Risk-Free Red
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SALLY DESIGN'
Dressing for the '90s
10111 'CDN
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NANCY HELLER
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to name a few
The Ultimate
In High Fashion
Jewelry and Accessories
PREVIEW RESORT/HOLIDAY
TRUNK SHOW
FRI., SEPT. 7 • SAT., SEPT. 8
CROSSWINDS MALL
Orchard Lake Road At Lone Pine
(313) 626-0886
We cover your
. . . in fashion
. . . in homes
. . in gifts
beautifully,' 5 times a year
44
STYLE
said about a nightspot being too pop-
ular: "Nobody goes there anymore.
It's too crowded."
"Red is too obvious a color," said
Flusser, whose only concession to red
are his luxurious, woven jacquards in
claret, burgundy or bordeaux.
But in places like the nation's cap-
ital, crimson is red hot in the corridors
of power.
President Bush favors them. TV
anchormen love them, and ABC's
Sam Donaldson wears red ties so
often they've become a personal
trademark. Donald Trump flashes
them the same way he runs business;
unblushingly.
Some trace red's staying power to
the 1988 presidential campaign,
when politicians out-did themselves
in wearing red ties.
"I saw one Democratic debate
when all seven of the candidates had
a blue suit, white shirt and red tie. It
was like a uniform," said Bob Beau-
champ, fashion editor for Esquire
magazine.
The necktie is the only part of a
man's wardrobe that has no function
other than to decorate.
The average man owns 30 to 40
ties, although only 10 to 15 of them
are worn regularly, according to the
Neckware Association of America, a
New York-based industry trade group.
It said about 95 million are sold each
year, and red can be found more than
any other color.
Fashion forecasters note the main-
stream tie is widening from 31/2 to 3 3 /4
inches. Some risk-takers are even
pushing the 4-inch barrier.
And for those who are bloody tired
of red, take heart. The latest look is
called retro, for retrospective, back to
the '50s.
The new look is embodied by hip-
ster Arsenio Hall or the trendy
characters on "L.A. Law" or "thirty-
something." Bruce Mertz, president
of Format Inc., a Chicago company
that makes retro ties, has already
buried power ties, even the trendy,
teal-colored hues.
"If you see a guy wearing a yellow
tie, he's really out of fashion. He
hasn't bought a new necktie. He's
sleeping," Mertz told the Chicago
Tribune. "They're gone. Finished. You
don't see anybody wearing them."