The two seasons of clothing retail
May 25th, 2007There are four seasons in a calendar year, but only two seasons in the clothing retail year. The fashion industry focuses on Spring and Autumn collections. Here’s what this means for the Northern Hemisphere (this is basically inverted South of the Equator):
- Spring is about the warmer seasons. The collections run from February to June. July, at the end of the season, is the biggest sale month. You’ll find real Summer merchandise in stores from April onwards.
- Autumn (or Fall) is about the cooler months. The collections run from August to December and January is the big Sale month. Winter merchandise is in stores from October onwards.
You won’t hear designers and buyers referring to Summer and Winter collections because in the fashion world, they don’t exist! Summer merchandise is included in the Spring Collection, while Winter merchandise is packaged with the Autumn collection. When the fashion industry refers to the Spring trends, this includes Summer (and the same holds true for Autumn and Winter).
From a retail perspective in the Northern Hemisphere, we’ll soon be putting Spring 2007 to bed as Autumn collections start to hit shelves in mid-July. Stay tuned for what’s in store for us for Fall!
May 25th, 2007 at 8:56 am
As the weather is only now warming up in the Midwest, it’s hard to believe that we’ll soon be seeing fall and winter clothing on the shelves. Aside from one halter dress and a bathing suit, I haven’t bought any warm weather clothing yet! Fashion is NOT for the ill-prepared.
May 25th, 2007 at 10:10 am
One way to get deals on clothing - new or vintage - is to buy OFF SEASON. There are always bargains when whatever you buying can’t be worn for another 6 months or so…
May 26th, 2007 at 10:08 pm
Getting back to you about the shoes I ordered, since you say you also have finicky feet:
I just got my natural comfort espadrilles today and I can’t even begin to describe how amazed I am. I had given up completely on heels–even small heels–due to bunions and overall sensitive feet. Even at 3.5 inches, these are unbelievably comfortable. At first I wasn’t thrilled because the padding left little room for my toes, but pretty soon the memory foam insole began to mold to my toes and feet and it felt absolutely wonderful. This is the first pair of heels I have worn without pain in my life. If I can wear them, I’m quite certain ANYONE can. Unfortunately NC doesn’t seem to have a whole variety of styles out now, but hopefully as seasons pass and more people hear about them, new products will come forth. Anyway, if you ever do a post about comfort shoes in the future, I’d highly recommend this brand
June 19th, 2007 at 5:15 am
Wow, it’s just June here in New York and some of the stores already have fall/winter merchandise. A sales associate who helps me with my clothing called yesterday and mentioned that she had some winter coats in, and could I come by this week?
Crazy stuff.