New York Gift Show

To begin, this is not one of our favorite shows to attend! Atlanta is so much easier and the showrooms large and open. Several of our clients, who have large showrooms in Atlanta, are only in the NY Gift Show as part of a large rep organization, and none of the principals of the companies come to New York. And, a pet peeve, is that no rolling carts are allowed on the floor, thus making it hard to carry portfolios.

That said, there was A LOT of color to be seen and A LOT of new information to digest. The color seminar put on by the New York chapter of IFDA, "Color Pulse", was very good.

1)Gray is an important "new" color, perhaps replacing the black/white combination.
2) Naturals is the second story: hay, straw, taupe, chocolate brown, a khaki/mustard combo paired with white (to bring it away from the 70's look);
3) Yellow, either with green undertones (Michelle Obama's dress?) or towards a gold metallic. Pair this yellow with moss, or carbon, or the new neutrals for a fabulous look.
4)Orange, which can be either yellow based or red based. Orange, as a bright, has not done as well in this country as in Europe. Here, it becomes a copper or pumpkin or clay.
5) Red. Quite a range: from blue based to rose.
6) Purple. Yes, this is an important color, whether plum, grape or or periwinkle.
7) Blue.Here, teal is the new story.

These are just highlights from the slide show and speakers. I also saw the new coral I've been noticing. It's a pretty, almost grayed a bit, coral. Pair it with a pale yellow, light aqua and pale mint green and you have a stunning spring combination.

Then there is the gray/black and yellow combination. Watch for this in wedding products. Very sophisticated, yet playful.

Lastly, there was a lot of eco product: teak and bamboo are popular materials. Grayed greens, tropical leaves in shades of green and gray, on a cream background.

Then, as I was on the bus going across 42nd Street, there was a huge, entire wall of Port Authority that was blocks of colors with the words: "Remember to take your daily dose of color"!!! I LOVE IT. Sorry, I cannot credit the author/designer of this display as I couldn't get close enough (on the bus) to see. But it was a very appropriate end to two days of trend and color spotting!

YES!   It's official:   Mimosa is the color of the year!! Read this from the Washington Post.

Well, finally, I feel my time has come.  I love yellow. I've always loved yellow. My room as a teenager was yellow. I painted furniture yellow ( won't  tell you how many years ago that was...). I started doing textile designs with yellow backgrounds. And, as you have all seen, my dining room is that wonderful Provence yellow. 

It's sunny; it's cheerful; it's almost a neutral color when used in home furnishings; it's easy to live with. I could go on. After seeing Michelle Obama in her mimosa/lemongrass outfit for the inauguration, how can we go wrong with yellow? 

Paperwhites

Sooner than expected! Here is my dining room yellow, with some paperwhite bulbs. Not really great shots here: but you get the idea. I have always LOVED the smell of paperwhites. Somehow they help to get through the long winter. And, of course, there are the hyacinths too. They take such a long time to finally bloom, if you start the bulbs in water, that I often buy the already planted bulbs in a pot, with just a hint of color visible. 

Anyway, here again, is the yellow of dining room walls. No, it doesn't come through as the really textured, rich ochre/sun/golden yellow that it is, but I'll keep trying!
     

A Visit to the Museum of the City of New York

A freezing cold day in New York City, and we went to the Museum of the  City of New York to see the Paris/New York exhibit. 

There were, as you can see, wonderful fashion exhibits; the black coat, looking SO  contemporary, has wonderful skyscrapers printed on the wide cuffs. And, all the dresses, especially a very simple linen one, could be worn today. 

I couldn't photograph my very favorite exhibit due to the reflective glass of the case. They were silver serving pieces from the first class dining room of the Normandie cruise ship. There is a salt and pepper set, both round spheres, the salt larger than the pepper, with the Normandie logo engraved on the top, around the holes. And the tea and coffee pots have such wonderful, flowing lines. 

Also at the Museum is another wonderful exhibit of photographs taken by Eudora Welty. Before her literary career began, and flourished, she was a photographer.... these are photos of New York in the midst of the Depression, and then a really special series of the deep South. If you have a chance, I recommend going to both these exhibits!

Today, take a look at some really wonderful new color palettes: these are from Pantone.

Personally, I love the "Melange". Wow. What great summer colors! Also, take a look at what Leatrice Eiseman, color forcaster for Pantone, calls "Pantone's Color of the Year": Mimosa.

The photo here is of my dining room: yes, it's a wonderful textured provence yellow, almost....that Mimosa. This is my pride and joy in my house: took weeks to tape all the woodwork, prepare the colors and glazes (thank you Ellen for all your advice!), then get the correct brushes, rags, rollers etc. etc. But the result is, I can say, stunning. I will post more of this room in the future!

I went in to New York today to see the Printsource Show. In the past, it has been for the fashion industry, but has recently been marketing itself to studios and buyers in the Home Furnishing industry.

It still has the impression of being aimed at fashion, mostly by the way studios display the artwork. There is no product in view, other than mannequins with dresses. There are several wonderful booths selling vintage swatches and yardage. Still, traffic has been good I am told, and could  be an excellent opportunity to enter new markets.

The show is moving, in April, to 7 W New York.  This just might be the place to be!  Stay tuned for more information and whether we decide to show there...

How Cool Is This?

Yes sir!! We received this invitation last Saturday!!

Click on it at the right to see larger.

I had just seen a news story on the inauguration committee's choosing a printer for this invitation. They had wanted to use 1) a union shop 2) a printer who uses only recycled paper. They found one in Brooklyn, and you can bet this made their year!

We will definitely put this in the "save" box at home.....

"Care for the Earth". "Going Green". "Naturally Green". These key words were seen quite literally, in many showrooms on different products. But then again, blue is the new green... Not blue and white, but pretty blues with pretty, soft greens. They can look botanical (in keeping with green) and almost feminine,or can be beachy, playful, and contemporary.  Summerfield Packaging had some nice looks with orange, pink, lavender for gift bags.

Some nice textural looks. Pearlescence. Pretty finishes. Silvery kind of finishes on gift collections; picture frames, even garden accessories.

Bright colors. Pink, orange, turquoise, greens. Two's Company always has a good selection for this. Mud Pie also has a new collection with pinks and greens.

I also saw several showrooms with nice "lodge", "northwoods" looks. Outstanding was from Big Sky Carvers and their dinnerware collection with vintage postcards on a beautiful red..

Here's a clip from the Homefires booth, ending with a shot of Rebecca. Photography is strictly forbidden in all the buildings, but Edward allowed me this one. Thank you!

First, the show was very BUSY! Lots of traffic and, reportedly, lots of order writing. This is very good news indeed and, I think, caught a lot of people by surprise. Well, the stores have to have SOMETHING to sell, don't they? People haven't stopped buying completely, they are being cautious. And, of course, someday (soon?) the economy will pick up, employment will begin to increase, and, as has happened before in recessions, there is a sort of "pent up" need to buy. I know, this is a very simplisstic version of what is now happening, but you get the idea. Of course, I am most definitely the sort of "glass-half-full" kind of person!

We had some very good meetings at the Mart, some with old friends, some with new contacts. I tried going "digital" and using a laptop to show design portfolios (although I had two small print out portfolios also). Mixed reviews. For me, it was so much easier to carry my wonderful little, lightwright laptop and present slideshows. But, I think some customers had a more difficult time viewing images, and wanted that more "touchy feely" kind of thing. Not sure how this will evolve!

More tomorrow, including color and design!

What Lies Ahead: Hope for the Fashion Industry?

What Lies Ahead: Hope for the Fashion Industry?

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A DAY IN ATLANTA AT THE MART

I'm still here in Atlanta. Flight home was cancelled due to the snow storm in the Hudson Valley (which, it seems, has not really materialized...) Am putting together my thoughts and reviews of all that I've seen and done at this winter's Mart. So energizing! I will post in the next few days, so stay tuned!

ATLANTA!

I'll be down at the winter Mart in Atlanta. I have some very good appointments, but we will see how the current economic conditions affect the show. Well, at the very least it will be warm(er) than here, and no ice or snow! I'll be taking pictures of new products,colors, trends and showrooms as well as meeting with Rebecca, one of the artists I work with at LW Associates.

More next week......