ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, March 31, 1996 TAG: 9604040109
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KAREN ADAMS STAFF WRITER
If you could pluck any fashion style from yesterday's closet, what would it be?
The tailored look of Katharine Hepburn (silk blouse, pinstripe jacket, men's trousers, spectators)? Or the gamine style of Audrey Hepburn (skinny Capri pants, sleeveless top, ballet slippers)?
How about Jackie Kennedy (little pink sheath, short boxy jacket, low-heeled pumps)? Or Doris Day (gingham shirtwaist, daisy-dotted sandals, pale scarf to keep the breeze off your hair)?
Perhaps you'd favor the youthful look of Twiggy (short, lacy shift, long beads, T-strap slingbacks) or even Marcia Brady (blue polyester shirt, brown plaid jumper, wide belt, clunky loafers).
Welcome to spring fashion 1996, where the '40s, '50s, '60s and '70s - the good, the bad and a bit of the ugly - are all back in style.
You're in luck if you've dreamed of the nipped-waist dresses of Donna Reed, the leather jackets and bell-bottoms of the Mod Squad, the skinny pants and sweater sets of Mary Richards, the satin halters and backless heels of Marilyn Monroe, the Indian prints and sandals of Joan Baez or the dapper three-button suits of the young James Stewart, Gary Cooper and Cary Grant.
Or, believe it or not, the polyester pantsuits of any member of the Brady Bunch.
You can even dress like Alice, the Brady housekeeper, in one of Calvin Klein's uniform-inspired creations.
There is also the remarkable ``geek chic,'' complete with cropped pants (a.k.a. ``flood pants''), loafers and thick-edged polyester shirts buttoned to the chin.
At the other end of the spectrum is ``hippie chic,'' with crocheted vests, flowing robes, thong sandals, tunics, hip-huggers, feathers and fringe.
This year's dresses are shifts, sheaths, A-lines, debutantes and princesses, and they're fitted, flowered, flowing and full.
Pants are long, short, low-slung, high-cut and belted. So are skirts.
Bathing suits are more fun than ever this year, and the Hollywood influence is obvious. From the glamorous floral tank to the slinky skirted maillot to the boy-cut checkered two-piece, they are tasteful and beautiful. More importantly, there are flattering styles for everyone.
Shoes are chunky and funky, chic and sleek, from ballet flats to strappy heels to wedgy espadrilles. There are also gorgeous creations you'd see on the spectacular feet of Ginger Rogers or Betty Grable.
Fabrics are natural and synthetic and everything in between. They're plain, shiny, plaid, floral, lace, checked, dotted, and covered with wild and groovy prints. So you can wrap yourself in any mood that fits.
This goes for color as well. Bright and clear, or pale and creamy, color is big news. Fashion designers have finally escaped from black, and they are frolicking in their freedom.
As Italian designer Miuccia Prada told Pantone Inc. for their spring '96 brochure of fashion colors, ``I introduced more color because I was bored.'' And American designer Todd Oldham said, ``When it comes to color, anything goes.''
From the exciting colors of Ralph Lauren and Donna Karan to the softer hues of Isaac Mizrahi and Nicole Miller, designers offer a tantalizing banquet of selections.
This year's sherbet colors - lemon, lime, mango, raspberry, tangerine - are so tangy you can almost taste them. And iced pastels such as mint, lilac, peach and rose are cool and soothing and flattering to anyone.
Fabrics, too, have a lot to do with color presentation. A blouse of shiny polyester in apple green may create a shocking praying-mantis look. But the same color in muted silk shantung can be soft and elegant.
The choices are endless, and it's almost impossible to go wrong.
So ... what's going on here? Who can explain the kaleidoscope that is '96 fashion?
Certainly, we want a lot of choices; taste and individuality matter as much as ever. Perhaps Bill Blass puts it best: ``You want to look like you, and not like your designer just threw the whole thing together.''
And when we choose styles from the past, maybe it's simply a longing for the clothes that make us happy. Clothes that remind us of a simpler time, worn by some of the people we like best.
LENGTH: Long : 102 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Staff photos by STEPHANIE KLEIN-DAVISby CNB1. John Yocum wears a canary pique sport shirt by St. Croix in
100-percent cotton, black tropical wool trousers by Raquet Club and
a black leather belt by Canterbury, with a checked sport coat by
Hickey Freeman, all from Mitchell's Clothing in downtown Roanoke.
collor
2. Sanghee Uhm (left) wears a fuchsia polyester shift by Babel Ardee
from E.I. Randle with suede shoes by Via Spiga from The Golden
Shoestring. Muyeria Kimondo wears a pale-yellow linen shift by
Elliot Lauren from E.I. Randle and white T-strap shoes by Previews
from Montgomery Ward. Jennifer Heinrich wears an orange crepe shift
by Joan Raines New York from The Golden Shoestring and gold mesh
shoes by Anne Mitchell from Hofheimer's. All Chinese satin handbags
are from E.I. Randle. color
3. Muyeria Kimondo wears a white, jewel-neck bathing suit with bands
of eyelet and a white net cover-up by Rachel Pappo for Diva from
Panache. color
4. PHOTO TOP LEFT: Merrily Rees dons a bright magenta- and
tomato-colored pantsuit in silk crepe with a silk chiffon scarf from
the Worth Collection. Phyllis Poland shoes are from E.I. Randle.
color
5. INSET PHOTO: Sanghee Uhm wears a fuchsia lattice-back sundress by
Kamisato in 100-percent linen with a straw hat and gold hoops by
Gigi, all from Panache. color