LOS ANGELES — There was nothing subdued about spring trends at the recent Los Angeles Majors Market.
Bright colors enlivened prints that varied from leopard spots to bold patterns inspired by Aztec and Navajo art. Designers favored polyester chiffon, lace and mesh for their sheer effect, and high-low hems added another dimension to tops and dresses. Maxidresses and textured details like crochet did well for brands such as HeartSoul. Denim was dyed in an array of colors, and skinny jeans continued to dominate. New York-based denim brand Indigo Rein adapted the colorblocking trend by adding a red waistband to blue cutoff twill shorts.
All the novelty had one purpose: to drive shoppers into stores.
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Connie Marsh, director of trend merchandising at Dots, said shoppers at the Glenwillow, Ohio-based women’s value fashion retailer with 420 stores said consumers’ price resistance fades when it comes to fashion-forward products and Dots is trying to sprinkle in more fashion items to supplement the basics assortment in its stores.
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In tops, which Dots buys two-to-one over bottoms, she said, “We are still seeing a lot of the boxy or oversize bodies being fashion options and some of that replacing the basic business.” She singled out dolman and kimono sleeves, deep necklines and lace as being important for tops heading into the first quarter of next year.
“Everyone is looking for item-driven business right now,” said Deke Jamieson, executive vice president at Los Angeles’ YMI Jeans. “They’re looking for items that drive traffic.”
The junior marketplace seems to be under more duress than it was a year ago. Jamieson said retailers are more sensitive to prices than ever, vying to increase their profit margins as much as they can. What’s more, a lackluster, extended back-to-school shopping season put a damper on the business environment. Since teen girls were waiting to see what their peers were wearing at school, they stretched out their b-t-s shopping from July through September.
The timing of the next Chinese New Year on Jan. 23 is also worrying retailers who try to take as much time as they can to identify trends before placing orders at the end of the season.
Andrew Strasmore, co-founder of Los Angeles-based Band of Gypsies, said in order to accommodate Chinese factories that will close for weeks in honor of the national holiday, the deadline for orders to be delivered Jan. 30 has been moved up to Oct. 15 from November.
“Everyone wants to buy closer to season, but this is not allowing them to,” he said.
The Majors Market offered a venue for new lines to appeal to retailers.
Blue Black, a workwear-inspired denim collection that launched at Nordstrom in September, hoped to interest the Buckle and Dillard’s with its jewel-tone skinny jeans and mercerized denim jumpsuit. Retailing for $88 to $108, Blue Black puts more attention on details, such as baked whiskers and rope stitching, than its lower-priced sister brand, Bubblegum. Moving to a higher price bracket also gives Blue Black more room to grow.
“There’s so much competition in the junior market,” said Rochelle Murset, Blue Black’s West Coast account executive.
Los Angeles’ Miken Clothing aimed to build buzz by relaunching its knit and woven business as Pretty Rebellious last August. While novelty activewear will be sold under the Miken brand, Pretty Rebellious is specializing in fashion-forward dresses and tops retailing for $17 to $34.99. Key pieces include an Aztec-inspired knit top that has a polyester chiffon back with lattice detailing at the nape, a royal blue lace blouse with a contrasting Peter Pan collar in black and a neon Navajo-print knit tank with a high-low hem.
“The novelties have been a nice thing for the buyers,” said Debbie Batanides, partner and merchandiser at Pretty Rebellious, noting that retailers who have responded positively to the new brand included Macy’s and Fargo, N.D.-based specialty store chain Vanity.