Lingerie that has a look of luxury and a hint of sex appeal, as well as dual-purpose sleepwear that feels soft and cuddly, are the hottest items for early fall selling at stores nationwide.
Executives at major stores, specialty boutiques and mail-order businesses said consumers are on the hunt for fashion items but are also demanding comfort and multipurpose products in feel-good fabrics, ranging from stretch cotton and silks to fluffy blends of micro Modal and Lycra spandex.
The color brown, as well as a variety of contrasting lace trims, are also top contenders in or out of the boudoir, said merchants, who noted that while consumers continue to look for bargains, they are not price-resistant when it comes to perceived value or when a product strikes their fancy.
Chuck Nesbit, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Chico’s FAS, said sales have been brisk in all innerwear categories at the retailer’s 30 Soma lingerie stores.
“The fall season is an exciting time for Soma as we are opening an average of two stores per week between now and Dec. 1,” said Nesbit. “Speaking to this season’s Soma product, it is hard to pick out specific items because almost all of the fall assortment is working according to plan. We are in our third fall season, and so far we seem to be in sync with the buying patterns of our customers.”
Nesbit noted the sleepwear, loungewear and activewear classifications were particularly strong. He said, “The soft, cozy wraps we placed early are selling quickly, and new deliveries will sustain the momentum. Our customer continues to seek fabrics with great hand in sleepwear.
“All of our Travelers Collection of sleepwear made of very soft, stretch microfiber with stretch lace is experiencing strong sell-outs,” continued Nesbit. “Particularly in the South, where temperatures have remained warm, our Lotus loungewear collection is a top performer. Customers love the colorful mix-and-match separates in Lotus, in addition to the soft feel of pima cotton with a hint of spandex.”
In foundations, Nesbit said the Travelers Collection of bras “continue to drive our bra business, with all styles experiencing strong sales. We expect that momentum to build as Travelers bras are featured in our October catalogue.”
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A spokeswoman at Henri Bendel listed several best-selling items over the past couple of weeks: a silk animal-print lace bra-and-panty set by Andres Sarda; a lace underwire bra with rhinestone bow and coordinating undies by ID Sarrieri; a lace-trim cotton jumper from Dessous, and a green printed chemise from Princesse Tam Tam.
“This fall, the Very Sexy Infinity Edge Push Up bra has been very popular and is available in a variety of colors,” said a spokeswoman for Victoria’s Secret. “This popular bra is available in seamless satin with Infinity Edge technology, which allows for a virtually invisible look under close-fitting tops.”
The top color is purple, she said.
Yolanda Dunbar, senior vice president of Frederick’s of Hollywood, said, “We are having a phenomenal fall season. We are right on target with our customer with our Hollywood Spanish Heat campaign, and the customer is loving the rich color palette, jewel tones such as teal and purple, items with gold and copper accents, the fabrics — intricate laces and satins — and the European influences.”
Dunbar added that an upscale brand by Frederick’s called Seduction is “exceeding our expectations” and is generating same-store sales gains of nearly 20 percent. The line of bras, undies and daywear focuses on sexy sheer meshes, expensive European laces and satins.
Two other top items at Frederick’s are corsets, particularly the Hollywood Dream Corset, which can be worn in or out of the boudoir, and the Cameron boyshort.
Meanwhile, merchants at specialty operations nationwide said they were generally pleased with early fall business.
Anne Marie Collier, owner of Anne Marie Lingerie in Seattle, said full-figure bras are top-selling items.
“I’m doing very well with bras by Prima Donna in laces anywhere from C to F cups,” said Collier. “I have fun putting women in these bras because the styles are so pretty and they fit very well. The top colors are rose, teal and brown.”
Collier added that anything that is “fluffy soft” in micro Modal is selling well in sleepwear and robes.
“My top brands include Divertimento, Laurence Tavernier and Pluto, which does a great micro mattlesse robe,” she said.
Faye Sperling, owner of Faye’s Lingerie in Bel Air, Calif., said, “We are selling a lot of bras, camis and pajamas by Cosabella in three sizes — S, M and L. It’s our number-one-selling brand. But there’s also a lot of demand for panties by Hanky Panky, especially the signature low-rise thong. Women love the fashion colors, the styling, and they don’t show through the garments.”
“Our big season doesn’t start until mid-October, but Hanky Panky’s original low-rise thong in stretch lace continues to be our bestseller in 15 colors,” said Sherwin Rosenberg, owner of Bras Unlimited in Pompano Beach, Fla. “We’re also doing well with pajamas by Scanty, with skeletons and love and peace signs for the younger crowd. Chantelle and Simone Perele bras continue to sell well, and sleepwear by Verena, Miss Elaine, Carole Hochman and Oscar de la Renta also are strong sellers.”
Ruth Brennan, owner of Bits of Lace in Charleston, S.C., said, “People are buying more lounge pieces such as pajamas and three-piece sets because they are spending more time at home. They like to take off their work clothes and fall into sleepwear or transition pieces to be comfortable. One of our hottest items is sleepwear and robes by Celestine in cotton voile that can be layered. Silk robes by Christine of Vancouver and robes of micro Modal or cashmere are really big sellers.”
Brennan added that “sexy-looking” bras are top-selling items on the bitsoflace.com e-commerce site.
“Sexy bras are great gift ideas, and men are buying sexy sets by Eres and La Perla, as well as Prima Donna for a full-figured woman,” said Brennan.
Sheri Squires, proprietor of Bella, a lingerie shop in Williamsburg, Va., said, “Right now, I’m doing very well with Stan Herman robes, and Hanro sleepwear is selling very well. Anything in a chocolate color is selling, whether it’s bras by Natori Black Label and Chantelle or silk sleepwear and robes by Gigi and Christine of Vancouver.”
Cyla Wiener, owner of Sylene, an intimate apparel boutique in Chevy Chase, Md., said sexy, upscale sleepwear is a key category.
“We are selling a lot of sexy silk chemises, but it’s more of a color story in blue and brown lace combinations and different shades of green,” Wiener said. “We’ve already sold out of pale-green and black lace sleepwear by Christine of Vancouver, and Joelle by La Perla is selling extremely well. It’s selling well because someone younger or a little older can wear it.”
“People are favoring brown versus black right now,” said Marina Biachi, manager of Lingerie on Lex, a specialty shop in Manhattan. “They want fashion, and we are selling brands that range from Pluto to Huit, Eres, Simone Perele and Dolce & Gabbana. We’ve also had a lot of requests for bikinis, not thongs. The bikini is back.”