DALLAS — Buyers at Fashion–CenterDallas’ spring and summer show kept a watchful eye on trends as well as budgets in a bid to keep inventories lean, strong and competitive.
Must-have spring items included soft and romantic dresses in bubble, baby-doll, Empire-waist, pleated, lace, quilted or ruffled styles; skinny denim jeans in dark rinses with medium rises, and colorful knit sportswear used as layering pieces in a nod to Seventies styling that’s still keeping the retro mood hot.
Favorite spring colors ranged from sophisticated neutrals and classic tones such as taupe, gray, white, black and navy to vibrant hues such as yellow, orange, turquoise and fuchsia.
Some stores also sought immediate items such as beaded, embroidered and metallic cocktail and party dresses and casual luxury sportswear and embellished knits to bolster holiday business.
The show ran Oct. 26 to 29 and marked the end of FashionCenterDallas’ Thursday-to-Sunday market schedule. FCD will switch to a Sunday-to-Wednesday calendar starting with the Jan. 28 to 31 market, reasoning that retailers do not want to be away from their stores and miss business on Fridays and Saturdays.
“This was a high-energy market, with many FashionCenterDallas showrooms reporting brisk sales and retailers appearing to be optimistic about the fourth quarter as well as 2007,” said Cindy Morris, chief operating officer at Dallas Market Center, parent of FCD. “Buyer traffic from the immediate region and out-of-territory remains strong, with stores from 47 states and 23 countries in attendance. Additionally, we experienced a healthy increase in the number of out-of-territory major stores.”
Showrooms said stores were in a buying mood and were optimistic about holiday and early spring business.
“This was the best paper market for us since the grand opening of FashionCenterDallas, and the best traffic,” said Brad Hughes of multiline showroom Brad Hughes & Associates. “Our sales were up 30 percent over last year, and last year was fabulous. The economy is good and consumers are trading up in price. Retailer mood was great.”
The market included an appearance by four Chinese women’s and children’s apparel companies: Chen Wen Studio, Celine Design Studio, New Face and Shanghai Annita Fashion Co. Women’s contemporary tops and pants, embellished denim, pants and jackets, cashmere wraps and sweaters and children’s styles were among the looks they presented.
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All four design firms show at the ShanghaiMart, the largest wholesale trade center in Asia. The Dallas Market Center is a strategic business partner with Shanghai Mart.
Retailers praised the market’s blend of holiday and spring styles and wearable trends such as feminine-style dresses, easy sportswear, denim and accessories — from streamlined metallic looks to opulent pearls.
Tami Weiss, owner of Tempo, a women’s specialty store in Bellevue, Wash., shopped FashionCenterDallas for the first time and vowed to return. “Everything is under one roof, and the bridge and contemporary brands totally work for my store’s merchandising philosophy.”
With a budget up by less than 10 percent, Weiss shopped for neutral-tone sportswear in lightweight jersey fabrics from Yansi Fugel, khaki capris and dark-rinse denim skirts and jeans with detailing such as crystals from David Kahn and colorful sportswear and sophisticated evening looks from Alberto Makali.
Suzy Jacobs, owner of Julia’s on Camargo, a women’s specialty store in Cincinnati, shopped for styles to entice her 35- to 55-year-old customer base, who crave contemporary styles with a misses’ fit.
With a flat budget, Jacobs bought cream and navy sportswear and dresses from Lafayette 148 and Fusun’s brown, white, lime, orange, fuchsia and green knit cardigans, skirts, pants and scarves. She also purchased accessories such as pearl jewelry from Majorica and crystal handbags from Letty Designs.
Tammy Foster and her daughters Shelley Dale and Stacey Bone, owners of Bella Rosa in Flower Mound, Tex., a women’s contemporary store, shopped for spring dresses and fashion items such as khaki and canvas shorts, denim jeans and embellished tops.
“My customers are really into the dresses with feminine styling that can be worn alone or over leggings,” said Tammy Foster, citing purchases such as Miss Me’s pink and sage knee-length dresses and body-conscious denim jeans from Worn, Silver Charm, AG and Hard Tail.