High Pt. gets away from same-old, same-old

By Carole Sloan -- Home Textiles Today, 10/28/2002 12:00:00 AM

HIGH POINT, NC —

Fabrics and fabric-oriented products were the big story at the International Home Furnishings Show here last week.

The most notable part of the story was the definite revival of prints. These were not your everyday, run-of-the-mill textiles. They were the spectacular, the limited editions. They were the documents that said they were right for today; that said 'Don't come to market with same-old, same-old print stuff — or any other same-old stuff.'

As the market continues to segue to other covers like leather, microfibers (real or faux) and exotics, like alpaca, cashmere and Merino wool, there are parts of the business that are off limits to the mainstream folks.

The print world featured revisionist looks of the '50s, '60s and '70s as well as classic documents. And in the new color palette, the designs look fresher than ever.

Over the past couple of markets, it looked like there was some respite from the chenille invasion of the home furnishings market. Truth was, it was only the beginning.

In this month's market the fabric story exploded with color.

Specifically, hot colors, pale pastels — nothing without character and substance.

Color direction was typified by the whole reach of the orange family. It could be orange sherbet or pale bronze, but the family relationships still are evident.

Then there are the blues. Crisp and clean, with no pussy-footing and nothing hiding behind a screen.

Then there was plethora of stripes and plaids, and an abundance of florals were current in terms of tossing on their grounds and in special details.

Also big were texture, dimension and sensual and tactile constructions. There was lots of soft stuff, both in terms of fiber and finishings.

It's amazing what can happen when new approaches are designed.