Selling Sexy

Selling Sexy, by Lauren Sherman and Chantal Fernandez (Henry Holt & Company, 2024)

Journalist, Lauren Sherman, BFA, brings her writing, literature and publishing experience to expose the glamorous world of lingerie retail. The author chronicles the early founder of Victoria's Secret, Roy Raymond, who launched the lingerie brand. Sherman begins at a Victoria's Secret casting of Gigi Hadid with Edward Razek inviting her to the famed fashion show. Throughout the book Sherman includes detailed examples of the Victoria's Secret lifestyle, which included wealth, supermodels, sexy lingerie, and its retail business. Lauren details how Victoria's Secret began as a mail-order catalogue competing with Fredericks of Hollywood that eventually became a retail global empire. The author uses research, history, examples, and stories for entries. Raymond was great in business, due to his MBA from Stanford, as well as, marketing experience he developed at Vicks. Gaye Raymond helped his husband publicly as Roy was often quiet and soft-spoken. You will want to add this book to your When Women Ran Fifth Avenue: Glamour and Power at the Dawn of American Fashion (2024), The Fashion Business Manual: An Illustrated Guide to Building a Fashion Brand (2017), as well as, The Ultimate Boutique Handbook: How to Start a Retail Business (2017).

5 out of 5 stars