A Beau Brummellish preoccupation with elegance, we predict, will be the dominant trend in men's fashions during the next six months. Suit lapels, both notched and peaked, are certain to continue to expand, thus providing an increasingly broad frame for ties of four- to five-inch widths. Woven patterned cravats will have a lush Renaissance look designed to complement the lean, almost tubular lines that will mark the near-future shape of suits and jackets.
This past summer, the easy suit--a term coined to describe a lightweight, loosely constructed garment with no shoulder padding or inter-linings--was introduced and became an instant best seller, because it combined the function of a business suit with the comfort of casualwear. You can expect easy suits (some manufacturers call them free or relaxed suits) to reappear early in the fall--in heftier fabrics.
Outerwear is going to continue to lengthen this winter, with leather maintaining its position as the favored cold-weather trapping. Supple glove suedes and glove kid leathers, brushed pigskins, goatskins and calf suedes are currently being cut into long coats with an A-line shape that features a slim chest, high armholes and a slight flare from the waist. Raincoats will also be midi length and (text concluded on page 123) highlighted by such details as patch bellows pockets and belted backs.
Striped dress shirts in a bright new spectrum of color combinations, including cream and sky blue and red and pink, should soon be appearing in your local men's store. And the white dress shirt, we predict, will stage a comeback; styles will have full collars, deep cuffs and interesting surface treatments--white satin stripings and white Jacquard-weave accents, for example. That's the latest word on this fall and winter's fashion scene--make your move while the selections are plentiful.
