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Women's Clothing's Downward Sales Trend Declines

Middle-income women are not only shelling out their dollars for vodka (see story above), they're also starting to "splurge" on clothes for themselves again, Sandra M. Jones reports. The uptick in the women's apparel market however, is still measured by a lesser decline than in the overall market -- 3% in the fourth quarter as opposed to a 5.1% drop in total U.S. apparel sales from the previous year before, according to NPD Group.

"For the fashion industry, this is a very important sign," says NPD's chief analyst, Marshal Cohen, because women account for more than half of industry sales. They also are behind the buying decisions for an additional 25% of fashion items, according to NPD. "Without them, a true recovery will not occur," Cohen says.

Sales of dresses rose 2.3%, tights rose 2.4% and bras gained 1.1%, Jones reports. Sales of jeans for both men and women were up 3.5%.

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