DALLAS — Fall was the advertised season for the four-day market that ended March 21 at FashionCenterDallas, but action in spring merchandise was almost as strong.
“All our manufacturers brought immediate goods,” said Butch Plott, owner of the Butch Plott & Co. showroom. “The buyers are waiting. We sold a lot of April and May deliveries, and we’re booking fall, as well. The attitude of the buyers has been good.”
Floaty dresses and tunics continued to be hot for spring, while fall orders turned toward jackets, particularly detailed looks and retro flared styles, as well as cocoon and Empire dresses, shirtdresses and intricate knitwear.
“This was a very high-energy market with a strong opening on Sunday, as buyers embraced our new apparel date pattern,” said Cindy Morris, chief operating officer of the Dallas Market Center, which runs FCD.
It was the second show that ran Sunday to Wednesday instead of the former Thursday-to-Sunday format.
Several sales representatives attributed spotty traffic to the market’s overlap with spring break.
“These people have lives,” said Merle Gorman, owner of Merle Gorman & Assoc., which specializes in misses’ lines. “They’re with their families.”
Gorman banded with other showrooms on the 14th floor to attract buyers by serving a hot breakfast every morning and hosting a floorwide party Sunday evening with an Elvis impersonator. “We had a 15 to 20 percent increase over last year on a Sunday and that is significant,” Gorman said. “People want to have fun.”
They also want to find something new. For Dorothy Winston, owner of Julien’s in Uvalde, Tex., that meant novelty jackets.
“Everybody has black pants and cute jeans, so we’re showing people how you can add a new jacket and have a new outfit,” she said.
Winston found some at Johnny Was, where she ordered a short jacket in embroidered tan corduroy. She also planned to order beaded jackets by Ivy Jane, which sold exceptionally well for her last year.
Jackets were also a priority for Joann Burnett, owner of four Joann’s misses’ stores in Houston.
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“We had a great end of January and February with spring jackets,” she said. “For fall, I like the Jackie O neckline, three-quarter-sleeve flyaway styles.”
Her favorites were Darjoni’s black ponte knit jacket with big patent leather buttons, and a flashy red-and-white polkadot lining, and Alberto Makali’s houndstooth flyaway jacket with a stand-up collar.
Burnett was disappointed with dresses because so many styles were low-cut. “My customer is 20 to 70, but she’s more modest than that,” she said.
Mary Lou Jackson, owner of the Four Seasons shop in Dickinson, Tex., also bemoaned the lack of dresses for her clients, who are mostly 40 and over. “My customers want dresses, but they’re all very bare on top and older women aren’t going to wear those,” she said. “I’m happy to see more tunics, because it’s more flattering to the figure.”
She planned to invest in fall jackets and sportswear by Jackets Galore, Joseph Ribkoff and Sharon Young, and was picking up a floral embroidered tunic over linen pants for spring by J. Song.
Victoria Jackson, owner of the Talula contemporary boutique in Dallas, increased her fall budget 10 to 15 percent since sales have risen 30 percent this year. “I thought all the little swing jackets were great,” she said. “I also liked the unusual novelty coats and I loved the lantern sleeve or bishop sleeve. And there’s a lot of cute plaid.”
She planned to order a plaid dress by Cynthia Steffe and novelty blouses by Marissa K, including a layered silk turquoise and chocolate floral print chiffon over a dotted charmeuse dress.
Sharlene Reitz and Vicki Grimm, buyers for Ah-Ha! in Marble Falls, Tex., which doubled in size in January, were shopping with a higher budget.
“Marble Falls is a resort area with new golf courses and a new Marriott [resort], vineyards and a lot of kids’ camps,” Grimm said. “We’re buying a little bit of fall, but it stays hot for so long that we’re buying a lot of late summer deliveries.”
The pair favored tunics, dresses, jersey tops and unusual knits. They picked up a white crocheted fishtail cardigan with bell sleeves from Sisters, an abstract print A-line dress by Wish and XCBI’s knitted tops with ruching, stitching and other details.