Smith-Harmon - Make It Pop!

From: Eddie Bauer
Subject Line: Annual Gear Up Event - Save Up To $40 On Packs & Duffels!
Date: Monday, July 12, 2010

From: Eddie Bauer
Subject Line: Free Shipping, 2 Days Only + New Ruffles Are In!
Date: Monday, July 26, 2010

I love the latest look from Eddie Bauer.

What I love:

The use of environmental hero image to give the email color and personality
The product image popping over the hero draws your eye down and adds dimension
The zig-zagged product/text treatment creates nice balance and draws your eye around the page
In the "Gear Up" example I love how the products fit together like puzzle pieces
Nice use of gradients and drop shadows
Variable header color so the template doesn't become stale and can work with any hero
Includes many email best practices, including: preheader, view in web browser, FTAF, website navigation and social links
Copy is short for a quick scan

I give this email 5 out of 5 hearts! The only place I see room for improvement: the text could be HTML text, particularly in the call-to-actions.