No matter your political allegiances, this week has been a whirlwind of emotions.
At the beginning of the week, many Americans thought Ralph Lauren still had a shot at being Clinton's pantsuit tailor-in-chief. But in the aftermath of an election night that sent shockwaves through the nation, Ralph Lauren's dreams of designing presidential pantsuits are no more — though the PantSuit Nation movement will live on and surely boost pantsuit sales.
As industry leaders and brands offer hopeful statements that President-elect Donald Trump will steer the country in the right direction, some consumers are more fired up than others... and some are just literally setting their shoes on fire.
This, and more, in this week’s Retail Therapy.
‘PantSuit Nation’ goes viral
A "secret" Facebook group went viral this week ahead of the U.S. presidential election, eventually growing to over 2.5 million people and raising about $216,000 in support of then-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
Then came the #PANTSUITPOWER: An online video took off on Election Day showing a flash mob of Clinton supporters donning a rainbow of pantsuits.
As Clinton supporters headed to the polls, many shared their own pantsuit selfies on Twitter. Some symbolically wore white as a tribute to suffragettes, while others yet wore Canadian tuxedos or whatever else they could find in their closets.
#pantsuit my grandmother born a slave unable to vote or wear a pantsuit. #voted 2day 4 our First Female President 4 her #ElectionDay pic.twitter.com/PRT8XGDjXU
— madamecain (@madamecain) November 8, 2016
It was the only #pantsuit I had. #voted #nyvotes #Election2016 #ImWitHer #nastywomenvote pic.twitter.com/kJxh8bXca0
— Psycho-Girl (@psychogirl_com) November 8, 2016
YESSSSSS. As seen in the Castro, San Francisco #pantsuitnation #imwithher #LGBTQ #vote pic.twitter.com/7x7MzKkyHD
— Lisa Edelstein (@LisaEdelstein) November 6, 2016
To make sure nobody has doubtsabout who I voted for I came to work wearing a #PantSuit #ImWithHer #myvote2016 #pantsuitnation #ElectionDay pic.twitter.com/v3WeD2nLlI
— Naftali Kaminski (@KaminskiMed) November 8, 2016
Despite Clinton’s defeat, members of the Facebook group rallied after the election to support the pantsuit revolution.
"If Hillary can get up this morning, put on her pantsuit and face the nation, we can too," wrote one member of the Pantsuit Nation. "The work never stops, my friends. Fight on."
New Balance takes heat for Trump endorsement
You could say some Americans are fired up about Trump’s presidency, while others are just literally setting things on fire.
Athletic footwear and apparel retailer New Balance sparked outrage from many customers on Thursday after telling The Wall Street Journal reporter Sara Germano that when it comes to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, "we feel things are going to move in the right direction" under a Trump presidency.
New Balance: "The Obama admin turned a deaf ear to us & frankly w/ Pres-Elect Trump we feel things are going to move in the right direction"
— Sara Germano (@germanotes) November 9, 2016
Some Twitter users interpreted the comment as an endorsement of the president-elect and expressed their rage by posting videos of them either tossing their New Balance sneakers in the trash — or setting them ablaze.
@SoleCollector @newbalance good to know. I made a little bonfire tonight :) pic.twitter.com/yOdCTbQgac
— skreetware (@milftears) November 10, 2016
The retailer didn’t directly respond to the smoldering shoe statement, but it did tweet out about community and integrity.
— New Balance (@newbalance) November 10, 2016
In post-election stress, internet turns to retailer's dog video
The election results this week have been especially stressful for many Americans and others across the globe.
Fortune reports that some consumers have been comforted by a soothing holiday advertisement (featuring a dog, of course) by British department store retailer John Lewis.
What do they say, again? In times of uncertainty and change, memes, gifs and cute dog videos are what get us all through. That sounds about right.
Alexa reincarnates as plastic fish
As you head into the weekend, we'll give you a breather with a bit of non-election-related news: Amazon's Alexa just got a weird new body.
Developer Brian Kane used Alexa’s API to integrate her abilities into that annoying wall-mounted fish novelty that people used to have hanging on their living room wall. You know — the one that plays “Don’t worry, be happy” and “Take me to the river” when you press the little red button?
A video of Alexa the plastic fish telling Kane the weather in Cambridge, Mass. went viral.
