NYC Accessories Show 2011 by Joanie Ballard

Carla Mancini leather tote soon to be in our shop!

I've written several blog posts about the current climate at U.S. retail trade shows. The operative words were: "tentative and fearful, but somewhat optimistic."

The best thing to come out of the 2011 Accessories Show is the following:  larger quantities of retailers were in attendance and actually buying. I spoke to many exhibitors and most were enthusiastic about the amount of orders being placed. All good things to hear.

Walking this year's women's accessories trade show in NYC, the upbeat mood by wholesalers and buyers was palpable. New Mood Alert: smiling, jovial, positive. After two years of looking at worried faces, Robert and I both noticed an upturn in attendees interactions with clients and suppliers. This has been such a slow process, as many already know, with last year showing just a twinkle of positivity floating in the air.

As for our own shop and gallery, our final numbers were up from last year, not down, giving us hope for this upcoming year. Can I hear an "Amen"!

We are still being cautious, as our customers are also still timid with their wallets. But in the end, we are satisfied and going forward with a renewed sense of "yes! we are still standing!"

I always love seeing all the new upcoming trends in scarves/bags/jewelry. My favorite French and Italian suppliers had plenty of new designs to offer, and we even found some new scented candles to fill up our apothecary area for the spring.  Divine scents!

Blue Trend in Scarves, Handbags, Jewelry:
Lots of turquoise, misty blues, cobalt blues, across the board in all categories. I picked up a gorgeous line of purses from Carla Mancini (seen here). Here is a sample of the lovely blue hues I am talking about:

More to come: reporting on scarves, jewelry!