Women’s Business Suits Get Feminine Twist
Question: Please recommend a suit that will be in keeping with the new trend to femininity, yet professional enough for the office. What jacket, skirt and blouse style? What fabric? What color? I’m 44, 5-foot-7, wear a Size 12 and work in an executive capacity. Don’t be afraid to recommend a designer suit, as this will be my most major purchase of the season. If I cannot afford the exact suit you suggest, at least I will have a blueprint to guide me.--P.T.
Answer: The menswear styling that has dominated the women’s suit market for years is getting soft--at least around the edges. New York designer Zoran gives a gray pin-stripe skirt of 100% Tasmanian wool a new feminine twist by doing just that--twisting the front panel of the pull-on skirt to form a sarong-like drape. Then he adds a gray silk pique T-shirt and tops the look with an unlined kimono-like jacket of cashmere and wool flannel. The skirt is $350, the T-shirt is $250 and the jacket is $450. Because of Zoran’s design wizardry, one size really does fit all women from 4 to 14.
The outfit is available at the Zoran boutique, 9835 Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills. The banker’s gray color is a money-in-the-bank fashion investment for this or any season as it can mingle with any other color.
If these three pieces are beyond your budget, look for suits without lapels or with soft, wilty lapels and without inner linings. If they’re belted, self-fabric bathrobe sashes are newer--and softer--than stiff leathers. Skirts should be fluid, not skintight, and blouses look newest without collars.
Q: Some time during my senior year of high school, I will be traveling to the Ivy League schools for admissions interviews. I realize that the schools back East are more formal than schools in Southern California, but how formal? Should I wear a navy suit or will a navy blazer and chino pants be OK? With tie or without?--H.B.
A: Most of the Ivy League admissions officers I queried say that applicants are dressing more conservatively each year--a reflection, they say, of the greater anxiety over the admissions process. All agree that a navy suit will be fine but that you might be more comfortable in the sports jacket and chinos. And if you’re more comfortable, you probably will make a better impression. Harvard admissions officer Carol Jackson says she often gets the feeling she’s talking to someone in his very first three-piece suit--someone who is less comfortable than he might be, she feels.
Jackson also says comfort can be taken to the extreme, and those who appear for an interview in a T-shirt and jeans can hurt themselves by their appearance. A sports jacket, shirt and slacks are widely approved and ties are considered a plus.
Q: I wear sandal-foot panty hose and invariably, after one or two wearings, I discover a hole near one of my big toes. I have tried cutting my toenail very short and this does not help. I have tried buying a larger size and this does not help. Because I prefer open-toe shoes, these damaged hose are relegated to a drawer to be darned and worn with closed-toe shoes. I must have six dozen pairs of perfectly good panty hose, save for a hole and/or small run emanating from the toe. Can you suggest a brand of hose or some method of preserving the toes so that I can get more wear for my money? I prefer sheer-to-waist, light-support hose with sandal feet.--M.P.H.
A: Your runs and holes are being caused not by your toenails but by objects your toes touch in the course of wearing open-toe shoes. A pebble from the pavement, a slight encounter with the side of a lunch counter, even affectionate, under-the-table foot play during an intimate dinner for two--all these things can cause snags.
If the toe openings in your shoes are not too big, you can wear panty hose with reinforced toes and watch your panty hose bills decrease. If you switch to support panty hose, you will find that the spandex yarns are stronger and less likely to snag. Similarly, the yarns used in opaque panty hose are heavier and coarser and therefore not as vulnerable.
You might also try the old trick of “painting” the toes of your hose with clear nail polish. Or if some of your panty hose have holes only in one toe, cut off the panty hose leg with a hole in it and sew it onto another one-legged panty hose.
No matter what you decide, the next time you buy panty hose, freeze them before you wear them. For some reason they wear longer if you wet them, ring out gently and freeze in a plastic bag. When you’re ready to wear them, thaw in a bathtub and hang to dry. Liquid fabric softener also adds life to hosiery, because it lubricates the fibers, making them less susceptible to snagging. Just add a little softener to the rinse water and you’ll soon see results.
Q: Because of an illness, I have lost more than 20 pounds. My mother calls me “skin and bones.” What kinds of clothes will make me look larger and rounder? I’m 5 feet, 5 inches and I was a Size 6. I can’t even find clothes small enough now.--R.B.
A: Dimensional fabrics, such as hand knits or fuzzy Angoras, will add pounds visually. So will oversize clothes and clothes that are layered.
If your legs are skinny, either cover them with pleat-front pants or wear textured panty hose. Woolly tights also will give the illusion of leggier legs. Another sure-fire way to look more like your old size is to wear gathered skirts that swing out to just above the ankles.
The fabric required in full skirts is “fattening,” especially if the fullness starts with waistline gathers. Wear these skirts with bulky sweaters tucked inside, and then layer your waistline with a three-inch-wide belt.
Marylou Luther welcomes questions from readers. Mail to Clotheslines, Fashion8 7 , The Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053.
