FASHION / FALL IN THE CITY : Women Rate the Top Trends

While pollsters try to figure out which presidential candidate the public will choose in November, they’ve completely overlooked another seasonal rite that weighs heavily on the hearts, minds and pocketbooks of many women--the selection of a fall wardrobe.

To find out where women in Los Angeles stand on this season’s troika of fashion candidates--long skirts, the menswear look, platform shoes--we went to the local malls (where else?).

Fifty women--attorneys, computer operators, secretaries, personnel recruiters, doctors, teachers and saleswomen--at the Beverly Center, Century City and the Seventh Street Market Place offered their opinions. And the survey says . . .

* The long skirt? Loved it!

* The platform shoe? Hated it!

* The menswear look? Loved it!

Those who predicted that long skirts would be met with as much derision in the ‘90s as they were in the ‘70s can fix themselves a plate of crow: three out of four women say they’d consider buying a long skirt. But only if the price is right. Just one in four women say they would be willing to pay more than $100.

Opinions vary on what the skirt should look like, from a narrow, mid-calf style to a fuller, ankle-length version.

Those who give long skirts the thumbs down offer various reasons, among them: “I’m too short to wear them;” “they look uncomfortable;” or “they look too old.”

Nearly every woman says she loves the menswear look, which includes double-breasted suits, pin stripes and tailored trousers.

But all the hype and hoopla in the world may not be enough to generate excitement or sales for platform shoes. Many women say platforms are too ugly to even try on, much less buy. Says a woman who remembers platforms from the ‘70s: “I’m not ready to see them come back.”

Animal prints got a fairly evenly divided response. But women who like them won’t necessarily be buying them.

“Yesterday I wore a Norma Kamali leopard jacket that I bought in 1987 or 1988,” said a one woman. Another said she plans to wear an Ellen Tracy animal-print jacket she purchased a few years ago.

Some women prefer their animal prints in small doses, like scarves, purses or shoes. Others can’t abide them in any form.

“I keep remembering those women who wore the spandex leopard pants,” says a computer operator from Riverside. “I never liked it before and I don’t like it now.”

Nearly all the women surveyed say they intend to buy fall clothes. A typical fall wardrobe budget is between $100 and $500. And recession or not, many women say they will probably spend the same amount this year as they’ve spent in previous fall seasons.

The must-have items on their fall shopping lists? A sweater set, a blazer, tailored pants, a stylish suit in a good fabric priced under $400, a beret and an off-the-shoulder evening dress.