Buyers and vendors are gearing up for this weekend’s opening of the Moda Manhattan and Fame trade shows with versatility on their minds.
The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center will house both events Sunday through Tuesday. More than 400 juried collections will be featured on Moda’s floor, which will be 25 percent larger than last summer’s show. Elizabeth Grace, Heike Jarick, Amai Unmei and Karen Elizabeth Couture are new resources. Retailers will be able to choose from an assortment of sportswear, outerwear, daytime and evening dresses, novelty jackets, sweaters and shirts in better and bridge markets.
Fame will also offer buyers more ground to cover with 600 junior and young contemporary labels including newcomers Christys Crown hats, Color Siete, Kensie Denim, Roshi and Rose Pistol.
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With sales running 10 percent ahead of last year at Celeste, a specialty store in Boerne, Tex., co-owner Suzanne Hardman said she will be on the lookout for long-sleeve and three-quarter sleeve tops and sweaters at Moda. Curio, Cut Loose, Tressesics, Three Dots and Silver Jeans are among the show resources she planned to check out. With the average shopper spending $60, the retailer aims to keep all items at $100 or under. The fact that Texas has weathered the recession better than most states has been a help, she said.
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“We’ll be looking for everyday styles for fall and holiday. We are located in a small town about 35 miles outside of San Antonio. People here don’t really dress up that much,” Hardman said.
Kevin Ambrose, manager of Gaucho, a two-store operation in Savannah, Ga., also said this year’s first-half sales were up — in his case, 30 percent. Loyal customers are now shopping twice a month as opposed to once a month, as was the case last year at this time, he added.
The company, which has a high-end store and a more casual one five blocks away, recently rebuilt its Web site, gauchosav.com, to make it more user-friendly. There also has been a concerted effort to stay in touch with shoppers via e-mail blasts, Facebook and phone calls, Ambrose said. Besides tying up some loose ends for fall at Moda, he and owner Ross Arnsdorff will be looking for separates for holiday and early spring. Randy Kemper, Blanque, Planet, Margaret M and An Ren are vendors they plan to visit.
Heading into Fame, Michelle Mangiliman, owner of the Brooklyn boutique Dalaga NYC, said, “People are looking for more for their money. They want something multifunctional rather than that crazy, trendy dress. They want something that is still fun, but that they can change the shape of. Right now, sculptured, multifunctional dresses and coats that can be worn different ways are really popular.”