Red Hot Holidays!

What's in, what's out? What's new, what's not? Trying to stay on top of the trends is a constant challenge that all retailers face when making buying decisions. Even seasonal product is not immune to the whims of fashion. Although tree skirt hemlines don't go up and down like their counterparts on the runways, popular color palettes change annually. One year, jewel tones are in fashion; the next year, it's pastels … or metallics, or … ?

So what's a retailer to do to maximize holiday open-to-buy; to be on-trend, yet festive; and, most important of all, to have good sell-through? Your best bet is to focus on the tried-and-true. Certainly, current trends and color stories can't be ignored, and retailers need to keep their merchandise mix looking up-to-date. But when it comes to the holidays, there's one color that's always the story, and never dated. That color is red.

Red is … Santa's suit. Red is … Rudolph's nose. Red is … holly berries and poinsettias and candy canes. Red says Christmas. It is bright. It is festive. It is an eye-catcher. And you can build all sorts of seasonal stories around it.

Here are some of the ways American Floral Industry Association (AFIA) Holiday Expo exhibitors (showcased at the Dallas Market Center) are seeing red for the coming holiday season.