Take Two translates the day’s headlines for Southern California, making sense of the news and cultural events that affect our lives. Produced by Southern California Public Radio and broadcast from October 2012 – June 2021. Hosted by A Martinez.
SoCal fashion may always be in style, but some dour duds in stores are putting a damper on major retailers.
"Retailers were definitely NOT cracking open the champagne and tossing confetti after the most recent quarter," says Michelle Dalton Tyree of Fashion Trends Daily.
Sales at Abercrombie were down 4 percent from the year before, and revenue at Express dropped 6 percent, too.
"What does these stores have in common? They're at the mall," says Tyree.
Mall traffic has been heading downward, with people spending more of their money on travel, homes and big experiences.
When shoppers go out to get new clothes, they are heading towards lifestyle centers – which are like malls but open-air and more upscale, such as The Grove.
"These malls are focusing heavily on bringing in dining and entertainment to court a fatigued consumer," says Tyree, "and let us not forget that little thing we talk about frequently on The Styled Side: fast fashion.
Retailers like H&M and TopShop are turning out trendy merchandise at affordable prices in rapid fashion. They have been giving other retailers a big headache by taking a bite out of the teen market.
Not to mention that people just don't like the clothes at retail stalwarts like J. Crew.
"J. Crew recently had both fit problems and style issues with their latest lines," says Tyree, "and Banana Republic tried to deliver more fashionable pieces to woman, but turns out women just counted on them for office wear and everyday basics."