LOS ANGELES — Tightened airport security from last week’s transatlantic terror alert and the upcoming WWDMAGIC trade show combined to cut traffic at the five-day market that ended here on Tuesday.
Retail buyers canceled flights because of the delays at airports throughout the U.S., and also because they preferred to wait to view entire spring collections to be unveiled later this month in Las Vegas.
At the traditionally small market focusing on holiday and resort collections, sales representatives said key retail accounts — including New York’s Caché and specialty shops from Nevada, Northern California, Colorado and Arizona — canceled flights and promised to visit later or make appointments at WWDMAGIC, which runs Aug. 28-31 in Las Vegas. Market appointments were held at showrooms in the California Market Center, New Mart, Cooper Design Space and Gerry Building, as well as at two New York-based trade shows, Designers & Agents and Brighte.
The buyers who did attend the market ordered flirty and feminine dresses, clean and dark denim in skinny cuts and wide legs, nautical motifs and loose and unstructured styles.
“We bought a lot of dresses from Hype and SuperLuckyCat,” said Erica Apana, who is opening a contemporary boutique, SplitObsession, in Honolulu in October.
Eleanor Faber, a buyer for boutiques at the Catalina Island Yacht Club and Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club, said she was looking for “washable casualwear, suitable to wear around the yacht club and on the boat.” Her shopping list included capri pants, shorts and cover-ups.
“Easy to wear” was how Nina Perez, owner of an eponymous showroom, summarized the appeal of Two Star Dog’s top-selling unstructured jacket with asymmetrical buttons in a turquoise-striped linen.
Jennifer Cohen, head of sales for Anna Paul, said stores sought better fabrics like silk and minimal embellishment such as macramé, red plastic stars and wood beads. “People are dressing up a little more,” she said.
A surprise seller was anything in red, which also was a key color in the nautical theme that did well for lines including Farron Elizabeth.
“It’s a strong color going into 2007,” said Emmalena Bland, owner of Salt & Pepper Sales.
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Hamid Derak, owner of the showroom bearing his name, said buyers were snapping up knit dresses that have been proven sellers in stores. “They come back with open purses,” he said, noting he had a hit with Lily’s wrap dress in fabric printed all over with red abstract hearts.
Cream silk dresses and blouses printed with blue anchors were bestsellers for Fifties-inspired Vintage Betty, a year-old collection from Los Angeles that exhibited at the Brighte show for the first time.
Kimono silhouettes — found in dresses and tops — were a prominent holdover from fall. Voom showed its caftan-like “twisted kimono” in bold Sixties prints, while SuperLuckyCat and Hype offered colorful kimono-sleeved tops. The lingerie-inspired Cigana line showed jewel-toned silk kimono tops edged with black lace.
Evelyn Ungvari, buyer for the influential boutique Diavolina in Los Angeles, said she bought caftan dresses at Rachel Palley and “almost everything” from McQ by Alexander McQueen, including scarves and blouses.
Another popular dress shape was a Grecian-inspired maxi with thin straps and an Empire waist. Michelle Jonas showed a variation in black jersey with satin espresso piping, while Nieves Lavi braided the straps on its Halston-esque offering, which featured a Sixties-inspired nautical print in shades of purple.
Elsewhere, buyers were still stocking up on denim. GoldSign, Loomstate and Indigo Palms said high-waisted trousers with wide legs and loose “boyfriend” fits were popular alternatives to skinny styles, which continued to sell.
Denim makers focused on details to distinguish their looks. Tag Jeans used heavyweight stitching in two hues per style, while Earnest Sewn offered a classic blue wash reminiscent of well-worn Levi’s 501s.
Jackie Brander, owner of Fred Segal Fun in Santa Monica, Calif., ordered white jeans and striped shorts, among other items, from Seven For All Mankind.
Kristina Marzec, a sales executive for Vernon, Calif.-based Seven For All Mankind, said nautical-themed ribbon belts sewn into pencil skirts and Swarovski crystal-encrusted lightning-bolt designs on back pockets helped set the company apart from competitors. “People have so many jeans. You need a little more bang for your buck,” she said.
Trey Alligood, national sales director for Los Angeles’ 575 Denim, agreed, adding that stores that bought unembellished jeans for fall were now looking for more pizzazz. “Everyone’s been looking at the ripped and tattered models we have,” Alligood said.
While many vendors’ booths were quiet during the market, the founders of Sweden’s Odd Molly, newcomers to the D&A show, found theirs busy with buyers each day. The whimsical knit line opened more than 150 new accounts, including Anthropologie, Fred Segal and Nordstrom.
“This is the best show we’ve ever had,” said brand director Per Holknekt. “These are dream accounts.”
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