European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 19, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Is thata by carlheh2 Beau by Lisa a Moraes associated Pressl Eather clothing once considered the uniform of bikers. Is now showing up in the United states at Board meetings elegant evenings out and even in wedding processions. American importers say new techniques Lor treating leather have made it As easy to Cut. Dye stamp and print As any other Una fabric. As a result leather has become increasingly popular with designers seeking novel fabric for their new styles. Tailored suits trim fitted dresses and soft blouses were among the styles shown at the recent new York leather exposition. Sophisticated styles in leather have widened the consumer Market says Isabella Borbely an analyst for the Kalian Trade commission. We have finally broken Down he american buyer s hesitancy to Purchase leather  the new ttys of Are appealing to an older career minded purchaser according to Kari Ailen who imports the Seiner clothes of australian designer Brigid Brock through the australian Wool skin co. Alt leather used to have a Bike mole Slang in Australia for motorcycle gang member s Girlfriend look " Allen said. Now that you see real elegance and classic styling in leather you re going 10 see older people and career women wearing it. I could see my Mother in leather  career women have finally realized that a leather outfit lasts forever and is great for Long  the Road she said. Leather does t wrinkle alien said. You can get on a plane at 8 o Dock arrive in a town for an 11 o clock business meeting and still look  Wilh dry cleaning costs and the prices of other Fine fabrics rising a leather dress can be a sensible Purchase Brock said. The prices of leather dresses Are competitive with those of other fabrics and never need professional cleaning she said. For the real devotee the leather expo even featured a leather suede and netting wedding dress in Black with Matching leather gloves and bouquet from Prima Sultana inc. In High priced outerwear More women Are turning from Lur to leather Coats especially Lamb shearling because it s More Chic said Alain Benven Steof he parisian company Mac Douglas. Bomber jackets stiff monopolize the Market for men s leather jackets in the United states Benveniste said while in Europe lha latest styles incorporate leather with Len weight Nylon new styles in men s leather pants Are also More tailored with pleats and cuffs made of soil thin leather. In leather accessories textures especially Ostrich Are increasingly important. Small structured handbags such As the Grace Kelly bag Are returning to Vogue with Alligator the most popular Akin according to Silvia Bosco of Suvia Bosco imports. In larger sizes Roomy feed bag styles will be featured next All demand for exotic leather evening bags has increased Industry experts say. Today s status conscious consumer is also coming Back to leather a ugg ago said Teresa Branc Tani of the italian a do Navarro. Leather Luggage is not precious but it s a Symbol and status symbols Are always important she Aid. Classic looking clothing is coming Back and people want Nice Luggage to put All those Nice clothes  it s7.50 to $25, depending on the establishment n mid whether the skirt was lined. For Many customers to Faataa two to four times As much As the Price some �0 jjm1 "80-when hemlines last Rose drastically.  Short skirts designers have unveiled or next fall created considerable concern among retailers fearing recurrence of the resistance to Long skirts 17 years ago. The sudden drop in hemlines in 1970 caused a revolt in the United states against fashion dictatorship. The Tom Short this time will be easier. Stores Are loaded with Tang skirts for Spring end summer. Store buyers Are trying to add Short skirts to we tement this Stock. They also Point out that not All 1 a fab styles will be Short. There will be above the knee and Long full styles which makes sense in summer As Well As Winter said Ebin Salzman fashion director of Saks filth Avenue. After weeks of exposure to Shorter clothes at Spring fashion presentations starting in Milan and progressing through London Paris and new York Many fashion experts agree that what looked extreme at the beginning of the period had become thoroughly acceptable by the end. Customers have several months to get used to the idea. The last Hemline shortening spree began Wilh Mary Quant in London in he Early 1560s and was Given worldwide prominence when it was picked up by Andre Courreges in his Paris couture collection in 1962. Rudi Gernreich and Jacques Tiffeau were a proponent in this country. For the next eight years hemlines were on the Rise Wilh Many woman experiencing a sense of rejuvenation As they turned up their skirts a Little at a Lime. Ai first hemlines grazed the knee. By the Sod of the f 960s skirts were the shortest they had been in recorded history far Shorter than rappers had worn them in the 1920s. Then came the debacle. In the collections for fall 1970, hemlines descended abruptly by As much As 18 inches from mid thigh o the lower calf. Again the change originated in Europe but was quickly picked up by designers in the United states. The pro Tiuta were immediate. Women declared that they would no longer be dictated to by fashion designers. They refused to buy Long skirts. Stores uttered and Many manufacturers went out of business. Hemlines settled somewhere in the Vicinity of the knee but the placement was not significant. Fashionable women everywhere turned to pants. Even older women who never wore trousers except perhaps Lor gardening fell liberated in pants suits. Trousers continued As part of the fashion uniform while skirt hemlines quietly began their descent until mid calf length became commonplace in the 1970s and the Early 1980s. Near ankle lengths began winning adherents in the United Stales last fall and have remained popular this Spring. Still some fashion designers including most of the Couturier in Paris and Geoffrey Beene and James Galanos in the United states strongly favored skirts near knee length. Many collections in recent years offered a Choice of hem length. A woman could Wear a Short skirt one Fay. A Long one the nex and trousers the third and Many did. The popularity of Short Bubble skirts for evening last Winter has helped prepare customers for the show of legs to come. The differences Between the Short clothes of the 1960s and the styles offered today Are considerable. Then the Basic daytime style was a shift dress with no Waistline in a smooth fabric like Wool gabardine or Cotton poplin. Today fabrics Are far More elaborate. Textured three dimensional surfaces and such patterns As checks abstract designs and Floral add interest to styles that have a More formal air. Suits and jackets almost ignored in the 1960s, Are in the forefront of fashion now. Clophas Are More shapely Wilh waistlines generally marked and hip lines often rounded. The exaggerated padded shoulders that have dominated clothes Tor a decade have receded in Tavor of a curved feminine Silhouette. Shorter skirts Are an almost inevitable part of this significant change in fashion. Technology has made Short clothes easier to Wear stretch fabrics allow clothes to fit the body closely without inhibiting movement. And panty Hose invented Towa a the end 6 the last Short skirt Era make Short skirts practical. Most designers have endorsed opaque panty Hose to avoid a look that is too Leggy in dark shades these Hose also Otter some camouflage for women concerned about the shape of their legs or More specifically their Knees. The shift to Short clothes has  Satzman said women have accepted them More enthusiastically than we predicted they say it makes them feel happier As Well As younger. Thai s what fashion is All about."1m7 the stars and stripes Pago 15