CHICAGO — Midwest retailers were surprisingly exuberant at the four-day StyleMax spring market at the Merchandise Mart here, responding to refined, embellished pieces and flirty, colorful styles.
“I was expecting a lot of retail woes with gas prices so high, but that hasn’t happened,” said Susan McCullough, vice president of apparel for Merchandise Mart Properties, which runs the show. “I was surprised. Everyone’s been pretty positive.”
Donald Johannesson, creative director for FDJ French Dressing, said the atmosphere here — the market ended Oct. 25 — was decidedly more upbeat than in other regions.
“The mood of the buyers is up,” Johannesson said. “In the South, they’ve had a tough fall with the hurricanes.”
He said this StyleMax show was one of the best for the company in the past two years, noting that it picked up about a dozen new accounts.
Hot items included denim trumpet and cotton tiered skirts, along with denim and stretch twill gauchos in earth tones. Cropped cargo pants and rolled-up denim capris continued to sell well for the Canadian line.
Sue Hale, co-owner of Hale’s, a specialty store in South Haven, Mich., used the market to buy immediate pieces such as asymmetric fleece jackets and fleece ponchos with appliqués from Aug 27 A.M. Inc., as well as butterfly print and circle skirts with different strips of color from Tribe for spring.
Hale also ordered linen separates from Flax, a top-selling label with her resort customers, shrugs from Willow and matte jersey tanks from Nomadic Traders.
Carla Patton, owner of LuLu’s Unique Boutique in Omaha, enjoyed finding edgy items such as raw-edged embroidered blazers for spring from Johnny Was and double-zip hoodies and cotton sweaters bearing the likeness of Curious George, Superman, Superwoman or Batman embellished with Swarovski crystals from Raw 7.
Embellished skirts and coordinating tops from Basil and Maude continue to be must-haves, she said, adding, “It’s a line we can’t keep in the store.”
To satisfy more immediate needs, the retailer also ordered bohemian skirts and beaded embellished jackets and tops from Lucy Paris.
The trends for spring seem to be an extension of what was popular for fall, but with more subtle embellishment, she said.
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“I’m just feeling really good about the lines here,” she said. “I don’t feel like I have to run to New York. I can get it all done here.”
Krista Kaur Meyers, who completes most of her buying in New York and Los Angeles for her popular Chicago boutique, Krista K, said it’s easier to connect with some vendors locally at StyleMax.
Meyers placed orders for some 100 pieces from Velvet, including T-shirts, skirts and sweaters, as well as some wide leather braided and studded belts from Linea Pelle to be worn on the hip over tunics and longer tops.
Krista K also expanded its collection of maternity wear, a category that is posting double-digit sales increases at the LakeView store, she said.
In particular, Meyers sought out pants, shorts, skirts and evening tops from Tummi and Ripe, noting that the boutique sells a dozen more maternity lines than last year.