DALLAS — Retailers sought special pieces at Fashion Industry Gallery to distinguish their stores from competitors.
Feminine dresses, tunics, leggings, skinny jeans and novelty tops were the leading silhouettes for immediate deliveries through March. Jersey separates and dresses were also important, along with thematic jewelry such as charms and leather handbags.
“October market was very exciting as we launched our second-floor expansion and attracted 100 guest designers to our high-end juried show, SHOP,” said Shelli Mers, director of FIG, whose market ran Oct. 26 to 29. “The permanent showrooms on the first floor were consistently busy with a number of showrooms touting record sales. We received great response from buyers regarding the opening of new showrooms 10eleven/Hatch, Trina Turk and Dolce Vita, as well as new lines picked up in our current showrooms, such as Henry III Generation in the Pam Martin showroom and David Meister at the Mider Group.”
McCall Enterline, sales representative for Betsey Johnson, said business was good. “We’ve done very well with color — everyone wants beautiful spring colors like yellows and lavenders. Anything girly sells well, like the Marilyn [style] dress from ‘Some Like it Hot.'”
“My Name Is Earl” star Jaime Pressly visited FIG to promote her line of jersey separates, J’aime by Jaime Pressly. Taking a few minutes to write a personal order for red platform sandals by Golden Blue, Pressly said she was impressed with FIG. “It’s amazing — I like the space.”
Retailers reported mixed results for business, and budgets ranged from flat to up by as much as 15 percent.
Spring was “huge” this year at Julian Gold, so buyer Becky Wells had more open-to-buy for related separates and bridge sportswear and dresses. Shopping for the four-store chain based in San Antonio, Wells was enthusiastic about Donna Degnan’s black and white gingham and eyelet jacket paired with black city shorts, as well as a tan and ivory brocade suit. She also liked David Meister’s black-and-white abstract striped tunic and a black pleated skirt with white soutache embroidery.
“Business has been great,” Wells said. “We’ve been very fortunate. September and October started out a little slow and then picked up, so we’re up for the year. And people are starting to buy holiday.”
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Nan Napier, owner of Tres Mariposas in El Paso, Tex., felt the new shapes introduced in recent seasons would gain ground among shoppers for spring, including longer tunics, baby-doll jackets, skinny pants and city shorts.
“They will be more salable — we’re in a new cycle,” she observed. “And I love dresses, and the customer loves them. We can’t keep up with them. Tons of spring lines have fabulous dresses. I’m more excited about spring than I have been for a while.”
Napier planned to keep her buy flat to up a bit and then react to business trends with reorders. She expected to do well with Sky’s Modal baby-doll dresses and tops with a bit of embellishment, Thalian’s oversize men’s-style cotton shirt to wear over leggings, La Rok’s short jersey dresses and baby-doll tunics and Vince’s heather-gray cashmere Empire-line cardigan for immediate delivery.
Carla Glaysher, buyer for Soho Clothiers in Rogers, Ark., shopped for spring with the store’s owner, Steve Sohosky. Situated five miles from Wal-Mart headquarters and rife with millionaires, Rogers has one of the fastest-growing economies in the nation and has grown more adventurous with fashion, Sohosky said. He upped the spring budget 15 percent to continue to grow the contemporary business.
“We’ve got more stores and competition, so we have to find the really ‘wow’ things,” Glaysher said.
She planned to order Notice’s slinky zebra-print jersey halter dress, long tunics from La Rok and girly print dresses by Molly and Millie.
Immediate-delivery accessories and shoes as well as spring fashions were on the list for Debbie Pinkston and Cindy Cotton, owners of Four Chicks in the Park in Corpus Christi, Tex. The pair liked the pretty, feminine looks on display, including Gypsy’s silk pleated wrap skirt with a bow, Deux Lux’s leather clutches, bags and totes and Charlotte Tarantola’s ribbed tunics.
“I have noticed our customers are tending to be more selective,” Pinkston said. “Our budget is the same [as last year].”
The fresh crop of dresses appealed to Butch Hoffer, owner of Lewis Hoffer in Beaumont, Tex., and women’s buyer Karin Norris.
“Almost everyone is copying Diane von Furstenberg’s wrap, and there are lots of printed, easy, relaxed and not-too-structured dresses,” Norris said.
“There are a lot of cute dresses out there for under $200,” Hoffer added. “It’s like flip-flops — so cheap and cute, why not buy them?”