Plaids crash solids market. (plaid sports coats are popular items among men's clothing stores) - Daily News Record

NEW YORK -- Plaids are the pick of the patterns for clothing retailers who want them soft and subdued for fall.

In fact, classic Prince of Wales glens and windowpanes are about the only punch for next season, which is marked by solid gabardines, high-twist plain weaves, subtle crepes and now, micro patterns.

More of the same is in the offing for spring, too. The main change will be in the brighter decoration colors in plaid suitings and the addition of pastels and brights for sport coats.

This fact comes through in conversations with clothing executives at all levels of the business: Plaids are not a passing fancy. In fact, they're the most durable fancy the market depends on, even with the onslaught of gabs, crepes and other weaves.

According to Al Israel, president, GFTA Apparel Corp., 'Plaids have been most important in our Valentino line. They represent over 50 percen of our fall sport coat sales. And in suits, we're looking at 20 percent. We're treating plaids as a signature statement.

'In suits, we have a strong black-and-white statement in glens, houndstooths and windowpanes. We also have a lot of cream-and-black and blue plaids with a lot of deco accents. Most are on flat goods, but there seems to a trend to cover fabrics, like flannel.'

Israel adds that in sport coats, plaids are the antithesis of soft and subtle suitings. 'They're very aggressive and the colors have a lot of attitude. For example, ecological greens are important, along with red and cinnamon accents to offset black and white.

'For spring, we project plaid suitings will increase to 25 percent.'

Jim Stankovic, president and chief executive officer, J. Schoeneman, reports, 'The plaid suits we're selling are traditional and not very bold in plain-weave worsteds and four-harness worsteds. And the more subdued classic plaids are selling in microfiber blends.

'Plaids are certainly a major factor in fall sport coats, but they can't be bold, either. Sales in this classification are split between flat worsteds and wool/silk with texture.'

For spring the executive claims the company is going to show lightweight worsted sport coats with a flat surface. 'But we're not expecting them to be a huge part of our business. Fancy plains and corded types and weave interest in solids are going to be the keys.'

At Cantoni, Enzo Licata, managing director, agrees with the solid syndrome and asserts, 'We're in a solids market, and for the most part retailers are looking for special weaves like crepes and high twists. Aside from stripes, patterns aren't an easy sell. But the new micro checks did very well and this will be the direction for spring, along with stripes and solids with texture.

'Judging by the retail reaction for fall, only certain kinds of plaids can sell. They have to be subtle and on the small side in suitings. And the same rule follows in sport coats. The difference is that retailers look for color and the new blues and teals sold well. We did, however, sell bold checks in black-and-white.'

Licata reports crepe grounds did well in sport coats, 'but for suits there's a return to flat worsteds.'

David Neimer, vice-president of merchandising, Palm Beach, is bullish on plaids and comments, 'Classic glens with simple decorations were important for fall in suit. What happened is where we were selling a lot of windowpanes, the action has moved back to more traditional plaids.

'These are still on clear-finish worsteds in wool and polyester/wool and we see a strong resurgence of classic black-and-white.'

Plaids were also important in sport coats, continues Neimer. 'Also classic and not as complicated. We did especially well with compound browns, plus, of course, black-and-white.'

For spring, he adds Palm Beach bought plaids in all ranges. 'Upfront, this amounts to 20 percent of our total buy and includes worsteds and microfiber blends. Plaids will continue in a classic vein and not ovely decorated.

'When we couple plaids and windowpanes together, we're talking 45 percent of our spring suitings. And both will be 60 percent of our sport coats. In this category, we did plaids in all-silk, a new crepe poly/worsted and also in viscose/linen.'

As for plaid colors, he notes a trend to gray-and-taupe and gray-and-green and 'lots of blues. In sport coats, we're introducing new brights, mostly as solids and as accent for plaids and windowpanes. They're bright because the colors are more saturated.'

Jules Hertling, president, chief executive officer, Hertling Industries, attributes the current classic plaid kick as a reflection of the tough retail market with merchants wanting 'safe patterns, like conservative Prince of Wales plaids in grays and blues.

'But plaids in County Suit looks are back. They're in cheviots and tweeds looks in bold 2-to 2 1/2-inch sizes and with much more color.

'They look like the Country Suits we used to sell. I think their revival is part of a cycle. In these tough times, we're all trying new ideas to stimulate business.

Natural fibers blend naturally into sports coats; new teammates for wool: linen, silk and alpaca. - Daily News Record

NEW YORK -- Natural fiber blends are fueling the sport coat boom for spring. More of the same is in the forecast for next fall, too, with several old favorites, notably alpaca, back in the running.

For years, silk/worsteds led the field in sport coats but stumbled badly recently when the blend was footballed by the mills in Europe and the Orient. This blend still means business in sport coats, but for better performance, esthetics and price appeal, new entries have almost made silk/worsteds an also-ran in many lines.

Tailored clothing executives feel that the emergence of linen as the hot fashion fiber was the catalyst that opened the door to natural fiber blends. The reasoning? Since most American men hate wrinkles, the mills turned to blends of linen with wool, silk or cotton to reduce wrinkling, and also keep the fiber's characteristic look and hand.

And linen blends are only an inkling of what's going on in natural fibers.

According to Michael Sandler, executive vice-president, merchandising and product development, The Greif Cos., 'Natural fibers are 99 percent of the business because that's what consumers want. But now the mills are blending two or more natural fibers.

'On the luxury level, alpaca, camel's hair and cashmere are each being blended with wool. The fibers still have their wonderful hand, but they're at a more understandable, affordable price.'

Sandler reports that for the most part, natural fiber blends are favored in sport coats. He explains, 'They're as much as 25 percent, and for spring we're running silk/linen and silk/wool.

'I've just finished putting together fall and natural fiber blends will be a major factor in sport coats, primarily in the precious-fiber area. Alpaca/wool is the key. We like the blend because it maintains the hand of alpaca, makes the fabric more durable -- and the blend lowers the cost of alpaca.'

Natural fiber blends, he continues, were just a trickle at Greif last year and, from a marketing standpoint, Sandler notes the new precious natural fiber blends give the company a handle to go after a level of business it didn't pursue.

As Alvin Kohn, president, Pincus Bros.-Maxwell, sizes up the surge in natural fiber blends, 'The market is going back to round yarn sportcoatings -- both shetland and alpaca. Blends are vital to reduce the weight of these fibers because everybody now wants lighter coats.

'We're really getting the best of two worlds with these blends, and in the wanted weights.'

PBM will increase its natural fiber blends by 200 percent by next fall because, Kohn notes, 'they're a very viable concept for the times. They're luxurious, offer wonderful surface interest, and the lighter weights and the looks are sellable in all parts of the country.

'This has been missing in sport coats. In fact, we're carrying this thinking a step further by introducing silk/wool blends in sport coats for next fall. The blend is actually silk/shetland in a flat tweed and the weight is a couple of ounces lighter that the usual all-shetland. This gives Southern stores something they can sell. They never related to shetlands.

'For our first major fall trip, we expect silk/shetlands to amount to 25 percent. We're doing primarily checks and plaids, as well as fancy plains. We test-marketed the blend this season at several major stores and reaction was excellent.'

Meanwhile, natural fiber blends have made sharp inroads in the import market as well. For example, at Marzotto USA, Gary Lowy, vice-president sales, maintains, 'Natural fiber blends have become a very important fashion statement for us in both suits and sport coats. Actually, they've been more important in suits because they helped us get linen off the ground.

'Many men shy away from all-linen because of the wrinkling, but they will try a silk/linen or a wool/linen, which wrinkle much less.'

Lowy also notes that silk/wool has been very important in sport coats. 'They have such great texture and the colors take on a rich natural luster.'

On a percentage basis, he reports natural fiber blends account for 15 percent of Marzotto's sales. We're using more in suits with blends like cotton/linen and cotton/wool.

'Remember, all of these blends came out of nowhere and they're growing fast. If they maintain the current 15 percent figure for next spring, that in itself will be outstanding. Any growth beyond that point would be modest.'

Taking issue with the market's love affair with silk/wool, Steve Kurtzman, president and chief executive officer, American Fashion, admits, 'I'm a contradiction, because while we used a lot of silk/wool over the years, we've gone back to all-silk.

'Why? Because the look of silk/wool just got tired. We couldn't get the textures we wanted and the blend was being footballed.

'As a result, starting with fall '93, we went back to all-silk and all-wool in a major way. However, other blends have become more important for fall, like alpaca/wool and cashmere/wool. We have some blends in suits, but they're mostly items.'

As for the current spring season, Kurtzman comments, 'The new blend we're using in our more forward lines is linen/wool. Frankly, we can't use 100 percent linen. The American consumer doesn't understand the way the fiber wrinkles.

'But they want the look, and linen/wool reduces the wrinkling and still has the look.'

Claiming that natural fiber blends will be 'much more important for fall,' he estimates they could amount to 25 percent of his overall sport coat business. 'And this compares to last year and before, when silk/worsteds used to be 75 percent of our business.'

He adds, 'In some of our lines, like Jhane Barnes and Louis Roth, we sell more sport coats than suits. And for all our labels, you can't confuse sport coats with suits. We like plenty of color and pattern.'

Bruce Bellusci, president, Universal Design Group, a Hartmarx Co., also indicates, 'We're finding a tremendous increase in natural fiber blends. This is because of a combination of factors. First, there's the feel of the cloth and the richness of the colors we get with natural fibers. And in this country, people like natural fibers.'

Natural fiber blends appear across-the-board at Universal, but Bellusci notes that KM by Krizia has the strongest showing because, in his words, 'this is where we can use new and interesting fabrics. For spring, we have wool/silk, cotton/linen, linen/cotton, wool/cotton and wool/linen.' Natural fiber blends will account for 75 percent of the company's volume, up substantially from last year's 25 percent.

The executive continues, We see blends going into fall, especially with alpaca/wool. The blend is everywhere and everybody is going to have it. We're looking at other blends, like cashmere/wool, cashmere/silk and wool/silk in a lighter-weight open weave. These blends could be as much as 50 percent in KM by Krizia.

'Overall, we project them from 30 to 50 percent.'

Like most major clothing makers, H. Freeman is confining natural fiber blends to sport coats. Peter Marziano, senior vice-president, observes, 'These blends have become much more important in sport coats because the mills didn't know which way to turn. Blends gave them more-colorful fabrics in much lighter weights. And that's what the consumer wants.'

He stresses that price is not a factor either in the fabric or in the coat. 'If the store likes it, they buy it.'

Freeman puts a lot of emphasis on silk/wools -- 40 percent worth -- from Italy and Japan. However, last year, the blend roster grew substantially.

Marziano relates, 'We tested wool/alpaca, silk/lambswool and tussah silk/wool. They did extremely well because of the rich colors and luxurious hand. We were able to get the looks we wanted and in much lighter weights. For fall we'll be using all of them.'

He reports that, thanks to these blends, the company's sport coats were 38 percent ahead last year. 'For spring, with 65 percent of our suit and sport coat bookings already in, 75 percent of this is sport coats.'

Bill Burns, president, Bill Burns New York, is doing natural fiber blends in both sport coats and suits for spring and claims, 'They're more important in sport coats because of the linen/wool blends. We get wonderful thick-and-thin effects and the fiber looks great in the ecological colors.

'We're also using wool/cotton in sport coats and suits and a cotton/linen in sport coats.'

Burns has increased his natural fiber blend buys 'because I like the textures the mills have come up with. Last year they were mostly smooth textures. This year they have thick-and-thins and high-twists.

'I expect these blends to be as much as 20 percent of my spring business.'

At Gruppo Immagine, Tony Carrona, chairman, predicts an ever higher percentage. 'Almost half our spring business will be in natural fiber blends and we'll sell the greatest number in sport coats -- about 65 percent. In sport coats we have linen/silk and a wool/silk. We're also showing a linen/silk in suits and a wool/silk in separates and in slacks.'

Carrona adds that there's a distinct split in what sells a natural fiber blend in sport coats versus suits. 'In linen/silk sport coats, it's all color and really bright ones. Then in suits, cotton/linen thin stripes and small patterns sell well.'

Traditional firms take country sports coats to town; gone are the gimmicks of the Ivy League era in fall lines. - Daily News Record

Gone are the gimmicks of the Ivy League era in fall lines

NEW YORK -- The Country Squire is back in style again and the look is anything but hayseed or hokey.

For fall, Country is sophisticated and savvy in traditional sport coats and suits and a needed alternative to the stuffy corporate suit or sleek Euro styling. Gone are the bells, whistles and Ivy League trappings that were once called Country.

Today, the look is subtle and clean and the traditional clothing market's answer to dressy weekend sportswear. Their subtle blending of Americana and Savile Row couldn't have come at a better time either. Country Squire answers the call for something new and hip after the long run of Italian styling.

While sales of Country looks are still fairly small, the trend has made such an impact for fall that everybody is planning a spring '94 followup.

Discussing the Country trend in his fall Couture and Colours lines, designer Alexander Julian admits, 'I'm from the school that plain pockets on a sport jacket look too much like a suit. I've always liked country suits because I grew up in the country.' But this doesn't mean he likes all the obvious gimmicks associated with Country styling.

Bill Kaiserman, in New York for a brief visit from Italy to finalize his spring fabrics for his label at Hartz & Co., reports, 'I interpret country as the elegant man walking in the country with his dog, walking stick ...and you can picture the rest. The country look I try to get is super-rich and out of a '30s movie.'

Carl Freedberg, vice-president, Freedberg of Boston, offers his rationale on Country styling. 'Today, we're selling a lot of items, and that's what we consider country. For example, we have a new, unconstructed sport coat line called Caravan. It's tweedy, soft, oversize and very much like sportswear.

'Retailers aren't buying it just for the sake of adding another sport coat and just showing it on a rack. Instead, they're buying Caravan on the basis that everything they add has to be special. They need a reason to buy a particular suit or sport coat, and country is the new answer.'

Jim Hertling, president, Hertling Industries, reports, 'In our case, country pushes the right buttons for the consumer to dress down a little in terms of giving him comfortable clothing. It's easy because today he has the option of wearing a soft sport coat a number of ways.

'We're doing an oversized jacket that's almost hybrid outerwear and meant to be worn over a sweater with jeans--or as a dressup jacket.'

Rod Smith, vice-president, merchandising, Southwick, agrees. 'We see contry as an oversized sport coat with three open patch pockets in lambswool and shetland in tartan plaids and district checks. This is a super-soft coat that's fully lined. We see it as outerwear or sportswear.'

Country is far from new for Alexander Julian, who recalls 'when I did the clothes for Tim Robbins in the movie The Player, I did a double-breasted suit with three open patch pockets because I wanted to show something sportier but in a business-like fabric.' And this is his guide to Country styling.

'As far as obvious country details,' he continues, 'I think they're all fine so long as you don't overdo them, because you limit the range of a customer who will understand the look. He knows he can buy a suit without the extra country details at the same price. It takes a more self-confident consumer to understand country.'

The designer adds, 'As I did it for fall, country means a two-button sport coat with four patch pockets in very quiet fabrics, such as a charcoal and oatmeal bird's-eye or a Thornproof-type twist fabric.'

This is as far as the designer has gone in interpreting Country, avoiding the obvious details. 'And our customers are buying this subtle look in country suits as well as jackets.'

Country is a new proposition for Kaiserman. He asserts, 'I went further for fall than I did in the last two years and did a tweedy English-cut jacket with two buttons, a cutaway front, high side vents and hacking pockets. I also did it in Italian soft, tweedy fabrics that gave the coats a super-luxurious country feeling.'

Why the switch to Country for the Milan-based designer? 'Because I felt it was time for a change in silhouette and the only one I've done is an Italian strong shoulder. I've gone as far I as I can with this silhouette and can't improve on it.

'So, as a result, I've been looking for another direction. And for me the only thing that can combine elegance and casual is a country look that starts with an extreme Savile Row cut. Then I turned it into an aggressive or updated English look. I designed a coat with bigger shoulders, a strong shape in the waist and a flared skirt.

'That is what I believe in for a more avant-garde look.'

Kaiserman also believes that vests are a big part of Country and he's doing a five-button version in fabrics that match the sport coats. As he describes them, 'The vests are proportioned to the jacket and very cutaway at the bottom. Country is another reason for consumers to buy the vest.'

For the record, he explains that his Country coat/vest combos 'met our sales projections and better. We didn't kill the world but we did change the silhouette and our major fashion retailers went along with it. Frankly, they loved it more than they trusted it, but they all feel it will be the future. Everybody jumped on it in a limited way.

'I'm going to have a spring follow-through in an unconstructed coat, and tie it in with summer cottons and linens. I feel confident that by fall '94, people will be used to this country feeling.'

Commenting on his company's new Country coats, Freedberg comments, 'We do country in two ways: one is the Caravan soft-constructed four-button sport coat without any lining. It has a button-on self-belt, four patch pockets and suede elbow patches. We did it in a gamekeeper tweed, a houndstooth check and a cashmere/wool plush.

'Our other country coat is also unlined with three open patch pockets. We also did it in cashmere/wool plush, ombre plaids and a woven patchwork wool.'

Freedberg adds the company also did Counry suits 'in a corporate way in English Saxony-district checks. The three-button coat has deep side vents. We've had a very favorable response to country and we're selling it to specialty stores.

'Country is a feature item and has to be promoted that way. Realistically, it's small but growing. In fact, we plan a spring/summer version in silk/wool and linen with the same kind of detailing. Naturally, we won't do suede elbow patches, but we will do linen-on-linen patches.

'By introducing the Caravan line with a real sportswear appeal, we opened up many new accounts that we couldn't sell before because we mostly did corporate suits.'

At Southwick, Smith also confirms the fact that 'sales for country styles are relatively small. But we're getting a great acceptance to several styles in the total sport coat package. And retailers include our oversized, soft jackets in their total sport coat package.

'We're going to have a spring country model and it will include suits as well made the same way in linen/silk blends, all-cotton and silk/wool.'

The Country trend at Hertling, according to its president, includes such details as throat latches and elbow patches on french-faced three-button sport coats. Fabrics include heavy sport coatings in 11- to 12-ounces, because, as he notes, 'They make sense for this oversized outerwear-type model.

'It's been our best sport coat and easily close to half of this classification's sales. This is our third year with the model and it keeps growing. We also do a model for spring in linen and lightweight silk/linen. When we think country, we just do a clean model and don't put on all of the extra details.

'Today, the country sport coat is a change of pace and fits into the young corporate customer's wardrobe.'

Hertling observes, 'We've shown the same country concept in suits, but frankly we haven't done anything with it. Our suits for business are essentially 'uniform' clothing, and this is what retailers look to us for. We're in that price classification and do updated business models.'

Solid gab suits, bright sports coats hot at NAMSB. (National Association of Men's Sportswear Buyers) - Daily News Record

For at-once, fall deliveries

NEW YORK--Gabardine suits, the enduring all-season breadwinner, did it again at this week's NAMSB Show.

Retailers gave top priority to solid-color gabs and other weaves--and bright color sport coats, reportedly splitting their business between at-once and advance fall deliveries.

Even with the smaller number of tailored clothing companies exhibiting at the Javits Center and the sometimes iffy showing of major stores, conversations at the show brought several industry issues and problems into sharp focus.

* The gap continues to deepen between serious business suits and snappy sport coats and the different buying patterns for each. The basic core business suit has become a quick-replenishment, in-stock item, while sport coats are now selling on the basis of novelty and availability.

* The threat of higher prices for both 100 percent silk and cashmere sport coats surfaced. The immediate problem is the silk sport coat. Some exhibitors are already talking about a 10 to 15 percent hike in fabrics next fall when they return to the mills for spring reorders. The feeling is some of the increases will have to be passed along.

* The shift in model interest in stores, notably to three-button single-breasteds in sport coats and suits, is also being felt. But even with this trend, double-breasteds register strongly in reorder gabardine suit business.

Generally speaking, young men's, leathers and outerwear, received the major attention at the NAMSB Show, which closed Wednesday, but a number of retailers were on hand for clothing, and then some.

Typical was Paul Ginsburg, president, Moe Ginsburg, the pioneer New York off-price retailer, who reports, 'I use these shows to check ourselves and to correct and adjust our inventories of suits and sport coats. We see some interesting sport coats here.'

And commenting on the growth of unconstructed sport coats, another NAMSB regular, Norman Lanson, CEO, Baron's, Miami, Fla., feels that this merchandise 'belongs' in a young men's rather than a regular men's specialty store. 'We're not into FridayWear because we cater to a more mature man and don't want to compete with the Merry-Go-Rounds and Zeidler & Zeidlers of the world.

'The problem for us is that our customers, from about 45-years-old and up, want us to tailor these jackets. We can't at those prices. The idea of an unconstructed coat is great for young stores, but not for our typical customer who wants a regular constructed sport coat.'

Discussing the major importance of solid-color suits, which was felt at the show, Ron Wurtzburger, president, Peerless International, comments, 'Olives and taupes are still the best-performing colors at retail. And these are the in-stock goods the stores are looking for in gabardine and high twist worsteds.'

'One change that is beginning to happen in store is the move to three-button suits. There seems to be a strong indication that the three-button model has really trickled down and become a factor in the market.'

Wurtzburger feels that this model will cut into two-button suits and adds, 'For fall, three-buttons will represent about 12 precent. And for spring '95, the figure will go as high as 20 percent.'

Bob Bennett, president/CEO, Raffinati, also claims that solid-color suits were the hit of the show, 'Not only gabardines, but plain weaves and bengalines. The best colors continue to be olive tones. 'We're also doing well with rust as well as black and navy.

'We cater to the 7-inch drop customer and stores selling this clothing are buying the six-button, one-to-button double-breasted. It's outselling the single-breasted. But singles are getting stronger in solid-color suits and we're showing both two-and three-buttons.

'I know three-buttons are new, but I still have a lot of faith in two-buttons because hte average guy looks better in a jacket with a lower button-stance.'

At Sandy Bay, Herb Sendik, executive vice-president, reports, 'About 70 percent of the business is still in doubles, and this is mostly in blazers. The suits are mostly single-breasteds.'

He agrees with the run on solid-color gabardine suits and adds, 'Stores are buying for immediate as well as fall. The bookings for models are going two ways--both single-and double-breasteds are selling.

Meanwhile, Paul Wattenberg, president/CEO, Leon of Paris, asserts that a variety of models are selling at the same time. 'We're getting action on a higher-button, three-button model for both immediate and fall both in suits and sport coats.

'But in gabardine suits, the in-stock bookings are for double-breasted in black, navy, taupe and teal.'

Turning to the increasing prices for silk, Wattenberg reports that fabrics are going up about 5 to 10 percent. 'We're going to try to hold prices as best we can, and I suppose sport coats will have to go up a trifle. But we'll make it up in modeling and give the stores more value for the dollar.'

More on the silk situation from Ben Lipson, president, Linea Classica, who takes issue with the reports of increases. 'From what I see, there's still enough silk around from competitive mills to hold fabric prices. If these prices went up, we'd make it up by doing something extra in the modeling and color selection to justify an increase.

'We run a flat weave silk from Italy and, at this point, these fabrics fit into our price structure. We've hearing about super 100s prices going up at the Biella mills, but frankly, this doesn't affect us.'

Also discussing the silk situation, Ed Kass, sales mangager, Sunoo & Co., reports, 'We do a big job in Matka silk sport coats and, based on the job we did a year ago, we tripled our spring '95 projection and our piece goods needs are covered. From what we can learn, Japanese silk prices are up about 10 percent because of the exchange rate.

Tailored clothing firms hit jackpot at MAGIC; business reported strong for both suits and sports coats. (Men's Apparel Guild in California) - Daily News Record

Business reported strong for both suits and sport coats

LAS VEGAS -- Clothing manufacturers were pleased with the brisk bookings they had at the MAGIC show, saying that business was split 50/50 between suits and sport coats.

Tailored clothing, which is traditionally bought at the end of the show, saw strong opening business, and, as one manufacturer put it, 'it got progressively better each day.'

The MAGIC show was held at the Las Vegas Convention Center from April 1-4 and as late as the show was this year, clothing manufacturers said that buyers were still interested in fall goods.

'We've kept busy throughout the show,' said Steve Kurtzman, president of Chula Vista, Calif.-based American Fashion. 'The sport coat business has been showing steady increases. Retailers are looking for immediate goods, doing some reorder business for spring, but we've been doing a lot of fall business too, which is considered to be very late in the tailored clothing business,' he said.

Kurtzman went on to say that retailers are looking for fancies in sport coats, with special attention to texture and color. 'Price isn't an issue, this is an impulse buy. People want to buy something different,' said Kurtzman.

In addition to sport coats, Kurtzman said that seperate vests with textures have also been big sellers.

Alvin Kohn, president of PBM's Bill Blass Tailored Clothing, said that MAGIC is usually a big show for promotional suits but that this time he saw a marked increase in sport coat sales. 'We have a nice share of the sport coat business, with most of the business in the upper to moderate range,' he said.

According to Kohn, luxury fibers are the biggest sellers in sport coats, including camel's hair and cashmere. 'Black and white plaid also continues to be a hot buy,' said Kohn.

Mitchel Nichnowitz, president of The 500 Fashion Group, said in addition to big fall business, buyers were doing fill-in business on in-stock programs. 'We have done more of our business in tailored clothing at the show; I'd say we ended up with 65 percent of our show business in suits, with black and white checks and plaids selling in both suits and the sport coats.'

Nichonwitz said that retailers were also buying immediate spring goods to round out the current merchandise. 'We've seen a lot of latecomers at this show, with a great deal of interest being paid to our colorful spring line.'

Mike Shigazane, executive vice-president of Louis Raphael, said that he saw both at-once business and buying for late fall. 'Our sport coat business is almost completely sold up,' he said. 'People are looking for slimmer silhouettes, in black and white plaid and check patterns.'

Dress slacks were also a big seller, according to Shigazane. 'Our bottoms business has been exceptionally good, with buyers looking for pleated pants in slimmer silhouettes,' he said.

Ron Wurtzburger, president of Peerless Clothing International, also said retailers were looking for at-once goods and promotional goods. 'We've seen a lot of small California accounts with big open-to-buys.'

He said that most of his business was done in suits with black-and-white plaids and checks leading the sales. 'For us the whole sport coat trend is just beginning to happen. We expect to see more sport coat business in the next few months.'

Quenton Bragg, vice president of sales for Bowdon Clothing, said that both suits and sport coats did well. 'We saw business in both areas, with most business being done on immediate goods, although some buyers were still writing fall.

Early orders for softwear heavier than makers expected. (lightly constructed sports coats) - Daily News Record

NEW YORK -- Fall '95 tailored clothing lines are open and the early exit polls are in: the soft, relaxed sport coat is the expected dark horse for next year.

To the surprise of many executives of many major companies, who never thought these soft sport coats would ever hit the big time, they report both department and specialty stores are jumping on them for next season.

And while everybody agrees that the percentages won't be tremendous -- about 20 to 30 percent of the sport coat classification -- they consider the ripple effect more important.

Clothing makers insist this new class of sport coat, appearing at all price points, will give the collections and sportswear departments some real heat next fall.

And they're adamant about keeping soft coats in clothing territory despite the fact that the construction varies wildly. On the one hand, there are the coats without chest pieces and shoulder pads. Then there are those with shoulder pads only. And some are fully, but very lightly, constructed.

One common denominator is that clothing buyers want lined coats, and that's what the market will be delivering next year. The preferred model has three buttons and usually three open patch pockets.

Meanwhile, most people are shying away from names such as unconstructed, casual or FridayWear -- or anything with a sportswear ring to describe these' new coats. The term soft, everybody insists, fills the bill.

Commenting on the sudden arrival of soft coats, Ron Wurtzburger, president, Peerless International, claims, 'For us, suits continue to be very strong, but the additional money coming in is for sport jackets and also for our new relaxed jackets. This is the one we're watching.

'We're making it without shoulder pads or a chest piece. But there is very light, soft fusing that gives the coat shape.'

Wurtzburger notes Peerless has versions in both its Kasper and Ralph by Ralph Lauren fines. 'The strongest response is coming from specialty stores. We're doing three-and four-button models in both these labels, and each has its own signature look.'

In his opinion, wearing relaxed coats for business doesn't also mean wearing a 'T-shirt and sneakers. We believe a man still has to look and dress appropriately. These coats aren't a replacement for regular suits or sport coats. They're a new category, and we're selling them this way.

'To me, the whole trick is the wa y these relaxed jackets are going to be displayed. We're telling our customers that they have to be handled separately. The smart retailer will show them with mock turtlenecks, banded collars and corduroy or whipcord slacks. This is not sloppy clothing.'

At Individualized Apparel Group, Peter Marziano, president, indicates, 'We opened the line a couple of weeks ago, and after working with Nordstrom and other majors, we found a lot more interest in sport coats -- and soft clothing.

'Soft is very important today because retailers want to bridge the gap between tailored and FridayWear. But many don't like this name. So we came up with the term `tailored softwear' to describe this clothing.

'We consider it a whole new classification.'

Marziano points out that that construction aside, 'You have to use drapey fabrics to achieve the kind of comfort the consumer is looking for. At the same time, we're also doing several constructions.

'The coat we're making at our Oritsky division eliminates both the chest piece and the shoulder: pads. It's softer than our H. Freeman model because it has less bind-tailoring.'

He notes that IAG is doing soft in both suits and sport coats. 'In Oritsky, soft is in its second season. We're just introducing it in Freeman. Our projection for soft at Oritsky is over 20 percent; and in Freeman, 7 percent. And we have soft trousers in our Keaton-Chase collection.'

Like many in the clothing market, Marziano concurs that the success of soft jackets will depend on what retailers do with them.

'We feel that specialty stores will put soft coats in their regular clothing department. But when we work with the major department stores, we show them to the clothing buyers first, and then to the sportswear people.'

According to Sheldon Brody, chairman, Marcraft Clothes, 'We've worked with Dayton Hudson and the May Co., and we hear the sport coat business is on fire. And it's setting the tone for fall.

'In our fall '95 sport coat presentations, we're selling a lot of soft, drapey Biella goods with crepe effects. The coat's construction is still tailored and it has much softer fusibles and shoulder pads.'

Brody feels his own challenge is to decide whether or not 'to establish a separate division for minimum-constructed coats that will fit into sportswear or clothing departments. 'Were told by our customers that they don't want to mix tailored coats even with a softer construction with the less-tailored sport jackets that are sold at the Gap or Banana Republic.'

At George Weintraub & Sons, Joe Gordon, corporate senior vice-president, declares, 'We're already writing on two items: cashmere-blend blazers, because of the sensational sell-through this season; and second, soft sport coats, which are new for us.

Describing how the coats are made, he notes, 'They're still fully lined because the American consumer wants it that way. But we left out the chest piece and used a lighter fusible and softer shoulder pads.

'The garment still looks like a sport coat, but it feels like a sweater. We're doing it in a three-button model with a, sloping soft shoulder and in very drapable fabrics, such as cashmere blends, silk/lambswool, washed shetland.'

Gordon notes that these coats are taking off with department stores, and the buyers are talking about using them as the base for a new soft clothing department. The other approach, he adds, is to show the jackets in the regular sport coat department, but give them better visibility on freestanding four-way fixtures.

His parting shot: 'I think they're going to be a much larger, percentage of our business than we originally projected -- not 50 percent, but as much as 15 to 20 percent of our sport coats.'

Another company offering soft sport coats without a chest piece, but with a soft shoulder pad is James Edmond. Observes Stewart Golden, president, 'We've gotten a strong reaction from both specialty and department stores.

'They're looking at it to fit into their sport coat mix. Nobody seems to want to refer to the coats as FridayWear because many retailers feel it means unconstructed sportswear. And this isn't what these soft coats are all about. They're meant to be sold in clothing departments, not sportswear.'

He declares that the choice of fabrics 'makes all the difference. We're using drapey, textured fabrics that give the jackets support without the chest piece, plus the soft look everybody's talking about.

'It's too early to project how big our soft coats business will be, but I feel they could amount to 30 percent of our fall sport coats.'

Happy holiday for sports coats. - Daily News Record

HAPPY HOLIDAY FOR SPORT COATS

If retail bookings for holiday '90 are any indication, the sport jacket is becoming a key item in both the contemporary and designer sportswear markets this year.

According to both resources and retailers, sport coat bookings and sales have picked up steam over the past couple of seasons.

The consensus is this category is playing an integral role in many holiday '90 collections. In fact, the relative small size of holiday lines plays into the hands of sport coats because small collections are easily built around these jackets.

Sport jackets are not traditionally big sellers for Christmas gift-giving, but they are big items for resort wear, as well as for the transition from fall into spring.

The talk in the sport coat market centers on:

* A growing trend towards resort jackets in cotton, linen and silk fabrications; * A move to more natural sport jackets and easy silhouettes; * Sweater coats that bridge fall-spring lines.

One retailer ordering sport jackets for holiday is Butch Blum, president, Butch Blum, Seattle. He agreed that the sport jacket classification -- especially light and airy knit sweater coats -- will have impact during the transitional holiday period.

'Sweater coats are a nice way of layering. They are as outerwear as well as sportswear -- and that's their charm,' he stated.

Blum said he views holiday, as an early spring delivery, rather than a season all its own.

He cited sport jacket increases of up to 50 percent during the last two or three seasons, partly on the strength of unconstructed styles. 'Casual fabrications ... will play big this holiday,' Blum stressed.

Allen Schwartz, president and designer, A.B.S. Men, said, 'This holiday we are color and jacket driven. The shoulder pads are softer than ever before; however, they are not deconstructed. My approach is classic with a twist.'

He said jackets are big sellers for holiday primarily because they can be worn in both the daytime and the evening. Schwartz stressed that retailers are most receptive this year to silk and nautical looks for holiday.

Designer Andrew Fezza claimed that his sweater coat has drawn retail acceptance for holiday. 'Knits are more powerful this year than ever before because they set you apart from traditional blazers. The knit sport jacket has a more natural approach than woven textures do,' he said.

He continued, 'Because business has been bad for many quarters, retailers are bored with the traditional looks they are forced to buy. They need an injection of excitement, I think the sweater coat offers that.'

Cary Brown, U.S. sales director, Byblos, said that his holiday line is essentially a cruise line rather than a bridge between fall and spring, adding that this holiday marks his first full collection for this market period. It includes more than 100 pieces.

He agreed that sport jacket business has gotten an excellent response in both cotton and linen fabrications.

He stressed, 'The clothing is not meant to be worn immediately. It's not geared for New York in December. It was designed as a cruise line for vacation-goers and for those looking to jump into lighter-weight fabrics.'

Brown said sport coats frequently act as a catalyst for the cruise line. 'All the other sportswear pieces work around it. The colors that are leading the pack so far are soft blues, greens, pumpkins, and classic black and white. This holiday will be our first big push into black and white colorations in over two years,' he stressed.'

Don Smiley, president, Paul Smith Sportswear, said that because retailers are cautions this year, the sport jacket is performing very well.

'Our blazer business is a soft-shouldered approach that offers a boxy silhouette in styles that are easy to wear. To attract retailers today you have to offer fashion that's not extreme,' he concluded.

PHOTO : Butch Blum, president, Butch Blum, Seattle

PHOTO : Allen Schwartz, president and designer, A.B.S. Men, said sport coats are going soft this