NEW YORK — Unusual fabrications and atypical looks, not to mention offbeat colors, were items of choice among buyers who attended the Designers at the Jumeirah Essex House trade show for the spring 2013 collections last month.
The show highlighted 38 collections.
Boutique owner Catherine Ferris of Catherina in Pittsburgh was in the suite showcasing the Carol Peretz collection. She was eyeing dresses and wraps using unusual fabric and color combinations. The collection had silk taffeta offerings that featured appliques, for example.
The bread and butter range for Carol Peretz is the $1,000 to $1,400 range price point. Gowns wholesale for $1,400 and sell for between $1,900 and $3,400. Separates are lower at between $275 and $400 wholesale.
Other buyers had their attention fixed on dresses featuring lime green and chartreuse color combinations. Deep corals, sapphire and navy were also popular colors, particularly on dresses featuring bias cutting.
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Over at Tom & Linda Platt, Andrew Scott, director of sales, said buyers were receptive to prints this year. One dress featuring a poppy print was particularly “well-received,” he said.
The silhouettes shown at Tom & Linda were structured, almost architectural in design. “The simplicity of the designs allow the [wearer] to showcase her jewelry..…She doesn’t need clothes [with] embellished cha-cha,” Scott said.
A stretch sequin column dress wholesaled for $995, with a retail price point of $2,290, while a cape-attached dress was $550 wholesale and $1,265 at retail.
“Last season, the preference was short. This season long is coming back. For short, you need great shoes and bags. I think we’re all over shoes and bags,” Scott said.
Attendance was brisk at the show, said Scott, who noted that he’s been booked up with appointments every week from August through February. “Women are back shopping after having shopped in their closets [last season],” he said.
Over at Lourdes Chavez, who was showing for holiday and spring, popular colors were baby blue, coral, pink and lime green.
According to Chavez, “Buyers from stores in Florida preferred pink, white and yellow, while buyers from stores in New York chose gray and pink.”
Popular items in her collection were ensembles that can be combined for three or four different looks, she said.
At Kristi Vosbeck, a gold dress with sleeves and a piece of fabric that can be used as either a peplum attachment or a ruff was a popular choice, said Sandra Bennett, a spokeswoman for the firm.
Many of the items featured prints for spring, and some dresses had matching jackets that can be sold as separates. Most silhouettes featured a modern interpretation of the styles from the Fifties, although the reinterpretations often also showcased either silver-colored jacquards or prints in animal or floral patterns. Vosbeck’s signature bustier corset dresses are a part of every collection.