CMC's New Look for the 'New' Misses
The misses category at the California Market Center in Los Angeles is getting a new look.
Piano bars, renovated showrooms and an atrium featuring upgraded lighting are part of the third-floor makeover that will greet buyers during the Jan. 16–20 Los Angeles Fashion Week market.
It’s a new direction for the category, which has experienced ups and downs but has seen recent improvements as manufacturers have steered their designs toward updated, contemporary styles. The CMC renovations are meant to reflect those trends, manufacturer sales representatives said.
Sharon Koshet of Sharon Koshet Sales said the makeover is similar to the redesign of the fifth floor—featuring stone floors and an arcade- like layout—that contemporary showroom tenants orchestrated a few years ago.
The third-floor renovation will not be as dramatic as the fifth floor’s redesign, but the B wing changes will improve accessibility and visibility for buyers, showroom owners said.
“There’s much more glass and fewer barriers— we were aiming for maximum exposure,” said interior designer Phil Messana of Messana & Associates, which redesigned the third-floor B wing’s common areas and the Mac & Jac showroom. Messana also redesigned the CMC’s fifth floor seven years ago.
The new third floor space is a marked improvement for the showrooms previously located in obscure corners or down winding hallways in the building’s C wing. The showrooms moved to make way for gift showrooms.
As the line between misses and contemporary shrinks each season, the CMC’s second and third floors are reflecting a more youthful appearance than ever before because many reps are reluctant to be grouped into misses apparel. They opt for an “updated” label.
Buyers who shop the floors usually cater to women over 25 who are looking for style and fit.
In Koshet’s showroom, style and fit take precedence over the trend of the moment. But her lines are not matronly. One party dress by the WWW (What Women Want) Collection, for example, was recently picked up by Seventeen magazine for a prom dress editorial, said David Bershad, WWW’s national sales manager.
Across the way, the tailored knitwear, denim and separates in the Mac & Jac showroom are casual but classic.
In the Salt & Pepper showroom, novelty reigns. “It’s missy, but it has a contemporary edge,” said showroom sales executive Jamie Minick, who carries such lines as Jaskar (knit sportswear), Namba (Asian silks) and T. Elliott (sportswear).
Showroom owner Emmalena Bland is hoping the move from the C wing will result in a positive buying environment for her customers. —Robert McAllister
