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Office fashion falls behind boomer taste

Department store retailers struggle to please 35-to-54-year-olds.

Andrea Colby is on strike against the world of fashion.

The 37-year-old publicist has never been a big style risk taker, but even mainstream names like Jones New York and AnnTaylor- brands that she had been once loyal to - are becoming too staid for her.

"Their stuff is pretty run of the mill with nothing really striking me - too conservative," said the Albany, N.Y., resident. For a couple of years, she's been avoiding what she sees as too many suited, matchy-match looks.

Across the nation, women older than 35 are increasingly rebelling against the suits and head-to-toe dressing of traditional department store labels like Liz Claiborne, Jones New York and the old-guard mall stores like Talbots and AnnTaylor. That's put sales of traditional women's fashions in a rut that has deepened over the past year, and companies have announced reduced profit outlooks, missed sales targets and dramatic restructuring.

Liz Claiborne Inc. is focusing on fewer but more powerful brands like Juicy Couture, maker of the much-copied sweatsuits with "Juicy" printed across the rear. Apparelmaker VF Corp. is chasing after the customer who will spend $200 on a pair of jeans with its acquisition of Seven for All Mankind LLC.

Talbots Inc. is redoing its fashions into styles new president and CEO Trudy Sullivan even calls "sexy." And AnnTaylor Stores Inc., struggling with sluggish business, is set to open a store concept next fall aimed at the modern baby boomer.

At Lord & Taylor, which is owned by NRDC Equity Partners, a dramatic cleanup has taken place. Traditional sportswear accounts for 40 percent of its business, down from 90 percent in 2000, and it's dropping fast, says Jane Elfers, president and CEO. It's been replaced in part by a new "modern" department, which features cropped jackets with shorter sleeves, jumpers paired with leggings and A-line dresses.

With 65 percent of the $106-billion women's apparel business catering to the 35-to-54 age group, analysts say the industry needs to be concerned.

"If (they) don't get mom excited, she is not buying anything else in the store," said Marshal Cohen, chief analyst at NPD Group Inc.

It seems, however, that women's apparel sellers just can't get it right. Over the past 12 months, new concepts catering to boomers have shut down. Gap Inc. shuttered Forth & Towne, while children's retailer Gymboree shut down Janeville, which sold casual clothing to boomers.

Analysts blame sluggishness on a number of factors - shoppers' penchant for trendier items that can be mixed with other labels and increased competition from brands like Juicy Couture and chains such as Spanish cheap chic retailer Zara and Los Angeles' Forever21. The chains do a good job of attracting moms and daughters with designer knockoffs, refreshed frequently.

Analysts and company executives blame the fashion funk on higher energy costs and a slumping housing market. The economy is squeezing shoppers like Colby, who are more vulnerable than the true designer shopper, says Cohen.

Colby says she won't spend any more than $100 for a suit; most of the time, she buys it on sale. What little she buys to spice up her professional outfits, she's getting at Kohl's Inc., particularly the Daisy Fuentes line and its teen department. On a recent work day, she wore a green sweater with snakeskin trim, paired with black pants.

"There's no question we're in the middle of a very difficult environment at retail, with declining traffic and consumer concern impacting business across the industry," William McComb, president and CEO of Liz Claiborne, told investors last month when the company reduced its profit outlook.

Analysts don't see signs of a turnaround in the women's apparel sector in time for the holiday season.

"I do think the entire market is suffering. It seems to have metastasized" from specialty store chains to wholesale companies, said Lazard Capital Markets analyst Todd Slater.

Among the mall-based store chains, Talbots expects a loss in the second half because of weak sales. Sullivan told investors last month the sales funk has been in part because of Talbots' failure to change with customers' tastes.

Much of the intense soul searching about boomers has come from retailers, which are pushing manufacturers to change.

The new strategy reflects the new mindset of women older than 35, who don't want to feel like they're aging, say the retailers.

"People are feeling younger," Elfers said. "They're feeling a lot better about themselves."

[Last modified November 16, 2007, 01:05:23]