Casalina
Infusing the romance of travel into an elevated resortwear shopping experience.
Case Study Overview
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The Client
When shopping feels like pleasure, your vacation begins when you click "Add to Cart."
Lauren and Lamar loved traveling and hated shopping for it.
Because most retailers don't release their Vacation Edits until summer, they always found themselves trying to piece together their travel wardrobes at the last minute. So, they founded Casalina: a year-round, elevated resortwear shopping experience created around the concept that travel is a shame-free opportunity to reinvent and express yourself.
When they came to me, they already had a strong brand concept but were starting from scratch on their brand voice. They wanted a verbal identity that captured the romance and sensorial pleasure of a summer on a European coast, but also wanted their brand to stand apart from the kind of alienating, aloof mean-girl brand voices that the high-fashion space is known for.
They agreed that for Casalina to truly be a shopping experience, their copy had to be as curated as carefully as the details in their designer collections -- in ALL their brand touchpoints.
The Industry
Summer comes pre-selected
Say hello to last minute panic-shopping the week before you get on a plane: resortwear selections from Casalina’s competitors are only available during summertime. And because the window is limited, the available styles are too.
The Differentiator
For every woman, whoever she decides to be
With a year-round vacation edit and a rich variety of curated collections to choose from, Casalina’s shoppers have the leisure to romanticize their vacations and style their travel persona, their way.
The Customer
A powerful woman working hard, playing hard, and traveling in beauty and comfort.
The Brand Character
A cool, sophisticated, fashion-forward bestie with a cheeky edge.
If you’re looking for Casalina’s brand character, you can find her:
Hopping off a Vespa at the perfect golden hour lookout spot.
Wrapped in white linen and reading on a beach.
Unapologetically ordering the double-scoop with whipped cream AND chocolate sauce.
Or walking down a cobblestone street towards the nightlife spot no one else knows about.
She expresses herself simply, warmly, and with conviction. She can speak eloquently about art without being even a little stuffy. She wears her confidence like a flawless tan, and she gives the BEST compliments.
Feminine
But not girly
Feminine
But not girly
Creating space for customers to define and express their own femininity.
Speaking to the real problems, concerns, and needs of female customers without relying on tropes or stereotypes.
Feminine
But not girly
Cool Girl
Not mean girl
Cool Girl
Not mean girl
Language that evokes a calm confidence and is thoughtful and collected.
Speaking clearly and simply without being stiff, aloof, or exclusionary.
Cool Girl
Not mean girl
Complimentary
Not Cheesy
Complimentary
Not Cheesy
Capturing and holding attention by being refreshingly conversational and genuine.
Speaking to the customer with the intimacy of a close female friend, without letting it feel forced or over the top.
Complimentary
Not Cheesy
Romanticized
& Pithy
Romanticized
& Pithy
An immersive experience
By infusing their branding and nurture copy into their launch and pop-up events, they created an immersive world for their customer to step into. Seriously -- their tagline even ended up on customized napkins.
Smooth implementation
There are a LOT of moving parts and many hands involved in an E-Commerce launch. Because they shared their messaging guide with their team, Casalina launched with a consistent brand voice across their website, socials, emails, and in-person experiences: no micro-managing necessary.
Instant Brand Ambassadors
Casalina’s unboxing experience and packaging copy was hyped and reshared on social media. Even though they were brand-new in their industry, the level of thought and detail they launched with created instant brand ambassadors.
The Conclusion
Is your brand a character in need of a voice?
Let's tell a story your ideal customer won't be able to look away from.
If you’re wondering where Casalina gets its “cool girl” energy from?
I have two answers for you: the first one is Lauren, the second one is Lamar.
In addition to being sweethearts and SO fun to delight, they have such a mastery over what goes into creating a brand that stands apart.
And their best skill? Delegation.
I always say that Lexicon's best clients are expert delegators (check our my “About Page” if you don’t believe me, and that describes Lauren and Lamar to. a. tee. Even though they are intensely creative and aesthetic themselves, they know how to lean into the capacities of their team. Working with them felt like I was a soloist performing in a beautifully conducted orchestra of talent.
…And did I mention that their launch party had a live violinist and a branded lunch in a greenhouse? Iconic.
I loved my time as an honorary passport-holder into the World of Casalina, but I have to be careful what items of theirs I put in my cart. With checkout copy that good, I might accidentally convince myself to max out all my credit cards. 😉
