Impressions - March 2015 - 43

took our best-selling cotton piqué polo and
pulled out the weight," Cocco explains. "It
now has 3% spandex for comfort, with
princess seams, a longer placket, decorative
neck taping and tagless branding because
that's what women wanted. It looks nothing like the coordinating men's version."
In the women's T-shirt world, neckline
diversity still is of utmost importance in
the premium styles, with scoop necks,
ﬂowy tees, cardigans and layered looks being prominent.
S&S Activewear Marketing Director
Margaret Crow elaborates. "The 'ﬂowy'
tee trend still is strong this year," she says.
"You know those cute sweaters and shirts
at retail that have asymmetrical hems and
scarf/wrap-like designs? It's the retail look
of today and these shirts are ﬂattering and
comfortable. We have 12 styles of ﬂowy
tees and we are selling them well."
She also adds that the common theme
of ladies' T-shirt fabrics continues to be
softness, specifying that combed, ringspun cotton in high thread counts is the
top tee trend of today. Cocco agrees, adding that heathers and tri-blends also are
highly popular because of the softness factor and the lighter, tighter knit fabrics.

OUTERWEAR
The North End Sport red ladies' Flux
Mélange bonded ﬂeece jacket (style 78697)
from alphabroder.

retail fashion. It also takes stones, nailheads
and beads better if [those are] the decorations of choice."
With most lines, the basic cotton piqué
still is a mainstay, but with a makeover. "We
impressionsmag.com

Details prevail in outerwear trends as
well. The lifestyles of your customers dictate that you not only consider what they
wear, but how they live. "Many of the outerwear styles of the past focused on layering
for different kinds of weather conditions,"
Yeung says. "Today's lady buyers are focused
on how the garment will accommodate
their needs going from a chilly morning
run, to a coffee-shop rendezvous, to a work

meeting, and then soccer practice
on the sidelines. The trend is layering
for purpose."
Cocco describes Vantage's ladies' collection as fashion practicality with a creative
ﬂair. "Women want an outerwear garment
that's different, edgy, with all the protective
bells and whistles, but with creative styling and logo placement," she says. Top new
trendsetters shown by many apparel vendors at this year's early trade shows were
lightweight tech air-block jackets that are
wind- and water-resistant. Features such as
integrated convenience pockets, protective chin guards, stretch bonded sides and
sleeves - some with poly-ﬁll quilting and
unique vertical imprints along the zipper
- were prominent.

WOVENS
As for the ladies' woven shirt category, more feminine fabrics are being used
to follow the retail brands, rather than
matching fabrics to men's styles. "We have
seen a real movement into more feminine
fabric types for ladieswear in both knit and
woven styling, such as peached or brushed
ﬁnishes and synthetic blends that exhibit
a soft hand feel and superior drapability,"
says longtime woven designer and manufacturer David Bebon of D-Bebz Apparel.
He adds that the performance movement has crossed the wovens threshold
and has gone into the womenswear market. "Athletic comfort with tech advances
has now made its footprint into the dress
shirt market as well," Bebon says. "[They are
designed] with performance features like
wicking fabrics, which keep ladies crisp and
dry while working a trade show or hustling
back from lunch at a steamy outdoor cafe."
March 2015 | Impressions

43
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Impressions - March 2015

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