Just when I thought the Pre Fall orders were filed away, they immediately resurfaced for another analytical round of discussion. The team did not share the same opinion on which piece should be discarded from the Derek Lam Order. A few hours later, I ended up submitting the original order! The interesting thing about being a clothing buyer is that you go back and forth and see so many different directions that could be taken in terms of selection. Every decision made on color, fabric and style will impact merchandising strategies , displays and sell throughs. The pressure is always on! However, most times the best choice if your first choice. There is a reason why we gravitate towards certain things and those instincts are usually correct.
Going back to Derek Lam, I felt that he offered a nice selection to ease the customer into Fall. There were wearable pieces like light weight crepe dresses and blouses layered with yummy ribbed cardigans. There was some repetition here if you reflect back on past collections. We have seen the sailor trend and the swiss dot blouse from him before. Not new, but still works. Another portion of the collection was consistent with the fabric mixing trend and there was even a hint of hounds tooth which we spotted in previous collections such as Celine. My standout looks were a navy l/s dress topped with a fur vest and a grey l/s dress with an a-line calf skin skirt. And let’s not forget the ever present Ram’s Head. Yes. Derek is an Aries in case you were wondering!
I absolutely love these looks! I agreed with everything you said about Derek Lam.