VIEWPOINTS : 1987: Looking Ahead to a Year of Big Changes : Fashion to Flatter

In 1987, you’re likely to see big changes in just about everything you buy. If you’re planning a vacation, you’ll notice differences whether you drive or travel by air. If you want to buy a home, you’ll be watching prices and mortgage rates closely. Eating out? You’ll see some unusual, new menus. The worlds of entertainment and retailing are in a state of upheaval. And, with a new tax law, investing may be more tricky than ever.

The Times polled experts in eight fields for their outlook on what 1987 will mean for businesses and consumers.

Looking to 1987, there is a swing in women’s fashion to shorter clothes that flatter, that move, that are neither too big nor too tight. These clothes for the coming year are easy to wear and pretty to look at. Being feminine is in fashion.

While this swing in fashion is in motion, other movements will affect retailing.

- We are overloaded in the United States. During 1987 a number of stores will close for one reason or another.

- We are over-merchandised, with too many choices of what to buy. This needs correcting.

- There are too many catalogues deluging us all year long. A sifting out, better editing, less duplication are mandatory to make catalogues worth reading once again.

- Television will be used to give explicit fashion information. Customers are hungry for it.

- Private label, or store name, merchandise will result in too much unsalable merchandise, selected for price appeal with not enough visual appeal. Customers were bored by it in ’86.

- Designers are becoming retailers, putting their own best foot forward, creating competition--this is a healthy situation.

- Imports, where quality and value are inherent, have growing consumer appeal.

- Japan is once again a fashion force--especially for man-made fabrics.

- Specialty stores are becoming paradise for working women--they are one-stop shopping, edited to life styles.

- Off-price outlets are fun and games, synonymous with “Let’s Make A Deal” or Find-A-Bargain.

- Video catalogues add another dimension to retailing.

- Better ready-to-wear is a must for ’87.

All told, clothes that flatter and feminize the working woman will sell best in 1987, for she’s calling the shots. More and more, she is turning to small stores for her needs. Result: This next year will prove that corporate bigness doesn’t work as well in fashion as it does in other areas.