Spring Colors and Trade Shows

I just got back from the January apparel show in New York City. When I walk into the Javits Centre I am offered a smorgasbord of fashion choices and am reminded of the never ending retail cycle. This is the second round of Spring buying for my store. I am always behind! What I pick this week will end up on my racks for late Spring and Summer. What I find interesting is the subtle fashion changes offered to me, transitioning from show to show. Supposedly, a trending style takes three years to get out of the system. Sometimes, there will be a totally new idea that hits the floor and by the next show, if the trend really grabs hold, versions will proliferate throughout the entire trade show. It is like magic.

Or so it seems....These ideas were seeded at least two years ago. All based on science. Not magic. Data procured by marketing companies is the foundation for the choices I offer you in my little store. Even if I am not a youthful trend driven boutique, these fashion offerings morph for every demographic, changing to fit the lifestyle and age of the customer. Last year, the trend was off the shoulder and open cut sleeves.This style even crept into the lines I offer in my small boutique. Altered for the wearability of elementary school age girls to the advanced age woman, this style was hanging on the manufacture’s racks for me to offer my clients. The next choice is up to you; what you want to put on your body, what you are comfortable wearing and how much money you want to spend.

Color is the other obvious seasonal change. I am visually bombarded with the new color pallet. I love this part. What did the color gods pic for us this year? Aka Pantone. We all have our favorites, so it is very exciting when a choice pops up I haven’t seen in years. This is especially fun for this weeks January show. Our cold New York tundra landscaped is miraculously refitted with gorgeous spring designs and colors. Almost like virtual reality for the day. I will be surrounded by Pantone colors of Meadowlark, Cherry Tomato, Little Boy Blue and Chili Oil. Then I will step outside to the New York Landscape of cold and wind and winter gray. Maybe I should just stay inside.

 Buying is hard work. I own a little boutique and I find it difficult. I imagine buying for a larger operation and I cringe. Buying is also exciting. For me, not necessarily the new trend of the year but the never-ending creativity that pops up. Every so often I discover a garment or product I think is incredible. Even if I can’t bring it in my store, I am amazed and thrilled to witness ingenuity presented right in front of me. This find makes the time walking the football field size tradeshow worth the effort, even if I really sore feet:)