I plan ahead. For everything. So imagine my surprise at finding myself reporting on an industry that is routinely looking at, projecting on, and yes, planning for the future. Spring’s barely here and the apparel folks are hunkering down for fall? It felt like the mothership calling me home.
Besides, the current weather situation is making me supremely doubt the whole idea of spring, anyway. I’m still in my down coat, I don’t know what this “spring” is of which you speak. So I’m going to skip the disappointment at this deadbeat season and mosey on over to fall, where the fashion forecast looks nice and inviting. Join me, won’t you?
I realize you’re not gleaning loads of inspiration for your apparel promotions from the Fall Fashion Week runways, but it’s always good to stay abreast of the trends. On the New York magazine Web site, fashion director Harriet Mays Powell and fashion editor Amy Larocca video blogged a rundown of fall styles that became breakout contenders for the season’s most popular looks:
• Long, lean silhouettes.
• Jewel-tone colors such as burnt orange and purple.
• Layering different fabrics and textures.
Despite what you may be thinking, these trends can absolutely be applied to the promotional wearables arena.
• Long, lean silhouettes = Tunic tops, much like the ones PremiumWear showcased at the ASI Las Vegas fashion show
• Jewel-tone colors = New hue options, such as deep forest and French merlot from Sierra Pacific Apparel
• Layering different fabrics/textures = Maybe not the “different fabrics/textures” part, but the layering can easily be accomplished with any of a host of thin, lightweight tees (those from Next Level Apparel come to mind)
For your own personal reference, colored tights, velvet and sparkly fabrics are also “in,” but not all at the same time, lest you look like a matador.
Now that you have the lowdown, do you plan on using it? How much do retail trends inform your apparel-promotion choices? Sound off below.
