Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 22, 1992 TAG: 9203180248
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: TRACIE FELLERS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Over the years it's been riveted, ripped, appliqued and stone-washed. But after centuries of wear, its appeal has yet to fade.
If anything, denim is widening its circle of influence as we near the close of the 20th century. The '90s - thus far - have seen high-profile fashion designers like Karl Lagerfeld and Donna Karan take denim to new heights of style.
Last fall, Lagerfeld created a stir among the fashion elite when he presented Chanel suits that mixed denim with wool tweed. His collection for Chanel also worked denim into handbags and boots.
Karan has called denim "the new gaberdine," and it's a favorite fabric in her DKNY line. Last spring, she dressed up a low-cut, waist-nipping white jean jacket with pearl buttons and beads. This spring, she's paired white denim overall shorts with lacy bustiers and blue denim bustiers with suede overall shorts.
Other designers are experimenting with jean styling in unexpected fabrics. Ralph Lauren and Perry Ellis designer Marc Jacobs do "jean" jackets in leather. Liz Claiborne's Lizwear - a sportswear line - offers a washed silk dress with the look of denim. And denim's distinctly Americana look goes glamorous in Lauren's double silk organza workshirt.
Designer-made or not, one of the most wonderful things about the genuine article is its universality. Whether denim is shaped into jeans or jodphurs, skirts or stirrup pants, it's worn by all types of people: tots and teens, city slickers and suburbanites, men and women, students and senior citizens.
In Southwest Virginia, look for jeans and jean shorts in black and white, bright colors and pastels to spice up your collection this spring. The vivid shades, like turquoise and orange, are particularly striking in shorts for men and women.
Patterns also come into play for both sexes, as on striped shorts. Skinny stripes, like those on men's shorts by Guess?, recall old-fashioned railroad engineer garb. Awning stripes, more likely to appear on shorts for women, are bigger and bolder.
by CNB