Annie here, and I have just completed my buying for the Fall/Winter 2011 season. I must say, it’s looking just as good if not better than 2010!
What’s nice about heading to a huge show like Platform is that I get to look for new styles that are fresh in my mind from the Fall 2010 season. As one of only two buyers for Sole Food, Platform is a marathon! We buy for women, men and children at this show and with the show being so huge, Karla, the owner, and I have to divide and conquer to make sure every style, brand, accessory is covered.
With a LARGE cup of coffee in our hands and lots of candy and chocolate to munch on until dinner, Karla and I meet brand after brand, walking every aisle in the hunt for new styles and trends. The best part of our trip is finding that magical brand or style that will fill a space in our customer's closet!
When we find what we want, I take a seat at the table, sit my large, heavy bag down and spread out my travel-sized office (my camera, pen, calculator, white out, and paperclips). Karla and I get to work deciding on our collection, choosing color swatches and scheduling out deliveries.
Gidigio
Here is Karla working with Kevin and Giorgio at the Gidigio booth. Gidigio has quickly become one of our favorite lines! During our Fall 2010 season, I was shocked at how fast we sold out of sizes. Gidigio's choice of colors and sense of fashion are amazing; you will see every type of boot imaginable from these guys. They really know how to keep a shoe creative without being too over the top!
Biggest trends that I saw for women were:
- Lace, Lace, Lace-Ups! Tall lace knee-hi boots, ankle lace-up heels, flat oxfords…lace is everywhere next season…don’t worry the really tall boots from us will always have a side zip! (Pictured above is Indigo's Water Row bootie heel, which will be back next fall!)
- Grey anyone? Grey heels, flats, boots…you name it. Remember the boot you loved in black this past season? Well it’s probably getting made in a grey option next season!
- Riding boots are not going anywhere! There are a ton of riding boots from everyone now. Miz Mooz has some great styles; Frye will have their amazing riding boots except now in COLOR! I saw red, grey, distressed black or brown leathers (I could go on and on…just be ready for some Frye boots with a kick!) And remember Camper’s 1912 collection? They are back with more colors too!
At the end of the show, we were exhausted. We walked miles and miles viewing every style, and we are pleased with what we saw. There is something for everyone from our selection. We focused on fashion with comfort, specific closures, requested rubber bottoms if possible, and stick to heels that are realistic for our customers to wear all day. As always, we want fashion without having to sacrifice comfort. We need to keep our feet healthy…for sandal season :)
Stay tuned for my top trends for children!
- Annie
