Sure, we’ve broken down Spring’s top trends, from ready-to-wear to accessories, but no season wrap-up is complete without consulting one of the industry’s strongest constituencies: the buyers. Tasked with digesting dozens upon dozens of collections and anticipating what will win their clientele’s hearts (and wallets), theirs is a perspective rooted in both commerce and covetability. We’ve caught up with five top international buyers—from established luxury behemoths like Barneys to SHOWstudio’s ultra-directional boutique, Machine-A—to get their takes onSpring ’16. Read on below—and start socking away money for that Vetements hoodie now.

Tomoko Ogura, senior fashion director, Barneys New York

What was your impression of the mood of the runways this season?

The mood varied from city to city, but was particularly invigorating in New Yorkthis season. There are so many established and emerging designers showing both on and off the runway to attribute this dynamic energy to. With the back-to-back show schedule, it’s nice to take a breath and absorb the collections in the showrooms where we feel the excitement [of] seeing and touching everything up close.

What collections were you most excited by?

Altuzarra, Simon Miller, Warm, Céline, and Valentino.

What do you think shoppers are looking for right now?

With a breadth of choices readily available to them, shoppers are looking for something truly unique and differentiated, a reason to buy something new. At Barneys our customers are constantly looking for those pieces that you can only get at Barneys. Limited exposure is compelling. Whether through luxurious fabrics, beautiful construction, or the artisanal craftsmanship, they are drawn to things that feel special. In addition, customers are connecting with collections and brands that extend beyond the RTW space and exude an all-encompassing lifestyle, including music, art, attitude, et cetera.

What pieces do you think will be Spring’s runaway hits?

Céline’s slip dresses, the Simon Miller Bonsai bag, the Off-White denim jacket with organza inset, and Altuzarra’s burnished leather shoulder bag with fringe pompoms.

What was your impression of the mood of the runways this season?

Key trends for me included citrus colors, ruffles, frills and bows, and bare shoulders or midriffs. There were also sequins and shine across the runways, most notably at Lanvin, Vetements, Gucci, Marc Jacobs, Saint Laurent, and Sonia Rykiel. At the opposite end of the spectrum is the trend we are calling “nomadic traveler,” as designers took inspiration from across the globe, from India to Africa to Spain to Japan. We saw pompoms, crochet, macramé, tie-dye, fringing, and flower appliqués—Valentino, Tomas Maier, Chloé, and Sophie Theallet all showcased this trend perfectly.

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What collections were you most excited by?

I absolutely loved Vetements—probably one of my favorite brands right now. TheFall ’15 collection is performing incredibly well for us, and this show had a real buzz and energy about it. Also excited to see what Demna [Gvasalia] does atBalenciaga now that he has been announced as the new artistic director. Altuzarra continues to create beautiful clothes that women want to wear; I loved his line of accessories, too, especially the shoes. In London I really enjoyed the Jonathan Saunders show—I thought the colors and prints were gorgeous. I thought Thomas Tait’s collection was a real step up. Chloé was another favorite—it was ’90s nostalgia melded with a sports-hippie sensibility. One of my fave looks was the rainbow maxi dress.

Sarah Andelman, creative director, Colette

What was your impression of the mood of the runways this season?

I would say an optimistic, floral retro mood.

What collections were you most excited by?

Gucci and Vetements, of course, [as well as] Coach, J.W.Anderson, and Sacai.

What do you think shoppers are looking for right now?

Timeless, vintage-inspired, strong styles like the Anja [Rubik] print pieces atAnthony Vaccarello, the Araki Polaroids from Olympia Le-Tan, or Simone Rocha’s kimono flower fabric—these [styles] are unique.

What pieces do you think will be Spring’s runaway hits?

Courrèges’s black vinyl jackets, skirts, and bags; the Mira Mikati x KAWS jacket; and the Off-White x Grateful Dead T-shirts.

Stavros Karelis, founder and buying director, Machine-A

What was your impression of the mood of the runways this season?

The way that I see it, most of the brands play it safe. [Spring] wasn’t a very big surprise. I think it was a very organic progression from what we saw in the [Fall] collections. Everyone is talking about Vetements, and you see that styling is a very strong idea lately in the collections, of editing the clothes and putting them together. I think it’s important to have a commercial side; designers today have to analyze so much different data, to satisfy so many different kinds of customers, different stockists . . .

What collections were you most excited by?

Louis Vuitton was a beautiful collection. I’m a huge, huge fan of Raf Simons, and I think what he did for Dior was really amazing. Gucci was amazing, and this season I really loved Miu Miu. For smaller brands, Alyx—they have managed to do so much in two seasons with no shows or presentations. Telfar, I’m obsessed with, and it’s really picking up in London as well. In London overall it was the season of presentations—the focus wasn’t so much on the catwalks.

What do you think shoppers are looking for right now?

I think customers are really aware of fashion these days. They’re very aware of brands, the latest trends, the key items of the season—they create them, to be honest, because of the power of social media, and how quickly the message is communicated from the catwalk to social media to each customer. Because of that, they love to go for the more exclusive pieces. At least for our customer, they really know their fashion.

What pieces do you think will be Spring’s runaway hits?

Louis Vuitton’s coats with the [monograms] and the leather I think will be a hit. Miu Miu, there are so many pieces. To just dissect the collection and you see every item. Vetements is going to have a really, really strong season, I think, mainly with shoes, but also hoodies, jumpers. Of course Gucci—my attention was paid to some suits that the men were wearing.

Silvano Vangi, head womenswear buyer, Luisa Via Roma

What was your impression of the mood of the runways this season?

There’s been a real change in colors. Valentino and Balmain, for example, used a lot of brown and tan, colors that are very nice for summer. It’s really summery in a modern way.

What collections were you most excited by?

Balmain, for us, is a very strong collection. For five years it is always the best seller! And I really liked Chloé this season; it’s really soft daywear. I like the idea of the beautiful rainbow dresses that you wear with the flat shoes, and all the crocheted white dresses are really beautiful.

What do you think shoppers are looking for right now?

In the summer, they’re looking for something that is for the day, but in a luxury way. It’s the most difficult thing to find, because to make something [for] evening—really important, really impressive—it’s not easy to do, but to do daywear in a really beautiful, [elegant] way, it’s complicated. Chloé, for example, is one of the [brands] that does it the right way.

What pieces do you think will be Spring’s runaway hits?

Something that I think will really sell well is the crop top, with high-waisted trousers, high-waisted skirts. Accessories are very strong, especially the little shoulder bags at Saint Laurent that take the place of the clutch.

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