Fashion Trendsletter
What's New 

Fashion Trendsletter
With Commentary On
Fall 2004—Winter 2005
by
Karen Ormsby and Judith Rasband
©2004 Conselle, L.C.

Fashion refers to the popular and prevailing style at any given time and place. Fashion is a mirror of society—a mirror of history within a society. Fashion changes as society changes. Change is inevitable. The degree and speed of change varies from time to time and place to place and is discussed in terms of "trends."

Fashion For Her
   As fashion trends go, we'd like to read that "baggy" and "bare" are so old! We'd like move on to something new and nice for a change. In doing our seasonal market research, however, the ongoing fashion mood, according to one fashion forecaster, is still "sexy, but sleek and sophisticated." Another forecaster goes on record with "feminine, ladylike looks from the 50s" and suit-dressing is finally back in favor. Still others maintain "casual comfort and easy dressing" are prime, with "casual wear loosening up." Can casual get any "looser" than it already is? We don't think so. In reality, fashion for fall 2004 will be a mix of all the above—and more. Classic "Preppy" clothes remain strong. Designer John Galliano is going heavy on "Egyptian" themes, while designer Jean Paul Gaultier gives us "unstructured, almost primitive" styles and accessories. Elements of their designs will trickle down with mass market appeal. Brazil is an up and coming fashion capital, so expect to see its influence grow. To be expected, there is opposition in all things, including fashion good looks. There is the "naughty librarian fantasy" that pairs tight twinset sweaters with a hardware trimmed skirt. The look will land you nowhere you really want to go. Versace puts out a dubious evening lineup of "punked-out," twisted, slashed, and contorted gowns that present you in various states of undress. Look elsewhere. What follows are discussions of the great, the good, the bad and the ugly for Fall 2004 and beyond. We incite you to read through the major trends and call it quits, or go on to pick and choose to read what interests you.

Retro Feminine Theme
   "Retro" and "vintage" are key words this season and they encompass decades of fashion styling, with options for personal style preference. A woman wanting to carry off the dramatic look of Marlene Dietrict might pick out a new, tailored, three-piece suit in matching pant, vest, and jacket. Her best friend might prefer a gorgeous gown, reminiscent of the style Jean Harlow wore. You might have a talent for buying into vintage looks and pairing them with something new—a dash of the past and a pinch of the present. Picture modern pin-stripe pants topped with a vintage ivory silk camisole and caramel-colored leather jacket with cutwork on the collar. Wow! Among vintage fashion options, you'll find specific fashion pieces from the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, through the 60s, 70s, and into the 80s. With clothes from the 90s still in our closets and updates into 2004—you ought to be able to find something you really want to wear. Considering the illicit sex and sleaze we've seen flaunted on fashion pages, at the mall, or at the movies, some of the fall season's looks are downright prim and proper. You'll find clothes that are cute and sporty, yet trying to feel feminine. Others are a classy mix of feminine Yin and tailored Yang design elements creating a look of delicate strength that's young and self-assured. Picture, if you will, a softly flared satin dress with tailored collar and cuffs, or a softly bowed silky blouse and slim skirt, topped with a short, shaped tweed jacket.

His-For-Her Theme
   It's this mix of assured femininity and assumed masculinity that we see as the most exciting fashion and image trend of the season. It finally puts the focus on the differing degrees of Yin and Yang styling that every individual has to either recognize intuitively or experiment with to arrive at her own degree of personal style. You may hear or read about this trend in fashion reports as "she-male" fashion. Call it "his-for-her," or "boy meets girl," it's the androgynous look of menswear on women. As always, the media will hype the extremes—but don't you go to extreme. You'll just look silly with a bow tied around a blazer. The mix should always be subtle to work harmoniously—a little of the one to a lot of the other. The look may be almost "all girl" with a hint of the guy, or nearly "all guy" with a touch of the girl. For some, the right look may be a flounced skirt below a softer fabric blazer. Maybe it'll be a Chanel style jacket over a floral, neck-tied blouse, pearls, and a straight skirt. A man's vest translates beautifully on a woman, layered over a romantically styled chiffon blouse and cuffed, tapered, or flared pants. You've got options. A sporty poncho or more dramatic looking cape—worn originally as a cloak by the men of Spain—will be an available option and serve you well for years to come.

Baby-doll and Barbie Doll Themes
   Going to extreme when it comes to femininity, we've got more cutesy, baby-doll dressing, Barbie Couture, and Barbie Boutiques. In Europe it's called, "Dressing like a doll," and the description isn't considered a compliment. The look is too frilly, too frou-frou, a froth-induced sugar rush you really can't afford. You end up looking like you haven't got a brain. So don't go to extreme in your attempts to appear feminine. A chic antidote is the tailored suit or softly tailored suit paired with a frankly feminine blouse.

Anti-Statement and The Deconstruction Downtrend
   "Anti-statement" fashion continues to rely on stained and faded fabrics, ripped and torn, worn inside-out—anything that goes against established ways of dressing. The clothes and the outfits are literally deconstructed—taken apart in some way or another. The trend toward deconstruction started out with unbuttoned blouses and exposed seams. Now we're seeing necklines, hemlines, collars, and cuffs without any finish or facing. And some don't bother with the blouse at all. Sold at regular prices, raw edges are ready to fray apart at the first wearing or wash—and that's exactly the idea. Deconstructed clothes are intended to communicate unwillingness to conform to looking "nice" as we used to see it. If people give in to this lack of quality at regular prices, why should clothing manufacturers bother to spend what it takes to finish a quality garment? They won't, and we'll all become fashion victims. Even retailers are playing into the deconstruction mentality, telling consumers and teaching salespeople to "Mix it up 'cause anything goes." The fashion industry doesn't seem to get it, but they're shooting themselves in the foot!

Fashion Savvy Consumer Buying—
   We recently read that today's consumer is said to be "fast, savvy, smart, ravenous, and relentless about getting new things. Like falling in love, you gotta have it!" Oh please, let us get a life and exercise our brain in behalf of humanity. Make time to consider what you really think about buying into the latest trends for sake of looking "cool." Make sure you distinguish between runway and reality. Before you buy, consider your needs, your personal style, roles, and goals. If styles from the 50s don't appeal to you, check out updated 40s and 80s suit options. If punkette or baby-doll looks really won't work where you work, classic business clothes can still be found—or custom cut to fit. If you recognize the anti-statement and deconstructed looks for what they really are, take your business to the stores and catalog companies still surviving the casualization of America.

   We highly recommend you stroll the aisles of your local department stores—like Dillards, Macy's, Lord & Taylor, Meier & Frank. Be selective according to size. Zero in on their sales for the most of the best in basics at reduced prices. Find your nearest national chain stores—like Chico's, Talbots, Ann Taylor, Casual Corner, Petite Sophisticate, and August Max, even Dress Barn—as well as independent local boutiques. Budget, sizing, and personal style will dictate which will work for you. Call us if you need direction. Yes, you can find some things at discount stores like TJ Maxx, Ross Dress For Less, Target, and once in awhile Walmart—but now be very selective. You're looking for the best quality on the rack at the price you can afford.

   Don't overlook catalog and internet shopping options. Catalogs offer you armchair selection and fashion education at no cost. Consider getting our Fashion Catalog Directory, for sale in our Bookstore. We particularly like Talbot's, Pendleton, and Coldwater Creek catalogs for fashion forward classic and sporty clothes; Draper's & Damon and J. Marco for classic and creative design; Bloomingdales and Nordstrom catalogs for contemporary classics and trends; Chadwicks and Dress Barn for economy classics and trends; Saks and Neiman's, Peruvian Connection, and Gorsuch for pure style if budget is of no concern. There are others—Barrie Pace, J. Jill, Appleseed, Lew Magram, Maryland Square and more—each catering to different personal style types. Concerned about size? Order two or three sizes and send back what doesn't work. It's worth finding even one of what you need that wasn't available in local stores. Conselle's Fashion Catalog Directory lets you in on what catalogs cater to what size range, price range, personal style range, and occasion. With options, you can find what you need and have fun with fashion!

Want to know details regarding the trends for 2004/05, fashion for him, or for teens? Read on—

For Her-Continued

• Choose loose or close fitting silhouettes. Loose silhouettes create a relaxed attitude and easy movement. Silhouettes that fit close to the body are based on belted waistlines and stretch fabrics. Allow extra ease with stretch fabrics or you'll get stretch marks—stress wrinkles pointing to the body bulge that's fitted too tightly.
• High waistlines are coming back—a great way to visually lengthen a shorter lower torso or shorter legs.
• Side surplice wrap tops and dresses are still "in" and available. They work to visually slim a wider waistline.
• Vintage tops and dresses are designed with many pattern pieces for a fabulous fit and greater visual interest.
• There is renewed interest in layering your clothes. You might like wearing a long jersey dress over skinny pants. More traditional are light to medium weight layered vests, shirt-jacs, and jackets over skirts and pants. They provide a transitional line between shoulder and hem to easily camouflage a larger bust, midriff bulge, wider waist, rounded tummy, and prominent high or low hip curves, side thighs, and behind. If you want more about how to get a flattering fit, go to our online Bookstore and consider Fabulous Fit, Shape In Clothing Selection and Coordination, and Dress Slim.

• Black is certainly "out there," but takes a back seat to brown—even in evening wear.
• Brown outnumbers black as a basic. In today's world, brown feels safe and secure, earthy, and well-grounded. You'll find rich-looking chocolate brown, espresso, mocha, and mahogany, spicy amber and caramel, moving to lighter coppery colors.
• Classy, cool charcoal and gray are livened by warm hues in pumpkin, camel, ivory, and cream.
• Pale or faded vintage neutrals appear antiqued, tea-stained, or scorched, aged for authentic vintage appeal.
• Green is cropping up all over—in grass green, lime green, lettuce, chartreuse and avocado yellow-green, muted sage and loden green, strong jade, and emerald. Charcoal, combined with forest green make a unique color scheme in clothes.
• Teal blue-green and turquoise offer more fashion options that virtually every body can wear beautifully. Try teal with camel, caramel, red, brown, black, or charcoal. You've got options.
• True blues come in sapphire, midnight blue, and steel blue-gray.
• Fashion pulls from all around the color wheel to include purple—with tints and shades in lilac, lavender, mauve, plum, and aubergine. Try lavender or purple with black or charcoal. We've done plum with black, taupe, and a touch of teal.Making a strong "Hello" statement, you'll find red and hot pink paired with black or brown. Brown paired with pink is out of the ordinary. Opt for brown with a dusty pastel pink if you prefer.
• Medium to light tints of red-orange include coral, shell pink, and bare blush, as well as blue-red burgundy and berry colors—all of which look extraordinary worn with black, brown, or charcoal.
  Fabrics
• Fabric manufacturers work more than a year-and-a-half in advance of showings and they've combined high-tech fabric innovation with low-tech, hands-on creativity. Fabrics offer you allure, a lot of technomagic, and a whole lotta luxury thrown into the mix.
• Lighterweight than ever, georgette, sheer chiffon, clingy jersey, and draped satin enhance the feminine fashion theme.
• Wool tweed or boucle and boiled wool, Cashmere, angora, mohair can be counted on to keep you warm.
• For fun, we like leather and pony skin pieces, but suggest you pass on the down-filled "puffer" dress or jacket.
• Luxury comes into play with velvet, a natural for dressy-casual in pants and shirt, or skirted for dressy-formal occasions.
• More luxury looks are seen in brocade and metallic brocade, gold or bronze lamé, and gold or silver sequined material.
• In keeping with the "his for her" theme, tailored tuxedo jackets and double breasted smokings are made up in feminine fabrics like satin or crepe de chine for the look of tailored shapes that cling and flow to reveal "la femme."
• With brown as fashion basic this winter season, you can bet that fur will be featured—either faux or the genuine pelt. Make it mink, fox, or chinchilla. Make it a winter whiteout with white fur.
• There's still more denim, including dirty denim, than we've seen in our combined lifetimes. Dare to be different and try something new to you. You've got options—use'em or lose'em.

• Print, stripe, and plaid patterns are finally getting favorable attention again. It's been a long, minimalistic time coming.
• You'll find stylized paisleys, geometrics, abstracts, floral prints, animal prints, and "Garden of Eden" prints complete with snakes, birds, and butterflies. We'll put our money on a trendy chevron striped shirt or a classic paisley skirt.
• Invest in "his for her" woven checks, herringbone, houndstooth, and tweed patterns for basics. Buy into a lumberjack plaid strictly for play.
• If you're the type, pick from 70s diagonal plaids, dots, spots, and Pucci prints.
• Antiqued floral prints are reminiscent of old wallpaper or tablecloths. Make sure it's really your style.
• "Ombré" is new to most, a dye technique where the color changes gradually across the cloth, usually monochromatically from light tints to dark shades.
• Avoid anything garish or with three-dimensional motifs that appear to rise off the surface of the fabric.
• Women comfortable using solid colors only are smart to find a pattern of colors they love and use it as inspiration for a whole cluster of workable clothes. The fabric designer has done the hard part of coming up with a color scheme. Ideally, one of the colors is a wardrobe neutral and some color repeats your personal coloring—your hair, eye, lip, and skin colorations. This allows you to become a beautiful part of the color scheme with your clothes. You pick out your favorite for core cluster pieces and rely on the pattern piece(s) for variety and interest.

• Feminine detail and decoration is everywhere, on everything you can think of. Subtlety is often left behind, so go easy and pick only what works for you.
• Fabric manipulation includes lacing, ruffling and ruching, pin-tucks and patchwork.
• The list of trims is long—using appliqué and embroidery, banding or piping, feathers or fringe, satin ribbon or sequins, beads and jewels.
• Buttons can be big—great big, but usually not great-looking. Opt for something else.
• Costume looks include jeweled buttons on lean tweed coats, tweed pencil skirts dusted with sequins, sportive gray flannel trousers with flippy godets of lace set into the hem, glitter outlining pleats of a knee-length skirt, glitter and shine on shorts and tee-tops. You name it, it's "out there."

• Like we said, suit-dressing is as feminine as it is fashionable. Because of all the feminine detail, we call them "cosmetic suits" or something for the ladies who lunch.
• If you're strictly sportive, Austin Reed suits may better fit your needs.
  Jackets
• Choose from either single-breasted or double-breasted jackets, slightly shaped to very fitted with Yin puffed sleeves or Yang oversized shoulders.
• There are little bolero, box, and cropped jackets suited only for women without side thighs or much else below the belt.
• Smaller than these are shrugs of cashmere, quilt, or fur, topping off a 50s full-skirted dress.
  Shirts & Blouses
• The trend is totally feminine, soft and sheer or silky, bowed, with bell or bloused sleeves.
• Most lingerie tanks of sheer fabric, ribbon, and lace belong in the bedroom.
• Latin looking, off-the-shoulder tops are equally trendy, appropriate in the evening hours.
• For business or leadership roles, look for classic manstyle sportshirts and campshirts. The collar lifts attention to your face for better communication.
• Traditional Oxford shirts may feature flared or pleated cuffed sleeves for a touch of elegance.
• Turn the collar up, 50s style, for added sophistication.

• Choose among drop-waist flapper dresses from the 20s, fitted sheath dresses from the 50s, or a sleeveless A-line dress with matching coat from the 60s—a la Jackie Kennedy.
• Also inspired by the 50s are sleeveless dresses with a cinched waist and full skirt—not near so forgiving as a shift from the 60s.
• Knee-length shirtwaist and jersey dresses add to the variety of good looks available in stores and catalogs.
• For evening, slip dresses are still on the rack, along with sleek satin gowns.

• Choose a trendy circle skirt from the 50s, a mini from the 60s, or a maxi from the 70s.
• Simple basic shapes include pencil and A-line skirts.
• Trendy skirts come high-waisted or hip-hugging—something for everybody.
• It appears skin-tight tube skirts are so constricting that the wearer's gait is slowed to a near stand-still.
• Slit to upper thigh is too high. Slit only to the knee is the key.
• Interesting hemlines continue to be featured—something for every age and social situation. Try on flared or flippy, asymmetric, softly ruffled, or handkerchief hems. Try, for fun, a car-wash skirt, then pass it up for something with a longer wear life.
• Mid-calf length skirts tend to look dowdy or dumpy, unless they feature an asymmetrical hem treatment.

• The most trendy pants, too, are high-waisted or slung oh-so-low on the hips.
• If you haven't noticed, low riders add inches to the width of your hips.
• Pants are cropped, and straight or wide-legged.
• There are faded jeans, suede jeans, velvet jeans, and jeans with turned up cuffs in contrasting colors.
• There are knickers in velvet or leather, cuffed pants, pants rolled up, and skinny pants tucked into boots.

• Like blouses, trendy sweaters of the season are bowed or tied at the neck.
• There are pretty pointelle knit sweaters with puffed sleeves, sporty Fair-Isle sweaters, romantic cardigans with fancy jeweled buttons, countered by more tailored looking belted flat-knit or hand-knit sweaters. It's all a matter of personal style.
• Half-sleeve twin-sets trimmed with feathers are only for the birds.
• Vests are scoring fashion points, be they simple menswear shapes worn with pants or high-waisted shapes worn over a shirtwaist dress.

• There's nothing better for basic than a trenchcoat. It's an all-season option in classic styling. Choose basic black or tan to go with all you own—or opt for a fashion color if it fits your personal style.
• Fashion colors are being pushed this season—in red, orange, or white wool with matching fur trim.
• Less flamboyant are tweed overcoats, however, we question the wisdom of 3/4 length sleeves. Some will come with a small mink collar.
• There are novelty egg-shaped coats and big wrap coats.
• Capes, capelets and ponchos are making headlines this year. One size fits just about every body, in total comfort. Choose from among wardrobe neutral colors in black, charcoal, gray, navy, burgundy, cinnamon, olive, or white.
• Stoles are making a comeback. Not since the 50s has an over-the-shoulder stole made a fashion statement. Reasonably priced, choose from the wardrobe neutrals or a fashion color for fall. Try fur if appropriate for your lifestyle.
  Shoes
• Models continue to walk the runways in pointy toe sling-backs and stiletto high heels that try to look sexy, but end up only uncomfortable. Look for more comfortable blunt or rounded-toe shoes in the seasons ahead.
• Beaded Moroccan slipper-shoes, ballerina flats, oxford lace-ups, slides, and platform wedge styling are among the favored styles for fall.
• Many shoes for fall are trimmed with beading, studs, and buckles, in patent and metallic finishes.
• Think twice about cute Mary Jane styles with a strap across the instep.
  whether in fashion or not, Mary Jane's communicate a little-girl look, appropriate only for elementary and teen girls.
• Chunky heels add tons of visual weight, working well only with pants.
• Best looking is a low throated black pump with high heels. Choose heel height according to your purpose and pleasure.

• Nude pantyhose with short skirts certainly enhance the look of the leg. People are finally speaking out about too much "raw" skin, bruises, veins, and all.
• Leggings are worn for a sporty look, also with short or longer skirts.
  Belts
• Belts are worn at the natural waistline and up to Empire level. Low riding belts continue to be featured and can look terrific over a low-slung top. Think outside the box and give them all a try.
• Bow-tied ribbon doubles as a belt around your jacket, but often looking silly and out of place.
• A thin lizard belt offers a sporty looking option.
• Beaded and rhinestone belts are an instant updater, paired carefully with a dress, jacket or simple dressy coat.

• There is an odd assortment of bags available—costume and novelty bags.
• Mega-sized tote bags and travel bags are featured. Compare the bag size with your size and don't overpower yourself.
• Square or rectangular jewel-box bags are awkward and hard to carry.
• "Bag parties" held in private homes are the latest way of selling counterfeit designer bags and jewelry. Dealers sell the fakes at parties, giving the hostess a cut of the price. Don't get stung.

• Tweed caps are trendy and cute with sporty outfits.
• Fur hats make a romantically sportive statement and continue to come on strong for fall into winter.
• Felt hats in a variety of styles may be more available, but will anyone wear them?
• In keeping with the trend for fur, consider round fur ear muffs—real or faux.

• Scarves are a relatively inexpensive way to wear a fashion color or trendy print. Wear it in a simple style that suits your personal style.

• You'll find short, wrist-length gloves—a la Jackie Kennedy 60s style.

• A large, vintage brooch or flower pin is the jewelry item of choice for fall and winter. Supposedly, bigger is better, even on coats. Even so, we suggest you keep it in scale with your body size. A brooch on a T-shirt? Not!
• Try a trio of coordinated pins clustered at the shoulder—very 50s.
• Today's trend is for personal treasures selected from semi-precious stones such as chunky turquoise, coral, agate, and onyx, upgraded for use along side precious stones for fine and costume jewelry.
• In keeping with theme dressing, you might be exactly the person to try something in Egyptian or primitive, ethnic jewelry.

Fashion For Him
    We're all for a return to more classy traditional dress codes in business offices. Suits are on the rebound because many "men are currently more serious about what they wear to work. There's a more conservative feeling—and men know the days of khakis are over." To which we have to say, "Yeah, right!:" Nonetheless, all across America, newspapers and promoters are pushing power suits again—in stripes, paired with striped dress and sport shirts, including a tie—also striped. Even the Gap got wise and has a "wear to work" section in their stores. Saks offers a seminar on career wear and Men's Wearhouse helps customers select what fits their profession best. Of course, this is what Conselle does best, having the Personal/Professional Style Scale® to teach with.

   Supposedly, it's "fashion, fashion, fashion" men are seeking. They focus on whatever is in fashion, whatever manufacturers are promoting. Younger men are into the flavor of the moment when it comes to clothes, including jeans. Denim is a never-fading fashion—an American classic. There's a brand out there that will fit every body and a place in the life of every body where jeans will fit. Just don't limit yourself to jeans. Men who hasten to adopt the "he-she" or "she-male" costumes are among the next wave of fashion victims. For example, guys who wear a gal's Chanel jacket look more "cuckoo than Coco." And we'll shed no tears when those males who deck themselves out in tough-guy clothes tottering on stiletto high heels take a tumble.

   TV and film are rapidly shaping ideas of who we are and how we dress—and it's not always pretty. What's happening in the music industry also drives the fashion industry. Rappers and hip-hop heavies are wearing suits on MTV and at the awards shows. Taking a cue from the music world, Justin Timberlake made fashion news at the Grammy Awards when he abandoned his usual knit beanie hat and active street garb in favor of wearing an updated suit, shirt and tie—all in tonal (think monochromatic) eggplant. Outkast's Andre 3000 polished up his dark denim jeans and lime-green bolero jacket with a patterned tie. Fans will follow suit. Even hip-hop stars admit that dressing up is part of growing up. When you're 30, it's time to look mature and clean-cut, with classy, contemporary fashion options to choose from.

   Many retailers have yet to see suit dressing come back with a vengeance. Instead, they are seeing more dressy casual wear and suit separates in solids and patterns. It's wearable alternatives the 25-50 year olds are looking for, and suit separates fill that need. Suit separates are being sized S-M-L-XL, and shown in the way a customer hangs them in the closet—alternating a jacket with a couple of woven shirts, a knit shirt, and then pants. It's "cluster" dressing for men.
The practice of mixing different elements of apparel—tailored, casual, athletic, and formal—to create a look that falls somewhere between dressed up and casual has transcended the red carpet and moved to mainstream America. More and more guys are taking an individualized approach to dressing by layering casual sportswear with everything from cashmere knitwear, and tailored outerwear to designer suit jackets, colorful dress shirts and vintage inspired ties. Retailers, eager to capitalize on a profitable trend that promotes higher-price point items like tailored clothing and designer sportswear, are bending the rules of traditional merchandising by mixing dress and casual classifications—"dressuals."

   "This is the way a modern guy dresses." says Michael Macko, director of fashion merchandising, men's, at Saks Fifth Avenue. "Jeans, a dress shirt, maybe a tie, and a pair of cufflinks." Slack manufacturers are blending dressy and casual influences, city and country, in the effort to capitalize on the increasingly blurred lines between the formal and the relaxed. Today's emerging 20-something customer often teams a serious chalkstripe suit coat with jeans, or a velvet jacket with distressed premium jeans. Anything goes? Don't you believe it!
Another part of the dressy/casual crossover concept is all about clothes that do double duty—such as a shirt that doubles as a jacket, or a soft coat that works as a sport coat worn with more formal or more casual clothes—whether they work or not. "What the heck, it's all about play and pretending." It's really just another part of the casual Friday thing, and now the under 40 customer is running with it and writing his own rules as he goes—plays. Nonetheless, they're all part of a new classification of performance clothes that's based on versatility. Women have always had options. It's about time for men to have more options.

Style Lines & Shapes

• Silhouettes are closer to the body, made more comfortable in stretch-blend fabrics.
• Double-breasted is always an option, but appear more fashionable this season.

• Berry, burgundy, and browns are top fall fashion colors for men. Rose pinks are in place to coordinate creatively.
• Nature-inspired soft greens, like pistachio, are also getting more attention in menswear. Yup, that's a little different, but so were lime and orange—popular colors for summer. A lot of men are becoming more adventurous with color in their clothes. Nonetheless, don't go ditsy.
• Of course you'll find traditional grays, gray-blues, moody blues, baby blues, and charcoal—in muted, subtle harmonies
• Strong black, navy, and white are standby colors.

• Techno-fabrics are what men appreciate. Look for stretch fibers mixed with natural fibers for easy care. Check out the synthetic shearling and non-bulky quilted jacket fabrics.
• Jos. Banks and Brooks Brothers are offering more and more wrinkle resistant and stain resistant fabrics in dress shirts and polo shirts. Ask for them.
• Corduroy pants just get better and better, available in wale widths from narrow to jumbo. Favorites are high end wool cords—fantastic.
• Velvet for men? Yes, velvet in pants and shirts. Try it on.
• Other options include the usual twills, dobbies, and nailhead weaves. You have options.
• Fur is becoming a "guy thing" on jackets and coats for winter.

• Pass right on by any offers for mismatched color and stripe combinations.
• Choose from a wide selection of pinstripes, chalkstripes, Glenplaids, and Donegal plaids, tweeds, and herringbone patterns. Again, you've got options.
  Details and Trims
• Top-stitching and pick-stitching is featured on jackets and suits.
• Pockets inside and out—especially on the chest, falling in line with trendy military looks.
• Just like the ladies, you'll fine collage cut-and-sew techniques.

• No, a suit jacket does not go with your jeans! It makes a negative "anti-statement you can seldom afford if you're serious about your life. Don't make the mistake of becoming an obvious "fashion victim."
• Jackets are cut short to the waist, with others hemmed just below sportcoat lengths.
• You can't go wrong in a classic navy blazer paired with a striped shirt.
• New are the large numbers of shirt-jac/slacks coordinates. Check out Paul Fredrick and Bachrach catalogs and stores. They look terrific, available in black, charcoal, brown, and tan. Shirt-jacs are also available in tweed and herringbone patterns.

• They tell us vests are on the way back into menswear in a big way. Start looking for one you like. Wear it under a sport coat or casual suit, with casual jeans or slacks.

• Sportshirts have become the staple of men's casual business clothes. Layer two shirts if that's a look you'd like to try.
• Striped shirts are a terrific addition to any man's wardrobe.
• A high collar and French cuffs make a white dress shirt special. That means cuff links as a detail of personal style.

• Guys, low-riders, such as Levi's "Offenders," only serve to make you look silly. And pants with the crotch at knee level look more like wet, weighty, diapers.
• Check out the microfiber pants for a variety of new looks and easy care.

Fashion For Teens
   We'd like to think it's "So long Hip-Hop," with jeans, T's, sneakers and flip-slops, and baseball caps being traded in for blazers and suits as the hip-hop generation grows up. But there is always another generation of teens coming up the ranks and we don't see much change coming. For them, silhouettes are close to the body thanks to poor sizing and stretch fabrics. Ease of any sort makes them cringe. They haven't got a clue where their waist is. Adults who wear pants to the waist are "old fashioned." To be seen as "attractive enough to get dates," they bare their chest, their belly, and behind.
    Yes, some young women across the country are asking retailers for modest prom dresses, but there's still trash-dressing for everyday occasions . Retail sales are still highest in low-rider jeans and belly-shirts.

   Preppy sweaters, shorts, and shoes continue to be popular. Hot colors are pink with black. Striped leggings add a trendy touch of pattern. Pearls can take teen girls from demure to dramatic.

–Educating to a higher standard–