New York, New York, It’s a Lingerie Town…Evolution is up, Curve is down!

And so it comes to pass, that after a few good years when one of the world’s great cities and centers of fashion actually managed to have a proper showcase for the lingerie market, they’ve taken a step backwards – to the old days.

 For years, while the international shows held in Paris, Dusseldorf, and Lyon were professionally organized events with runway shows and cocktail parties, vendors were given stand-alone booths to decorate to their taste. In New York, they had to make do with a hotel room and a cot. To be precise, the NYC lingerie shows consisted of a handful of designers who would each rent a hotel room in various midtown hotels, ask the management to remove the beds to make room for the sample racks – and at night, sleep on a cot which could be folded up in the morning before clients arrived.

Eventually, sometime around the turn of the century, a slightly better alternative of showing in large conference rooms at The Millennium Hotel on West 44th St became the preferred option, with loose steel racks all over the place. 

And finally – and, yes, it was the French who brought it – the concept of a proper, stand-alone show with great brands, big and small, American and international, materialized at the Altmann Building in Chelsea on West 18th St. Lingerie Americas had arrived. 

The venue was pleasant, the traffic was good and there were plenty of talks and events. All in one place. Under one roof. Why mess with the formula? Why not? Why not have a split in the French team and therefore a split in the location for brands? Why make it easy for buyers? Why make it easy for exhibitors?

After a protracted tug of war for vendors, everyone ended up at the one place they didn’t want to be.

The Javits Center.

At first everyone was pacified by the glamorous location in the glass River Pavillion. It may have been inevitable, but after a couple of years of being in the tower overlooking the Hudson, it got relocated.

Downstairs.
Below Downstairs. 
Almost to the cellar.

It may have eluded some organizers, but when displaying lingerie and lace, it really helps to see the product. Daylight is good. Electric lighting can help too. Not much of this was evident deep down in Javits, where the air was gloomy, and the light was dim.

A subsequent upgrade to the new but (as it turned out) temporary hall brightened things up and finally, it seemed that Curve New York had made a fixed point in the calendar for the trade. Apparently…

I guess that it’s not the fault of Curve that the size of the lingerie trade pales into insignificance when placed against the rest of the fashion world, but what it means is that it has little power when the big guys at Javits decide that, due to construction, it’s back to the lower floors, thereby downgrading the trade and doing a major disservice to the exhibitors.

The Evolution Show

Regardless of a less than ideal location, the costs to vendors remained high (very high) and inevitably, alternatives were sought, and it’s to the great credit of Samantha Chang that she has developed a lovely vibe at her Evolution Show.
Having handpicked her brands with a bent towards quality and excellent design, the mood is relaxed. Situated in a couple of large rooms just off Union Square, it seemed that most brands were pleased with the amount and quality of the customers.
It’s true that most of the companies showing at Evolution were not from the large labels, but the likes of Derek Rose, Laurence Tavernier, Pluto, Cocoon, Oscalito and Christine of Vancouver, meant that amongst the many lovely brands, that there were some excellent midsized players also showing. (Apologies to all of the others not mentioned, you were great!)

And Curve?

Well, they’ve currently left the “Big Building” aka Javits (although they may return next year) and they’ve moved downtown. To Tribeca. To a lovely building which they share with others. On split floors. Of course, not floors that are all leading to one another.

Here’s how Curve was organized: begin at the ground, where Ellen Lewis had done a fine job in showcasing several different lovely designers and ascend to Floor 6 where you can climb to a large room that is almost empty of exhibitors. 

Then down a flight to a space so open that paddleball could be played without disturbing the exhibitors. The German contingent showed in impressive booths in one section all together. Lots of light and air for the likes of great brands like Natori, Aubade etc. Lovely.
It felt a bit empty  

Then down to Floor 5. Here it was the opposite of the one above. Lots of exhibitors. Nearly all closely together. So close that it was easy to overhear conversations from the nearby booths The “aisles” were so narrow that each vendor was staring closely at their opposite neighbor.  Not all booths benefitted from lighting. On the Monday the sun didn’t shine, and nor did the product.

Second class ticket at Curve?

If upstairs felt underused and elegant, the opposite was true below.
Why the difference? Someone said it was to do with the prices. Maybe. Hope not. If true, there really was a second-class ticket to be bought here and too many did so inadvertently. 

The show was imbalanced in presentation. Lots of people said it. It was a shambles. And it was a snub to the many good brands and companies who spent good scarce money travelling there and showing. 

There are brands who have turned up to find that they are the wrong side of the room facing the wall and not the windows, compressed into small spaces and surrounded by people almost tripping over themselves. 

It may be better than taking a room at The Doral and sleeping on a cot, but this is New York in 2022. We expect better.

More importantly, too many of the exhibitors should be getting better for their money. They should expect better.

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