Spring: Two for the Shows : Lace-Trim Bike Shorts and Flashy Unitards Among Trendy Styles
In back-to-back shows this week, two Los Angeles buying offices covered a wide range of spring ’91 styles by Los Angeles designers.
On Sunday morning, the Barbara Fields Buying Office, which services specialty stores such as Merry-Go-Round and Jay Jacobs, held its annual marathon show at the Mart. On Monday, Directives West, whose accounts include Saks Fifth Avenue, The Broadway and Casual Corner, staged the considerably shorter “OOH-L.A.-L.A.” in the Eastern Columbia Building.
The two shows included a rich sampling of California designers, but there were only teasing snippets from each. Hardly enough to sink one’s fashion teeth into. Labels bounced back and forth from junior and contemporary to misses merchandise, and there seemed to be less emphasis on chic sophistication, more on the hip and trendy. Around every stage entrance, lurked bustiers (flowered, sequined, mirrored, beaded, embroidered), tight Lycra dresses, decorated jeans, lace-trimmed biker shorts, printed leggings or flashy unitards.
Sophisticated relief was supplied at Directives West by Nancy Johnson’s two black linen dresses and a pink linen suit, all trimmed with pearls; a taupe-and-white linen dress from the Linda Lewis Collections; a tobacco-colored trench coat and matching shorts by ABS; Bonnie Strauss’ sheer, wrap-front blouse and lace skirt; Jon Murrough’s banana-colored, pleated mini-dress and hooded jacket-coat; crisp linen dresses with mesh inserts from Kamisato; and Gene Ewing’s coral-colored, sequined sweater dress worn under a dark “brush stroke” patterned swing-jacket.
The Barbara Fields’ sophisticates included full-cut pants and a swingy top in white-on-white cotton-jersey from Rosemary Brantley’s Staples collection; crocheted separates from both AKA and Catherine Cole; Claude Z’s navy-and-white striped hooded jacket and shorts; a sage-colored jacket and trousers with suede-cotton trim from Antony Moorcroft; Max Studio’s wheat-colored crocheted sweater, sheer chiffon halter and print-chiffon shorts; Tina Hagen’s rust-colored jacket, print peasant top and floral palazzo pants; Eletra Casadei’s sedate black linen bolero over a sexy cat suit; Rosemary Brantley’s strapless red raw-silk dress; and from Francine Browner’s D’Knits division, an outstanding navy cotton jersey suit.
Hip or haute, the runway merchandise indicates some inescapable spring trends: Heavy doses of crochet; sheer chiffon separates; swing jackets that turn into smart coats; linen dresses and jackets; short skirts; unitards and more unitards and the ever-popular shorts suit.
