Local Women get into the Fashion Business | Jane Wiser


Jane Wiser for Etcetera, Jane@wiserfamily.com Photo Sophie Braccini

The week of August 20-26 will be Jane Wiser's first private fashion showing as an Etcetera representative. She will have just a few days to present and sell the brand's Fall collection to her network, in her own Orinda home. For someone who was an architect and space planner, the new career could appear odd, but it matches this woman's own sense of style and gives her flexibility while generating some extra income for her family. "Trunk show" as it is called, is the selling method of Etcetera, a full line of elegant designer clothes owned by the Connaught Group, which is also responsible for the Carlisle Collection. The company sells only through private sales managed by independent representatives in their homes. The network receives, four times a year, the full collection for their clients to buy, by appointment only. "Last April I had a first trial run here with my manager Jeanie Rotticci to help me," she said, "I had invited about 200 people, 60 came and I sold 200 pieces of clothing." This result is considered pretty good for a first time, so Wiser decided to make a commitment to Etcetera. For the August show, she will receive a large shipment containing the new collection. "It encompasses a large assortment of patterns, colors and sizes," she says. Customers will try and choose in the privacy of her home. The mother of three (two in college and one at Miramonte), feels that the career move is right for her. "I would have difficulty selling something that I wouldn't be proud of," she says, "and even if fashion is not my background I have a sense of harmony and esthetic from my previous career that translated easily." The Etcetera line of clothing is not inexpensive. Nation wide, most of the customers are busy executive women who appreciate having a sort of private consultant who over the years knows what they have and like, and can offer the new pieces that are going to match and improve their wardrobes. There are three other Etcetera representatives in Lamorinda. Karen Orwig (k.orwig@sbcglobal.net) in Moraga will have a show after Wiser, followed by Yvonne Grace (sfgraces@yahoo.com) in Lafayette and Noel Twist in Orinda (twistnd@comcast.net). The company is looking for additional representatives in the Lamorinda area; interested parties can contact the company's Director of Recruiting, Edie Dance, at 850-484-8120 or edance@etceteranyc.com.