Fall 2010 Market Recap

This trip to market was much better than my last trip, for reasons I can’t even completely explain. Probably because the last one ended on a not-so-great note with me being unable to find a certain vendor (which was all my fault it turns out!). I think being well fed beforehand helped — we hit up the downtown California Pizza Kitchen before visiting the showrooms and I had the yummiest mahi mahi tacos. Mmmm! And you know it’s got to be good if I’m blogging about it despite food being completely unrelated to this blog.

The Cooper Building

Havaianas
Man, I thought the New Mart was the place to be? Almost all of the lines I wanted to peak at were located in the Cooper Building this time around. The first being Havaianas — you know, those really cute flip flops with all the cute patterns. I fell in love with these a couple of years ago when a boutique started sending me swag for blogging about them. My motivation for carrying the line is mainly my shop in the salon; it’s something everyone can afford, and something everyone NEEDS in Bakersfield weather!

Now, these are pieces I probably could’ve ordered off the linesheet at home, but I wanted to see them in person because most of the colorways are teeny, tiny thumbnails. I’m talking about 1″ in size, maybe smaller. So you can imagine my dissapointment when the reps only had three of the patterned style samples — those are the ones I wanted to see the most. I was also surprised to learn that you get charged an extra $10 if you don’t order 18 pieces. It’s not THAT bad but I really wish the reps would tell us things like this ahead of time.

I ended up writing 14 pieces total, in four styles, including these cute brown and gold ones with a bird pattern (these are carry overs from last year so you might have seen them), amazing beige/brown animal print ones, hot pink peacock print and metallic “mint” with a metal flower. The last ones are VERY pretty; such a gorgeous shade of green. I couldn’t help but snag a couple for myself as well.

Just Looking...

I went to a couple of showrooms to check out a few prospective lines as well, like SimDog, which is a hot new graphic t shirt line, and WildFox…which is also a hot new graphics t shirt line. Well, I’d say WildFox is a bit more than that; they do have sweaters, hoodies and denim shorts, etc. This line is getting SO much press right now, the pinnacle being the cover of Glamour with Victoria Beckham. It’s a very interesting line, with a lot of playful t shirts and slogans and what not. They’re following up their “my boyfriend is a vampire” t shirt with a “my boyfriend is a werewolf” one. I see you Twilight influences! I’ll admit, i’m not a tshirt type girl and they have so many choices that I wouldn’t even know where to start writing a line like this. So I’m going to have to do a bit of research because I really do want it for the fall.

We also looked at a new line of jewelry that is starting to get a lot of press, and isn’t oversaturated online. Gorgeous, gorgeous pieces! I mean, after you see a lot of jewelry lines they all start to look the same, because most of them are doing the same things. I think these stand out a bit — it’s very glamorous and classic but with a lot of organic shapes, and just the right touch of bling! Most of the pieces would be a bit high for the salon but I probably would put it in the shop and online, if not just for show.

The CMC

Linea Pelle
After doing our thing at the Cooper Building, went back across the street to the CMC to visit Linea Pelle at Brighte. This is our 2nd season with them, and that in itself is an accomplishment considering the number of brands I drop after one season (like LNA…and I can’t say I don’t miss that line). I was worried about this line at first because it took a couple of months to pick up. It’s been rough working with our SEO guy to get it to rank in the engines and stay there because it’s by far my most competitive label that I carry. But it’s REALLY paying off, and I wish I had followed my instincts and started carrying bags earlier.

I was a bit nervous about their fall collection, for a number of reasons. First, on their linesheets they had the Medium Tote and the Fold Over Tote, and that was it as far as every day bags….and that’s a huge problem. Why? Because both of those bags are huge, and the fold over tote is REALLY expensive. The classic Linea Pelle Zip Tote that everyone loves was no longer on the linesheet, nor was the satchel or the speedy. They did, however introduce two new overnight bags, one called the 24hr which is really hot. I totally would’ve written a couple if I weren’t on such a budget! When I got there I brought this up and the rep told me that they JUST made the decision to bring back the Zip Tote — I almost jumped for joy at this news! Although, nothing has been finalized, including the prices, but I did write it in two different colors.

While I was there I was also tempted by this AMAZING perforated dylan hobo, which comes in all these bright and pretty colors. Oh my gosh! Wait until you see these bags. And this is another problem I have; I always wait until everything sells (or is close to selling out) to write more, which is why I’m missing the Spring and Summer collections with LP yet again, and I just love those bright colors they do, like the kelly green, purple, orange, beige, etc. So pretty. Most of the bags I wrote for Fall are black and gray, which sounds depressing, but ultimately it’s those basic colors that sell. Right now I only have a couple of bags left from my order and they’re all green and purple; what do you know. Sometimes it’s tough being practical, but you’ve got to go with what sells and not just what you like!

LP has also changed the hardware to gunmetal gray, and I think it looks absolutely amazing, especially with this new gray color way they have. I kind of prefer gold with black but it looks pretty darn cool with gunmetal as well. They also reverted the medium tote back to the two zipper style, which was a good idea if you ask me.

They have two new styles. I completely forgot what they were called (Percey or something?). One is a woven bag and a studded bag in a new type of leather. I wasn’t wild about these so I didn’t write any. I love their soft leather, so I just stuck with that. And then there are the suede bags, which have these little ruffles and fringe. Okay, I’ll admit that I wasn’t sold on these bags at first, but after seeing it in gray…amazing! The rep told me to try the bag on and look in the mirror. Um, BAD idea! the bag just looks so good on, it’s crazy, and it fits perfectly under your arm without being too cumbersome; it’s a really good size handbag.

So ultimately, I wrote two of the zip totes in gray and black, two medium totes in the same color, and two of the suede bags in gray and cognac. It was definitely a successful mission.

The New Mart

D&A
Well, D&A was kind of the way it usually is — lot’s of vendors with products that all look the same, not much new, not much that stands out. You do find a gem there every once in a while, which is why I continue looking. The show was smaller than usual; they have a full trade area one one floor and then a tiny space on another with probably two dozen vendors tops; it took us 5 minutes to walk through it! We did see a cute tee shirt line called Sauce, though. Saw a few handbag lines that were REALLY impressive! Gorgeous colors and great detailing; the kind of stuff I would love to carry, but they don’t have press so it would be pointless. The best part about D&A this year was that they were giving away eBoost for free and Ive been dying to try that stuff!

We ended the day with a cup of frogurt with fruit toppings from one of the shops in the CMC food court. I’ll tell you, good food can make a good day great! Can’t wait for the next market; I’ll most likely skip the Holiday Market and just wait until Spring.

And I still haven’t been to the Gerry building.