Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 18, 1990 TAG: 9003161852
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-13 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By TRACIE FELLERS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Gone are the days when women had to wear staid, structured suits to be accepted in the business world, say fashion experts and area retailers.
"It depends on the occupation or the profession, but there seems to be more freedom to allow the person to dress the way that looks the best," said Jane Bonomo, owner of Bonomo's stores in Roanoke, Blacksburg and Radford.
"The feeling in business that you used to have to dress like a man is gone," said Rose Dauphin, manager of Frances Kahn in Roanoke's Grand Pavilion.
Professional women aren't limited to wearing uniforms like "the pin-striped gray suit with the white blouse and the little bow" anymore, Dauphin said.
In response, area retailers predict the dress will come out of the closet and into the office much more often this spring. And when women do choose suits, those suits will be softer and less structured, say fashion experts nationwide.
Charlotte Kidd, home economics extension agent for the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service in Roanoke, has already dubbed the new down-to-business frocks "power dresses."
"I think women can look very businesslike without always having to wear a suit," Kidd said.
But exactly what makes a dress a power dress?
"I think you need one that's a very basic dress, that is probably somewhat fitted, probably with a collar, probably long-sleeved and probably mid-calf length," Kidd said.
The most businesslike dress "runs along the same lines as a suit, but instead of being two pieces, it's one piece," Kidd said.
Many of this season's dresses - including chemises and coatdresses - have that business look, says Lisa Williams, special events coordinator for Roanoke's Leggett stores.
"They look more like your suit, but yet it's a softer touch and it's also more comfortable," Williams said.
The bulk of Frances Kahn's business is not in career wear, but "we sell a lot of gaberdine dresses and coatdresses," Dauphin said.
"It's easy for a woman to throw on a dress and go . . . . You get up in the morning, you throw it on and you look great. You don't have to worry about putting it all together," she said.
Kidd said women also find dresses appealing because they're versatile. "They're easier to accessorize, and you can do a lot of different things with a dress, just like you can do a lot of different things with a suit."
Dresses are "easier to take care of," she said. "You only have one thing to take to the cleaners instead of three" - namely blouse, jacket and skirt.
Another example of the flexibility dresses offer this spring is the "day to evening" ensemble, said Shirley Hammond, co-owner of Roanoke's Colors & You boutiques.
These ensembles pair dresses with jackets for a dressier or more tailored look. They are popular because women can wear them to work, then out to dinner or dancing with ease, Hammond said.
Other spring possibilities for professional women include sarong dresses, which are draped or pleated at one hip, wrap dresses and nautical dresses or suits.
The nautical styles get strong votes of confidence from area fashion authorities like Leggett's Williams, who says the look has become a spring standard.
For women whose jobs don't take them to the boardroom or the courtroom, updated city shorts may be an option for the office.
These urban shorts, as they are sometimes called, are knee-length or a bit shorter. Their impact depends largely on the jacket you choose - a blazer for a tailored look, or a more casual jacket for a relaxed appearance.
Some of the short ensembles might be more suitable for an afternoon spent visiting Center in the Square, but others could be fresh alternatives for business wear.
Colors & You, in Roanoke's Towers Mall and Promenade Park, carries city short ensembles by Toto n Ko and Kamisato. The Toto n Ko shorts, in black and white plaid rayon with chartreuse accents, end just above the knee. They are paired with a matching double-breasted jacket.
Hammond describes the outfit as "smart-looking." The shorts are "really just a tiny bit shorter than the skirts that go with some of the suits," she said.
But how ready is the working world for women in shorts?
Hammond recently conducted an experiment on the subject. During a business and pleasure cruise, she wore the Toto n Ko outfit to one of the business meetings: "And nobody said a word." The outfit has such a sophisticated look, she's not sure anyone even realized she was wearing shorts.
However, Robert Auman, a public relations representative at Norfolk Southern Corp. in Roanoke, said he doesn't think city shorts would be considered appropriate business wear at the corporation's Roanoke offices.
But "some women who work for Norfolk Southern in large metropolitan cities such as New York or San Francisco might wear that attire. I can also imagine a woman employee of Norfolk Southern wearing this outfit at a business retreat," he said.
Peter Thonis, spokesman for IBM corporate headquarters in Armonk, N.Y., said it's hard to say whether IBM would consider city shorts appropriate for business.
"We don't have a dress code. We pretty much leave it up to the discretion of the individual," Thonis said.
Most of the corporation's salespeople wear suits, but "people in research and manufacturing wear jeans," he said.
"As long as it's not something that looks like it came off of 42nd Street, it should be OK."
Memo: Spring Fashion