Back-to-School Basics
Apples and pencils decorated the floral arrangements at Barbara Fields Buying Office’s “Back-to-School Fall ’05 Million Dollar Seminar,” where Barbara Fields covered more than just schoolroom basics. Fields highlighted key Fall and Holiday trends in her biannual presentation, held April 11 during the Los Angeles Majors Market.
As president of the 25-year-old buying office, Fields shops leading stores in London, Paris, New York and Tokyo and analyzes celebrities and the film and music industries to forecast trends in the juniors and childrenswear markets. “You have to know what’s happening globally,” she said.
This season, Fields relocated the seminar from a meeting room on the California Market Center’s sixth floor to the exhibit hall to accommodate the overwhelming response from the more than 300 retailer attendees. “It’s a good barometer for them to come at the half-year mark to be able to dissect and know what percentages they should be doing in every part of their business,” Fields said.
With the help of her assistants, Fields presented key “Million Dollar” trends and items and gave retailers a merchandised floor plan to follow.
“It validates what we already know,” said Tina Castillo, divisional merchandise manager of dressy and casual apparel for The Wet Seal Inc. “All the department stores are here. We have to know this information and take it one step further. Barbara finds resources we don’t know.”
JCPenney, Parisian, Saks Fifth Avenue, Maurices, Kohl’s, Lane Bryant and Citi Trends were among the other key retailers in attendance.
Fields’ “Key Million Dollar Items” for Fall and Holiday include sequined shrugs, embellished broomstick skirts, utility jackets, gypsy skirts and belts, vintage blazers, track jackets with embroidery, and active fleece jackets with fur hoods. According to Fields, accessories are also important for Fall. “If you don’t have a bangle department, you may as well be out of business,” she said.
Fields also gave a sneak peak of Spring/Summer ’06 trends, which include tribal, crocheted, Edwardian and Victorian, and nautical fashions.
Key Trends for Fall ’05bull; Bohemian looks, including kurtas, tunics and gypsy skirtsbull; Sequined trims on shrugs, broomstick skirts, tanks, tunics, scarves, slippers, bras, belts and dressesbull; Western boots, hats, belts, bags, shirts, logo tees and embroidered jeansbull; Denim with torn, patched, rhinestone and boho detailsbull; T-shirt styles, including 2-fer shrugs (shrug sweaters with matching tees), tunics, 2-fer henleys, long polos, molded–bra cup tops, camisoles and baby dollsbull; Sweaters, including one-button shrugs, short tennis styles, dusters and “Puffa” looksbull; Fake fur on vests, jackets, boots, bags, sweaters and parkasbull; Utilitarian looks, including utility jackets, pants and skirts, camouflage prints, and tribal and African-inspired jewelrybull; Trapper looks, such as buffalo-plaid jackets and shirts, thermals, Fair Isle sweaters, and fur-trimmed cable-knit sweatersbull; Woodstock-inspired corduroy blazers, cropped jackets and jeansbull; English eccentric and sexy librarian looks, including tweed skirts, vintage jackets and blazers, boyshorts, cropped pants, tweed caps, 1940s-style blouses, tweed jackets with fur collars, Edwardian lace-trimmed sweaters, and cameos —N. Jayne Seward
