VALLEY VOGUE / CINDY LaFAVRE YORKS : The Overall Story: A Shorts Tale : That ‘70s working-class look returns, but now with lots of cute touches to separate the girls from the boys.
Blue-collar fashions reminiscent of working-class chic are the height of style this summer, both locally and beyond. Consider it the fashion extension of the industrial shoe. Chinese laundry jackets, uniform looks, naval peacoat-style blazers and the biggest surprise of the season, given the demise of grunge--the resurgence of overalls--are adding an urban edge to the suburban summer fashion scene.
But anyone who remembers the look in the summers of the ‘70s needn’t bother to retrieve the old tube tops from the back of the closet, the former companion to the denim duds. The new look in overalls is fresh and original because it’s more feminine, says Cissy Wechter, owner of Flair boutique in Encino, who at 57 is sporting overalls these days.
“The overalls we’re seeing now are so cute, very comfortable and something different for summer over little white and cream T-shirts,” she says, adding that the store can barely keep the plain T-shirts in stock. Denim is a fabric staple, but linen also is being implemented into trendy overall designs. Among the most popular styles are the short overalls and those that are fashioned into below-the-knee dresses. Some feature attached crinkled pleat skirts affixed to an overall bodice. Most feature rayon print trims, a definite plus when separating the boys from the girls. Paris Blue, Loco Lindo and So So Sophie labels hang inside the designs, which average about $100 at Flair.
SKIRTING THE ISSUE: Speaking of skirts, those fitted micromini styles that have been around for a few years are finally falling out of favor. Instead, watch for an influx of short yet loose types that still hit above the knee but move more freely. They’re being paired with fitted corset tops, T’s and abbreviated, bolero-style vests. Fashion types have dubbed it the flippy skirt, but Carol Lettieri, editor of the Woodland Hills-based West Coast Pipeline, calls it the Nancy Kerrigan skirt for its playful, movement-enhanced silhouette.
At I. Magnin, three categories of the skirts are featured, including the standard flip (wispy and breezy), the pleat (peppy kilt-influenced numbers) and the A-line (short and flared at the hips.) At all their stores, including the newly reopened one in Woodland Hills, flippy skirts abound in the designer areas, with prices ranging from $250 to $500. Among the lines featuring the looks: Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, Richard Tyler Collection and Chanel.
For the rest of us, a more affordable version sells for $48 at The Limited.
NEEDLING A TREND: After a decade of structured bags, unconstructed woven styles are all the rage. At better-priced department stores, the bags fetch between $150 to $400 for some styles. But savvy women, adept with crochet needles, are heading to Needle World in Sherman Oaks to knock off the pricier styles for as little as $70.
“Moms are making things for their kids,” saleswoman Lil Chavkin says. The store is doing a brisk business in materials for the purses, made of soutache, which is sold by the gross. (A gross is equal to 144 yards, and two are needed to make the average bag.) The soutache comes in the same colors popular in the stores: bisque, black and navy. Crochet hooks are the only tools needed.
But will the finished product look like the in-store offerings?
“I think we do a better job than Carrie Forbes,” says Chavkin of the designer bags her customers are copying. The original inspirations, Chavkin says, cost between $350 to $400. Now that’s homespun ingenuity.
