Las Vegas Fashion Week: MAGIC

Las Vegas Magic

Seasonal at MAGIC | Photo by Betsy Zanjani

Seasonal at MAGIC | Photo by Betsy Zanjani

As of Friday, September 2, 2022

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Molly Bracken at MAGIC | Photo by Betsy Zanjani,

MAGIC drew over 30,000 attendees to its Aug. 8–10 edition at the Las Vegas Convention Center to experience what was trending for 2022–23. Kelly Helfman, president of Informa Markets Fashion, said, “It’s critical to us as show organizers that our event reflects what is happening in the industry and serves as a springboard for new trend and retailer-to-brand discovery.”

Leading onto the show floor was a new section called Emerging Designers. Brands including Seasonal, with its playful take on mod, geo-printed pant sets priced at $30–$100 and MCLC’s whimsical swinging ’60s–influenced platforms set the tone for the season’s nod to nostalgia and a return to the youthquake movement.

The Babel Fair showroom, a first-time exhibitor, showed Another Girl, Daisy Street, Little Lies and Glamorous, all with a psychedelic vibe of daisies, cut-outs and pop-art patterns. The retro-denim revolution brought back bell-bottoms, jumpsuits, flares and colored denim.

Melanie Zuckerman of the L.A. label Pistola declared “denim on denim is back!” Pink washes for denim looked fresh at several booths. Buyers were placing orders for colorful mineral-washed rompers at Elan, while jumpsuits at Bucket List in cool, funky, oversized fits, at $30, were among retailers’ picks.

Pastel Chanel-like cropped bouclé jackets from L.A.’s Muy Muy and ASTR brought back “chic to the street.” There was a special shout-out to color as neutrals took a back seat to Barbie pink, and an array of citrus tones added a burst of newness to the collections. Karin Eisenberg of the Old Gold boutique was thrilled. “All the hot color was so exciting. MAGIC had so much for my contemporary customers.”

Meanwhile, romance was in the air as femininity also returned. One of the newest silhouettes to emerge was the larger-than-life sleeve. From balloon shapes and big puffs, pieces put the emphasis on volume at the top.

At En Saison,the simple blouse or knit top was elevated to a statement piece. The Molly Bracken line spoke in its latest collection to the romance of the designer’s clothes—with the design mantra of dressing women to be women.