Cheryl Nowak’s – Big Apple diary

HI All,

The impetus of post Christmas traffic should help in meeting sales projections. Sure to generate sales activity are one of the best sellers this season…”gift cards” specific to just about any department or specialty store or mass merchant, restaurants, Starbucks, electronic stores….you name it they have a gift card available. These are certain the ring the register for post Christmas sales.

Overall high end luxury retailers like Neiman Marcus continue to lead the pack with booming business while the mass channel lead by Wal-Mart stumbles. There is one common denominator however…as predicted the customer is reacting to glitz, bling & embellishment at every price point…fur trimmed items either real or faux lead the pack followed by leather goods specifically embellished handbags. The customer just adores sequins and is scooping them up in RTW or accessories. Also key to accessory sales are brooches and charm bracelets. In the fragrance arena celebrity is selling with Britney Spears’ Curious perfume and Donald Trumps’ mens’ fragrance both new entries in the market as the clear leaders. 

I promise to give you the best sellers by category next week once the results are tallied.

Since my last Diary focused on a Spring ‘ 05 review of big ideas for Ladies apparel thought it was high time to give the guys some equal time so here goes…… following are the most important Spring ‘ 05 ideas for Men’s Apparel….

Overall the Spring ‘ 05 season for Menswear revolves around color, pattern and a new way of pulling things together. The men’s customer is more exposed to fashion than ever before…it is now socially acceptable for a man to pay attention to his looks and what he wears. This awareness has been encouraged by new popular television shows namely “Queer Eye on the Straight Guy”, a wealth of new grooming products, new men’s magazines like “Cargo” and selling floors impacted by newness. Following in the footsteps of the Ladies market Men’s vendors are finally giving the customer something he does not own actually making him excited about the newness. Stores in conjunction with their key vendors are improving presentation standards to insure the “looks” are pulled together on the selling floor to educate the ultimate customer on how to wear it.

The big picture for Menswear Spring ‘ 05 season;

1) Color – Spring 2004 proved “real men do wear pink” and other colors as well setting up Spring 2005 as the season for color. Midtones include watermelon, pink azalea and rose; citrus tones like lime, orange and lemon yellow; deep shades of turquoise and mulberry; shades of green and purple continue plus plenty of pastels anchored by whited and neutrals.  

2) Stripes – explosive and continue with new width variations and color combos. Particularly strong in woven shirts and knit polos & rugby bodies. Seersucker stripe fabrics are key in blazers and pants.

3) Prints and Pattern – checks, mini florals, dots with paisleys and geometric designs as the fashion layer. Plaids are strong especially when popped with new color infusion. Most important in woven shirts, printed camp shirts and casual bottoms in fancy patterns & plaids.

 

4) Dressing Up – tailored clothing areas continue to generate excitement. Suits, suiting separates , dress shirts and neckwear continue to trend. Opportunities for growth are geared to three customer types….the guy who never stopped wearing suits…the guy who has rediscovered dress up and the guy who is just discovering the importance of looking the part. Suddenly many Wall Street companies are back to “dressing up” rather than “dressing down” so men have to update & replace their wardrobes. Plus specialty stores like Banana Republic and Zara offer exciting suits and suiting separates for the contemporary customer opening up a new market.

5) Modern Male – the market is offering an assortment that targets the “younger in attitude” customer that is fashion right not fashion first. This is the “baby boomer” who is more fashion minded and has the disposable income to spend.

6) Opposites Attract – mix & match dressing continues to drive sales. This trend takes formal items and pairs them with casual everyday items. Most important looks include; suit jackets or novelty sportswear blazers with jeans, woven shirts worn with the shirttails out, dress shirts are revived pulling double duty as sport shirts.

7) Contemporary / Premium – two very important businesses that will gain momentum for Spring ‘ 05 and beyond. A definite extension of the Young Mens market as this customer who has been dressing up in their own stylized way grows up and enters the job market.The contemporary / premium markets are addressing this forward fashion consumer. Key looks are varied from the clean cut preppy to the anti fashion punk ( circa 1980) and authentic “retro” brands. This fashion fanatic is alive & well & spending money.  

The Menswear market continues to generate excitement and newness so will definitely be giving it some equal time as we progress into the Spring ‘ 05 season.

Wishing all of you a very Happy Christmas…..whether you have been “naughty or nice” hope your Christmas “must have” gift list will be fulfilled and your stockings have been stuffed with lots of bling and cheer. 

Until next week,
Cheryl