Retailers applauded efforts by contemporary brands to fight off fierce competition from fast-fashion chains by increasing their use of fabrics such as cottons and linens.

"Today brands are focusing on an easy-to-wear style that is approximately 40 percent more expensive than Zara, adding more quality, personality and cachet in an attempt to build brand awareness," Charbit added. He noted that loose T-shirts, some very short, worn over wide-leg, Jane Birkin-like jeans; lengthy bohemian dresses; blazers, and T-shirt dresses would be next summer's look du jour.

While not as voluminous as previous seasons, loose-fitting dresses as well as lightweight pants and jodhpurs were also surfacing as an alternative to denim for the summer, according to retailers.

Meanwhile, exhibit­ors reported good business overall, despite a low turnout of Americans.

"There are hardly any Americans," said Laetitia Ivanez, who designs the French contemporary Les Prairies de Paris line, which she presented at Who's Next. Ivanez disclosed she would make her Paris runway debut in October 2008 and noted an online shopping site was also in the works.

Also at Who's Next, Paris-based American Retro continued to expand its reach, adding more fashion categories to its offering such as "Cocktail Hour" for dresses and "Garden Party" for sporty-chic styles. "We increased our sales over last year," said David Pariente, president of American Retro and Zoë Tee's, its budding T-shirt and dress label made from ultrafine jerseys for around 35 euros, or $48.60, at wholesale. Pariente said he would add organic cotton T-shirts to the Zoë Tee's line.

Pariente also unveiled a denim label, dubbed My Lovely Jean. The denim line, which retails for 150 euros, or $208, boasts a selection of high-waist, wide-leg denim with a Woodstock feel. "We believe timely fashion denim, such as wide-leg jeans, is crucial to a collection, but women are replacing the basic denim styles with dresses and pants," he said.

At Copenhagen-based Munthe Plus Simonsen, summer dresses in soft tones for 96 euros, or $133.25, at wholesale dominated the collection with punctuations of vivid greens and feminine prints. "The dress, especially white, with a slightly elongated silhouette is becoming a standard and proving to be a good alternative to classic denim styles," said Anoushka Gresvig Mac-Crohon, co-owner of Paris-based D Collection Showroom, an agent for the brand in France.