6Trie Daily Tar Heel Thursday, October 8, 1987
The Daily Tar HeelThursday, October 8, 19877
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DTHCharlotte Cannon
Black formalwear is always a classic. Cashmere-wool blend trousers and cotton shirt
courtesy of The Hub, Ltd. Dress courtesy of Modern Times.
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,
fashions "this season are showing some leg
By KATHY PETERS
Staff Writer
News in fashion this fall is getting
shorter all the while.
At least for women, that is. They're
getting squeezed into skirts sized to
fit . . . er . . . 5-year-olds.
So get out the Nair, women. This
year, fashion-conscious ladies are
going to be shaving all year round.
Gone are frills and over-over-sized
sweaters. In are slightly tighter,
sleeker looks.
"What has been more dramatic
(this year) has been the change in
style," says Barbara Shane, manager
of Separate Quarters on Durham
Chapel Hill Boulevard.
The hemline is the biggest style
change for the season, according to
Karen Brautigam at Montaldo's in
Eastgate Mall. Fashion experts
around the area agree
wholeheartedly.
How short is short? According to
Shane, skirts at or slightly above the
knee are in vogue. And these tight
minis are being paired with compar
atively calm opaque tights or thick
hose, slightly oversized sweaters and
flats for day wear, according to Shane.
"It's as though they made this
drastic style change and made it more
subtle by toning down the accents."
Shorter isn't the only way to go.
The longer skirt is making a big hit
as well.
Women who aren't ready to be
daring needn't worry, because there
are many options.
For the fashion-conscious, pajama
style pants with slightly wider legs
are edging out flowing skirts. They
can also tone down the look with
subdued colors. Gordon Hill of Benet
ton on Franklin Street says that new
colors pale brown and burgundy
are designed to minimize the
shock of the short skirt, "so you don't
look so outrageous on the street."
For the die-hards, challis skirts are:
still plentiful in the fall fashion line
ups, and Donna Bass at Belk-Leggett
says many of her customers are
sticking with them.
When it comes to topping the
outfit off, sweaters are slightly
shorter than last year, according to
Betty Tinnin. department manager
for junior sportswear at Belk-Leggett
in University Mall. Yet long-over-short
or long-over-long are still the
predominant looks for fall. Pairing
long sweaters with short skirts so
that just a little of the skirt is peeking
out can be a difficult task, according
to Shane.
When it comes to color, pack away
the hot pinks and the magentas and
even some of the pastels. As far as
fall colors go. it's the year for the
redhead, with earth tones predom
inating. Shane said. "Khaki is by far
our strongest color, with brick or
terra-cotta accents." she says.
Forest green, orange, army green
and brown are abundant. "There's a
big emphasis on brown, from rust to
chocolate brown. It varies in shade
all the way to butterscotch brown."
says Michelle Henshaw. accessories
department head at Montaldo's.
Winter white is still classic. Black,
the other fashion classic, is back, and
le noir may be gaining force. At
Separate Quarters, khaki and black
is one of the hottest new color
combinations, according to Shane.
Sweater dressing is also back from
last fall, but it now has a new twist.
According to Hill at Benetton, the
sweater and sweater-skirt combina
tion is giving way to the one-unit
sweater dress.
To complement this fall's fashions,
scarves are a popular accent piece this
year, according to Shane. They're
coming in all sizes and shapes, thin
and thick, and all patterns are fair
game.
"We've had tremendous scarf sales.
If anything, they're more popular
than ever before," Henshaw says.
As far as accessories go, bigger is
still better, according to Henshaw. "I
think it'sjust catching on in this area. .
I think people in big cities have worn
big accessories for a long time."
The two other big words in acces
sories are turquoise and leather. Many
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Casual sweaters and sweater-skirts remain college favorites. Outfit
courtesy of Benetton.
stores are selling turquoise bracelets
even better than silver, which, accord
ing to Henshaw. was popular last
spring. Wide leather belts with
snakeskin and other prints (such as
the ostrich print) pressed onto them
are also the rage. African prints for
both accessories and clothing are also
hot items, according to Brautigam.
Metallic accessories are losing a bit
of their shine, and while most local
: jres are carrying flash, they have
minimal amounts of it. "Everybody
did turn around and discover that
there were metallics everywhere.
They'd get to the prom or the formal
and discover that every other girl had
metallic handbags like theirs."
But where metallics and other
accessories are toning down, this
fall's daringly short, tight skirts and
sleek styles are making a statement.
"I think it caught the whole buying
public by surprise," Brautigam says.
"It's a cleaner look, and it's a fresher
look."
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DTHDavid Minton
What's hot:
short, tight skirts "
earth tones
alligator prints
bulky accessories
turquoise
sleeker cuts
acid-washed demin
pants' braces
he look is Classic American
By KATHY PETERS
Staff Writer
Italian men may be known for their
beguiling flirtatiousness and Brits for
their sexy savvy, but American men
are making their moves this fall with
a fashion sense that reeks of Ame
ricanism and exudes a casualnessthat
could only be born in the U.S.A.
"In sportswear, everything is going
back to the American . . . dressed-up
- sporty look." says David Salley.
manager of The Hub. Ltd. on Franklin
Street.
The outdoorsy look is moving out
of L.L Bean and into a more upscale
look that's still carefree but dressier.
It's a dressed-down look that's more
dressed up. Salley says.
And local merchants are feeling the
change. Both Salley and Bob Simpson,
owner of The Town and Campus on
Franklin Street, say acid-washed jeans
and demin jackets are selling in craze
like proportions. Thalhimers in Dur
ham's Northgate Mall also has
washed-out jeans at the top of its
sales list, according to Melvin Parker
in men's sportswear.
Jean shirts are hot, according to
Salley. but they have a looser fit and
a cleaner silhouette than the 70s'
cowboy classic.
Along the same lines, slacks are
sleeker. According to Gordon Hill at
Benetton on Franklin Street, none of
the unisex shop's pants are cuffed this
year, and they're tailored to fit the
Whafs not:
the prairie look
lace for daytime
challis skirts
magenta
plain oxfords
slim look.
Even the traditional solid American
business shirt is being pepped up to
a slightly oversized shirt sporting
broad stripes. In some shirts, patt
erns striped across the chest only and
extended to the sleeves create a
slightly updated, classic look that
Simpson says is selling well.
"In general. American men are
getting more style-conscious," Salley
says.
Sweaters are getting richer, too.
They're showing up in subtler weaves
and more luscious fabrics, according
to Salley.
What's the casual trend leading up
to? Simpson says to watch for the
dressy look in sportswear that's
coming for the holiday and spring
seasons "the more wrinkled the
better." According to Simpson, the
unstructured look Don Johnson
popularized a few years ago fizzled
after awhile, but because of the dire
need for something with casual
finesse, it will be back soon. Already.
Salley says, sport coats are dressed
down and selling in more patterns.
But some things never change, and
aside from the subtle alterations in
cut and pattern, fashion is sticking
to the basics, according to Simpson,
who says shoppers are unlikely to see
anything shockingly new this fall.
Basic autumn shades, including
olive drabs and earth tones, are back
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DTHCharlotte Cannon
Fall sportswear affords many combinations. Men's jeans courtesy of
Town and Campus. Other clothing provided by The Lodge.
from last year.
As far as dresswear is concerned,
there have been considerable changes
since last year, according to Salley.
"Last year, what was happening was
a giant Italian flux of imported
clothing." he said. Because of the
decreased strength of the dollar.
Americans can no longer afford Italian
clothing, according to Salley. and that
has forced changes in the typical
American business suit. The Italian
sport coat with padded shoulders has
taken a back seat to a more contin
ental look a sport coat with the
extension of the natural shoulder and
pleated trousers in finer fabrics.
Bow ties may be heading out. but
braces (you know, suspenders) are
still selling strong, according to
Salley. Patterns and more elegant
paisley prints are keeping braces up
to date.
Speaking of paisley, the verdict is
undecided. The color and background
are getting darker and bolder, accord
ing to Salley. Simpson, on the other
hand, says paisley is still popular but
that the paisley proliferation of the
past few years has virtually taken it
off the market.
But whether men are perked up
in deep paisley or fitted forever in
acid blue jeans, there's a classic sense
out there this fall. Classic American,
that is.
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