NEW YORK — Though not present, thrifty consumers were never far from the minds of attendees at two trade shows here last week.
Buyers and exhibitors at Designers at the Jumeirah Essex House and at Nouveau Collective talked openly about price-conscious shoppers and how their shopping habits are changing. The Essex House show closed a three-day stint Feb. 20 and Nouveau Collective ended a four-day run at the New Yorker hotel Feb. 21.
At the Essex House, Linda Cunningham, a Jacksonville, Fla.-based eveningwear resource who also owns two signature stores, said, “People are just not buying clothing in volume like they used to. They have become a little more practical and the casualization of America is still taking its toll. It’s not about money, because people have money. They are traveling, but traveling more casually. In this day and age, people don’t want to be overdressed compared to others.”
She noted buyers were more price conscious, even ones she had sold to before. “Some clients are coming in and saying, ‘I’m not going to spend that much money, I don’t want to spend as much, or can you show me something for a little less?'”
With a new 4,200-square-foot store in Houston, Cunningham has seen cautiousness among some of her own customers. The Texas store’s layout — contemporary and bridge sportswear on the first floor and eveningwear and cocktail dresses on the second — lends itself to a wider customer base. In addition, many competitors are offering sharper-priced dresses in inferior fabrics and “the customer doesn’t always know the difference,” she said.
Retailers ordered Cunningham’s gowns with shrugs or little jackets wholesaling between $1,100 and $1,600. Whether attending events in churches, synagogues or outdoors, women want the option of covered arms, she said.
George Caffin, sales director at Catherine Regehr, a Vancouver-based eveningwear label, also saw more interest in dresses with sleeves, especially a $1,300 gown with an oversize gem on the side, and $800 shirtdresses. Another winner at the show was a $1,300 duchesse satin strapless gown with a laser-cut flower. “What they like about this one is that they can still wear their jewelry without looking ornate.”
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Caffin said he saw five or six stores that he sold to before but hadn’t seen in recent seasons. The Essex House picked up some of the designers who disbanded after showing last season at a Midtown loft and for several years prior were part of International Designers at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. “There’s been a big shift to evening again,” he said. “Their clientele might have changed or they stopped buying us for one reason or another. We’re glad they are buying us again.”
Another show resource, Ania Zofia, a Montreal-based designer, said she picked up a few new accounts at the show. For the first time in the 10-year history of her business, she is trying to make inroads in the U.S. Buyers were looking for intricate tailored pieces, Zofia said, adding a $1,900 beaded strapless gown that requires 30 hours of work is the most time-consuming style in her collection.
At Nouveau Collective, Ashby Sanderson Payne, buyer for Glassboat, a Richmond, Va., specialty store, said she now tries to pre-sell everything she buys, by showing photos of incoming merchandise to shoppers. “People are cautious, but we have really good customers. When something comes in that looks like them, we call to tell them. They know we’re not just calling,” she said.
Payne was looking for layered skirts and lace tops from resources such as Hanna and casual styles for larger-sized customers from Flax. By pairing these styles with T-shirts and sweaters, outfits don’t look as though “they came altogether in a box,” she said. It also helps to distinguish the store among the other boutiques on the street and from two nearby shopping malls that opened last year, Payne said.
Another showgoer, Betsy Feinstein of the LBA Buying Group here, said shoppers across the country are looking for unusual sportswear. Alberto Makali, Forwear, Insight and Samuel Dong were on her checklist for summer and early fall options. “It can’t be the same old thing,” she said.
In addition, many of LBA Buying’s 120 stores are maxed out on trade shows. “They can’t cover it all — something has to give at some point. It’s not cost effective to have all these shows,” Feinstein said.
Annie Shaw, owner of Terra Cotta, a store in Ellsworth, Maine, said she was shopping mostly for separates and dresses and planned to check out Andria Lieu, Mycra Pac and Art.
“Specialty stores are in a good place right now because people are wanting service. They also want special orders and one-of-a-kind items,” she said.
Shopping in a town like Ellsworth is as much about the social interaction as it is about the purchase, said Shaw, who has been in business for 10 years. “People want special attention. They talk about their kids, where they’re going to have dinner,” she said. “And what plastic surgeon you use,” added her office manager Pat Holmes.
Even though business is “a little above” last year, Shaw said she is reducing her store’s square footage from 3,400 to 2,000. “It will force me to buy smarter and still give people the same variety.”