Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 2, 1995 TAG: 9504050002
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SUSAN PHINNEY SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
After seasons of stark, dark clothes accessorized with tiny earrings, or possibly a large wooden cross, accessories are on parade again and women who count on them to personalize a costume can go on a spree.
For the last few seasons, manufacturers of everything from buttons to belts have seen demand for their products slide.
They've watched accessory basics like big earrings and belts almost disappear from the fashion runways and magazine layouts. Instead of jewelry, handbags and scarves, for example, they've seen forests of legs in black tights, some black berets and backs hunched with backpacks. Pretty accessories were in fashion purgatory.
Calvin Klein lifted industry spirits slightly last April when his show models appeared wearing white patent-leather shoes and belts with his lower-priced collection for fall '94.
White patent reappeared for spring '95, along with red, black, lime and other shiny shades. Accessories, from patent belts to veiled hats, are back in business.
This season's simple sheaths and other sentimental looks from the 1940s through the 1970s cry out for adornment. Tiny buttons decorate dresses along with bits of lace and belts. Small, structured handbags and so-called envelope bags have reappeared for daytime. Gloves are not unknown, and hats have moved from beach to street.
Surfaces are often pearlized or plasticized. Silver shimmers. Earrings gleam, and diamonds, or stones that resemble them, are again in vogue.
Jane Tucker, a New York retail fashion consultant and an accessories specialist, says narrow belts (about a half-inch wide) are the all-important item of the season. Patent leather handbags, in black and colors, are also selling.
Jewelry sales have been slower because manufacturers weren't quick to move away from tiny, delicate looks, Tucker speculates. Larger, bolder earrings are needed for spring. Tucker says to look for them in Lucite or bright colors.
Tucker calls the millinery market ``the strongest it's been in a long time.''
Hats are some of the most visible signs of spring at local retail outlets. JC Penney stores, for example, have dozens of them in several shades of pink, red, ivory, black and white, even some lime green and orange, all in the $16-$36 range.
Hats aren't the only headgear that's sought after. Tucker says bobby pins covered in rhinestones, barrettes and other hair accessories are more visible than they've been in years. Hair also can be accentuated with flowers and even false hair pieces.
by CNB