NEW YORK — At the September editions of the Business Journals-produced Fame and Moda trade shows, held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center here from Sept. 18 to 20, one thing was clear: color — the brighter the better — was the leading trend, spanning the junior to modern-contemporary categories.
According to Britton Jones, president and chief executive officer of Business Journals, the show saw a 10 percent increase in retailer attendance from the same time last year.
“In a lackluster economy, this September market week was about helping grow the businesses of our customers. Judging by the level of orders that were placed on the show floor, it was clear that retailers liked the collections showing in Moda Manhattan and Fame,” Jones said, adding that international attendance reached an all-time high — and buyers from over 60 countries attended during the three-day event.
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Designers exhibiting at the junior-focused Fame show delivered apparel and accessories mirroring runway trends, such as color-blocking, tribal prints and florals. At Sugar Lips — carried at Macy’s and Dillard’s nationwide — top sellers were striped maxiskirts and Navajo tunics that retail for $68 each. At Vintage Havana — carried at Bloomingdale’s and Lester’s — popular styles were open-shoulder chiffon tunics in tribal prints (especially purple) and ponchos. At DV by Dolce Vita, rompers and shorts in Southerwestern-inspired prints were big hits, while at For Ark & Co., a vivid tomato orange silk top with cut-out detailing that retails for $48 performed well with buyers.
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Although color was still a key trend at modern-contemporary show Moda, comprised of apparel and accessories from over 500 lines, exhibitors placed bets on more classic and sophisticated dresses, eco-friendly items, printed tunics and dresses with nautical or madras themes. Instead of short coral shorts with Navajo-printed detailing like those by Sugar Lips — brands such as Cape Madras, Mahi Gold, Analili and new British import Ingenue interpreted the theme in a more mature way.
Mahi Gold’s organic cotton wrap maxidress in a hot pink nautical flag print was a bestseller, as was a bell-sleeve tunic dress, retailing for $175 and $98 respectively. Cape Madras’ Fun Skirt, which retails for $85 and comes in an array of madras prints in varying color schemes, was the runaway bestseller, but a seersucker halter dress was a close second for the eight-year-old brand.
Ingenue’s figure flattering, easy-to-wear, viscose and elastane dresses are machine washable, come in nearly every color and print imaginable (including leopard, polka dots and python) and retail from $140 to $210. They’re available in silhouettes ranging from long-sleeve to sleeveless with either crew-necks, plunging or draped fronts or classic v-necks.