OUTERWEAR: A SUNNIER FORECAST
Byline: Arthur Friedman
NEW YORK — Pumped up by a retail resurgence in the fourth quarter, outerwear makers will offer retailers a diverse mix of trends in 1996.
Wool is expected to show strength in short and mid-length silhouettes, while piles, fake furs and fleece gain ground as casual alternatives.
Active outerwear remained a top performer in 1995, and should continue to see growth this year. Looks range from hooded, insulated anoraks and parkas to systems jackets and fleece-lined microfibers.
Leathers also rebounded in 1995, with a return to more elegant, shapely silhouettes in short jackets done mainly in smooth skins.
Animal prints are expected to be big this year in such areas as rainwear, pile and fake fur, and patterns in general should be a key look.
Vendors say coats have become more related to a women’s wardrobe, which leads to multiple purchases and a need for more varied and trendy looks.
Al Zindel, executive vice president of Woolrich, said lightweight wool shirt jackets and peacoats should carry over next year as a layering piece over fleece. Woolrich also expects action from its signature plaids and tweeds, which performed well this past season.
“Another area that’s just explosive is fleece and pile,” Zindel said. “It’s the warmth and the surface texture that is so appealing to consumers.”
The group features solids and patterns done in casual looks like pullovers.
Insulated outerwear — downs and polyester fiberfill — is another major area Woolrich is counting on, Zindel said. The company sees strength in rugged convertible jackets and has doubled its offerings of parkas and anoraks.
At Monterey Fashions, the company’s core pile and fake furs coats had record-setting performances in 1995 despite late ordering from retailers, said Donald Eatz, president.
The company’s Denali Sport line, introduced in 1995, has been “selling like crazy,” Eatz said. Denali features a fabric called MicroPlush, a fine-denier acrylic pile produced by Monterey, in colorful patterned jackets and coats, sometimes trimmed in shearling.
Monterey will spin off a new label this year called UltraFur, which had been used as a fabric hangtag. The fabric did well this year in a shawl- collar monk’s coat, a duffel coat and a hooded flair.
The firm’s core fake fur signature line will concentrate on fake animal patterns and black and white geometrics done in tuxedo and swing bodies.
Woolrich and Monterey — each vertical companies that produce much of their own fabrics — said fourth-quarter reordering has been a pleasant problem: they were thrilled to get the business but had to scramble to meet requests. For the most part, they’ve been able to capitalize on their manufacturing capabilities.
Jeanette Nostra, executive vice president of G-III Apparel Group, expects a move away from rugged styles and toward a more feminine mode, “e la Jackie O and ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s,”‘ with fitted looks and clean lines.
“It’s the pretty side of women’s clothing,” Nostra said. “We still see a strong continuation of the active trend but a more elegant look using moss microfiber, super Serre and other synthetic, techie-type fabrics.”
Another development will be a new twist on quilted ski jackets, which will use more thermal layering and less bulky insulating, which also fits into a more contoured silhouette, Nostra said.
She said these trends should be seen in all the company’s divisions — from the moderate G-III line to the bridge-priced Siena Studio collection as well as its new labels: Kenneth Cole and Polar Bear.
In JL Colebrook, its wool and fabric outerwear line, textured, long-hair wools, alpaca and plush velour should be important.
Remy Leather Fashions, which had a strong year with smooth lambskin in hip-length and crop-top silhouettes, is looking for that trend to continue for spring and next fall, said John Remeny, president.
Remy also did well with belted styles and exposed zipper trims, Remeny said, in leather and Nubuck suede.
”Black is still king of the hill, but brown was pretty strong, making up about 35 percent of volume,” Remy said.
With its own factory in Los Angeles, Remy is able to react to hot bodies as well as work closely with stores on special merchandise, he added.
Ken Sporn, designer for Wippette, feels animal prints are going to be an important look this year, after attracting attention this past season.
Wippette’s mainstay PVC coats have a heavy biker influence for spring, with cropped jackets and belted peplums in such colors as baby blue and moon glow, often trimmed in reflective tapes.
For fall, Sporn has concentrated on novelty looks, like crocodile prints, embossed metallics, Mod black and white checkerboard coats and quilted shiny and matte jackets. All the coats are lined in a combination of Polarfleece, cotton or nylon.
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