October 22, 2015

Region sets new fashion trends

Shoppers should embrace dearth of high-end clothing options at region’s malls

“Look at everyone around this table.”

That comment at a recent meeting of the BizWest Editorial Board in Fort Collins captured perfectly one reason that high-end clothing retailers have been in short supply at revamped malls in Fort Collins and Loveland.

The comment came as the speaker pointed to the casual attire of those around a conference table at our building in Fort Collins. Those among us clad in jeans, golf shirts and Sperry Topsiders initially were insulted at the comment but quickly saw the wisdom and accuracy behind the message: This region simply doesn’t represent a market for high-end clothing retailers.

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It’s true that Boulder, Longmont, Greeley, Fort Collins, Loveland, et al, typically “dress down” compared with counterparts, even in Denver (although the city is less formal than when I worked there in the early 1990s).

When was the last time you saw a business person with a tie, other than at a few stalwart banks, at an evening social event or – ahem! – in a column photo? Boulder, in fact, was ranked by GQ in 2011 as one of the 40 worst-dressed cities in the country. (I’m not attributing that necessarily to Techstars founder and startup guru Brad Feld, who sometimes appears at gatherings in shorts and sandals, or to developer and real estate magnate Bill Reynolds, who might occasionally show up in bicycle attire, but readers can judge for themselves.)

Still, the trend as evidenced by Brad and Bill for casual attire hasn’t stopped complaints about the tenant mix for the revamped Foothills Mall in Fort Collins, now known simply as Foothills, and the revamped Twin Peaks Mall in Longmont, now dubbed the Village at the Peaks. Comments on daily newspaper websites in Fort Collins and Longmont, as well as on Facebook, include many complaints about the lack of higher-end clothing retailers.

The message from developers is that they’re reflecting the market.

“Our project wasn’t designed to be a fashion project,” said Allen Ginsborg, managing director at NewMark Merrill Mountain States, developers of Village at the Peaks, in an interview with BizWest writer Beth Potter. “It’s designed to be a contemporary retail center. The reason (Twin Peaks) Mall failed is that it wasn’t contemporary.”

So what are shoppers seeking higher-end clothing to do? Nordstrom, of course, maintains stores at Flatiron Crossing in Broomfield and at Cherry Creek. (Our Editorial Board member says the selection at those stores is nothing like what is available at Nordstrom’s locations around the country.) Nordstrom Rack is opening at Foothills, giving Fort Collins what Boulder already has at Twenty Ninth Street.

But telling shoppers in Fort Collins or Longmont to travel to Broomfield, Cherry Creek or points farther removed doesn’t go over very well. Likewise, telling them they can find all the fashion they need at Ross, Payless or, for that matter, Nordstrom Rack, probably won’t make one too popular, either.

The only solution seems to be to embrace the “dressing-down” trend, and I’m pleased to say that I’m a leader in that movement, wearing jeans on many days, adding khakis to the mix some days and occasionally – very occasionally – donning a tie. For those readers seeking fashion advice, I would offer this: Ensure that your jeans are clean, that you have a golf shirt for every occasion, and that you replace those Topsiders once the foam in the heels falls out.

The casually attired Christopher Wood can be reached at 303-630-1942, 970-
232-3133 or via email at cwood@bizwestmedia.com.

“Look at everyone around this table.”

That comment at a recent meeting of the BizWest Editorial Board in Fort Collins captured perfectly one reason that high-end clothing retailers have been in short supply at revamped malls in Fort Collins and Loveland.

The comment came as the speaker pointed to the casual attire of those around a conference table at our building in Fort Collins. Those among us clad in jeans, golf shirts and Sperry Topsiders initially were insulted at the comment but quickly saw the wisdom and accuracy behind the message: This region simply doesn’t…

Christopher Wood
Christopher Wood is editor and publisher of BizWest, a regional business journal covering Boulder, Broomfield, Larimer and Weld counties. Wood co-founded the Northern Colorado Business Report in 1995 and served as publisher of the Boulder County Business Report until the two publications were merged to form BizWest in 2014. From 1990 to 1995, Wood served as reporter and managing editor of the Denver Business Journal. He is a Marine Corps veteran and a graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder. He has won numerous awards from the Colorado Press Association, Society of Professional Journalists and the Alliance of Area Business Publishers.
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