LAS VEGAS — Ladies Apparel Show Vegas, joining last week for the first time with the New York-based Fashion Accessories Expo, drew an estimated 7,000 buyers, according to show management, and the brought mixed budgets and divergent tastes.
Held at the Sands Expo and Convention Center, the three-day event, called Fashion Week Vegas, ran through Thursday. It had retailers lamenting a tough retail climate while readily leaving paper for summer goods.
Of the 500 apparel exhibitors on hand, about half carried embellished misses’ sportswear. The other half offered clean, contemporary clothes in neutral shades and natural fibers. Both trends found takers.
On the accessories front, about 350 exhibitors offered an eclectic selection of summer and fall looks, with bold items — such as large fashion earrings in matte gold or silver — topping many buyer lists, followed closely by rhinestone-studded fabric purses and handpainted leather bags.
A rocky start on the opening morning due to scheduling conflicts seemed to be the event’s only glitch.
“We did have some problems setting up on time because another show here ended late,” said Steve Levine, FAE group show director and official spokesman for Fashion Week Vegas. “It’s a young show, and there are mistakes. However, the vast number of exhibitors and buyers have been very understanding. In the end, I think this is what buyers want — apparel and accessories under one roof.”
FAE, produced by CMC, had made a stab at being a West Coast player back in 1990 with a show in Los Angeles, but this marked its first stand in Las Vegas.
Marcia Watkins, fashion buyer for Del Star Group, 18 Arizona apparel and gift stores based in Scottsdale, Ariz., noted that like many attendees, she stood around for two hours Tuesday morning while show officials scrambled to set up exhibitor booths and the registration area. However, she said, the wait was worth it. She was eager to see summer goods because her buying trip to Los Angeles last month was cut short by the Northridge earthquake.
“The show is unorganized, but the merchandise looks great,” she said, adding that she had stumbled upon four new western lines. Shopping for wholesale price points of $29.50 to $90, she ordered embellished blouses with matching broomstick skirts by Running Horse and ethnic sportswear by Sandy Starkman. Watkins was also on the lookout for novelty jeans and vests. The buyer said sales were up 16 percent from a year ago and that her open-to-buy was accordingly increased.
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“We are always looking for new resources,” she explained. “We are not stuck to a vendor structure like so many specialty chains and major department stores.”
Sue Christensen, assistant merchandise manager for Fedco, a Santa Fe Springs, Calif., company with 10 membership department stores in Southern California, said she was shopping for April-to-June deliveries. Christensen stuck to clean items at up to $100 wholesale: broomstick skirts, long tops with side slits and denim sportswear separates.
The buyer said she was keeping her budget flat, although sales were up 3 percent.
“We have necessities, not fringe, in our stores,” she said. “People are turning to us to replace items they lost in the earthquake. Still, we have to be very cautious. Several of our stores were damaged and had to be shut down for a few days. It will take a long time for Southern California to fully recoup.”
David Sprung, vice president of Place Vendome, two upscale stores in North Miami Beach and Palm Beach, Fla., said his open-to-buy was off 10 and 15 percent. He blamed the decrease on negative publicity Florida has received from a rash of violent crimes against tourists.
In search of casual sportswear at $50 to $200 wholesale, he ordered flashy sweater-and-pants sets from David David. Two-piece cotton knit outfits and novelty denim pants with coordinating T-shirts were also on his list.
“I know that a lot of stores are going clean, but we are still into embellishments,” Sprung said. “Our customers want to make fashion statements.”
Kathleen Wesley, owner of Sam’s Shop, an 18-year-old women’s boutique in Taos, N.M., shopped for April and May goods at up to $100 wholesale.
“I missed the last major market in Los Angeles, and I do want to go back there despite earthquakes, but I am finding what I need here,” she said.
Wesley stocked up on linen sportswear by Keiko and One Way. She also liked crinkled rayon offerings by Max Studio. Dresses were another strong category for her store, and the buyer looked for styles including aprons, baby dolls and scoop-neck tanks in long and short lengths. She found some by Elizabeth Wayman.
The buyer said she planned to keep her buying budget flat, although her 1993 sales were 20 percent ahead of 1992. Business has been soft since the beginning of the year, she said.
Shopping accessories displays, Karyn Chopik, owner of Grimwood Chopik Distribution, a distributor in Vancouver, B.C. that supplies accessories to 400 Canadian stores, was looking for large earrings.
“Earrings are just easier to sell than necklaces,” she said. “A necklace has to be very different to sell to the Canadian customer.”
While business there continues to be tough, she did have a 5 percent sales risein 1993 over 1992 and planned to increase her fall open-to-buy by 50 percent.
“We have a new marketing strategy,” she said. “We are concentrating much more on servicing specialty boutiques. To do well with accessories you have to be less commercial than we have been.”