Thursday, April 5, 1034
Pago 6
Expressions
I
Women 's formal wear feminine, professional
By JUDI NYGItEN
A woman dressed in a knee-length skirt and tai
lored blouse cowers in a closet clutching a man's
blazer in her arms. Tugging at the blazer is a half
dressed man.
A woman wearing a long, soft peach, uncon
structed blazer, loose blouse and slim skirt stands in
front of the black and white closet scene and pro
claims "YouVe come a long way baby!"
Women's fashions have indeed "come a long way,"
according to Linda Baldwin, co-owner of Joy & Co.
in the Centrum.
Many women have thrown out their classic, struc
tured suits and filled their closets with uncon
structed, long blazers and slim skirts of varying
lengths, she said. The spring and summer suits are
made of natural fibers, linens and silk mixtures.
The new suit styles allow women to look "profes
sional yet feminine," Baldwin said. "Women realize
they don't need to look like carbon copies of men to
succeed."
In lieu of dressing like men, Baldwin said, women
are buying suits that reflect their lifestyles and
express their individuality.
Along with the suit's style, the season s colors play
an important part in defining a woman s individual
ity, she said. Desert tones like khaki, soft peach and
clay are the newest spring colors, and red, teal, black
and white will be featured this summer, Baldwin
said.
Kathi Kouba, Miller & Paine's designer dress and
better dress supervisor, said the basic colors like
bone, tan, navy and black are also in style this sea
son. A bright colored scarf, tie or blouse adds the
feminine touch women often want, she said.
The basic colors are especially popular with col
lege women going through job interviews.
"College styles are kind of far out and different,
but when a girl comes in to buy a suit for an inter
view, she knows what she wants and what looks
best," Kouba said. "She usually goes with something
that isn't too overbearing or really stands out. She
wants to impress them (interviewers) with her
abilities."
College women also know how they want to dress
for a wedding or a night on the town. Robin Smith,
manager of Seiferts in the Centrum, said college
women are opting for skirts and dresses instead of
dress pants. This spring, college women are buying
ballroom skirts, which fall between the calf and
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ankle, and chemise dresses, she said. The chemi
has a boat neck, open sleeves, no waist and tapers at
the knees.
While the chemise is popular, Baldwin said she
believes dresses with defined waists will be the big
gest sellers because they show off a woman's figure.
"Women are into physical fitness," Baldwin said
'They have gotten their bodies into shape and now
they want to show them off."
Along with the chemise, the cocoon has hit the
market, Smith said. The cocoon features a high
neck, dolman sleeves and a gradually narrowing
skirt.
Smith said the dress length is not specified this
season. Along with varying lengths, she said, women
have a number of colors to choose from, ranging
from vibrant reds to earth tones to pastels.
Kouba said many women have undergone a color
analysis and discovered they don't look as good in
certain colors, consequently, the fashion industry is
attempting to cater to every skin type.
The varying colors come in polyester silks, natural
fibers and handkerchief linen, Baldwin said. This
season, the emphasis is on easy care materials that
are within a reasonable price range, she said.
Smith said budget-conscious women are looking
for clothes that are interchangeable for both day
and evening wear. This season, women are wearing
a linen jacket over a dress for work, she said, and
then coming home, taking the blazer off, adding
some jewelry and going out for the evening.
Accessories are the key to creating an office image
and evening look from the same garment, Baldwin
said.
This season, designers stress vivid colors, unusual
shapes, stones and beads in their jewelry, she said.
The bolder and larger the necklace, bracelet or ear
rings, the better. The thin, gold chain is a thing of the
past, Baldwin added.
Kouba said shoes, blouses, belts and ties help
update last season's wardrobe.
While women may need to update their spring
and summer closet, Nancy Tramel, Hovland-Swan-son's
designer buyer, said the 1984 fall fashions will
not be much different from last fall's.
During a recent buying trip to New York, Tramel
said, she saw wedge dresses, which are a modifica
tion of the chemise, dresses with defined waists,
set-in waists or drop waists and the bubble dress.
The bubble dress has no waist and blouses up until it
becomes straight and slim at the hips.
Many of the dresses are classically styled, she said,
which reflects women's desire to save money by
keeping the same dress for more than one season,
she said.
The designers used wool crepe, flannel, tweed,
leather, silk charmeuse and natural fibers, Travel
said. One of the newer trends is in leather, she
added. Designers showed leather ranging from jade
to forest and red to burgundy, she said. They also
mixed leather with a variety of fabrics, she said.
Instead of long, formal dresses for evening wear,
Tramel said the season's designers will feature the
shorter dinner dress. This is the style Midwestern
women have preferred for years, she said.
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