Bloomingdale’s main floor Hackensack, NJ, 1959
Alessandra researches and writes about nineteenth and twentieth-century design and material culture. She is particularly interested in the prolific yet unexplored work of female designers, the exceptional cultural stories of mundane objects, and retail interior design and display— especially within the development of American department stores. Through her work, she hopes to help people develop a critical understanding of past cultures, as well as their own, and the empathy to see and feel the world through the diverse experiences humankind.
Her book, Designed to Sell: The Evolution of Modern Merchandising and Display, explores the postwar changes in department store interiors and the new culture of shopping that emerged during that time period. Her work tells a visual story of the development of modern merchandising techniques; it considers retail interior design and organization, fixtures and modes of display, and theatrical promotional events.
Alessandra also highlights the widely forgotten work of industrial design greats, such as Raymond Loewy, and introduces readers to new characters who altered the field of retail design, specifically Eleanor Le Maire, a woman who significantly impacted a world commanded by men. Her research includes discussions of familiar stores, such as Neiman Marcus, JC Penney, Lord & Taylor, Bloomingdales, and Gimbels.
She has spent countless hours in library archives across the country, scoured the world for lost photographs, and pieced together a fascinating story that lays the groundwork for understanding how modern consumers experience merchandise in a retail setting.
Bloomingdale’s main floor Hackensack, NJ, 1959