Accessories get back to nature

ACCESSORY DESIGNERS draw inspi-
ration from a number of fashion and
clothing trends for their spring collec-
tions.

By Layne Christensen -
’Fashion Reporter

Here are the top directions:

Sporty chic

‘The athletic look was the strongest statement that came off
the New York runways, with OMO Norma Kamali and

. Donna Karan’s DKNY line doing it best with color-blocked |

cotton and Lycra spandex unitards. .
Sporty nylon backpacks at Esprit and DKNY; a sterling
“. silver locker-room padlock necklace by accessory "designer
_Vass-Ludacer, felt bicycle caps, and black’ padded nylon
sneakers draw their

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{PORTS .
INTERNATIONAL

influence from those spurts currently in vogue: hiking,
cycling and boxing.

Big-name athletic brands like Timex and Adidas
are influencing high-fashion wear.

Adidas’ familiar triple stripe races down a. black
spaghetti-strapped dress at Isaac Mizrahi and down
Adidas’ own line of jackets and warm-up pants.

New York fashion editors and stylists are cre-
ating a fashion sensution by mixing authentic
athletic garb with high-priced designer wear.

Sport watches, with chunky meta! bezels
and brightly colored faces, are enjoying a
resurgence in popularity. Carrera does
them up in stainless steel; Timex favors
black plastic.

‘Heavy metal

Accessories get down to the nuts and bolls with industrial-
strength materials and fabrications.

Silver has replaced gold as the metal of choice, with rub-
ber, brass and plastic cropping up in a number of accessory
designers’ collections.

Some New York designers seemed to draw inspiration
from the popular TV show Home Improvement, improving
upon their own designs by adding real brass hardware, silver
screws, industrial metal links, nuts and boits to everything
from leather belts to sterling silver

sunglasses and earrings.
Heavy chain necklaces
are a popular accesso-
ry, as are silver-

plated
chain mesh
belts and
oblong
throws.

Unorthodox
mixes of metals
and jewels pair
industrial materials
with semi-precious stones.

Back to nature

Wood, leather, glass, seashells, stone, clay,
straw, raffia, and jute enter the artist’s palette.
As with the general trend. in accessories for

eve
April 10-23

pac
SD oFF 6
Dress Slacks
Dress Shirts
Silk-Ties
Sport Jackets |

Blazers
Casua! Pants

and now

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CLOCKWISE FROM top right:
black jute and canvas ribbon-
tied espadriiles, Zig Zag,
Lonsdale Quay; bone and
bead multi-strand necklace-. :
from India, available. at. : ‘
Zulaika, Lonsdalo Quay; nat-
ural-colored straw hat.with ;
ribbon and flowers, Eleanor
; Mack, Park Royal South. :
spring '94, the focus cers
shifts from the ears to
the neck, wrists and hands with ethnic-inspired bangles nd:
beaded necklaces leading the pack.
Pendants hang from long ropes of leather, twine or si ring.
Natural-colored beads, stones and nuts, popular
last fall, carry over into spring as a perfect com-
plement to the scason’s neutrals and, natural °
fibres.
Macrame shows up on belts. and bags 'a as
do canvas, straw, raffia, cork and mesh, =
Decorative whip-stitching accents natur-
al-colored leather belts, bags and shoes.

Real gems

Spring ’94 heralds a return to real j je
elry looks. — .
When ‘designers at the New York and”
: European Collections showed. earrings, ‘they ©
were smali, delicate and crafted from treated met- ..
als — matt gold, burnished silver or antiqued
bronze — and semi-precious stones. ;

sorizes well with the season’s soft neutrals.
When neckwear goes shorter, single strands:
of black onyx, garnets or freshwater pearls in
choker-lengths are hung with amulets; ~ oe
longer lengths mix chains with pearls...<2°°)-
”. Last fall’s ubiquitous black velvet-rib> 5
boned choker is replaced with: lace‘or,

Tibbon for a softer look this spring.”

REAL SPRING BREAK -