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16A
STYLE
THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 1997
Back to school fashions
Believe it or not, the school year begins later
this month. Next week’s Post will include a
back to school primer for high school stu
dents.
Spirit of
MMM
revivied
The local organizing committee
of the Million Man March of
Charlotte will host a Revival of
the Spirit of the Million Man
MarchAVorld Day of Atonement,
Monday at 7 p.m., Muhammad
Mosque No. 36,3300 Tlickaseegee
Road. The keynote speaker will be
Minister Benjamin Muhammad,
assistant to Nation of Islam
leader Louis Farrakhan.
For more information, call 394-
4123.
No longer
gay disease
a
Free confidential AIDS testing
is available each Saturday at
Community Health Services,
1401 East 7th Street, 10 a.m.- 2
p.m.
Afiican Americans account for
the highest amoimt of reported
AIDS cases documented since
1990. In a four-year period, the
AIDS incidence rate grew 68 per
cent among Afiican Americans
and only 14 percent among
whites. AIDS is leading cause of
death for Afiican American men,
age 25-44-year-old. An estimated
1 in 3 deaths of men between 25-
44 is due to an HIV- related ill
ness. The incidence of AIDS is
also rising among women, partic
ularly Afiican American women.
•The infection rate for Afiican
American women doubled since
1990, rising from 25 percent to 50
percent. Appointments are
-required. For more information,
call 375-0172 during normal busi
ness hours.
Sponsored by Community
Health Services, Carolinas
Healthcare Systems and
Metrohna AIDS Ifroject.
Thursday
• “Star Bright Story Night,” 7
p.m. Story hour for children.
Beatties Ford Road Branch
Library, 2412 Beatties Ford Road.
• Introduction to Microsoft
Word, 6:30 p.m. West Boulevard
Branch Library, 2157 West Blvd.
Saturday
•Juba Saturday, 11 a.m.
Activities for children. Beatties
Ford Road Branch Library, 2412
Beatties Ford Road.
• Charlotte Hornets Honeybees
tryouts, 8:30 a.m.. Hornets
Training Center, 1-77, Exit 88 in
Fort Mill, S.C. For more informa-
fion, call 357-0252, extension
4860.
Sunday
• Film, “War of the Worlds,” 3
p.m. Main Library, 310 N. Tryon
St.
•International House dinner, 7
p.m. Lang Van. Meet at
international House, 322
Hawthorne Lane at 6:30 p.m.
IXiesday
; • Seminar for small business,
6:15-8:45 p.m.. Main Library, 310
N. TVyon. Speaker: Alan Elam,
Retirement Planning Consultants
• Matching Grants Workshop
for neighborhood development
grant seekers, 6-8 p.m. Adams
Service Center, 4150 Wilkinson
Blvd. First of three workshops for
neighborhood based organiza
tions that will improve local
neighborhoods, lb qualify for
See AROUND on page 14A
Return of Retro
Plush m
comebac
By Jeri Young
THE CHARLOTTE POST
Everything old is new again
for back to school.
Pardon the cliche, but it’s
true. What we wore back to
school in ‘77 - hip buggers, beU
bottoms, odd mixes of corduroy
and satin and of course, faded
denim - has made a huge
comeback.
Along with them has come
the return of - sad but true -
plush. Yes it’s back in aU its soft
slightly furry glory. Thick
spongy cordrtroys, lush sporrgy
velvet and - the granddaddy of
aU ‘70s fashion, the venerable
spongy velour - are aU back, at
least for one gloriorrs, slightly
too warm season.
“Plush comfortable and cozy
fabrics in rich autumn colors
are key must-have looks for
back to school this year,” said
Fran Yoshioka, director of fash
ion and design for Sears,
Roebuck and Co. “Subtle ‘70s
influences blend with plush,
nylon, synthetic and denim fab
rics to create a variety of new
styles and fashion options.”
So what does it mean for par
ents?
According to Yoshioka, it’s
time to drag out aU the stuff
from the Age of Aquarius.
Peace signs, flowers and smi
ley face appliques will be plas
tered over denims, and pretty
much everything else from
shoes to back packs. When
teamed with novelty sweaters
and cardigans, you’ve got a per
fect, if a Kttle loud, fashion
statement.
Skirts and dresses for girls
are a tad shorter this season,
reminiscent of the minis of
days long gone. Add to that the
return of the baby doU dresses
and jumpers, in - you guessed
it - plush and knits.
Also back for a fun run are
plaids in rich dark autumn col
ors and classic reds and greerrs.
Boys will sport them in shirts,
girls in skorts, shorts and
minis
But of course, the pi
resistance wdl be pants,
ciaUy jeans.
“Denim has become a
wardrobe staple for almost
every age group,” said TJ.
Maxx fashion spokesperson
Laura Cervone. “According to
current industry statistics, the
average teen wears denim 41/2
days a week; younger children
also appear to be following in
these footsteps. Denim is pre
dicted to be hot this year, and
so comfortable, that youths of
aU ages wid want aU the latest
styles.”
Returning for both boys and
girls are boot-cut jeans, flared
legs, overalls in denim and cor
duroy and the classic khaki.
Boys will sport them with a
plethora of button-down,
striped knit shirts and sundry
team wear, from baseball tees
to jerseys. As long as it’s got a
team name it’s popular.
For girls, leggings and stir
rups will be teamed with
sweaters or turtle necks, says
Coimie Knight of Osh Kosh B’
Gosh.
‘Teople are buying a lot of
fuschia and dark colors for fall,”
she said. “They’re buying a lots
of knits - long sleeve tops in red
and solids.”
Knight, an assistant manag
er for the Osh Kosh B’Gosh out
let store at Gaffney, S.C.’s
Carolina Factory Shops, says
other hot sellers are neons in
lime or orange and jeans in
midnight blue and dark and
light green.
Popular shoes for girls
include the ever present Mary
Jane updated with thick,
clunky heels. Also hot are ‘80s
favorites jeUies and clogs. For
boys, athletic shoes rule along
with hiking boots and suede
oxfords.
So dig out the old yearbooks,
wade through your attics and
curl up on the couch with
reruns of the “Brady Bimch”
and “Good Times.” The ‘70s are
here to stay.
At least for a second season.
Footwear retro looks: New twists on classic
styles are the hallmark for the season. Below,
boys looks include athletic shoes and hiking
boots.
PHOTO/SEARS, ROEBUCK AND CO.
Uniforms have made a splash in
schools across the nation.
Thirteen local schools will have
uniforms this year.
Navy,
white
craze hits
By Jeri Young
THE CHARLOTTE POST
For some parents and chil
dren, back to school fashion is
as simple as one, two, three.
Actually, as simple as one
and two. Or navy and white.
As a way of improving behav
ior and decreasing the empha
sis that many children place
on fashion, public schools
have taken a page from
parochial schools and adopted
uniforms. The new wave has
even reached Charlotte-
Mecklenburg schools, where
13 of 118 public schools in the
county have adopted uniforms.
The outfits, navy bottoms
paired with white tops, have.
proved a rousing success ‘
among teachers and adminis
trators. Uniforms, which on
average cost less than $20 per
child, have been praised by
parents.
“I really like the idea,” says
Vicki McLain. “The focus is not
on who’s wearing what. It
takes the attention off clothes
in a lot of ways.”
McLain says her son Victor, a
rising second-grader at
Hidden Valley Elementary,
doesn’t mind his uniform. He
even wears it during the sum
mer.
“My daughter, who’s four,
likes them, too,” McLain says
with a laugh. “I had to buy her
one, too. The uniform has real
ly gotten her interested in
school. I just thought it was
cute.”
McLain says she only has
one suggestion.
“I wish there could be one
day a week when the kids
could wear something a little
different,” she says. “Or maybe
the schools could adopt more
than one color for shirts to add
a little color and break it up. I
think the kids would like
that.”
Her nephew, Christopher
McMillon, a third-grader at
Hidden Valley agrees. He does
n’t like his outfit as much.
“We have to wear it every
day,” he says. “My mommy
doesn’t like for me to wear the
same clothes all the time,”
Hidden Valley principal A1
Winston says it may be a while
before the benefits of uniforms
can be measured, but the pro
gram is off to a good start.
“The first reason we went to
uniforms was for instructional
focus,” he said. “Now it has
become part of the school’s
identity.”
According to Winston, about
90 percent of the school’s stu
dents wore outfits daily,
“We even incorporated it into
our motto,” Winston said.
“Think smart, work hard and
look good. We would compli
ment the kids on how good
they looked. They really did
look good. It helps kids with
their self-esteem.”
Researchers agree.
A study completed last year
See UNIFORMS page 15A