This week, The Javits Convention Center in New York is home to three professional trade shows produced exclusively for the fashion retail trade. Accessories The Show, Moda Manhattan (ready to wear) and Fame (Junior, Young Contemporary) , showcasing more than 3,000 juried collections of accessories and Ready to wear fashions for Spring/ Summer 2008. The organizer is Business Journals Inc (BJI), a business media company producing 5 business-to-business magazines, 8 trade shows, and seminars and web sites.
When you walk into the shows, the sheer size and variety is nearly overwhelming. The three shows running together take up 90,000 square feet of the convention center. It’s hard to imagine that the first show in January of 1998 had just 150 booths. It takes hours to walk even one show, and days to really do it right. While the Fame , Moda Manhattan and Accessories shows are specifically for buyers who want to find the newest and best items for their stores, as a member of the press, I also get the opportunity to see and share trends. It’s the ultimate window shop! I get a chance to see the same trends as the buyers, and I always find a few, new and nifty companies that I will feature in this Blog, the Advice Sisters Enews, and of course, in the Advice Sisters monthly “What Works” Beauty, Cosmetics & Fashion review columns.
Last season, for example I met Susan Brandt of Anntelle Jewelry. Her wonderful jewelry was reviewed in our December/Holiday 2007 What Works Column, and there are also some pieces in our Current (January/February 2008) What Works column. The designs are lovely, and reasonably priced. We will be reviewing more Anntelle in our March/April and upcoming columns as well.
And, I also met Headband Designer Rebecca Michaels of Violet Love, who designs soft, stretchy, versatile, fabric headbands in a dizzying variety of designs. We will be reviewing the latest and greatest–the Organic Line of Headbands – ECO by VL, made from eco-conscious bamboo fibers, in our March/April What Works column.
Of course, it is nice to take a break when you’re up on your feet for hours. Fortunately for show attendees, there was a Jose Cuervo Lounge where guests could enjoy a margarita and meet lifestyle professional, author and Food Network chef, Sandra Lee. She was there to dish secrets to making meals simple, and to greet her loyal fans. I didn’t have the time to wait to have Sandra sign a poster or bottle of Cuervo Gold (and I really would have prized that bottle of tequila), but I did take this photo. FYI: Jose Cuervo isn’t just the name of a tequlia, he was a real person. Jose was granted a license in the 1700’s, from King Carlos IV in Spain, to commercially produce Tequila. After one, small, but very delicious, Margarita (I did have to work, after all) I went back on the floor. I walked, and walked, and walked, and talked, and looked.I came across Craig Williams and his Kakadu Traders Hats from Australia. These fantastic hats for men and women come in a variety of colors, fabrics and styles. One I particularly like is called “Florentine.” It may be difficult to see from the photo, but the super-feminine, Florentine women’s hat in beige has a lacy insert that makes this “down under” hat a hit in the big city as well as for Western weddings. “Cheetah” has a wide, canvas, band of “animal” print — but it’s a ventilating mesh to keep you cool, too. Keeping the sun off your face while making a fashion statement is a definite thumbs up! We hope to bring you a review in the March/April What Works column.
Another trend I like because it is so much fun are the bright, soft, flowing, silky, scarf-top “fashions from the Aris Ai line shown here with one of the Shennel Trading Corporation’s owner.
I’m happy to report that for Spring/Summer 2008, the outlook is bright, bold, colorful and cheery. Orange, red, yellow, bright green, bright blue, white, and turquoise were everywhere, and subdued, brown, grey, black and brown was hardly in sight. Sequins, chains, beading, ethnic designs, flowers, and lots of whimsical accessories will be in your stores and will make you smile. I’m sure I must have been a raccoon in my last life because they love shiny objects. Cubic Zirconia, gold chains, and Swarovski crystals adorned everything from tank tops to tote bags, belts to baggage tags. I wish I had unlimited funds, because my closet would be full of these precious, shiny objects! Fashions ran the gamut from flowing tunics to tight fitting stretchy tops, but I didn’t see anything that looks amazing different from last years’ “must-haves.” You’ll be in the know if you wear bright colors, animal or ethnic prints, beaded items, caftans and tunics, floral prints, stripes, belted dresses and coats, retro/vintage, and the ever-present, denim. The chances are if you purchased bright, or white, last year, it’ll still work this year, too….but trust me…when you see the fashions, jewelry and accessories flooding the stores in the very near future, you’ll want to add at least a few new items to your wardrobe and accessories drawers!
I can’t wait for Spring!