Clothing prices hold steady no longer: Cotton cost adds to consumer woe

The Boston Globe reports:

More polyester. Thinner shirts. Smaller buttons. The fallout from the cotton crisis looks like 1970s disco with way higher prices.

Following a 150 percent surge in cotton prices since August, apparel makers are now turning to cheaper fabrics, and scaling back details like tags and buttons to trim expenses. Retailers are also passing along the pain to shoppers with heftier prices — up 10 to 20 percent by year’s end, analysts predict.

Higher inflation, higher unemployment, and more vacant retail square footage is coming.