DATE: Wednesday, September 10, 1997         TAG: 9709090109

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E7   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY SUE VanHECKE, CORRESPONDENT 

                                            LENGTH:   69 lines

MEN IN BLACKFABRICS LIKE GABARDINE, SILK AND WOOL UPDATE THE CLASSIC MEN'S BLACK SUIT.<

The black suit. It's no longer just the province of G-men, clergy and the undertaker. With today's rich fabrics, modern cuts and punchy accouterments, black is where it's at.

``Dark suits are up-trending,'' notes Rick Barnhart, area sales manager for Hecht's menswear. ``Of course, they're still a staple part of the businessman's (wardrobe), but they're getting a bit more fashionable.''

Adds Jerry Epstein, owner-manager of Marc Lance Menswear in Virginia Beach, ``It's a dressy suit where you don't need a tuxedo. . . . It sells a little better than navy - navy used to be the top seller - but, really, when it comes to dressy suits, black for the last few years has been a more fashionable suit.''

What makes this season's black suit different? It's all in the details.

Designers are using luxurious, tactile fabrics and innovative cuts, and they're teaming black suits and jackets with shirts and ties in bold colors.

``We're seeing a lot of texture in clothing,'' Barnhart says. For example: ``stripes with a herringbone between it, almost like a basketweave. It's not any heavier than a regular suit, but it looks beefier, it looks like a better fabric.''

At Marc Lance, fabrics range from gabardines and silks to wool and silk blends.

Today's black suit comes in a wide range of cuts, too - from the classic two-button and double-breasted styles to the popular three-button model, the biggest seller at Marc Lance. The latter make for ``about a third of our business,'' Barnhart says.

``They really look nice because . . . the V-shape on the lapels is much higher and it tends to slim you down.

``The two-button is probably about half our business, and it will maintain that all the time. Guys are comfortable with that; it comes with a center vent. Some suits are doing ventless, but they're mostly double-breasted or the three-button model.''

Both Barnhart and Epstein have also seen some side-vented suits in some of the couture lines, though they both doubt the side vent will ever become a big seller. Epstein also carries a six-by-two-button along with the traditional one-button double-breasted style.

But the real excitement is in what you wear under the black suit or jacket, Barnhart explains.

``We've never seen as much coloration in men's dress shirts as we have (today),'' he said. ``And in order to accent that, you need the vibrant colors in ties. That's why the woven silk tie - it's more vibrant and shows the color much better than a printed tie.''

Even the tone-on-tone look of gray and black can really pop if the shirt is an intense shade of charcoal and the tie is silvery woven silk.

So how do you find the right black suit for you? Most men have some idea of what they like and what looks good on them, but if you're at a loss, try and try on again.

``It depends on the individual,'' Epstein says, ``how he fits into it. The Hugo Boss with the long coat is a little more up-fashion; Armani's a little bit more traditional.

``And it depends on what their values are as far as money. The Italian suits are a little finer fabrics, but the styles are similar to the ones that are less expensive. You've got to get the right body into the right suit.''

And this year, there's a black suit for every body. ILLUSTRATION: [BILL TIERNAN

The Virginian-Pilot]

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On a roll... KEYWORDS: FALL FASHION PREVIEW AUTUMN SERENADE

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