My prints have come

SINGAPORE — Spring-summer 2011 is a mishmash of trends: ’50s floral and fruit prints are back, but so is ’70s disco glitz. All-white apparel is in, but so are bright blocks of color. How to make sense of it all?

One British high-street brand not only specializes in fast fashion (from the catwalks to your closet in about six weeks), it also translates runway trends into flattering, wearable looks that — get this — women of all ages and sizes can afford.

Dorothy Perkins (DP), the 90-year-old fashion brand named after a rose, recently launched its SS 2011 collection in Singapore, and it was a pretty mix of trends made accessible for young working women and busy moms. Better yet, even curvy women can get in on runway chic (stores here carry from size 6 to 20). Best of all, you get quality and fit at reasonable prices.

“We’re not about cheap, it’s more about value for money,” says Charlotte Pettican, Dorothy Perkins’ buying director, who notes that their pieces have a level of embellishment and attention to detail that makes whatever they cost worth it.

The top trends this season are color blocking, minimalism, and the return of the ’50s and ’70s, which DP has tweaked and made modern and “mass-pirational” for their core customers, 25- to 35-year-old “style adaptors” who want to be fashionable but not too forward, cutting-edge or quirky.

“Our customers love fashion, are inspired by celebrity and want feminine, flattering clothes with attention to detail,” observes Malcolm Storey, Dorothy Perkins’ managing director. “DP provides wardrobe solutions to women intimidated by fashion, which, face it, is all of us. We make fashion make sense.”

Consequently, at Dorothy Perkins you’ll find everything from casual to formal wear, denim, essential jersey pieces and really cool shoes and accessories that you can use to turn any daytime ensemble night-worthy.

Since the typical DP customer is a real woman who isn’t super-confident about her body, the clothes are thoughtfully designed to hide common flaws.

“Or as we call them, ‘tums and bums,’” laughs Pettican. “We do sell a lot of longer-line tops so they cover those, but it’s also about sleeve lengths. We sell a lot of sleeveless but we also try to offer a lot of shrugs, throw-on little jackets, and cardigans to cover up arms. We don’t make our product too close-fitting; generally we make our cuts skim the body so they’re a lot more flattering.”

It’s interesting to note that they fit everything on a size-12 model first, make sure it fits, then go smaller or larger from there.

“Customers expect things a lot faster now than ever before so each month we bring in the new story,” continues Pettican. “She’s not prepared to wait six months for it to get into the stores, she wants to wear that new product immediately, so we go to the catwalks and pick out what’s relevant for her.”

Aside from runway shows, DP’s design team gets its inspiration by scouring the globe. On a daily basis they also look at fashion bloggers, street style, magazines, movies and TV programs.

“We’re constantly looking at things that are going to be happening in the future that we think will influence fashion on the high street,” says Claire Pinckney, Dorothy Perkins’ design manager.

Though Dorothy Perkins wasn’t named after a woman but a rose, the brand has a reputable history dating back to 1909 and a recognizable name on the high street.

At present Philip Green’s Arcadia Group, whose brands include Topshop and Topman, owns Dorothy Perkins. (Green is the man who got Kate Moss to design for Topshop.) DP currently has 750 stores around the world, with 650 in the UK (the largest one is on London’s Oxford Street). Southeast Asia is their largest international region, with Singapore their biggest market within the region.

In 2004 Robinsons Specialty Stores, Inc. (RSSI) brought Dorothy Perkins to the Philippines, opening the first store in Robinsons Galleria. Today there are seven branches — the largest of which is in Power Plant Mall — and this year RSSI plans to open two more, in Eastwood and Ayala Mall Davao.

“Topshop was the first one that came in 2001,” says Robina Gokongwei-Pe, president and chief operating officer of the Robinsons Retail Group, “then the next brand that we knew would sell was Dorothy Perkins because it was less trendy but still wearable.”

Based on DP Philippines’ weekly feedback, Dorothy Perkins UK delivers the merchandise, sending over new products every week.

Carmina Quizon, general manager, Robinsons Specialty Stores, Inc.; Hope Tang, VP for Merchandising, Robinsons Department Store; Robina Gokongwei-Pe, president and chief operating officer, Robinsons Retail Group; Sharon Ugot, group brand manager, RSSI; and Teresa David, marketing services manager, RSSI

“We have a bigger petite range for women who are 5’3” and below, so it’s perfect for Asian women,” says Carmina Quizon, general manager of RSSI. “When you buy pants or long-sleeved tops you don’t need to have it altered.”

In addition to extending their popular petite range, DP UK re-launched their denim to create a destination area in-store. More and more, exclusivity is becoming key: DP has invested in original artworks and last year held a competition to create an exclusive print.

In the next two years DP plans to open 150 more stores internationally to triple sales. E-commerce is a key growth area, with about one million customers shopping 4,000 options on DorothyPerkins.com, which ships to 100 countries.

A rose by any other name should bloom so sweet.