ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Sunday, March 31, 1996                 TAG: 9603290108
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 18   EDITION: METRO 
                                             TYPE: SPRING FASHION 
SOURCE: KAREN ADAMS STAFF WRITER 

FINISHING TOUCHES THIS SPRING, ACCESSORIES ARE STARS IN THEIR OWN RIGHT

Sometimes it's the little things in life that make it worth living.

This spring, those little things are accessories. The minimalist look of the moment provides the perfect backdrop for shoes and bags that are stunning, clever and downright inspired.

Suddenly, shoes are more interesting than ever. Here's a mere smattering of some of the best things ever to happen to the foot: shiny patent pumps (perhaps in chartreuse or cherry), wedgy slip-ons, cloggy sandals with a hint of '70s France, shy ballet slippers, wild platforms in outrageous colors and patterns, square-toed buckled workhorses, zingy slingbacks, '40s Mary Janes with curved Sabrina heels, spectators for every event, hippie thongs, satin shoes fit for champagne (to drink with or from) and strappy heels guaranteed to make feet want to dance.

This year marks the quiet return of moccasins and loafers of all persuasions. Casual, comfortable, sensible and faithful, these shoes (Hush Puppies foremost among them) may be a woman's best friends.

There are the breathtakers, too, dazzling celebrations of the foot that would make Marie Antoinette proud. They are encrusted with jewels (real or imitation), embroidered with flowers, laced with beads, adorned with roses, scattered with pearls and wrought with love.

(One could wear these shoes and nothing else and people would notice only the shoes.)

Handbags, too, hold their own this season. Why pull your wallet out of a plain old purse when you can snap open a sleek satin envelope? Or a gleaming patent clutch?

Totes in geometric shapes - cylinders, trapezoids, boxy baskets and dainty little ovals - are works of art in themselves.

And shoulder bags are swinging everywhere, from the market to the theater, in any color imaginable (and some unimaginable). As Tom Ford of Gucci, the designer who makes purses out of such things as python skins and peacock feathers, told Harper's Bazaar: ``These bags are something you wear instead of something you carry.''

Accessories make life interesting. Granted, a slick pair of shoes or a floppy slouch bag may not change the world, but they can make you feel great while you go out and do what has to be done.

LENGTH: Medium:   61 lines
ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO:  STEPHANIE KLEIN-DAVIS/Staff. 1. A colorful scarf 
          completes the look: Jennifer (above, left) wears a bright print from
          The Golden Shoestring; Muyeria's pastel silk comes from Talbot's, 
          and Sanghee's cotton floral comes from Stein Mart. All scarves are 
          by Echo. 2. Jennifer (right) wears a black cotton cover-up by Mary 
          Krugman from Panache with strappy Phyllis Poland sandals from E.I. 
          Randle. Her hand-carved wooden purse by Timmy Woods of Beverly Hills
          is available at Panache, and her towel comes from Montgomery Ward. 
          4. Muyeria and Jennifer (right) have found stylish, inventive ways 
          to ward off the rain. Their umbrellas slide into cylindrical cases. 
          These and their raincoats by Maralyce Ferree are available at Colors
          & You.