LAS VEGAS — Trends at the first day of the WWDMAGIC trade show here Monday had a familiar feel.
Looks that originated last spring lingered, as buyers and manufacturers exercised caution in a challenging economy marked by higher interest rates and gas prices as well as a slowing housing market.
Tunic-length tops, kimono sleeves, leggings and dark denim were among the looks that carried over from previous seasons. New to the mix were prints, ranging from cupcakes and anchors to polkadots and skulls.
Cary Marcus, vice president of sales for Offline Inc., a Los Angeles manufacturer of the junior brand Sugar Lips, said he was surprised at the popularity among buyers for the geometric prints and patchwork patterns, among other designs. “We’ve added a lot of new prints,” Marcus said.
Perhaps prints were the only bold statement that buyers and vendors were willing to make in an uncertain economy. Dresses and shorts, proven sellers from last spring, maintained their momentum.
To capitalize on retailers’ strong demand for dresses, Montreal’s Foxy Jeans unveiled a dress line, Foxy Jeans Couture, at the show for holiday. “Customers were asking for it,” said Franco di Zazzo, vice president of three-year-old Foxy Jeans. He estimated that the dresses, wholesaling from $30 to $35, will make up 10 percent of total sales for the privately held company. He declined to disclose figures.
“I’m looking for anything that is new,” said Lorien Miller, a buyer for Chicago-based catalogue company LTD Commodities. “I’m not really finding it.”
The economy was pinpointed as the cause for the approach.
“Things have slowed down a little due to gas prices,” said Sharon Kim, sales manager for Los Angeles’ Ya, noting that buyers were being more cautious.
Jan Sussman, vice president of sales for Los Angeles’ Mighty Fine, concurred. “Some of our retailers say they had slow back-to-school sales. We didn’t exceed goals from last year, but we maintained [our sales],” Sussman said.
LTD Commodities’ Miller worried that shoppers could pare down their orders. “Instead of five items, they might pick three,” she said.
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That’s why affordability is important. BCBG launched True People, its moderate-priced junior line that features nautical-themed separates priced from $15 to $30, and denim looks from $15 to $19. “Buyers say it’s fresh and young, and they like that it’s affordable,” said Albert Papouchado, sales representative for the Los Angeles-based company.
At the same time, high gas prices can sometimes work in favor of retailers such as Cindi Beauclair, co-owner of Dragonfly in Boise, Idaho. “People are staying closer to home because of gas prices, which is good for us because we’re a local store,” Beauclair said. After selling a lot of denim last spring, she planned to order more jeans, capris, skirts and long shorts in denim.
Lori Wright, co-owner of Newt and Harolds, an action sports and youth lifestyle shop also in Boise, said she sought new jean brands retailing from $40 to $50 to complement the $80 styles she stocks from Volcom, Rvca, Matix and other brands. Though Wright usually goes to the ASR Trade Expo in San Diego to meet with board sports vendors, she traveled to WWDMAGIC to discover new labels. “Girls don’t really care if it’s by a [certain] brand name,” she said. “They just want something that is cute and different.”
For all the buzz about skinny cuts in jeans, flared styles remained popular. For instance, Foxy Jeans said flared legs were outselling skinny cuts by a ratio of 3 to 1.
Sarah Porebski, owner of Dress Code in Holland, Mich., still flocked to the flared looks because they are more forgiving for teenagers. She wrote orders with Miss Me for both skinny and flared jeans, and checked out distressed T-shirts with skull motifs from junior vendors such as Skinny Minnie, Freeze and Rock Revolution.
Jennifer Wiet, a buyer for Adrenaline, a six-door chain based in Montreal, said she will be reordering flared jeans from Chick by Nicky Hilton. “I’m not sure how long the skinny thing is going to last,” Wiet said.
Pants and skirts remain go-to items for women over 35, although dresses are popping up in their wardrobes. Bright colors, including pink, green and yellow, are big for spring. Vendors said that older women, while still conservative, are testing out slinkier looks.
“We are trying to become a little more body-conscious,” said Laurie Noorden, sales and marketing assistant at Toronto’s Piccadilly Fashions. “We don’t want to lose our customers, but we have noticed things are getting a bit tighter.”
— With contributions from Rachel Brown