WOMEN’S SPRING FASHION : CLASSIC VALUES : Three Flamboyant Redheads Model the Season’s Conservative Styles
DESIGNERS SHOWED EVERYTHING from pants as wide as pyramids to gold lame sportswear at the spring fashion previews, but what will most women actually wear? Clearly, the trend is toward conservative styles.
Buyers call it a season of “retail reality.” Classic clothes in feminine, not man-tailored, shapes are filling stores. But there are a few surprises: jumpsuits for evening and weekend wear, pantsuits (that some women will wear to work) and ankle-length dresses and skirts, some as full as sails in the wind.
If a working woman makes one major purchase this spring, it is likely to be practical: “A suit, in a softer fabric, especially silk or rayon,” predicts Wesley Clay, Robinson’s vice president of merchandising. Interpretations of the Chanel suit--with its cardigan jacket, engraved gold buttons and straight or pleated skirt--are even more in demand than they were a year ago. Among smaller investments, white shirts and blouses are the first choice for updating black or navy skirts during this conservative season. Surprisingly, gold lame is back and will be worn interchangeably with white for evening or day.
Perhaps the biggest break with recent tradition is the return to pants. Experts don’t agree, however, about whether women will wear them to work. “No,” says LeeAnn Rosekelley, Nordstrom’s fashion coordinator. “They’re an alternative to skirts for weekends and evenings.” “Yes,” counters Rose Marie Bravo, the new chairman and chief executive officer of I. Magnin and Bullocks Wilshire: “We did buy pantsuits for women to wear to work, especially executive women.” She names designer Donna Karan, a trend-setter in corporate style, who showed pants almost to the exclusion of skirts for spring. One consensus: The best shape is the easy-cut trouser, gently gathered or pleated at the waist, preferably with pockets and a slightly wider leg than most women are used to wearing.
With so few new options in office wear, women will probably spend more on weekend and casual evening clothes this spring, says Marjorie Dean, president of the Tobe Report, a nationwide buying service for stores. The evening wear they choose will have fewer froufrous than in recent seasons. “Simple shapes, without a lot of decoration,” says Los Angeles designer Kevan Hall, who adds that his strapless chiffon dress with long, graceful skirt is a best seller. I. Magnin / Bullocks Wilshire’s Bravo sums up what apparently has been in the minds of many shoppers: “Fashion has calmed down. It was getting too extreme.”
Stylists: Dana Allyson / Visages Style, Claude Deloffre; hair: John Walker / Celestine-Cloutier, Kim Carrillo / Celestine-Cloutier; makeup: Kim Carrillo / Celestine-Cloutier, Veronique Marot / Visages Style; models: Tom Alexander, John Anderson and Paul Polizzotto of Wilhelmina West; Tyler Foster / Company; Marc Diviak / Prima. Locations courtesy of the Greek Theatre, MGM Grand Air, Travel Town, Griffith Park.
