SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 31, 2005--Prom night will be filled with sexy dresses and traditional tuxedos inspired by celebs like Jennifer Garner and Usher, shows the latest Shopping in America survey conducted for The Macerich Company (NYSE:MAC) by August Partners. The survey polled more than 1,000 teen shoppers aged 15 to 18 on prom fashion as well as related anticipated spending.
Prom Attendance & Spending
About 37 percent of teens surveyed plan to attend the big event this year; 44 percent do not plan to attend while 19 percent are undecided. Girls are somewhat more likely to go to the prom than guys (40 percent vs. 33 percent, respectively).
Overall, teens say they will spend $379 for this year's prom. Female teens plan to spend the majority (60 percent) of their average $317 budget on a dress at $190. Males, who were also asked about additional prom expenses, plan to spend an average of $455, with the majority going toward the tickets, dinner and transportation at slightly more than $300.
Female Prom Plans Expected Male Prom Plans Expected
Spending Spending
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Prom Dress $189.91 Prom Outfit $152.45
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Personal Look Tickets, Dinner,
(Hair, Makeup, Etc.) $59.30 Transportation $303.10
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Shoes & Accessories $67.40
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Total $316.61 Total $455.55
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"Teens plan to invest a significant amount for prom night to make the most of this memorable and often once-in-a-lifetime experience," said Garry Butcher, Macerich vice president of marketing and consumer research. "On average, parents and teens can expect a $379 price tag for the big event."
The Dress
The "sexy" look wins out as this year's hottest look for prom dresses, according to 27 percent of the female teens surveyed. Girls are also going for glamorous (19 percent) and elegant (18 percent) looks, selected as the next most popular styles. Flirty (12 percent), romantic (8 percent), vintage (7 percent), sophisticated (6 percent), flashy (2 percent), and dramatic (1 percent) came in at the bottom of the list.
Short or long? More than half (53 percent) surveyed will purchase a long dress, 24 percent plan to go with the new tea length "pouf" look, and 23 percent have not yet decided. Girls are thinking pink, as it was overwhelmingly selected as the most popular prom dress color by almost 40 percent of the female teens surveyed. Black (18 percent), blues (12 percent), and metallics (10 percent) also ranked among the top.
The Look for Guys
Among males planning to attend prom, 44 percent will wear a traditional tuxedo, followed by a suit (15 percent) and a vintage-look tuxedo (14 percent). Zoot suits are still in the mix, as 11 percent plan to go with this look.
"Prom-goers are looking for traditional tuxes and long dresses this year, emulating a variety of popular celebrities," said Butcher.
Star Appeal
When asked which celebrity will most inspire their prom look this year, guys ranked Usher (27 percent) as the top pick. Aston Kutcher (14 percent) and Snoop Dogg (14 percent) were also popular. Jennifer Garner (15 percent), Halle Barry (14 percent) and Jennifer Lopez (12 percent) were hot picks for female prom-goers.
Female Celebrity Female Teen Male Celebrity Male Teen Style-Setter Responses Style-Setter Responses -------------------------------------- ---------------------------- Jennifer Garner 15.2% Usher 26.8% -------------------------------------- ---------------------------- Halle Berry 14.3% Ashton Kutcher 13.7% -------------------------------------- ---------------------------- Jennifer Lopez 11.7% Snoop Dogg 13.7% -------------------------------------- ---------------------------- Jessica Simpson 9.9% Johnny Depp 9.8% -------------------------------------- ---------------------------- Paris Hilton 8.1% Jim Carrey 7.8% -------------------------------------- ---------------------------- Alicia Keys 8.1% The Rock 3.9% -------------------------------------- ---------------------------- Sarah Jessica Parker 6.3% Orlando Bloom 3.3% -------------------------------------- ---------------------------- Ashley Simpson 5.8% Jude Law 2.0% -------------------------------------- ---------------------------- Mischa Barton 4.9% Tony Hawk 0.7% -------------------------------------- ---------------------------- No Opinion 15.7% No Opinion 18.3% -------------------------------------- ----------------------------
The Big Night
Teens may be lobbying parents to bend the rules for prom night. About 42 percent say there should be no curfew at all. An additional 5 percent say the curfew should be midnight, 11 percent say the curfew should be 1:00 a.m., 10 percent say the curfew should be 2:00 a.m., 6 percent say the curfew should be 3:00 a.m., and 21 percent say the curfew should be 4:00 a.m. or later. Just over 6 percent of teens had no opinion regarding curfews.
The majority of female teens (60 percent) plan to stay from two-to-four hours or more at the prom itself, while 31 percent say they will spend two hours or less (2 percent say they will spend 30 minutes or less, and the remainder are undecided). The guys want to leave the prom activities earlier, as only 44 percent plan to stay from two-to-four hours. About 35 percent plan to stay less than two hours. Almost 7 percent plan to stay 30 minutes or less.
About Shopping in America
Shopping in America is a national shopper intercept survey that studies consumer shopping trends. The Prom 2005 survey was conducted among approximately 1,100 shoppers in twelve regional shopping centers geographically spread throughout the United States. Total results have a reliability factor of +/- 3.5 percent. Not all results are stated in this news release and some are rounded to the nearest whole number. To view complete Shopping in America results and graphics, including the recent adult and teen spring shopping survey and Fashion Icon Report, visit www.shoppinginamerica.biz.
Please look for additional Shopping in America survey results on tween fashions to be released in April.
About the Macerich Company
The Macerich Company is a fully integrated self-managed and self-administered real estate investment trust, which focuses on the acquisition, leasing, management, development and redevelopment of regional malls throughout the United States. The Company is the sole general partner and owns an 81% ownership interest in The Macerich Partnership, L.P. Macerich now owns interests in properties totaling approximately 63 million square feet consisting primarily of interests in 64 regional malls. Additional information about The Macerich Company can be obtained from the Company's website at www.macerich.com.
CONTACT: Lovell Public Relations
Tresa Hardt/Kim Craig, 972-788-4511
thardt@lovellpr.com
SOURCE: The Macerich Company