From HeraldNet.com
Published: Wednesday, June 16, 2004
Preppy look is back
Button up and slide into those boots, a new twist on the conservative look is coming this fall.
By Anne D'innocenzio
Associated Press
NEW YORK - The preppy look is back.
Clothing stores that cater to teenagers and young adults are stocking up for fall with tweeds and plaids that harken back to the late 1970s, and hoping they will appeal to a new generation of customers.
It's a big change after several years of selling low-rise jeans and other grungy or revealing clothes. Still, it's not a complete return to the past; the latest preppy incarnation includes clothes that are much more form-fitting than the fashions this young crowd's parents used to wear.
Polo shirts and cable knit and argyle-patterned sweaters are slimmer and in bright colors like tangerine, orange and hot pink. And tweed and plaid blazers are cropped and tight-fitting.
"This is new-age preppy," said Wendy Liebmann, president of WSL Strategic Retail, a consulting firm in New York.
Here are some looks for fall:
* Lacoste, one of the preppy icons in the late 1970s, has tighter-fitting polo shirts for men. The company slimmed down its women's polo shirts a few years ago and is now expanding to stretch buttoned-down shirts and adding jackets and coats for women.
* L.L. Bean Inc., whose trademark boots and canvas bags were part of the preppy uniform in the 1970s, came out with new twists on its original items, including slip-on boots and clogs over the past year, and has added new colors for fall.
* J. Crew Inc. is featuring corduroy pants in bright colors such as citrus pink and coral orange, and pairing them with pre-washed corduroy blazers.
* American Eagle Outfitters Inc. is expanding its selection of polo shirts and plaid blazers.
These styles are part of an overall return to more subdued fashions after an abundance of revealing clothes such as low-rise pants and midriff tops. Industry watchers believe the new styles are not a fad.
"You are looking at the beginning of another lifestyle shift, from bare it all to bare a little less," said Marshal Cohen, senior industry analyst at NPD Group Inc., a market research company in Port Washington, N.Y.
While low-slung pants are likely to remain popular, "kids started to feel uncomfortable. How much lower could (the waistlines) go?" he said.
Even teen clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch, Inc., whose catalogs have been criticized for young, scantily clad or nude models, has embraced a tamer approach.
Cohen believes kids are becoming more conservative than their parents. "Mom is still dressing like the 14-year-old, and kids are becoming more conservative," he said.
Many parents welcome the change.
"I am not a prude, but it has been distressing to see all those low-rise pants and belly tops out there. The clothes have been too revealing," said Rajean Blomquist of Dayton, Ohio, who has spent less on clothes for her children the past few years.
Blomquist expects to spend more this back-to-school season on the new styles.
One of her daughters, Emily Snow, 13, said she has stayed away from very low-rise pants, though her friends wear some of the more provocative clothing.
"Their style isn't my style," she said.
The fashion industry is hoping for a big improvement over 2003's disappointing back-to-school season, when apparel spending declined 2.8 percent to $39.5 billion from a year earlier, according to NPD. A pickup in sales since Jan. 1 is contributing to merchants' growing optimism.
"We're now back to icons. This is a much more broadly accepted fashion statement," said Joe Teklits, an analyst at Wachovia Securities.
Meanwhile, Abercrombie and Fitch and American Eagle, both of which stumbled during last year's back-to-school season, are counting on a much-improved fall, after enjoying a strong spring season.
"We're definitely on a roll," said Michael Leedy, chief marketing officer at American Eagle.
Associated Press
J. Crew's August catalog shows one of the tighter-fitting preppy styles that the retailer is offering for fall.
