When consumer spending was in overdrive, retailers could sell to the masses and ignore the more muted voices asking for, say, a decent supply of sleeved shirts or prom dresses that show more fabric than skin.
Now, however, it’s the rare retailer who’s willing to take the chance of turning off any possible customer. Luxury-store clerks can no longer afford to look down at scruffy shoppers, and store owners of every sort are recognizing the one-size-fits-all approach to retail buying no longer works.
Whether it’s more of a fiscal or moral shift, understated girls’ clothing may indeed be making a comeback.
Even flashy Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld declared “bling is over” and noted the economy is prompting a “new modesty,” in an interview with the International Herald Tribune this year.
