There wasn’t much to provoke outrage on the runways this time around, a fact that makes fashion pundits depressed and retailers very, very happy. But will Jane Blow buy these trends for spring 1996? Time will tell.
– Colors: Primary, pastel, neon bright.
– Chocolate: As in the color, not the candy. On suits, sweaters, beaded evening wear, the works.
– Pinstripes: In gray and black. Found most often on sexy suits.
– Shantung, baby: The fabric of the season, this nubby textured silk showed up on suits, minis and pull-out-all-the-stops ballgowns.
– Madras: Spring ’96 will be golfer’s heaven, with that glaring plaid shouting it on bikinis, shirts and dresses.
– Hip-hugging flares: They hug the hips. They bell out at the ankles. But these slim jims are a sleeker, hipper alternative to the ’70s-flavored bell-bottoms of a few seasons ago.
– Hip-hugging skirts: Short or long. Worn with a cropped top.
– The caftan dress: Slit up both sides, with a V-neck that dips waaaaaay down. Wear it with bare legs and some thong sandals. Think Julie Christie. Think “Shampoo.”
– Cheap-looking clothes: They don’t fit well. The styles look like rejects from a uniform factory. The fabrics look like K mart specials before K mart got hip. This is all very deliberate. But to look this cheap, you have to dish out big money.