The folks at La-Z-Boy have discovered the hard way what so many others have learned, which is that Todd Oldham's quirky style has less mass appeal than his copious press clippings and TV appearances would suggest. About three weeks ago, the co-branded shop at 73 Wooster Street was converted to the company's first freestanding La-Z-Boy brand store. The Oldham line is no longer being produced, which is not all that surprising given the designer's unrelenting penchant for drabbest of late 1960s and early '70s color schemes and styles. We certainly wish Todd better luck in his new position as creative director for Old Navy, but we sure hope he will finally be able to learn from his aesthetic mistakes. All that olive, rust and harvest gold turned out to be a bit too much quirk, and now the store is fully packed with the recliner manufacturer's most updated designs under its main label.
"It's a little tough getting people through the door," an associate confided to us, "but once they're in, they can see that we are not the company they think we are."
Well, maybe not completely.
Clearly the company is trying to make the best of a design partnership gone bad. The goods looked snappier than what we expected from the brand typically associated with prizes on The Price Is Right, but the store is obviously missing the designer's more upscale point of view. We didn't spot any Naugahyde, but we're not quite sure that La-Z-Boy's current design philosophy is quite ready for the stiff competition in SoHo. We didn't have to to look too hard to find those classic, puffy recliners but what really caught our eye was a large cushiony sofa whose center back panel folded down to reveal a molded plastic tray complete with cup holders, all in purple - yes, purple - leather. What a joy for those who find leaning towards the coffee table far too taxing.
Yes, Mr. Odham has definitely left the building.