LOS ANGELES — Teenage girls born in the Nineties will get a taste of the Eighties this fall, judging by back-to-school orders from Federated Department Stores, Kohl’s, Ross Stores and other retailers at the Los Angeles Majors Market trade show that ran April 3 to 5.
Retail buyers and apparel manufacturers sought trends to replace the peasant skirt that formed the foundation for last year’s b-t-s uniform.
Discoveries included “frock tops” that are shorter than dresses but longer than tunics, leggings that can be worn with the frock tops and help carry sales of miniskirts into chilly weather, and skinny-leg jeans that ruled last month’s contemporary trade show even though they are unproven in the junior sector, where boot-cut varieties dominate.
Gray was the new black; shades of charcoal, heather and other sedate hues colored everything from jeans to fleece.
Veronica Valencia and Carol Kwong, junior buyers for Ross, in Pleasanton, Calif., said striped tops, hoodies and frock tops led their b-t-s shopping list. “We’ve liked tops at Miss Chievous and Miken,” Valencia said.
Jyl Marazon, a buyer for Too Inc.’s tween chain, Justice, in Columbus, Ohio, picked up trends for stripes and longer lengths of tops with banded bottoms and elbow-length sleeves. “We work on translating [trends] down to our girl [who is 7 to 14 years old],” Marazon said.
Adrienne Conradson, assistant buyer for junior activewear at Kohl’s in Menomonee Falls, Wis., searched for T-shirts that raised the bar with foil prints, burnout treatments and varied washes. One style that caught her eye at Jerry Leigh Inc.’s showroom was a twofer consisting of a short-sleeve T-shirt enhanced with sleeves made of thermal fabric. “I love the thermal,” Conradson said. “That will be a big thing for us for fall.”
Thermal tops printed with horses and bunnies were popular at Younique Clothing, which paired the fitted knits with floor-length skirts available in denim or twill.
While denim makes up a big chunk of b-t-s sales, alternative fabrics, including twill, stretch canvas and corduroy, have momentum.
Michael Godigian, a vice president at YMI, said the Los Angeles manufacturer responded by increasing the representation of nondenim pieces in its line to 40 percent from 20 percent a year ago.
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Still, denim is a mainstay for companies and the skinny style is like manna from heaven. “It’s a revival of the denim business,” said Moshe Tsabag, chief executive officer of Hot Kiss, here, adding that half of his denim orders were for skinny models.
Other than denim, Michael Aguirre, vice president and design director at Hot Kiss, said the company offered better fabrics, including jacquard, and more sophisticated styling, as seen in the back pleats of a fitted tweed blazer. Describing the Hot Kiss customer, he said, “She’s got so much casual. She tends to get dressier.”
A clutch of established apparel companies launched new lines. New York’s Heatherette introduced its new junior collection, which will begin shipping to 75 stores in the Federated chain and some 25 better specialty stores in June. Hampshire Designers Inc., of Anderson, S.C., showed Babe & Co., and its thin sweaters in solid colors were ordered by Federated and Dillard’s. Bongo, a 26-year-old junior denim brand that ships to moderate department stores such as Sears, Roebuck and J.C. Penney, offered Unzipped, a better jeans line that is enhanced with leather trim, among other details, and wholesales for about twice as much as Bongo.
To boost sales in the face of new competitors, Tyte Jeans, based in Commerce, Calif., will launch its first advertising campaign, budgeted at $1.5 million, in June issues of Seventeen, Cosmo Girl, Teen People and three other magazines.
One hit was the frock top, which has been described as a short dress or a long tunic. “With the success of dresses right now in retail, [the frock top] makes sense,” said Chance Owen, president of Miss Chievous, here, adding that retailers Forever 21, Charlotte Russe and Wet Seal have ordered the item.
The company varies the look of the frock top, which falls to mid-thigh, with lace overlays, foil screen prints and braided belts, but the most popular model was a double-layer top with a scoop neck and shark-bite hemline. “It’s almost like the bohemian skirt from last year,” he said. “It crosses over from young junior to missy.”
HOT TRENDS:
- Ruffles and high collars add a touch of romance to button-down shirts and jackets, often available in crisp cotton or rich velvet. Skinny dark jeans and trousers complete the dramatic look.
- Oversize knit tops in somber hues of gray and black are layered over skimpy tank tops and leggings.
- Horizontal stripes were on everything from varsity sweaters falling to mid-thigh and raw-edged sweatshirts with gaping neckholes.
- Denim overalls and mini jumpers, often in a slimmer and more flattering silhouette than the classic versions.