Market Recap: SS25 Women's
what I'm buying, liking, and observing from women's market.
Fashion week in New York City may be over, but that doesn’t mean the work is. As a buyer, my job starts when the shows end and I begin traipsing all over town viewing collections, making product selections, and writing orders. I work more in the contemporary and mid-market sector of the industry, which covers a lot of brands and products. Part of my job is to sift through them and take an educated guess as to what our customers will want to buy. It’s part shopping, part trend forecasting, part merchandising, and part creative direction - with a little bit of financial planning and analytics built in.
So, welcome to part one of my two part market recap. First, I’ll breakdown the brands I saw and liked for work, what I’m bringing in for the shop, and some general trends out there. Next week, the specific pieces I have my eye on that I can’t wait to buy for spring.
General Trends:
Stripes: not necessarily a trend as stripes are pretty classic and universal, but I am seeing a ton of bold colors here and I love it. Nautical stripes seem to be everywhere too, so ready your boat shoes and plan a trip to the Cape.
Short Sets: they aren’t going anywhere. This past summer I started seeing poplin and linen short/shirt sets everywhere (I think we can thank Frankie Shop, in part, for their aggressive marketing of their Lui Set), and this will continue through next spring and summer.
Menswear: menswear was alllll over the runways here in New York, and I’m seeing a lot out of Paris so far too. I think we are about to see a period of masculine dressing for women, claiming an aesthetic historically associated with men as our own, to communicate our place the in workforce, society, even the home. Perhaps it’s the promise of our first female president and her pantsuits? (I’ve also been seeing this contrasted in a lot of super feminine florals and flowy fabrics and silhouettes, a la Chemena’s Chloe)
Denim: particularly knee length denim shorts, which I am still deciding if I can get on board with or not. Regardless, denim was everywhere. I think we are having a bit of a patriotic moment here in the US, and if there is anything quintessentially American, it’s denim. I saw it in nearly every form, every silhouette, every shade - even all dressed up and on the runways.
What I’m buying:
Naya Rea: the bold colors offered in a silk like acetate were standouts. I love a pop of color in a sexy shape.
Sessun: Sezane vibes, but a little bit more boho/less buttoned up. The day I see them is the day they announce their majority investment from a VC, so we’ll see how that plays out long term. I’ve written about Sezane’s investment and the general state of how expensive retail is, and why brands need money, and I think Sessun will end up going the same route. As with Sezane, I predict a slight decrease in quality (it just happens), but if I was a betting woman, I’d say they open a store in NYC within 2-4 years. Loved the tonal outfits and suiting vibes, especially a purple striped number I wish so badly I could pull off.
Eleven Six: Incredible knits out of Peru for an accessible price point. This season I’m particularly into the crochet tops and knit peplums.
Skall Studio: hands down my favorite of the week. Easy to wear, not too trendy, and well made. They also had some really great denim options I can’t wait to try (as my denim crisis saga continues..)
Marle: another exciting find, this one out of Australia. I find Aussie brands a bit challenging, as sometimes they can have a hard time translating the seasons for the Northern Hemisphere, but the transitional fabrics and neutral colors from Marle this season did the trick. I can’t wait to get my hands on that silk mini skirt/knit comb.
Noyoco: a great French brand that focuses mainly on menswear, but are expanding now into women’s. It was the chartreuse silk dress that did it for me.
Mikoh: you probably know this as a swimwear brand, but they’ve expanded into RTW and the linen and cotton dresses and sets are actually quite lovely, particularly a linen strapless dress in navy that I have my eye on for summer celebrations.
Naomi Nomi: turns out, the perfect button down shirt does exist, and it’s from Naomi.
Other brands I loved:
Pari Desai: I’m obsessed with a stripe cotton poplin shirt, and her’s had this incredible square detailing on the pocket and back that I can’t stop thinking about. Also, the croc shoes. Amazing.
Cissa: they have an interesting take on the classic button down, featuring a crossover button. I personally loved the little bralettes and that green stripe set, so good.
James Street Co: I might be a little late to the party here, but holy cow am I obsessed with this brand. The Sloane Vee might be the most perfect sweater I’ve ever seen and I can’t wait to get my hands on one. Also, the denim? Fantastic. Their commitment to sustainability? Love it. The ability to shop archive and second hand on their site? Fab. There is truly nothing I don’t love about this brand (except maybe the price point. I get why it is what it is, but my bank account is not pleased. Sigh.)
Honest Cotton: slow production, easy to wear knits, great cotton skirts. If I ever move full time upstate to start a commune (not not my dream), this would be my uniform.
Obviously this round up doesn’t even begin to touch on all the amazing collections and pieces I saw out there - there are so many talented designers making so many beautiful clothes - it makes my job both easy and challenging at the same time, but how lucky am I to do what I do!
Happy end of fashion month!
xx,
jen
I have heard of Skall, Marle, and James Street Co but every other brand you featured are new to me! WHICH is very exciting because I love shopping smaller brands and finding gems. Thanks for this.