Fashion Forward Spring/Summer 2015

  Fashion Forward  Spring/Summer 2015

Who’s Next  July 4-7, 2014

Paris, France

by Jane Rosenstein

What will the well-dressed woman be wearing in spring/summer 2015?

To find out, I attended the 19th Who’s Next in Paris at the Porte de Versailles Exhibition Center in Paris. Over 55,000 people attended the  show which took place from July 4- 7  to discover the trends and fashions that will be popular next year. Most of them were wholesale buyers from many countries that wanted to place orders. Who’s Next occurs bi-annually with one featuring spring/summer fashions and the other fall/winter fashions. The next event is scheduled for January 23 – 28, 2015 at the same venue.

Who’s Next had four different areas of interest:

• FAME 250 brands from ready-to-wear designers. Of the 100 new exhibitors at the show, many of whom were from different countries

22 were Italy 21 Korea, 13 Spain and several Englandincluding 10 from Belgium.

• PREMIERE CLASS featured 300 highly creative emerging designers and brands.

• WH0’S NEXT READY-TO-WEAR displayed 650 women’s wear, men’s wear, unisex and urban brands from more than 30 countries;

• WHO’S NEXT ACCESSORIES featured a vast selection of footwear, leather goods and sparkling, or as we say in France “fantasy” costume jewelry.

This year Turkey was the guest of honor and presented an exotic opening night entertainment program on the theme Turkish delight. The program began with a live performance by Yazbukey and DJ sets by Kaan Dazaret and Emil Kurham. We enjoyed drinking champagne. Turkish beer, and the national drink of Turkey called Raki with its distinctive licorice flavor.

Each night Who’s Next provided live bands and DJs. I talked to a few of the people enjoying the entertainment. They thought the show was better last year and that it should not have been scheduled during Ramadan or when another fashion event such as Tranoi was taking place.

While there were fashion shows daily and many conferences, I headed for the booths to get an up-close-and-personal glimpse of the newest fashion trends.

First I met Silvia Corsi from Chicas Moda, an Italian manufacturer. Their company specializes in fast fashion and has many unique designs using high quality fabrics. The company can also customize clothes for buyers. The skirts were short just above the knee to several inches above the knee to be worm with high heels. The entire line featured several blouses, slacks, as well as tops and leggings. Silvia told me that Julia J uses natural fabrics and their Crilia line is more sophisticated; Colors include beige, white; gold and black and floral designs. www.chicasmoda.it

Then I met Marie Celine from Fifilles de Paris a company established in 1984. Their line features prints that she said will be the fashion for 2015. She thinks prints are interesting. They had dresses and slacks primarily. For dresses hem lengths range from several inches above the knee to an inch or two above the knee all worn by models with high heels.  Fifille design themes range from retro to chic, smart, and timeless glamorous. www.fifillesdeparis.com

Hervé Barge and his wife Isabelle from Poussiere d’Etoile invited me to have some charcuterie French cold cuts and wine at their booth were beautiful sweaters, dresses and trousers were displayed. The company’s fashions are sold in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, and Hong Kong. Their target market is women  in the 18-45 year old range. They told me that most of their dresses and skirts are prints.

www.poussieredetole.com.

Laurent Petit was representing NYDJ Europe ( Not Your Daughter’s Jeans) , France. The line of jeans features original slim fit and lift technology. I was attracted to their sign stating that buyers can fit into jeans one size smaller! I asked Laurent to explain the concept. It is based on the crisscross panel in each jean. The jeans are high-rise not like the low rise that can expose some of the derriere. They feature precision stitching and make the stomach look flat. Laurent told me that these jeans are sold in many USA dept. stores including Bloomingdale’s but have only been in France for 3 years.  Laurent is looking for more wholesale buyers in France for his comfortable jeans.

Giancolo Nevola from Reptile’s House, presented a fine line of ¨reptile¨ handbags and belts, some made out of snakeskin. This Italian company had stylish handbags. The company’s booth located in the Premiere Class section of Who’s Next they appeared to attract many buyers. Giancola is coming back to Paris for a show called ¨Premiere Class¨ in September. www.reptileshouse.it

La Fée Parisienne specializes in cashmere made in France using only long fibers.

Fashion colors for spring/summer 2015 will feature bright pastel hues the company calls “sherbet” colors of pink, rose and pistachio and also gray and beige. The company also sells silk blouses; www.lafeeparisienne.co

I met Marco Costa, from Black Spider of Portugal. He told me that his company manufacturers high quality fashions in Portugal and wants to expand its international sales. He showed me the fine workmanship of his line that included skirts, blouses, dresses, and tunics.  Marco invited me to visit his factory in Portugal near Porto.

www.blackspider.pt

Skin Jewels Tattoos exhibited a fascinating palette of temporary tattoo designs available to show buyers. I was pleased to have some tattoo bracelets embellish my arms. The company manufactures tattoos that look like jewelry. They are easy to apply on arms, neck or chest and last between 3-7 days. Tattoos can add a contemporary accent to complement the style of almost any fashion ensemble. One of the company representatives mentioned a minor caveat — to be careful not to scrub them while showering and when applying lotions and perfumes.  Most are in gold colors. These tattoos look elegant.  www.skinjeweltatoos.com

Romain Martinez-Caderot, the founder of Be Rock began production in 2013. Romain presented his company’s line of temporary tattoos featuring five themes — Hype, Love, Rock, Wild, and Aztec with about 40 tattoos in each pack. Their slogan is ¨From Paris with Love, Be Rock  designs your life.”

My friend Titi R, the prominent hairstylist, who is in demand at many shows,  was at a booth with a colleague offering free styling. There were many people patiently waiting in lines for him to style  their hair   Several opted for braids which were very attractive;

Although there was Turkish tea and food, I found it expensive so I went to the press lounge in search of food each day. Not seeing any, I snacked at the booths giving free food to buyers and drank champagne. On the last day, a  prominent fashion photographer Mark Suits from the USA who lives in Paris, www.photomwsuits.com  invited me to a free lunch in the press lounge. Mark  and I sat outside and enjoyed our lunch thanks to Zephrine Geneste, press agent with WSN Development who managed the press office.

The  spring/summer color palette will be feature the modernist monochrome look of black and white to soft shades of beige, rose, aqua along with many ornate prints and floral patterns.  Many will be made of natural fabrics. Easy care fabrics are also on the horizon to minimize ironing. Hems will be short from a few to several inches above the knees. Aside from form-fitting slacks, flowing lines will lend elegance and grace to many next generation fashions.

Who’s Next was a fun event for me to attend as gave me a chance to preview the latest ready to launch fashion creations. My visit to Who’s Next was delightful and educative with plenty of people from the fashion industry,  entertainment, food, and drinks to enliven everyone’s spirit.

Who’s Next will be at Porte de Versailles in Paris again in January and will present the collection for Fall/ Winter 2015.

Jane Rosenstein

Jane Rosenstein is a U.S. citizen living in Paris, France. She is a professional translator/interpreter. She is the owner of The International Connection which does international marketing consultation including sales of wine, interpretation, and translation.

She enjoys the cultural life that living in Paris offers and has talents in organizing events. She speaks English, French, and Spanish. She has a B.S. degree in mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh and an M.B.A. degree from Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA.