CHICAGO — With varying degrees of success, Midwestern retailers scoured the StyleMax market here searching for early fall fashions that did not look too young or too frumpy.
Kim Ahlers, who owns Kajoma’s in Papillion, Neb., just south of Omaha, placed handfuls of orders for flattering pre-fall attire that she said looked hip and classic at the market that ran Feb. 4 to 6 at the Merchandise Mart.
“We really liked the direction,” Ahlers said. “We love the skirts. They went from feminine to a classic fit. We saw great blazers, tailored skirts, crisp white blouses and wide-leg pants. We were happy with the styles.”
Ahlers found fashion for all ages in soft, fine-wale corduroy pants from Tyler Boe that could work with boots for younger customers and flats for older women. She also ordered cashmere blend Henley sweaters, zip-up hoodies with elbow patches, cardigans and cable crewnecks from the line.
Other finds were a belted, hip-length plaid jacket with a solid charcoal hood from Oui Moments, brown and black leather jackets from In Suede and jersey dresses from Max & Cleo, which she said fit well whether women are a size 2 or size 12.
Dixie Vermeeren and Holly McGory, owners of Sawmill Creek Shops in Huron, Ohio, weren’t so lucky in their search for nonfrumpy fashions appropriate for middle-age or older customers.
“We were somewhat uninspired,” Vermeeren said. “The fashions are trending toward younger, retro looks. Our customer, she wants to be hip, but she doesn’t want to wear macramé or baby-doll dresses. We’re Middle America.”
Vermeeren bought denim from Not Your Daughter’s Jeans, denim and sweaters from FDJ French Dressing and stretch tanks from Last Tango.
Dresses proved to be more challenging. Vermeeren hoped to find sportswear-oriented styles for women in their 60s for daytime that “do not expose everything.” She opted for looks from Karen Kane and Donna Morgan.
McGory said she was anxious about business.
“The trends are very difficult to interpret,” she said. “It’s very difficult to find what we’re looking for. It used to be much easier.”
Related Articles
You May Also Like
The women plan to decrease the amount of apparel in their 10,000-square-foot store until trends change, and increase their accessories by 15 to 20 percent.
Shane Limbacher of the Studio Elle showroom noted that Midwest retailers did not like the “pregnant” Empire waist or fuller-bodied tops that were popular for spring.
“Customers are not buying them, especially if they have already had kids,” he said.
Instead, buyers liked wool cashmere blend sweaters and silk dresses from Jenny Han, novelty cotton dress shirts from Samuel Dong and ruched tanks, striped bubble tanks and polo shirts from Rebecca Beeson.
Attendance at the market was on par with last year’s, said Susan McCullough, senior vice president of apparel for Merchandise Mart Properties, which operates the mart, despite some single-digit temperatures and the Chicago Bears playing the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl on opening day.
“For the women’s market, no one cares,” she said. However, for the Chicago Collective, a men’s wear trade show that ran concurrently on the mart’s eighth floor, market organizers provided Super Bowl parties with big-screen TVs and food.
“There has been steady traffic for both shows,” and “increased crossover,” McCullough said. She did not provide totals.