Casual is the key at MAGIC - Brief Article

Discount Store News, March 6, 2000 by Mike Duff

Fall season to be mare low key with subtle toning down

LAS VEGAS -- MAGIC only offered up a few new tricks in its Winter 2000 edition, but even if the fall retail season won't offer lots of newness this year, the casual theme will be more evident than ever.

That doesn't mean there was nothing new, but most of the surprises simply reflected the strength of the casual trend throughout the main men's show in the Las Vegas Convention Center. Doug Ewart, gmm of Men's Warehouse, noted that fresh looks were available in tailored apparel, but the lift came from casual influences with "softness" being characteristic of their looks.

Among the most interesting developments was how the more radical categories have mellowed. While this trend was evident last MAGIC with the toning down of streetwear, it has spread.

Mass market retailers cheered the mainstreaming of streetwear last show because it made the category more acceptable to the shoppers who frequent this channel-particularly discount-store shoppers who are more often than not moms. Not too many moms look favorably on gang or sexual identification in the clothing they buying for their progeny.

At the latest MAGIC, it was apparent that streetwear, rather than influencing other sectors, as it has done for several shows, was drawing on a variety of outside influences- with variations on the Hawaiian shirt trend, preppy looks, formalwear and even retro-60s applications.

For this market, the toning down carried over to the "Extreme" segment of the show held, along with women's, at the Sand's Expo Center. While once emphasizing aggression and sexuality, to a degree that disturbed even some seasoned fashion pros, the extreme show this time turned toward less deliberately provocative themes.

Indeed, men's extreme "is where you'll find see a real '60s influence," said Don Smith, general manager brand management at Zellers.

Ewert also said that more formal looks had made inroads. Indeed, even streetwear makers like Fubu were emphasizing sportscoat and slacks pairings, even if they did match with a crew-neck shirt for still another nod to casual. "There was a general sense of more dress up," he said.

Licensing was somewhat low-key in anticipation of a number of new movies and television debuts later in the year. Pokemon continues to be critical, but a new Japanese-flavored cast of cartoon characters--under the banner Digimon--is expected by some to make inroads as well.

In many cases, Pokemon is just reaching mass-market retailers and has proven a hit. "Pokemon is coming on strong," said Jeff Gorsky, a buyer for Value City.

Warner Bros. emphasized Osmosis Jones, an upcoming movie to which it will tie, while Universal is anticipating the impact of several films-including the live action Rocky and Bullwinkle and The Grinch.

Nickelodeon looked forward to a new Rug Rats movie, while Disney, for its part, is hoping for a boost from Dinosaurs--its animated feature that will put ultra-realistic animated creatures on photographed backgrounds to create a live-action effect.

Licensors are increasingly emphasizing long-term programs in association with their event-oriented initiatives rather than one-time pops because many are related, or will be, to sequels or television series.

Sometimes, it's not only manufacturers and licensees who are involved in new initiatives at MAGIC. Larry Kelly, president of Once Price Clothing, was checking out the MAGIC kids with staffers as the company expands its range of children's apparel offerings. For One Price, Disney is a big seller. "We do well with Mickey, Winnie the Pooh," he said. "And Dinosaurs looks good."

In the other major fashion areas, trends seemed to continue. Spice and earthtones continued to predominate in tops, and still more variations of cargoes and carpenters were evident in bottoms--although many manufacturers have begun to opt for carpenter variations to give cargo looks a little rest. In denim, black was strong, and dark denim with big, square pockets generally highlighted many younger looks.

In non-licensed kids, grownup looks--dressing junior like daddy, or dressing kids like their older siblings because that's what they want--continued to predominate. For companies like French Toast, which are heavy into school uniforms, adding more fashion has become critical as kids and parents are evidently bored with the basics already.

On the women's side, soft, feminine looks were in with silhouettes. Lots of zippers jazzed up juniors introductions, and jeans jackets were getting a push.

Who says nobody pays attention to Gap ads? Stretch materials were important among juniors and older women's segments. In contemporary categories, or misses, 3/4 length skirts were strong. Despite their continued success, capri pants and their several variants were rare among introductions.

As for women's accessories, beads were stringing everyone along--metal beads, wooden beads, plastic beads. As long as something could be made round and could be threaded, it got a showing.