Loss of Fashion

Sears seems to be experiencing some ambivalence about the future of its clothing departments. Just last March, after reporting its largest quarterly loss in almost a decade, the store announced its intention to discontinue clothing sales at a number of its stores. Customer interest, undoubtedly measured by sales, was focused on furnishings and appliances. That made sense to me. I’ve purchased appliances from Sears in the last decade, but my last clothing purchase was probably in the sixties. 

Now, I’m seeing commercials that promote Sears as the place to buy trendy fashions. Perhaps they are relying on the Kardashian influence. They certainly have a fan base. If there’s any truth to tabloid rumors of Kim’s pregnancy, it might become the place for trendy maternity wear!

J.C. Penney is another retailer, who is making changes in response to recent losses. They will be revamping their largest stores over the next three years to include a large number of boutiques within each store. They are also adding an additional 40,000 mannequins to their stores. The reason? According to Michael Fisher, Penney’s chief creative officer, women don’t know how to put an outfit together and prefer to copy mannequin ensembles. 

I’m no fashion guru, but I can select outfits without duplicating a mannequin. No one wants to attend a party and find someone else wearing the same dress. Imagine running into a hundred women in the same outfit – right down to the accessories! Anyone who uses that rubber stamp approach deserves to look like a dummy. Yeah, pun intended.