It’s a Guy Thing

Generally, we take it upon ourselves to tell you what you should buy, where you should buy it and why you need it.

But the truth is, we can’t really presume to know what is going on inside the minds of Ventura County shoppers. We can make educated guesses, but every man, woman and child out there trolling the retail aisles has his or her own personal needs and preferences.

One thing is certain, we have little idea what goes on in the minds of teenage boys and young men. True, there are things better left untouched in those minds, but when it comes to shopping issues, our interests are piqued.

So this week we decided rather than to make suggestions, we would take advice.

We went to local shopping hubs to find out what young males had on their Christmas lists.

At or near the top is urban street wear and beachwear--categories populated by lines of oversize pants, T-shirts, football jerseys, tank top jerseys, caps, jackets, backpacks and other accessories, usually with the brand names emblazoned loudly and clearly on the items.

The more popular lines include Fubu (which stands for “for you by us), Billabong, Quicksilver, Tommy Hilfiger, Nautica, Anchor Blue (a Miller’s Outpost chain specialty brand), Adidas and Polo by Ralph Lauren. These and similar lines can be found at chains including Macy’s, the Footlocker stores and Champs sporting goods stores. Specialty shops, including Pacific Swimwear of California in the Buenaventura Mall and Hot Topic at The Oaks mall in Thousand Oaks, also carry the urban and beach brands.

To the uninitiated (meaning: older, parental folks), the different lines of clothing can all look alike. Even the guys we talked to didn’t have a particular guideline by which to distinguish the brands.

“I spend $80 a month on clothes,” said 17-year-old Nick Carter of Thousand Oaks. “Basically, I wear whatever looks good.”

Nick was hanging out at The Oaks with friend Jimmy Border, 17, also of Thousand Oaks. Jimmy was able to rattle off a list of the top brands of clothing, headed by the Quicksilver, Billabong and Adidas lines.

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Elsewhere at The Oaks, Simi Valley resident Mike Valentino, 17, also was heaping praise on Adidas. “I like the texture, the stripes,” he said. “It’s a lot of the older stuff that’s back.”

With individual clothing items running from $20 to $70 for a pair of pants or a shirt, price might be considered a primary factor when making a selection.

But the dollar sign was not the primary concern for the boys and young men we spoke with.

“It’s not the price, it’s mostly about the style,” said Paolo Abagon, 18, of Oxnard, who was with some friends at The Esplanade shopping center in Oxnard.

One of his buddies, 20-year-old David Berry, also of Oxnard, agreed that cost is not a priority.

“People are going for Tommy Hilfiger, Fubu; it’s pretty much whatever is the fad,” he said. “It’s pretty much whatever the hip-hop artists are wearing.”

Berry’s preference? “I like Levi’s,” he said.

Next week, we’ll check in with teenage girls and young women, to find what is in their fashion consciousness.