Recap: Coterie and Sole Commerce 2013

After the show comes…the selling and buying! Once New York Fashion Week comes to an end, all of the brands that just showed their wares on the runway head on over to Coterie and Sole Commerce to sell those looks to major department stores and boutique buyers. Produced by ENK, the fashion industry’s leading tradeshow producer, Coterie is one of the largest fashion tradeshows.

I attended the three-day event as a press VIP, courtesy of Seventh House PR. After my car picked me up at home, I headed over to at the Javits Center to check out over 1,500 exhibitors, including Ready-to-Wear, Eveningwear, Accessories, and Footwear designers. I was in for a busy day of browsing what’s hot for next season and getting to know some of the new designers. Just outside the hall, buyers and editors were greeted by a vibrant gift lounge area full of Jonathan Adler’s holiday gifts (candles, coasters, brass objects and pillows) available for wholesale purchase. The designer said: “Everyone needs more style, craft and joy in their lives, and our groovy giftables are the perfect finishing touch for every chic shopper!”

Inside, I browsed the massive floor checking out my fair share of famous and familiar Ready-to-Wear brands, like Alice + Olivia, Clover Canyon, Diane Von Furstenberg, Erin Fetherston, Equipment, Haute Hippie, Issa, Kate Spade, Mara Hoffman, Mother Denim,Rachel Roy, Rachel Zoe, Rebecca Minkoff, Rebecca Taylor, Vince, plus accessories designers including Alexis Bittar, Balmain Beachwear, Diesel Eyewear, Dsquared2 Beachwear, Erickson Beamon, Givenchy Scarves, Linda Farrow Eyewear, Roberto Cavalli Eyewear, Tom Ford Eyewear and Zac Zac Posen Handbags.

A ton of new brands including 10 Corso, Birds of Paradis by Trovata, Brogden, Brochu Walker, Calypso St. Barth, Comune, Lot 78, Elena Hellen, Garbe Luxe, Kao Pao Shu, Madame Reve, Pleats Please by Issey Miyake, Shakuhachi, Suboo, Tila March, Ulla Johnson, Versace Versus, and X by Gottex, showed their wares as well.

Upscale footwear and handbag brands were also represented at Sole Commerce. Some of the designers selling their accessories included Aerin, Andrew Kayla, Attilio Giusti Leombruni, Del Toro, Delman, Dusica Dusica, Frye, Ivy Kirzhner New York, Lauren Merkin, Loeffler Randall, London Sole, Neon Boots, Rachel Roy, Schutz, Sigerson Morrison, Shabbies Amsterdam, Sixty Seven, Soludos and United Nude.

This year’s Coterie also had a major Korean presence, in a continued effort to highlight international collections. ENK presented more than 27 modern contemporary designers including: Anecdote, ANS An Yoon Jung, Arche, CNKOH, Coinonia, Dell’est, Demoo Parkchoonmoo, Designed by Jaewoo Kim, Doeun by Doeun, Doho, Genenjo, J Apostrophe, Jarret, Jo Myung Rye, Kaylee Cho, Kye, Lie by Lie Sang Bong, Mzuu, Nooy by Yoon, PaulAlice, S=YZ, Selene:Hee, Sumisumi, Surreal But Nice, Suuwu, Toe, and Vack Yuunzung.

Some celebrity designers were in attendance, too. I spied Whitney Port milling around in her Whitney Eve booth, plus Nicky Hilton drew a crowd outside her mom Kathy Hilton‘s eveningwear booth, as she modeled the gown. Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Kyle Richards was also seen running around to assist her sister. A few other designers I spotted manning their booths were Tadashi Shoji, Cynthia Sakai of Vita Fede and Isaac Manevitz of Ben-Amun Jewelry.

My favorite spot was TMRW @ Coterie – a showcase highlighting fresh new talent and tomorrow’s premier brands. Ones to watch include Alax W Diamond, Ambali, Armando Takeda, Candice Sonneman, Cidenzi Mori, Dusica.Dusica/Dusica Sacks, Feorran, Freda Salvador, Gladys Tamez Millinery, Illesteva, Kaylee Cho, Litke, Margaux Lonnberg, Mary Meyer, Paper London, Stolen Girlfriends Club, Terra New York and Valentine Gauthier.