Black and Tan
HOW TO DO IT BIG
TOTAL: $4,955
The top coat, priced at $3,500, is the star of the new Donna Karan ad campaign, featuring Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, and a favorite of fashion mag editors. On the runway last spring, the designer played the luxurious double-faced cashmere coat in camel off a black body-conscious top tucked into white boot-leg pants. The zip-front body suit, in polyamide and spandex with double-faced wool collar and front pocket, is $495; the wool pants are $695; and the black suede belt with square gold buckle is $265. Donna Karan’s collection is sold in Beverly Hills at Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue, but the latter store does not carry the cashmere coat.
HOW TO DO IT FOR LESS
TOTAL: $285 to $350
San Francisco-based Esprit’s three-quarters-length coat, in a more affordable blend of 70% wool and 30% nylon, sells for $158 at Macy’s and the Esprit boutique in South Coast Plaza. To re-create the look of the low-cut designer body suit, buy one of the season’s popular zip-front shirts. (Women seem to appreciate the opportunity to dictate the degree of cleavage.) The one pictured here, in stretchy fake suede, is from New York designer Betsey Johnson. It’s $104 in her eponymous boutiques, including locations in Santa Monica and Los Angeles, and at Rampage stores throughout Southern California. An even more affordable option is a poly-cotton-spandex zip-front version from Express, which sells for $39. We found the white pants in lightweight crepe, designed by Max Azria for BCBG, marked down to $66 at Macy’s, Beverly Center. The square-buckled black leather belt cost $22 at the Limited.
