Football’s Misfits

MAYBE NEXT CENTURY FOR FEMALE RAMS FANS?--There’s finally some relief for women football fanatics who like to wear their support on their sleeves--or pants or jackets. For years, they’ve had to confine themselves to male-sized NFL styles, but now they have a line of major league clothes to call their own.

Cliff Engle Sweaters, a New Jersey-based sportswear firm, recently introduced its “NFL Spirit for Women” collection, featuring jackets, warm-up suits, T-shirts, rain slickers, sweaters and fleece tops priced from $50 to $900.

“In the past women have depended on stealing something from their husband’s or their boyfriend’s closets,” says Cliff Engle spokeswoman Alexandra Raine. “Basically, we’re making clothes that are for women--for their tastes and for their body sizes.”

At the moment, only eight of the NFL’s 28 teams (Chicago Bears, L.A. Raiders, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers and New York Giants) are represented in the line. The company expects to add three or four more next year, but advises female Rams fans not to hold their breath. In the meantime, items bearing the L.A. Raiders logos, such as the jacket pictured ($130), are available at JC Penney and Neiman Marcus stores.

DEAR HOT: I love the Limited stores, but I’ve noticed they no longer carry their Outback Red and Forenza lines. What happened?

DEAR HOT SHOPPER: The Limited didn’t exactly drop Outback Red (its line of affordable, Ralph Lauren-styled clothes) and Forenza (psuedo-Italian basics). Instead, the company changed the labels. “We’re so well known and we have a strong enough reputation that the store label can stand on its own,” says Mariana Keros, the Limited’s manager of public relations.