I was lucky enough to recently attend Coterie in NYC for the boutique I work at on the weekends. Coterie or market you could say is a very large (trade)show of all designers and their merchandise. There were actually three shows at this particular market but Coterie was by far the largest. It was so awesome to not only see all the brands you recognize but all of these really cool brands you have never seen or heard of before.
I will talk specifically about a couple of brands we carry at the store and my experience at the show with them in future blogs but here I want to give an overview of the common trends that I saw.
At market for those who have never been, you walk down the many aisles of booths and then stop at those that seem interesting to you. The rep for the line will then go through their collection and each delivery. So you are looking at collections that will ship at the end of each month, some months you may not want to see as you have more than enough stock coming in. Then once they start pulling that delivery for you to look at, you then have color or print options to choose from or you can choose the piece as is. The designers only make so many samples to show and of course I am sure they have their favorites.
Now that I have given you a small picture of what goes on I will let you in on those trends. I saw tie-dye in collections from many designers. This is one fabric that is timeless and will always be around. I saw many tops with cut out shoulders, they call them the cold shoulder. This trend is not for me but those 80's lovers I am sure will be all over it. There were tops with a draped bottom (pictured below), this could be a great way to hide those trouble areas. A huge trend that we saw was the short kimono which is really just an open blousy top that can be dressed up or dressed down and is great for all ages. Pair it with a tank top and jeans and you are ready for a day hanging with friends. Change to a skirt and add some great accessories and you are ready for drinks on the town. Lastly, I saw quite a bit of tribal patterns and fringe. There was fringe on everything from tops to accessories. This can be a bit tricky but if styled properly can be very chic.
Tie-Dye Everywhere!
If you ever have the chance to go to market and you are a lover of fashion, I highly recommend it. They take place in many states but NYC offers a great environment so go there if possible. I really would love to be a buyer or a rep for a clothing designer, maybe in my next life.
