Baby boomer fashion has Saks and Bloomingdale’s in a spin
Leading US fashion store Bloomingdale’s is trying to attract the often difficult baby boomer women’s market by establishing a new boutique department called Quotation which will sell casual clothes to 35 to 50 plus professional women and urbane mums.
Big stores such as Bloomingdale’s have been keen to catch more of the mature market as women are getting older and clothing purchases by women over 35 have accounted for nearly half of the $A111 billion spent on women’s clothing in the US in the 12 months to 31 August.
But fashion experts admit there is a broad consumer problem for stores because purchasers range from traditional women who prefer flat shoes and ankle length skirts to women who want to resemble the characters from the hit TV series ‘Desperate Housewives’.
As Sue Rolontz, a fashion trend forecasting consultant, told The Australian newspaper: “I don’t know of any consumer group that crosses so many price ranges and designs”.
Bloomingdale’s has decided to sell styles which appeal to both mature women and 20 year olds in their new Quotation boutiques. They carry tunic sweaters as well as a corduroy knee-length jacket embroidered with colourful flowers. The retailer also decided to combine collections and merchandise different designers together rather than in separate display areas.
Rival fashion retailer Saks, whose average customer is 48, is using its marketing campaigns to highlight specific clothes trends that can be worn by women of all ages each season. But as Michael Fink, the women’s fashion director at Saks Fifth Avenue, said, it was still hard for older women to decide on what was ‘age appropriate’. “I am even overwhelmed when I go to the selling floor,” he said.