Hi lovelies,

As Fashion Month continues to roll on, fashion week in Los Angeles is in full swing, which means so are the trade shows and fashion market. Obviously LA Fashion Market is conductive at a much smaller scale than those of New York, London, Paris, and Milan, but it still tries to hold its own.

While perusing showroom to showroom at the California Market center and hoping from the Select trade show, Athleisure + Lifestyle, we've uncovered three key takeaways from the shows that encompasses what the could improve to catch up with the rest of the fashion markets and what they are doing right as the West Coast fashion epicenter.

Takeaway #1: The coolest brands set the trends, they don't care about them
One booth that instantly stood out from the rest was A. Marie Jewelry. Dainty, long, and handmade pieces hung on the displays and caught my eye because this season the statement necklace is still king, so seeing smaller, more delicate pieces was a nice departure from the trend that dominated the runways and the magazines.

The bohochic collection is a combination of semiprecious stones, leather, and fine metals. All pieces are made in Los Angeles and have been handmade since 2007. The looks are perfect for the upcoming festival season with Coachella, SXSW, Austin City Limits, Governor's Ball, and more.

Another breakout brand was Streets Ahead, Inc. Their collection included leather handbags and belts, along with gold and precious metals accessories.

Takeaway #2: The 70's are here to stay and other fashion trends
By now we all know that the biggest trend this season, and seemingly a few beyond, is the 70's. This was only reinforced during LA Fashion Market. Almost every brand from Louie Lucie, Beautiful Stories, Desigual, Alice's Pig, Traffic People, Darling, Naama Bezalel, Poppy Lux, Dex, Closet, Pit, and Sugar Hill, displayed the key trends to rock and stock your stores with this season:

• Leather

• Fringe

• Fur

• Long coats

• Military-inspired

• Denim everything

• Circular bags

• Nudes

• Wide-legged pants

• Statement accessories

• Wedges and platforms

• Vintage pieces

• Layered necklaces

• Crop tops

• Colored and mixed fabrications

• Floral prints

• Chunky sweaters

Takeaway #3: Take a few cues from the New York Fashion Trade Shows
New York is the It City for fashion, runway shows, trade shows, trendsetting, and setting the pulse for the fashion temperature around the world. Thus, it would make sense if LA Fashion Market took a few cues from New York to up their fashion game.

Cue #1: Create a buzz and conversation on social media: There were basically no hashtags, online check-ins, or online conversation around LA Fashion Market. In today's digital world, you have to create a community around your events to drive attendance, awareness, and sales.

Cue #2: Expand your horizons: LA Fashion Market is done on a much smaller level than New York's, but it needs to expand its horizons and incorporate a wider variety of brands, both well-established, emerging, and eco-friendly. The booths begin to blur because there is too much repetition of the same old brands that we see year and after year. LA Fashion Market needs to diversify the brands and booths that they feature.