ATLANTA — Most of the action at the AmericasMart market was focused on holiday, social occasion, prom and pageant dressing. Retailers bought carefully, waiting for a break in the oppressive heat of summer to get a read on fall.
“Fall deliveries are just coming in. If we can sell them in 100 degree weather, there’s hope for the future,” said David Ethridge, owner of D. Ethridge, a better-bridge-priced women’s specialty store in Dothan, Ala., where the hot weather has meant sluggish sales and inventories higher than usual because of later summer markdowns.
Holiday was the prevailing seasonal offering, although the market was a smorgasbord of everything from immediate fall deliveries to early spring previews. The holiday looks offered plenty of glamour. Ruching and draping added interest to bias-cut gowns in slinky satin and silk. Bling is still alive and well, with creative embellishment from beads, sequins, pailettes and rhinestones.
Short dresses, in Sixties-inspired tunic and A-line shapes were prevalent, with necklines trimmed in rhinestones, beading or plastic. Prints also took a leading role, in abstract and geometric patterns. Accessories reflected ready-to-wear, with lots of shine and sparkle creating drama.
The women’s, men’s and children’s apparel and accessories market at AmericasMart ran Aug. 18 to 21. In addition, many prom buying groups filled showrooms for the market, which emphasizes special occasion.
Mart officials described the market as “phenomenal,” citing a “surge” in attendance over the weekend. They didn’t provide specific figures.
“We had good distribution of business, in temporary and permanent showrooms,” said Mike Turnbull, senior vice president of marketing, who added that extended hours on Sunday and special events, such as a party to celebrate a new co-op on the ninth floor, added excitement. “Prom and pageant was a standout.”
Exhibitors such as Mark Garland, owner of a namesake multiline bridge-priced sportswear showroom, were pleased. Garland reported sales increased 35 percent, mostly from new accounts. Opening the showroom Friday, he stayed busy through Tuesday, working new accounts he attracted through beefed-up marketing and promotional efforts.
“I’m working harder to get new stores, rather than relying on tried-and-true stores, that I didn’t see here this time,” he said. “I have to go after business.”
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Some social occasion exhibitors said they lost business because of this market date’s overlap with the FashionCenterDallas market, adding that August 2008 presents the same situation.
“Overlapping dates are detrimental to manufacturers and to both markets,” said Bruce Krull, principle with the special occasion lines Selina and Morrell Maxie, who split his time and samples between Dallas and Atlanta. “Prom retailers come to Atlanta, but other stores, rather than see incomplete collections or choose between markets, will just wait until October. It’s lost business.”
Mart officials wouldn’t comment on date issues.
Thomas Tolbert, owner of Legends, a special occasion store in Atlanta, shopped for prom dresses with “creative design, rather than imports that are just last year’s styles recolored for this season,” he said.
He cited Sherri Hill, Scala, Paris by Tony Bowls, Tiffany, Mori Lee and Alyce as key lines with design talent behind them.
Though short dresses were not a factor last year, Tolbert said he spent 12 percent of his budget on short dresses for prom and homecoming, despite industry concerns that the popularity of short dresses would give department stores a competitive edge over specialty stores.
“We can’t alienate the consumer by refusing to offer short dresses that are so popular now,” he said, adding that hemlines are cyclical. “It’s out there and we need to go with it.”
For full-figure and large-size consumers, who are not only more prevalent now, but also more fashion-conscious, Tolbert sought prom lines that offered a range of sizes — up to 36.
“Movies like ‘Hairspray’ have brought this girl to the forefront,” he said, listing lines such as Tiffany, Riva, Mori Lee and Aurora for bringing fashion to large-size customers.
Lake Sims, the owner of Wildflower, a Naples, Fla., women’s better-bridge specialty store, said his August buy covers product for the high season (November through April) in Naples and is hugely important. For his customer base — wealthy snowbirds with second homes in Naples — Sims shopped for sophisticated, increasingly high-end European lines.
“Over the past five years, we’ve gone from better to bridge prices, and searched for lines with unique looks, that aren’t in nearby outlet malls,” he said, noting that European resources best fit the bill.
He bought core lines — Dismero, Findley, Marc Aurel, Allison W and Zelda, along with Bigio, a new line for his store.
Sims said tourism, especially international visitors, had been erratic in Naples recently. While the weak dollar makes vacationing in the U.S. attractive, security restrictions have made getting here more difficult.
Trendy, item-driven lines at low wholesale prices that can be marked up as much as three times their cost were the focus for Mark Williams, owner of Jolie, a Belmont, N.C., contemporary women’s specialty store.
“We’re focusing less on big collections and expensive brands and more on margin-builders,” said owner Mark Williams. With core premium denim lines — Citizens of Humanity and Seven For All Mankind and T-shirt lines such as Michael Stars and Ella Moss, Williams also bought printed dresses from Karlie and jackets and coats from Tulle.
“We have to have a few higher-end core lines, like Free People to justify the lower price lines,” he said. “We don’t want to turn into a “Forever 21.”
The new merchandising direction, combined with a recent expansion, and local press contributed to strong early August sales, offsetting a typically slow summer season.
Previewing spring, but buying holiday October deliveries, Ethridge bought special occasion, a category that has grown to 30 percent of sales and sportswear. Ethridge said he expanded his social occasion business to surrounding areas, through word-of-mouth referrals rather than traditional advertising and promotion.
“It’s a difficult category that relies on service and building relationships,” he said.
Shopping for “glamorous, Old Hollywood looks, with vintage fabrics, beautiful details and style that evokes the late Fifties and Sixties,” Ethridge said his buying was first and foremost dictated by the customer.
“I have to respect their comfort zone,” he said. “They may insist on a sleeve, or a bit of coverage and we have to keep that in mind.”
Ethridge bought short and long dresses, suits and separates from Bigio, Teri Jon, Chetta B, Mary Bays, Amsale and Eliza J., all lines he said offered maximum for the price. He particularly liked Lafayette 148’s sophisticated sportswear and evening looks.