Teens and Tweens Spring into the Latest Styles
Released: 03/21/03
Media Contact: Andy Perez or Bonnie Pear
Miller-Pear Public Relations
(312) 649-0466 or info@millerpear.com
Schaumburg, Ill. (March 21, 2003) Teenagers are often a mass of contradiction and that adage holds true for the new spring looks offered by the dozens of juniors stores at Woodfield. Teens and their younger siblings, tweens (ages 8 to 12) are showing off more sophisticated styles this season but have their tongues planted firmly in cheek with novelty tops and accessories.
The merchants of Woodfield predict that teens from Alsip to Zion will flip over new styles featuring ethnic influences, frills and lace, cargo pants, toned down denim washes, limited embellishments, stripes, novelty tops, miniskirts and country club chic.
"Teens are perhaps the savviest consumers ever," says Marc Strich, general manager of Woodfield. "This generation of shoppers has an unquenchable thirst for newness explained by the simplest of cause and effect theories. Most people aged 13 to 19 are growing physically and socially, and that means they have to replace clothing more frequently than their elders because of size and style."
Not only do the numbers show they need to shop -- teens spent $13 billion last year on fashion. They obviously like it too. Cotton Incorporated's Lifestyle Monitor recently polled 4,000 shoppers ages 16 to 55, and found 40% of women ages 16 to 19 said they "love" shopping. Sixteen percent of all aged 20 to 55 agreed. Females ages 16 to 19 shop on average 2.7 times a month compared with 1.7 times for shoppers ages 20 to 55. A "nice selection" of merchandise was the first factor in deciding whether to make a purchase for 49% of teen girls. Thirty-three percent also claimed to spend $51 to $100 a month on clothing.
The sophistication of the peasant blouse begins this season with refined color options of white or bright colors as well as one exaggerated detail such as a thick ribbon woven throughout the blouse or embroidery. Ethnic variations such as Quiksilver Boardriders' Spanish influenced peasant top breathe new life into this strong selling item. Teens will also be seen in more dresses this spring which will feature asymmetrical ruffle hems, flutter sleeves, touches of lace at the hem or neckline and floral prints everywhere. Little girls will shine in stylish halter dresses with flared hems in pink and blue pastels from The Children's Place. Flower patterns adorn not only dresses but also skirts, jeans and tops.
The standout look this spring presents an Asian influence in tops, skirts and dresses. The Calandra top from delia*s features an Asian floral-print with red piping detail at the Mandarin collar and cropped sleeves. Torrid, a new retailer specializing in sizes 14 to 26, is offering the Geisha skirt and top in a Chinese red with details of dragons and flowers. Tweens get in the act too with floral designs and satin detail in tops at Zutopia.
Toned-down washes lead the pack following several seasons of aggressive washing and sanding. Large belt loops and zippers will also be prominent. Delia*s' capris, available in spandex mixed with denim or twill will show off a wide waist look. Adjustable-rise jeans from Gadzooks also add dramatic flair with bungee draw strings around the waist to adjust the rise of the waistband.
The denim evolution doesn't end there. Designers have dismissed the baggy look on boys, long a staple on the courts and in classrooms. A straight leg fit is offered by retailers from teen staples Anchor Blue and Mr. Rags to tween merchant Quiksilver Youth.
Cargo pants bring a clean utilitarian look into the spotlight for girls and boys. In the military colors of khaki, green and gray, cargo pants are flexible items to dress up or down by matching with any style top. A variety of features from drawstring waists to zip-off leg options at the knee will be popular with kids while parents will love the neater look as microfiber replaces cotton as the material of choice at retailers like Quiksilver Youth.
Belts are being replaced for girls of all ages this season, as scarves are tied at the waist to drape dramatically down the leg. Zutopia, a fashion-forward retailer devoted to girls ages 5 to 12, pairs rainbow scarf wraps with jeans or cargo pants as an alternative to a belt. A variety of belt options such as sarongs folded and tied to the waist and macrami belts are available at many stores including Zutopia, delia*s, mishmash and Club Libby Lu.
Pairing of solids with stripes in a Punk style is what girls want now. Popularized by teen pop sensation Avril Lavigne who calls her fashion sense "skater/punk," solid tops are paired with a striped tie or vice versa. The tops are fitted take-offs of traditional menswear shirts to give a less boxy, more feminine look. The ties are short reaching to mid-stomach. Zutopia offers pinstripe tops in pink, black, red and white with a solid black tie or a solid colored top with a striped black and white top. Pair the tops with denims or cuffed cargos for a complete look.
Vintage screened t-shirts will be the rage for guys and girls as the weather warms up. Hot Topic has introduced a retro line of tees with photos and dialogue from 80s teen classic films "Sixteen Candles" and "The Breakfast Club." Images of everything from 1930s cartoon character Popeye to pop culture items like the board game Twister are popular. Hot Los Angeles designer Paul Frank brings Julius the monkey, the hip cousin of Curious George, to tees and hoodies at Marshall Field's and delia*s.
Shorter skirts are back and economists are breathing a sigh of relief. A national online poll conducted by Taubman Centers, Inc., manager of the center and owner/managers of centers nationwide found 48% of all shoppers predicting that skirts would become shorter this year. The projection relies on a quirky -- yet historically accurate -- forecasting tool, better known as the "hemline indicator," that says hemlines go up when the economy improves.
Gadzooks, a high-energy specialty retailer of casual clothing and accessories for teenagers is one of the many retailers featuring mini-skirts in black, tan, baby blue and white this season.
Surf-inspired clothing continues to be wildly popular among Midwest teens despite the lack of an ocean or significant waves. Merchants like Quiksilver Boardriders and Pac Sun Wear sell clean cut, surf and swim designed apparel for every teen to be worn anywhere. Polo shirts in earth tones such as khaki and brown and bright spring colors like orange, green and yellow along with stripes will spring into wardrobes in the coming weeks. Tween boys will look suave in baby blue, mint green or yellow polos paired with a vest from The Children's Place.
Other Woodfield retailers that cater to or carry teen and tween fashions include Abercrombie & Fitch, abercrombie, Aeropostale, American Eagle Outfitters, Arden B., Banana Republic, bebe, Charlotte Russe, Claire's Accessories, Eddie Bauer, Express, Express Men, The Gap, Gap Kids, Guess?, Hollister & Co., The Icing, J. Crew, JC Penney, Jessica McClintock, Jordan Marie, The Limited, Limited Too, Lord & Taylor, Lucky Brand, Marshall Field's, Nordstrom, Redz, Sears, Wet Seal and XXI Forever.
A survey recently conducted by Women's Wear Daily of shopping mall executives across the nation on their picks of the 10 best new retail concepts of the past two years. Woodfield is home to six of these selected retailers including Hollister & Co. (cutting edge teen fashion), Club Libby Lu (tween girl power), mishmash (young women's apparel and beauty), aura science (skin care and cosmetics) and Adrienne Vittandini (women's designer apparel and accessories). Club Libby Lu and aura science debuted their stores at Woodfield.
Woodfield is the premiere one-stop shopping experience in the Chicago area with nearly 300 of the world's favorite retailers including dozens that can't be found anywhere else in the Midwest. Located at Route 53 and Golf Road in Schaumburg, 25-miles from downtown Chicago, Woodfield welcomes 28 million visitors annually and is the top tourist destination in Illinois. Anchor stores include Nordstrom, Marshall Field's, Sears, JC Penney and Lord & Taylor. Coming soon to the center will be the first Midwest opening of H&M, the Swedish clothing retailer that brings fashion from the runways to the racks at warp speeds and Rampage, a trendy young women's apparel boutique. Joining the more than 25 restaurants is the newly opened Todai Seafood Buffet, an upscale yet affordable Japanese all-you-can-eat buffet.
Shopping hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. For more information on stores and center amenities, call (847) 330-1537 or visit Woodfield's user-friendly Web site, www.shopwoodfield.com. Shopwoodfield.com features an online gift guide, downloadable coupons and a free, customized weekly e-bulletin roundup of sales, special promotions and just-arrived merchandise.