By Anna Rice, News Staff

Over the past few weeks, fashion designers unveiled their 2010 resort collections to buyers and editors. In light of the current recession, many chose to branch out and offer more than the traditional vacation wear of past seasons.
‘Resort clothing is starting to look like everything else,’ said Jamall Oluokun, managing director of Boston-based Couturium.com, a fashion resource website. ‘It needs to be a piece that someone can wear again.’
It’s unlikely that Boston-based designers would create a resort collection, Oluokun said, because they don’t have enough resources to create three collections a year like bigger designers based in New York or Paris do.
However, many fashion professionals still feel Boston is a viable market for resort. Daniela Zeltzer, marketing manager at XCVI, a California-based clothing brand which is sold at Betsy Jenney on Newbury Street, thinks the brand does well because it’s popular among college students.
‘[Our resort pieces] are not dressy enough to go to work in, but they are comfortable enough to wear to class and for hanging out with friends,’ Zeltzer said.
Stacey Bendet, owner and designer of Alice + Olivia, a brand sold at high-end retailers such as Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue, said she still designed her resort line with tropical destinations in mind but incorporated a bit of edginess and toughness as well.
‘I tried to design pieces that could look just as chic being worn in Boston or New York in January as they would on a tropical vacation,’ Bendet explained. ‘There is more versatility to the line than in previous collections.’
In Boston, consumers often view resort collections with mixed reactions. Allison Levangie, owner of the boutique Casa di Stile on Hanover Street in the North End, said she carries few resort pieces because the winters in New England are so long and cold.
‘It just doesn’t make sense to bring in resort wear that early,’ she said.
However, Casa di Stile will carry a few resort pieces from brands such as Madison Marcus and Rory Beca to accommodate customers who plan to travel, she said.
Tina Burgos, co-owner of Stel’s on Newbury Street, has a different perspective. A lot of her clients go away in the winter, and it’s not easy for them to find warm-weather pieces besides those from resort, she said. Stel’s will carry resort collections from several brands, including Alexander Wang, Society for Rational Dress and Steven Alan.
By November or December, customers are just excited to find something new in stores, Burgos said.
‘Typically resort is a precursor to spring/summer,’ she said. ‘It gives consumers a glimpse as to what’s coming.’
2010 resort collections will also feature many of the ’80s-inspired trends that are popular among college students already, such as oversized tops with jeans or leggings, defined shoulder lines, and masculine pieces with feminine details, Zeltzer said.
While many fashion designers have edited their 2010 resort collections in light of the current economic recession, just as many have kept the focus entirely on warm-weather vacation wear. One such brand is Cake, sold at Crush Boutique on Charles Street in Beacon Hill and Looc on Union Park Street in the South End. Designer Stephanie Larrowe said the line will focus on flowing silhouettes, vintage-inspired prints, bright colors and embroidered tunics.
‘There’s still that higher-end customer that goes away,’ Larrowe said. ‘I think it’s still a valid, small niche.’