Fashion: FALL ISSUE : The Game’s the Same, but Duds Are Changing

“The only fashion a golfer wants is a loose-fitting sleeve that hits right about the elbow,” said a spectator at the annual fashion show for the West Coast Golf Show at the Long Beach Convention Center.

That statement may not be far from the truth judging by many of the uninspired looks that danced down the runway. But it certainly isn’t the total story.

Manufacturers such as Ashworth, Reebok, Lily’s of Beverly Hills, Wilson, Head and Izod are creating golf wear with “crossover” potential, or sportswear separates they hope will be welcome on city streets as well as on the greens.

To that end, knit shirts have been updated with boldly colored graphics, cardigans are restyled in an oversized and slouchy shape, and pants . . . well, let’s just say these aren’t your father’s plaids.

Color is also going through a transformation. Responding to the sport’s growing popularity with young people, golf-wear makers are showing bright shades of jade, olive and red mixed with black and white in place of classic pastels.

What’s more, the mixing of patterns, such as subtle plaids and delicate argyles, attempts to put a hip, young twist on an old theme.