Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 18, 1990 TAG: 9003222078
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By TRACIE FELLERS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
This spring, Davidsons has Perry Ellis shirts and baseball jackets in buttery-soft washed silk. The jackets are slate gray and dark blue; the shirts are in brighter, richer tones: vivid greens and blues. "They're beautiful, vibrant colors, and they pop," said David McManaway, sportswear and furnishings buyer for the area's Davidsons men's stores.
Davidsons began carrying silk sport shirts just in the downtown Roanoke store last fall. Now, most Davidsons locations have silk garments.
The process washed silk goes through gives the fabric "a little bit better hang and a little bit better feel to the touch" than regular silk, McManaway said.
At Davidsons, the washed silk shirts Men opt for comfort. Page 10 and jackets are paired with cotton or cotton/linen blend shorts and slacks. Cotton or cotton/linen blend sport shirts - with brightly colored or cool stripes - are also part of the look.
"We're just getting ready to introduce a second Perry Ellis delivery, once again in silk and linen, and cotton and rayon. All the shorts and so forth are made out of those four fabrics or some combination thereof, and we expect an excellent response this spring," McManaway said.
The newer Perry Ellis pieces will feature a softer color palette, with creams, olives and mustards, he added.
Leggett also will carry some washed silk pieces by Perry Ellis, but in "pinks, stone and silver - real pale, pastel colors," said Mark Bright, Leggett's young men's buyer.
Care tags on washed silk garments indicate that they are washable, "but I would recommend dry cleaning for optimum results," McManaway said. "I think you would want to treat it like any fine fabrication, whether it's cashmere or whatever."
In other words, "you probably don't want to take it to the car wash," he quipped.
Memo: Spring Fashion