PARIS — It seems that reports of the death of independent retailers have been exaggerated. Buyers at the recent women’s wear Tranoï, Woman and Première Classe Dressing trade shows in Paris were mostly enthusiastic, refuting talk of small boutiques suffering under changes to the industry.
“I’ve seen a big revival the last few years of small, individual stores. People say retail is over, that all shops are closing, but it’s really the big stores that are closing,” Christiane Celle, founder of Calypso and owner of the Clic concept stores, said at the Woman show.
“Shoppers and the younger generation are different today. People don’t want to look exactly like everybody else, and they’re more educated,” she said. Celle’s business continues to expand with a new store in Larkspur, Calif. “There’s a niche for individual things, so I still do amazingly well,” she reported.
Among the spring looks she saw, “there’s a trend of not revealing as much. A lot of women realize that being sexy doesn’t mean showing off all your body.” Celle sees Paris adopting more streetwear, while New York is leaning more minimal. Still, colorful tailored and unisex suits made their mark. Among her finds was the Japanese brand Toujours, and
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