Retailers shopped Fashion Coterie at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center last week with renewed purpose.
Some 1,446 exhibitors were at the three-day show, which ended Feb. 23, compared with 1,363 last February. Booths such as Milly, Theory, J Brand, Michael Stars, Trina Turk, Alice + Olivia, Nicole Miller, Rebecca Minkoff and Shoshanna appeared to be busy with retailers writing fall orders. Some retailers were taking notes and getting an overall sense of the market, with plans to return at a later date to the showrooms to write orders.
Overall, buyers appeared fairly optimistic about upcoming fall business and said customers have started to come back into the stores.
Related Articles
“We’re here to pick out accent pieces,” said Bruce Prescott, owner of Zoe & Co., a lingerie retailer in Westerly, R.I., and Concord, N.H. “What I’ve liked overall is [the attitude]; the last two shows seemed defeatist, but it looks like people are writing paper and doing business here. You can tell things are going to be good because there’s activity going on.”
You May Also Like
Prescott said he was at the show to find tight T-shirts, from resources such as Hard Tail, that “show off how the bras look.”
Jayne Siever, a buyer for Pilgrim’s Progress, a women’s and men’s contemporary specialty store in Plymouth, Mass., said she was happy Coterie was all under one roof. “There’s a lot of diversity. I’m taking a lot of notes and getting a feel for the market. I’m still digesting it all.” She said she’s seen several big trends at the show, mainly leggings, looser tops and tunic looks, which continue to be strong.
“We’re always bringing in new lines. Price points seem to be high. We’re doing OK and we’re very grateful to our customers,” she said.
Chantal Normand, buyer for Linda Asselin, a specialty store in Joliette, Canada, called Coterie “a good show.”
“There’s a lot of choice, and nice knitwear and sportswear,” she said, citing the Iris Setlakwe Collection from Quebec and Lombaggi Knitwear from Peru, which featured lots of colorful capes.
Marianne Gilardi, a buyer for Sweaters Etc. in Stockbridge, Mass., and Manchester, Vt., said she wrote an order for St. James, a French-based knitwear company with a marine orientation, at the show.
“We have a very specific demographic. I have an older customer, and the owner of our store designs sweaters, so we look for things that will complement his style. His are very patterned and tailored and are hand-knit in Bolivia,” she said.
Some representatives from Ideeli, the three-year-old Web site that offers off-price apparel, were browsing Coterie. “We buy contemporary, denim, active and kids,” said buyer Allison Mackenzie. “This is a great show for seeing new trends…fur is everywhere,” she said. Mackenzie said the site is expanding its sportswear.
Sarah Shendow, vice president and ladies’ buyer at Bell’s Fine Clothing in Winchester, Va., said, “I’ve been seeing lots of color and lots of interesting knits. We’re looking for key items, as opposed to total collections.”