E ven i n g

DRAMA

• BY BARBARA PASH

urn up the heat with this
fall's favorite cocktail
dresses. Lean and leggy
short lace dresses, body-
hugging sequined numbers, and the
ever-popular little black dress, now
with low-low necklines and open back
treatments, bring fashion excitement
to the start of the social season.
Wornen's Wear Daily, the bible of the
fashion industry, reports that spe-
cial-occasion designers are drawing
inspiration from two quite different
eras for this fall's dressy apparel. In
case you hadn't noticed, the 60s are
back — parts of it, anyhow. One part
that designers have latched onto is

A.J. Bari eveningwear division was
expecting a 25 percent increase.
Julie Duroche, of Julie Duroche for
After Five, told WWD she is doing two
styles: evening separates in velvet,
wool crepe and rayon crepe with
brocade jackets; short, low-cut black
Lycra spandex dresses, her "Holly-
wood" look.
For the Leslie Fay Evening division,
designer Jimmy Dougherty is concen-
trating on baroque-inspired styles
including the "double dress" that
combines a damask linen top with a
matching-colored polyester chiffon
skirt.
Morris Marmalstein, president of

fringed-bottom velvet jacket," she was
quoted in WWD. Still, she added, her
best seller for fall so far is a sexy,
black off-the-shoulder "Marilyn Mon-
roe" dress.
At Lord & Taylor, vice president of
fashion merchandising Lavelle Olexa
said the "bare body" little black dress
was selling well for fall but an orange
taffeta short dress was also attracting
buyer interest.
Cocktail dressing can be divided
into two major looks this season. One
look is the short, body-concious dress
— very sexy and bare in gold lame,
beaded, and fringe trim. The second
look is very dressy, very opulent with

Evening fashions sizzle with opulent textures and sexy styles.

the short, curvy black dinner dress,
resurrected in Lycra blends and other
stretch fabrics that didn't exist 30
years ago. The second era is even
further back — we're talking the
Renaissance — and opulently orna-
mented "baroque"-looking dresses
and suits.
Designers, manufacturers and retail-
ers gave their opinions on the season
ahead which, not surprisingly and in
a nutshell, they thought would be
splendid. Jon Levy, president of the
St. Gillian Group, reported that the

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STYLE

David Warren Enterprises, which has
three eveningwear divisions, said that
"black is still 90 percent of the
collections, but we went out of our
way to do colors and prints for fall."
At Susan By Night, a company that
debuted last spring with an all-black
line of dresses in polyester and Lycra
knit, owner and designer Susan
Lunenfeld said she is adding red, blue
and deep purple for fall. "The look
is simply hot and heavy. I'm showing
more Chanel-inspired jackets with
multicolor rhinestones, as well as a

brocade and panne velvet. The
textured fabrics are usually
associated with ball gowns and are
being used for cocktail dresses.
Local stores report that fitted
dresses with Lycra blends are on the
racks. In addition to the strapless
gowns, the illusion neckline with a
see-through netting is popular. Also,
watch for simple tank dresses.
There are many alternatives for
women who cannot wear slinky
dresses or do not feel comfortable in
the fitted styles. Two pieces dressing