California Apparel News

Showroom salespeople and retailers who turned out for the Aug. 13–17 run of Los Angeles Market Week reported surprisingly lively undercurrents and good business.

August is typically considered a slow market, but showroom owners, including Diane Levin, said the Holiday and Resort market was a success because retailers are confident about the future and are buying to season.

“It’s been a good market because people are buying Holiday and Resort,” Levin said in her namesake showroom in the C building of the California Market Center. “But they’re also committing to Spring.”

Back to buy at CMC

Representatives from the California Market Center said traffic was up over last August, but they declined to give hard numbers.

Retailers attending the show included Anthropologie, Fred Segal Santa Monica, Nordstrom, Tracey Ross and Wynn Las Vegas.

Karen George, owner of the Karen George & Co. showroom, said colorful, whimsical fashions drove the market. “People are feeling anxious because of the election year and the war, and fashion is about making you feel good,” she said.

George reported that successful lines included the colorful coats and dresses of Laurel, Md.–based Lee Andersen ($75 to $235 wholesale) and Fort Lauderdale, Fla.–based misses denim collection Too She She, which emphasizes fun details such as cloth flowers, raw silk and tapestry fabrics ($49 to $59 wholesale).

Levin said there was a strong fantasy theme in top sellers such as Los Angeles–based Penelope, whose silk charmeuse skirts and aprons ($18 to $130 wholesale) are strongly influenced by bohemian-chic style.

The CMC also hosted the Brighte Cos. trade show in the fashion theater. ENK International, the New York–based owner and producer of the show, reported 1,650 attendees compared with 1,500 at the June show, and attendees had positive, albeit mixed, reviews.

“Friday was all right, but there was no traffic Saturday and Sunday,” said Kenny Phelps, sales manager of New York–based contemporary sportswear line Fash-ion-is-ta. “Timing was bad. We’re coming off Intermezzo [in New York] and [are] right in front of MAGIC [International in Las Vegas], so people are staying where they are.”

Nathaneal Harkham, owner of Los Angeles– based contemporary T-shirt collection Cheeky Brand, said Brighte Cos.’ August show was a prime place for growing businesses. “Brighte is catching on. A lot of customers came looking for me here,” he said.

Among the retailers perusing the show were Intuition, Fred Segal Fun, Tag Rag of Beverly Hills, Gambucci of La Jolla, Calif., and Kali’s Boutique of Steamboat, Colo.

Retailers said they were attending the show to conduct research for the new season.

“Typically, we’ll go to all of the markets because we need to understand the trends,” said Alexander Zar, who owns stores in Beverly Hills and Santa Monica, Calif. “We do most of our shopping in France and Italy.”

Julie Pelle, a buyer for the Gainey Ranch Golf Club of Scottsdale, Ariz., bought accessories, including glitzy belts, from San Diego–based Leatherock. She said she expected to place key orders at the show.

“Our peak is in January through March and April,” Pelle said. “This is a good time to buy for us.”

Building business at the Gerry Building

Showroom operators at the Gerry Building reported a similar pace for traffic and business.

“It’s been a little slow, but we’ve had some good business,” said Matt Germaine, co-owner of the Select Showroom.

Germaine said retailers such as The Closet of Newport Beach, Calif., Kitson on Los Angeles’ Robertson Boulevard, and B.B. Pepper of Fresno, Calif., stopped by to check out collections from LeTigre and Salvage. “Most people have their denims, so they’re looking at their tops to complement their looks,” he said.

Casual, feminine looks at The New Mart

At The New Mart, some exhibitors said buyers were placing orders for immediate deliveries.

Kim Carter, vice president of sales at Chaiken, said buyers were opening their wallets for clean, sophisticated ready-to-wear and evening dresses for Holiday. The San Francisco–based women’s apparel maker offered prim-and-proper looks, such as boucleacute; dress suits and bias-cut empire dresses. Other Holiday looks included a twistback halter dress, a chiffon blazer, a driving coat in velvet fabrics and a black dress made with a stretchcashmere blend. Chaiken’s sales force showed buyers swatches of different fabrications from the company’s personalized pants program.

Buyer Roberta Kansteiner placed immediate and early Spring orders for Chaiken trousers and cashmere tops by Rebecca Beeson. Kansteiner, owner of women’s contemporary boutique Saffron in Laguna Beach, Calif., was shopping for casual, feminine looks. She said her budget was up about 75 percent as a result of strong sell-throughs at her seaside boutique.

Buyer Mia Kammerer of What to Wear, a women’s contemporary boutique in Mercer Island, Wash., was placing immediate orders. Kammerer, whose budget was up 10 percent, came to the show in search of casual-chic apparel for customers between the ages of 18 and 45. Her resources include Citizens of Humanity, AG Adriano Goldschmied Jeans, Michael Stars, Three Dot, Splendid, Isda & Co. and Trina Turk.

Denim-friendly and yoga-chic at D&A

The Designers & Agents Annex at The New Mart presented a diverse mix of lifestyle apparel—from young designer looks and preppy chic to bohemian glamour and California casual. Buyers swarmed several booths, including And Cake and Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent. Clean, feminine lines with lots of color and floral prints were strong choices for buyers.

Denim, however, still seemed to top the list of must-have items. Sharon Sabo, sales rep for Ijean, a contemporary denim maker based in New York, said several buyers placed immediate and Spring orders for the line’s basic five-pocket denim, made with fine Japanese fabrics ($80 wholesale).

Buyers from Rebel in Santa Monica and Dale Michele in Beverly Hills showed interest in a floral-print crinkle-fabric kiwi chiffon dress ($135 wholesale), cashmere tank tops with sequins and paillettes ($75 wholesale), and a tangerine silk twill shell halter top ($75 wholesale) by New York–based contemporary women’s apparel maker Walter.

Buyers from Yoga Works, a 15-store retail chain based in Santa Monica, looked for comfortable and casual women’s apparel. With a budget up 10 percent, they cherry-picked through Ener-Chi’s bohemian activewear line, which featured tie-dyed drawstring pants and contrast-stitch cotton tank tops.

As the yoga fitness apparel market becomes more saturated, buyers are bringing a diverse merchandise mix to their shops, said buyer Jessica Smith. “We look for core basics from vendors in the yoga community, but we also bring in fashion-forward pieces,” she said.

Smith projects that Yoga Works’ one-year same-store sales will increase by at least 10 percent next year.

Looking ahead to Spring

Some showroom owners at the Cooper Design Space said they got a good read on Spring business during the August market. Many buyers were receptive to Spring styles, according to Deborah Shapiro, whose Sabrina Showroom reps contemporary lines by Eva Franco, Alana May, Doris Ruth, Lilo, Adrienne Bui and Original Penguin. “I thought buyers would think it’s too early to view Spring, but they liked the idea of getting their Spring business going,” she said.

Buyers from Crimson and Clover in Texas, Chalk Garden in Utah and J. Serraino in Valencia, Calif., placed early Spring ’05 orders for Adrienne Bui’s cotton poplin blazers, A-line skirts and polka-dot cap-sleeve tops with button detail. Original Penguin’s bright and colorful updated polo shirts were also favorites among buyers.

Buyers Jan and Christian Brennan said they were looking for fun, unusual sportswear in bright colors and bold prints for Pink Tangerine, their item-driven womenswear boutique in Menlo Park, Calif. The trend for Spring is to tie everything back to denim, they said.