Dualité

A lot of casual onlookers complain about two things when they see fashion shows from the capitals: elaborate clothes aren’t practical for real life and the outfits are too expensive for the average consumer. How in the world do they break even at the end of each season?

Again, fashion shows are mere theatrics for magazine and newspaper editors to talk about the creativity of the designers. But like yesterday’s Wall Street Journal article, the deal breakers are in the showrooms.

Showrooms, in case you didn’t know, are where buyers get the styles they want for their stores. Like say, Holt Renfrew is in search of a new crop of designer clothes, they visit showrooms where participating designers set up booths with their collections for buyers to see. Each store has their own set of standards on what to offer their clients, so just because you’re in love with a bunch of Chanel or Givenchy outfits doesn’t mean your favorite stores will carry them. Many of the runway looks are scaled down in showrooms and price points affect their sale factor. If a designer wants to sell the shoes for $800, one buyer might say it’s too expensive for their clients to spend.

The details in RTW Fall/Winter 08 are intricate, theatrical, beautiful, and all for show.
From left: Alexander McQueen, Rodarte, Prada.

That’s why you’ll rarely find the looks magazine gush about in your high end stores, because they were either deemed too expensive to sell or not salable at all.

Generally, a mere 20% to 30% of the designer clothes sold in stores come from the runway. The rest come from so-called pre-collections — clothes sold ahead of fashion week — that are less dramatic, made to be sold rather than photographed. But store buyers still want to buy from the runways — partly to maintain good relations with designers, but also to offer eye-catching looks for store displays. Looks that have walked the runways still have a certain cachet.

For Montreal Fashion Week though, I’ve noticed designers taking on a different approach. They opt to show wearable designs (save for a few like Helmer) on the runway rather than elaborate pieces. Thus comparing runway photos from Montreal and the more commercial Paris, London, New York and Milan runways, Montreal lacks star power. However, the majority are wearable, facilitating the job for buyers looking on. From my experience last year, I saw a lot of office looks such as cropped jackets, knee length skirts, vibrant colors, pant suits, streetwear, denim, etc. Perhaps it could explain why stores like Ogilvy and Holt Renfrew don’t hold the lines from some of our local designers because the targeted demographic isn’t focused on the wealthier Montrealers but mass market consumers, where the money is.

This type of method on Montreal’s part is quite smart, however, if they wish to attract international buyers who travel to many different cities, I would think the buyers would expect the same grade of showmanship on the Montreal runway. I’ll be touring the showroom floors at the end of the month, and will report back on my observations. With some luck I’m hoping to talk to some buyers and ask what they’re looking for.

Quote credit: The WallStreet Journal, Christina Binkley
Image credit: Style.com