Any buyer attempting to master the Fashion Coterie Trade Show knows a triumph is guaranteed only when a perfect balance is struck.
While retailers are keen to pick up the newest trends and silhouettes, consumers are following their lead, but at their own pace. At this installment of ENK’s Fashion Coterie, brands hope to give retailers what they need and want for fall: designs that slowly introduce new trends and silhouettes to their consumers.
Renee Roman, contemporary market specialist at the Doneger Group buying office here, believes visitors to the three-day trade show will begin to see a shift in trends with the upcoming fall season. It’s the retailers’ responsibility, however, to interpret those trends for their consumer base, she said.
“Sometimes consumers are hesitant to move forward because they’ve found pieces that they now know how to wear,” she said. “It’s almost too jarring for them to move forward. Retailers need to push it forward, but they need to do so carefully, in baby steps.” Roman firmly believes that trends have a shelf life of three years, at which time the consumer looks to the next big thing.
“Buyers should look to introduce some newness aside from continuing the romantic and bohemian trends,” she said, “They should commit some of their floor to those trends, but now is the time to introduce new shapes. Don’t go overboard, but put a few key items here and there and as we go forward into fall and holiday, that’s when they can really start moving it.”
Even if the romantic or Victorian-inspired trend continues to be strong, retailers will start to see lacy looks infused with a harder, edgier side, which could be accomplished with the inclusion of something as simple as an exposed metal zipper.
“The influence will be a bit more punk and Eighties, but it will have preppy silhouettes from the Fifties and Sixties,” she said.
As we begin to trend away from embellishments, the newness comes from cleaner, more structured shapes. “I think buyers should keep the romantic look through June and July deliveries, but by [the end of August] they should start introducing the harder look,” Roman said.
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The harder, edgier, “hipster-inspired” trend will only gain momentum as 2006 rolls along, but retailers should immediately look at items, like skinny jeans, to introduce the new style to their consumers. Every denim buyer should be certain to have skinny jeans in stock and, as time goes on, Roman advises buyers seek out darker, ink-colored washes, especially in black.
Though skinny jeans were initially the jeans of choice for fashion stylists and trendsetters like Sienna Miller and Kate Moss, now the trend has gained momentum in the mainstream, perhaps as tops have grown longer and more voluminous.
“In spring, volume was introduced by way of larger sleeves and longer tunics,” Roman said. Longer, more voluminous tops, like blouson and bat-winged styles, start to make an appearance this fall. This top trend was likely a reaction to the super-short, belly-baring one that lasted for a number of seasons.
“Now we’re going in the opposite direction of one extreme,” Roman noted.
Volume isn’t restricted to tops. Dresses and skirts are getting pumped up, too. “I love that I’m seeing volume in fabrics like taffeta that really hold the shape. It feels very new to me,” Roman said. Even pencil skirts are following suit. Brands such as the New York-based contemporary label Easel are widening the leg opening on pencil skirts to slightly change the silhouette.
For buyers seeking an alternative to denim, companies such as the Los Angeles-based, bottoms-driven brand Park are offering a wide selection of pants inspired by men’s wear, particularly through using wool blends and flattering pinstripes.
The success of nondenim bottoms lies in their fit: Roman said buyers can’t go wrong with styles that have the familiar, flattering fit of denim. Corduroys are a must-have for fall. Last season, Roman noted, corduroys were the second biggest seller behind denim. Roman likes the fit of brands like True Religion and James Cured by Seun. Strong corduroy colors include black, cream and various shades of browns and greys.
Consumers who were devoted to the long, flowy bohemian skirts of seasons past will start moving in the direction of easy, nonfussy dresses, like those by the Los Angeles-based contemporary collection Ella Moss. As with the bohemian skirts, Roman believes these dresses will likely be paired with something familiar, like cowboy boots, to introduce the consumer to the dress trend, which seems to already be on an upswing. But don’t bank on the cowboy boot trend to last too long. According to Roman, it’s on its last legs.
“We saw the cowboy boot-trend last fall, on the fringe on certain trendsetters. We saw the look catch with the boots-over-jeans look and now it’s in its final round,” said Roman.
Colorwise, black is definitely back for fall. The color palette for the season is also rich with brown, most notably chocolate brown, in addition to all shades of grey, bold peacock blue, olive green, mustard yellow, fuchsia, magenta and what she calls, “Eighties red,” a vibrant, bright red.
Some styles have run their course and Roman advises buyers to instill a “do not resuscitate” order on certain trends and items. “I think we’re done with the fitted blazer,” she said. “Instead, look for trapeze blazers that are cropped with a wider, looser sleeve or long sweater coats.”