HOMETOWN HITS
all it classic chic. Call it
traditional with a twist. By
whatever name, fall's top
trend is toward unfussy,
functional clothes. In
America, that is. Not for
the first time, American and
European designers took
different directions.
In Europe, the trends looked to the
past, playing on such influences as the
Orient (earth colors, Byzantine jewelry,
folkloric prints), the Napoleonic era
(tapestry and brocade fabrics, em-
broidered crests) and the Edwardian era
(frock coats, lace jabots, panne velvet).
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STYLE
Local stores gear up
for fall shopping.
Featured are updated
classic clothes.
BY BARBARA PASH and
CARLA SCHWARTZ
American designers, long regarded as
the masters of the sportswear scene,
looked to the present, featuring the
clean-cut, comfortable pants and skirts,
sweaters and coats for which they are
known.
But why is the sportswear look so
especially appealing this season?
Because American designers took its
casual styling a step further. Rather than
repeat the tried-and-true, they im-
aginatively combined classic clothes
with new and luxurious fabrics: Stirrup
ski pants in suede; down-filled vests in
silk velvet and satin; parkas in organza;
boots in gold lame. Some new propor-
tions were also shown, like the oversiz-
ed blazer and the swingy seven-eighth
length coat.
American Designers
Here are highlights from the