Spring/Summer '08- Moda Mahattan, Fame, Accessories the Show-What's New?

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!

Forget Winter, The Accessories Show & Moda Manhattan Look To Spring/Summer 2007

For the last three season, on the specific day I plan to attend the Moda Manhattan and Accessories the Show at the Javits Center in New York, disaster strikes. This season was no different (could I be jinxed?) but I was determined --before the show closed today, I was going to attend.

The organizer of the Moda Manhattan Show (and I'd guess, Accessories The Show as well) is Business Journals Inc (BJI), a business media company that produces 5 business-to-business magazines, 8 trade shows, and a number of seminars and web sites. They have always been gracious to the press, and attending the Moda Mahattan and the Accessories shows is always a very pleasant experience. Moda Manhattan offers juried, ready-to-wear fashion, while the Accessories Show is the only juried, all-accessories trade event in the entire USA. These shows attract throngs of buyers from speciality stores and boutiques, to department stores, catalogues, and even duty free shops looking to see what's available for the next season in activewear, special occasion/evening, outerwear/coats, suits/ careerwear, dresses, knitwear/sweaters, sportswear, related separates, soft separates, loungewear/sleepwear, fur/leather, and accessories from belts to bags to hats to tons and tons and tons of jewelry in all price points. If you can't spot trends here, you're not looking very hard.

It was pretty cold outside, especially after days of record-breaking warm weather, but I began to "think Spring" as I walked in and heard "Itsy bitsy, teeny weeny, yellow polkadot bikini" blaring out of speakers into the exhibit hall. Once inside and walking the aisles, I wished I was a buyer, because there is a dizzying array of "eye candy" that will soon find its way into stores and I want a lot of it -- now But these are shows for writing orders, not retail sales . Even so, my press badge gives me the opportunity to check out "what's next," and I always find at least a few unique items that I know readers of my Advice Sisters online publications, will want to know about.

For example, Spare Change Jewelry by Designers Erin Walker and Betty Bobrow create reasonably-priced, "stretchy" fashion jewelry (made in Chicago) that supposedly appeals to young girls to teens, but when I saw their CZ rings and necklaces, I realized they have a huge market for women, too. Stacked up on a post were rings made of stretchy rounds of material in various colors, the centerpiece of which was a large, cubic zirconia (and I mean, eye-poppingly large--I'm estimating a 20-carat round). They're obviously fake, and obviously meant to be fun, and they are. What I love about these (besides the fact that they retail for only around $20.00) is that the soft, really stretchy fabric that comprises the "ring" really is "one size fits all." If your fingers are tiny (mine are, and I never get big rings that fit) the "ring" part won't need to stretch much, but if you are like my friend, who has large fingers, the ring easily stretches to fit without pulling or digging into your hand. "You'll forget you have it on" said the woman I met at the booth (I think it was Erin). She was right--it's effortless fashion. Moms and daughters , best friends, even women who are gaining or losing weight can share and wear and get a bit of "bliing" for not a lot of cash. There are matching necklaces, too.

I also liked the Locked by Love bracelets from I.D. Jewelry. The simple, but eye-catching design pairs a corded bracelet with an adjustable slide on both sides for a perfect fit, with two silvery "cuffs." You fasten the bracelet by angling the cuffs and sliding each cuff into one another. There were simple silver ones, heart-shaped ones, and even CZ-studded bracelets in small, medium and large (so men can wear them, too). I thought these Locked to Love bracelets were really unique. Apparently, so do celebrities such as Teri Hatcher, Paris and Nicky Hilton, Kelly Clarkson, Kelly Osbourne, Sylvestor Stallone, and even Ice Cube, just to name a few.

So what else will we be seeing for Spring/Summer 2007? At Moda Mahattan, where there were more than 450 lines exhibited, Trapeze, tent, baby doll, sack dresses in beige, black, brown, navy, mauve, and a bit of soft lemon and lime predominated, with almost no brights at all. Rock "Color, I need color!" I heard a buyer, sigh. And the styles were conservative and subdues, too. Rock star vibe replaces hip hop bling, body-baring fashion is out, and unconstructed, flowing, and perhaps, a bit looser clothes seemed to be the popular offering. But the clothes we saw on the runways during Spring 2007 Olympus Fashion Week were also subdued and covered-up, so none of this was a big surprise. There seemed to be as many long dresses and short ones, and the short ones weren't mico-mini. and few were anything but conservative and definitely not splashy. My general impression was that fashion is just reflecting the mood of the country. The items we'll be seeing for sale in stores are attractive and you'll want to stock up, but I miss the "pop!" and sex appeal of season's past.

The accessories exhibits, on the other hand, were a bright spot, literally and figuratively, and may provide buyers in the stores with excitment, after all. Row upon row, table upon table were laden with embelished and studded belts and bags, large-brimmed hats, and so much jewelry from huge (the size of a fist) crosses and pendants, to diminutive chains dangling a crystal or a dainty bead. One trend I liked was the use of natural material such as mother or pearl and wood, either carved, or added to long chains. Crystals and crystal beads add shine and glitz to otherwise restrained fashions. Flip-flops and sandals with crystals, beads, feathers, and embellishments were popular as well. The red, straw satchel with leather handles and wild, floral print cotton lining from Magid (created expressly for Accessories, the Show and Moda Manhattan) and given to VIPs and press, summed up the exciting feel of the accessories nicely: Bold, functional, bright, and fun to wear.

As I left "Wipeout" was blaring through the speakers. I was exhausted, "wiped out" but glad I'd taken the time to attend, and report on the Spring/Summer '07 trends for you!

Alison