Here Come the Dresses

Being a buyer for retail stores has been a bit interesting over the last year. When everything hit the fan, we had already placed fall 2020 orders and signed on the dotted line. There was no canceling - what would be, would be. Most brands also saw the writing on the wall and had limited production as well. They had limited capacity at factories and warehouses, and the vendors they use (fabric mills, tanneries, and even button manufacturers) couldn’t deliver the goods they needed to produce items. It was a trickle-down effect for sure.Ironically, that helped someone like me. Every time a pair of heels or a dress was canceled, I would breathe a sigh of relief. I was determined not to cancel any orders, but I really needed to have less inventory on my books than I had ordered. It actually all worked out as well as I could have hoped in the end.When the resort season came along to order in June, none of us knew what to do. I think there were hopes that parties would happen over the summer, and maybe we bought some aspirational things but clearly, that didn’t work out. I did decide to buy all the loungewear, slippers, and tracksuits around. I did it a little too much, in retrospect. The other day I walked in and thought, “Lord, I over did it.” I think that happens when you have a lifelong personal commitment to fancy sweatshirts and tracksuits. When my favorite trend hit big, I swung for the fences.I was working the Veronica Beard trunk show last week, and you want to know what everyone wanted? Dresses. I think we are all ready to have something new and pretty in our closets. As the Covid numbers go down and the vaccines go up, we all see a light at the end of the tunnel. Warm weather and being outside is what we all crave, and a new dress is the retail therapy we all need!