THE CONSUMER: Buy Now and Hoard

The dilemma of seasonal styles in a land without seasons

Anne Kellogg



Trend Spotting



Ahh, August in Las Vegas, a seemingly blissful time when all the great spring stuff you've coveted finally goes on sale to make room for fall's warmer wares. Of course, we won't need long sleeves or anything wool for at least another two months.


It doesn't matter that wearing leather is the last thought our Las Vegas minds can handle right now—we're too busy melting. But stores don't care. We live on the global retail calendar, the one with real seasons, so we become totally confused shoppers. Do you buy spring on sale? You can still wear it well into October. Do you buy fall now and store it? What if they run out of that sweater? That is a great sweater. There needs to be a reason to wear a sweater. We won't see cooler temperatures for many, many more days. The sweater doesn't make sense right now. Why can't we have four seasons like normal cities? This is the Fall Factor, and it is a form of torture.


So, do you buy the best fall stuff now or wait until you need it? It's your call. But if you think that great sweater will last three months on the shelves in Las Vegas, where it will be shopped by your 1.7 million neighbors and several million tourists, good luck.




The Review



All this back-to-school shopping just adds to the Fall Factor. Even if you're nowhere near a school, the very thought of going back there says autumn.


Fight back. Get your endless summer teenage trend on at Tilly's, a surfwear-inspired company out of Southern California that just opened two locations here: Boca Park and the Galleria at Sunset. This industrial-style shop created an empire around selling the teenage beach set's favorites. Look for casual clothing and cool accessories from Quicksilver, Vans and Dickies alongside Billabong, Roxy, Hurley and Skin Industries. It also has a strong selection of Paul Frank Industries.



Boca Park, 932-0148; The Galleria at Sunset, 454-1275




Splurge



Yes, Paul Frank's Julius Monkey image quickly became a counterculture classic when it hit the shelves three years ago, but we like the Scurvy skull and crossbones more. It's still oddly upbeat and cheeky, but it's more obscure. Tilly's sells the Paul Frank Scurvy T-shirt and a whole slew of other Scurvy accessories.



Paul Frank Scurvy T-shirt $21.

  • Get More Stories from Thu, Aug 12, 2004
Top of Story