkwardness of trying to insert irrelevant political commentary, they seem oblivious to the irony of patting themselves on the back for all the American jobs they created for the seamstresses making their clothes while their failure to make sure their employees received necessary training in warehouse procedures ended up costing many others their livelihoods.

How could the performance have been better?

The narrator sounds as if this is her first audio performance - starts off very awkwardly, but the flow does improve a few chapters in. What does NOT improve is her long list of mispronunciations - seriously, did NO ONE listen to this book before finalizing it? If you're narrating a book on the fashion industry, you should know how to pronounce Lagerfeld, Hermes and brocade, at the very least.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

There was a lot of valuable information about the fashion industry, but I found it better to listen to an hour or two at a time in order to process the information before continuing on.

Any additional comments?

Definitely worth listening to, but take the "la-la-la-we're just silly girls who LOOOOOOVE clothes" shtick with a grain of salt.

Inspiring!

A dream come true! Thank you for inspiring girl entrepreneurs all over the world who believe in unicorns! This book reignited my fire! xo

Fun n informative, especially for fashion lovers

I have listened to this book a number of times. I have a fascination with marketing, fashion, everything 90s to 2000s culture. I just love the story of these two women.

Loovvveee iiittt😍😊

This book was awesome. I loved the fashion biz insight as well as, the genuine fun expressed by the narrow reader. Great book for new designers with a dream.

Really good inspiring story about 2 Socal gal's

Truly enjoyable business adventure. I would recommend this book to anyone unsure of how to maximize their potential or where to start.

Great story with some good tips

I really enjoyed this book! The story was fast paced but comfortable. it covered important tips that are good to know if you're trying to break into this industry. I liked that I got the BIG picture of the industry. The only complaint I have is the reader. Her timing and emphasis were all wrong. She sounded forced and like a bad actor who had never read the story.