Medicine & Manicures

The Inside Scoop on Fashion at America’s Mart

KUT from the kloth spring 2017

Happy Fridayy’all! So if you follow me on social media, then you probably saw that I was in Atlanta for most of last week working the Atlanta Apparel Market. What does that mean exactly? Well, I was working in a showroom with my friend Lindsay to show the spring 2017 lines to different buyers from all over the southeast. The week was extremely busy which is why my posts have been somewhat sporadic but now that I’ve caught up with life, I thought it would be fun to share a little recap with you guys!


The Reeves & Company showroom is on the contemporary floor of the apparel mart and let me tell you that there are 13 floors of clothes, shoes, jewelry & accessories in the mart!! This particular showroom carries several brands such as Bobeau, KUT from the Kloth, Side Stitch, Ciao Milano, and several more. Here’s what it looks like inside- racks on racks of clothes!
Reeves & Company showroom atlanta
Atlanta apparel mart
crosby by mollie burch
As a blogger of course I love fashion, but knowing the specifics of a line goes into way more detail so I came a day early to get some training and get comfortable with the process. I primarily worked in the KUT area showing tops, dresses and denim. LOTS of denim. I would create little “walls” like the one below to showcase some of my favorite pieces. When a buyer was ready to be shown the line, I would take them through each different delivery date from January all the way through May and they would pick out which items they would carry in their store.

Some buyers knew exactly what they wanted while others needed a little more guidance on what pieces to purchase. Important things to know were the location of the stores, the age range of their customers and of course the price point. 
Luckily I can fit into most sample sizes so quite a few people asked me to try things on. Of course most things were a little long (I’m only 5’2) but it was still fun to play dress up. Then again it’s also dangerous because now I want to buy everything! 

This top and cardigan are from the Bobeau cozy collection– the fabric is incredibly soft and these will be available for holiday.

This flowy top is also by Bobeau and I love the bell sleeves. It will be available in the spring and also comes in peach and blue.

This was one of my favorite tops from KUT from the Kloth. Off-the-shoulder, pink, striped, and that darling tie at the bottom. I’m in love!! This piece won’t be available until May so keep your eyes peeled!

So what was the coolest part about this? Seeing all the trends for spring when it’s just starting to get cold outside. How cool is that?! As far as a trend forecast, frayed hemlines will be huge and chambray and off-the-shoulder styles won’t be going anywhere soon.

As far as visiting Atlanta, we ate out most nights but our big group outing was to Ribalta in midtown that had some of the most amazing pizza. Another night we got sushi and Lindsay took us to a “surprise” location for dessert. We all got cake at Café Intermezzo and on top of being the cutest little restaurant, the cake was out of this world. I got the tres leeches (their best seller) and I’m still dreaming about it. Worth every calorie! 

cafe intermezzo atlanta très lèches cake

Cafe Intermezzo Atlanta
On our last day (the slowest of them all), Lindsay & I stopped by a few of the other showrooms to take a peek at some more spring styles. Y’all know I had to stop and see the GiGi New York bags… how fun are these colors?! And the earrings below are by Ranjana Khan. I die over the pom poms and tassels but these babies retail at about $300 a pop… yikes! How fun would they be for a caribbean vacation though?!
GiGi New York spring 2017 collection

Working this show was so much fun and I’m glad I got to experience. There were many long days and not much time to do anything else but it was so neat to get a closer look at the fashion industry. Not many people know exactly what goes on behind the scenes as the clothing comes from the manufacturer to the showroom to the store and I’m glad I was able to get the inside scoop!
As for this weekend, Ryan & I are off to one of my favorite cities so be sure to follow on Instagram (@kristinahendley) and Snapchat (khendley) to see what adventures we get into. TGIF!!




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Comments

  9. Hanging with the Hirsts says

    Oh my goodness, this so sooo cool and I'm totally jealous!! So much fun you got to help out and try on different clothes for people. I'm always so fascinated as to how the mart works and with people buying collections and whatnot. I guess you have to be a retailer or purchaser to get in?

    Reply

  23. Hillary @ styleinasmalltown says

    I used to work at a boutique and the part I miss the most is going to the buyer's shows! I love the layout of this one. The Merchandise Mart in Chicago doesn't have an open atrium like this one does. It's interesting to hear your side of it from the seller's perspective. Such a fun experience! BTW, I love your bag in the group picture! Is that a Vera?

    ~Hillary
    http://www.styleinasmalltown.com

    Reply

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