Directions : Cool Canvas Sneaks . . . Convictions to Wear on Your Sleeve . . . Tennis, Anyone? : That’s Shoe Biz
In New York, L.A. and Washington D.C., one of the big trends is Old School Retro. The campy look begins with Jack Purcell sneakers. Purcell, you may or may not recall, was a badminton player in the ‘30s, and his shoes were decidedly pre-Adidas. With their thick crepe soles, fat laces, sidewalls and goofy wide bumpers, the vintage sneakers (found at Melrose Avenue secondhand stores) are more popular at the clubs than on the courts.
Converse has reissued the sneakers that were designed by Purcell in 1935, and the nostalgia seems to have inspired a whole new generation of footwear designers.
Mossimo, the Irvine-based sportswear manufacturer, and Vans, an Orange County footwear company best known for its deck shoes, have collaborated on a new line of shoes that look like a cross between Keds and Doc Martens with an industrial twist. They come in a wide range of colors, patterns and fabrics that match the sportswear line, cost $45, and should be available starting mid-November at Romp and Fred Segal. Designer/owner Mossimo Giannulli, known simply as Moss to insiders and who, at 27, looks like one of his customers, explains how to tie the shoes: “The coolest way is to lace straight across and tuck the ends under so they don’t show.”
Bracelet Maven
Deborah Atwater’s Unity Bracelets were born of the Los Angeles riots and are meant to symbolize reunification. Made of red, black, yellow, brown and white glass beads that represent different races and gold beads that stand for God, the bracelets were the subject of a number of stories chronicling the good that arose from the ashes of the unrest. But the bracelets--and their designer--were almost impossible to track down, and production was extremely limited.
Since then, Atwater has turned her idea into a growing business. She hired a business consultant, Philip M. Johnson, to help with distribution and manufacturing, and took advantage of post-riot business services.
She got a small loan from the Drew Economic Development Corp., which she has already paid back. With the help of Assemblywoman Marquerite Archie-Hudson, (D-Los Angeles), who wears two of the bracelets and has inspired members of the Legislature to do the same, Atwater established headquarters at the new One Stop Resource and Recovery Center at Southwest College in Los Angeles.
So far, Atwater has made and sold more than 500 bracelets and says the experience has been extraordinary: “I get letters that are spiritual and tearful. Some people are buying them to mark this period of time. One Loyola student bought seven of them for friends who’d rolled up their sleeves and helped with the cleanup.”
The bracelets are available in 6-, 7-, 8- and 9-inch sizes and cost $10.83, which includes tax. Add $2 shipping for each order and make checks out to Second Wind Productions, 20220 S. Avalon Blvd., Suite 267, Carson, Calif. 90746. For information, call (310) 521-6953.
Big, but Still Hip
Until recently, most large-sized clothing manufacturers didn’t seem to give much thought to the age of their customers. “If you were a Size 20 and you were 18 years old or 48 years old, you were shopping at the same rack,” says Carole Shaw, founder and editor in chief of BBW: Big Beautiful Woman magazine. That meant when the trend called for tapered, the customer still got tents.
But a few local manufacturers, among them Francine Browner, Traces and To Be Seen II, are recognizing that a need exists for large-sized but youthful looking sportswear and dresses. Shaw says this customer--which includes college students and young professionals--makes up about 10% of the large-size market.
At Francine Browner, the large-size line is identical to the junior line in all basic respects: The usual large-size taboos--no horizontal stripes, no fitted jackets, no shorts, no sleeveless tops--have been thrown out the window, and the large-size customer is offered exactly the same merchandise as her 120-pound counterpart.
“I don’t make polyester pull-on pants for the junior customer, so why should I make them for the large-size customer?” says Browner.
“I firmly believe that if something is fit properly, it will look good on any size.”
The Size 16 to 28 clothes are available at August Max Woman in Glendale and Cerritos. As in the junior line, the sportswear costs under $100 an outfit.
ender Specific
Walk into an athletic-apparel store and most of the time you’ll need to ask which side is men’s and which is women’s. Active apparel for both sexes has had the same look--basic shapes, unisex fabrics, with graphics and logos in bright colors. Kristine King and Joyce Atkinson, owners of Kris King Designs Inc., have given activewear a distinctly feminine twist. Still in their first season, they’ve already received second and third reorders of their stretchy, lace skater skirts, matching panties and jersey tennis dresses.
King, a former tennis pro in Beverly Hills with a background in fashion design and merchandising, styled lace and silk-screen printed separates that met her own needs on the court.
Prices are moderately expensive: a tank top is $36 and a skater skirt is $70, for example. But price hasn’t hindered sales, says Jerry Seymour, owner of the Malibu Racquet Club, because “it’s rare to find a line that’s feminine and functional. It’s really fetching stuff and totally usable on the court.” The line is carried at Braun’s in Santa Monica, Malibu Racquet Club in Malibu, Charlie’s Racquet in Beverly Hills and the Tennis Place in Los Angeles.
