Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 18, 1990 TAG: 9003152301
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-24 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By TRACIE FELLERS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
For outta-sight threads, guaranteed to blow your mind, truck on down to your neighborhood mall.
Practically everywhere you look, you'll find fashion's latest rediscovery: the '60s.
The influence of the 1960s can be found in everything from T-shirts to dresses this spring, in colors from pale pink to orange, purple and lime green.
Like the popular ethnic looks, many '60s-inspired clothes are soft and flowing, said Lisa Williams, special events coordinator for Roanoke's Leggett stores.
For instance, drapey, tie-dyed harem pants are paired with matching or solid tops at many area stores, including JCPenney, Sidney's, Leggett and Thalhimers.
T-shirts by Quicksilver - one of the most popular items for young men this spring - have a modified '60s look. Their colors range from hot coral to psychedelic green, and blend into each other for a tie-dye effect.
Frances Kahn, a shop in Roanoke's Grand Pavilion, has a variety of clothes with a '60s feel, said manager Rose Dauphin.
"We're having a little bit of '60s retro and '70s retro, with the fringe and the hippie look, but it's not as rebellious as it used to be," she said.
While most people think of headbands, bell-bottoms, Indian cottons and tie-dye when they think of the '60s, the early part of that decade was dominated by a different look. Remember A-line skirts, sheath dresses and the first lady's pillbox hats?
One of Dauphin's favorite '60s-flavored items is a ballerina-length dress with a black sequined bodice, sweetheart neckline and layers of tulle. "It's great. It's very '60s," she enthused.
"We're also getting the Jackie O. dress . . . the little, easy dress. It's a slip dress, really. That's a real forward look," she said.
Dauphin said the revival of '60s fashions is part of a move away from serious, structured clothing. "Everything that's real serious is kind of going out, and I think that's why fashions from the '60s and '70s are coming back. . . . Fashion wasn't real serious then."
Maybe you weren't a child of the '60s. Maybe the '70s was your decade. No hassle. You can re-experience those fashions, too.
"We feel like the '60s look is kind of going out the door, and the early '70s look is coming in, which would include platform shoes, fitted skirts, palazzo pants," said Carol Hughes, manager of Grassroots at Tanglewood Mall.
Dauphin and other area retailers say clothes influenced by both periods will be fashionable this spring.
"I think the '60s and the '70s were real important" because of their spirit of freedom and exploration, Dauphin said. "Everybody wants to feel that again, but now it's a '90s feeling."
Memo: Spring Fashion