By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
August 17, 2004
Every season, women shudder at the thought of what New York, Paris and Milan will conjure up for us to wear. When designers are feeling particularly cruel, they insist we wedge ourselves into jeans that ride so low they make the plumber’s-butt pants appear demure by comparison. Thank goodness this fall is all about lady-like glamor and comfort. Skirts are long and lean. Pants are loose with wider legs. And dresses are delicate and figure-flattering.
If we had to pick a muse, it’d be classic and classy Natalie Portman. Her buddy Britney Spears would be the fashion-don’t poster girl.
“Minis and belly shirts are definitely out,” says Amanda Ross, market director at Harper’s Bazaar. “I know that will make a lot of women very happy, because minis can be unforgiving. A lot of designers are making skirts longer. Pencil skirts are in, as are accordion pleated skirts. Full circle skirts are also making a comeback. It’s a very put-together look.”
Say no to mix-and-match separates. This season it’s best to buy an entire pant or skirt suit and then break it up into pieces, advises Eve Freedner, Express public relations manager/women’s and men’s. “Express is offering colorful tweed jackets and skirts that can be worn as a suit for a pulled-together and polished look or as separates with a pair of jeans or sweater. Either way, it is an easy way to wear the ladylike trend.”
Longer skirts may be in, but you don’t have to throw away your above-the-knee skirts just yet. With tights and a classic cardigan in a vibrant color, you can create an au courant look that’ll be in step with some of this fall’s runway pieces, Ross adds.
Designer Matthew Williamson, who counts Halle Berry as a fan, adds, “Women want to buy pieces that are investments that will stay season after season. I always say that if you invest in cashmere and fine wool, you’re set.”
This season, there are more skirts and dresses with fine beading and embroidery. Remember: A little goes a long way. You don’t want to be mistaken for Liberace’s wife. Fashion experts advise against wearing too much of the same thing. The best partner to complete a flashier bottom is something neutral. Wear a fitted top with wider-leg trousers.
“I actually like seeing different fabrics being worn on the top and bottom,” Ross says. “It just creates a more interesting look. There are so many lovely things out in all sorts of fabrics — chiffon, wool, silk, satin. Enjoy them all.”
Though some figures rebel against them, pleated trousers are still popular this season. Like flat-front pants, the cut of the legs has taken a cue from menswear. Both Chloe and Marc Jacobs have been showing trousers that are wide-legged but very tailored and put-together.
Williamson loves juxtaposing casual with glamorous. One of his biggest sellers is the line he collaborated with Levi Strauss & Co. to make. He took the classic jeans and added charms on the pocket edges. The small detail gave the pants — a staple in many households — a touch of understated glamor.
“There’s lots of cashmere with little fur jackets on the runway,” he says. “Mix those with jeans and heels for a really fun, decadent look. There’s no reason why you can’t.”
Similarly, Ross suggests mixing things up with dresses. Instead of throwing a cardigan over your A-line dress, try pairing it with a colorful pullover.
“Women can get caught in ruts about what they’re supposed to wear and how they should look,” she says. “This season, it’s all about taking a pulled-together look and having some fun with it.”
Super skinny, tight jeans.
Dresses over pants.
Slip dresses.
Lingerie-style shirts.
Micro mini skirts.
Super low-rise pants that hang below the hips.
WHAT’S IN:
The new black is color — green, purple, lavender, yellow and red.
Fitted tops with wider-legged trousers.
Pencil skirts.
Naturally faded jeans.
DON’T THROW AWAY:
Your twin sets. They’re perfect complements to today’s trousers and pencil skirts.
Round-toed shoes. They’re classic and innocent and adorable.
The pumps. They’re the evergreen of shoes — always in style.
