Scenes From The Mall

By Jill Durham-Joslin, Contributing Editor
Sportscastís on-the-scene athletic/fashion watchdog hit malls from the Northeast to Texas, tracking the dress codes for the ever-hip teen.
My Sportscast editor sent me on a mission to uncover the fashion preferences of todayís mall-going crowd. And from Dallas/Ft. Worth to Boston, the still predominant 13- to 21-year-old mall goer is showing a penchant for the hot brandóoften from head to toeóas well as a wandering eye for the next wearable trend, whether it hails from the designer or athletic categories.
Following the national trend, Northeast area malls are crowded with more kids than adults on weekends. Bob, a high school student wearing Adidas wind pants, a plaid shirt, a non-branded barn type jacket and Airwalk shoes in one Boston-area mall pledged his current allegiance to what is undoubtedly the industryís hottest brand. "Adidas pants are comfortable and cool," says Bob. "Wind pant or the shiny warm up fabricóit doesnít matter."
Interestingly, malls a little further south and west are not as dominant with Adidas. Here, Nike, Fila and Reebok (its outlet store isnít too far away) fill out the mix of sport brands. In outerwear, performance fleece pullovers are the mainstay for girls, while guys are wearing barn style jackets in a melange of fabricationsófrom corduroy and brushed twill to cotton canvas.
Designer jackets are also holding their own. Nearly 50 percent of the guys had a designer jacket versus a sport brand. Surprisingly, Perry Ellis dominated that designer category in several malls. Mark, a college student, was wearing a Perry Ellis jacket because he "liked the style." He prefers designer labels more than sport brands for jackets but does have a Nike jacket that he wears a lot, also. But he is eyeing a Tommy jacket when it goes on sale. Why Tommy? "Because Tommy is cool."
Licensed jackets are rarely seen except on 6- to 10-year-olds. Licensed caps, however, are being sported by both sexes and at all ages, particularly college licensed. According to a source at Lids, knit hats sold out through the winter months, while bucket hats are the projected "rage" for spring. A well-prepared Lids has an entire wall devoted to plaid, striped and solid bucket hats. Arenít these the hats that your dad went fishing in?
Girlsí tops are little and strappy. Made of polyester or acrylic, stripes are preferred, and a plaid shirt is being worn over these strappy tops. The bell on the boot cut jean is getting bigger for spring. Platform shoes are becoming more popular for spring with boots selling less.
Giving the mall-based sporting goods store a run for its money is Abercrombie and Fitch, easily the busiest store among the teen hoardes. On one visit, there were more people crowded into this store than in an entire Federated department store. Both the sale merchandise and new merchandise was selling, with store lines beginning to look more and more like the sport brands, with the words "Sport" and "University" being married into the merchandising.
Down south in Texas, I paid a visit to the new Grapevine Mills Mall, which is being compared to the Mall of America although it takes on an outlet mall flavor. The mall is quite impressive with all of the entertainment features, from videos hanging from the ceilings to the whole architecture of the mall itself. I was feeling quite disillusioned, however, as there were very few 14- to 25 year olds walking the mall. I then came to a place called Gameworks. I entered into this maze of darkness and loud music to find it loaded with hundreds of kids playing any type of video or virtual reality game. From skateboarders to fisherman to Harley Davidson riders, they were looking cool and having a blast. A skateboarder that I talked to in between rides said he liked the surf brands like Mossimo. The shorts had to be baggy to accommodate all of his moves on the board.
The mall offers an array of sporting goods stores including Just For Feet, Athletic Attic, Foot Locker and The Sports Authority, although Just For Feet was the only one really doing any business during my visit. While warm-ups, wind pants and shorts were selling, Adidas, Nike and the new Air Jordan apparel were the only brands that had consumers buzzing. It was funny how there was very little licensed product being worn while the shops were stacked with inventory. And where was the Dallas Stars merchandise? How about playing the local card?
Timing is, of course, everything for the merchandising savvy mall operator. During the weekdays, moms with their kids dominate the mall (whether itís Boston or Dallas). Quite a few warm-ups are being worn by these moms, and theyíre not the promotional pieces that go for $40 either. They are Nike, Reebok, XSPA etc. But once Friday afternoon hits, the kids take over. And theyíre looking cool, too.
Jill Durham-Joslin heads up fashion consultancy Concept Connection, based in Boston. Her fashion-forward commentary appears regularly in the pages of Sportscast. (Retail)