Sunday, August 1, 1999

Hippie chic is latest girls’ fashion for fall

By LINDSAY WISE

Scripps Howard News Service

This fall, girls’ back-to-school fashion is taking a long, strange trip to the ’60s.

Girls’ back-to-school fashion can be described as “a bit of hippie chic,” said Macy’s fashion director Carolyn Moss.

That means girls will be wearing clothes that are an update on the classics familiar to all baby boomers: flare-leg jeans decorated with patches, embroidery and ribbons, 3/4-sleeve peasant shirts and stretch tees with logos, flowers and geometric patterns.

“The ’60s are going to be very important, thanks to movies like ‘Austin Powers,’ ” said Karen Koza, spokeswoman for the Fashion Association in New York City.

Look for mid-calf boots, socks in psychedelic colors and accessories like bejeweled headbands and beaded pocket books, Koza said.

“With the millennium coming up, people of all ages are really looking to glam it up, with anything that has a celebratory feel to it,” she said.

The ’60s look will be updated for the ’90s: girls will look sleeker and more fitted this fall without feeling constricted or uncomfortable. No more wriggling, squeezing and holding breath just so she can fit into those trendy skin-tight pants, thanks to the popularity of stretch fabrics.

“Stretch is in everything. Shorts, pants, shirts, shoes,” said Diane Daly, fashion director at Hecht’s, a Washington, D.C., department store.

The look is a constructed pant with a percentage of stretch in the fabric, preferably in dark denim, she said.

Denim is very important this fall, agreed Koza.

“It’s a wonderful fabric. It wears well, it travels well, it’s durable, it doesn’t wrinkle and it’s comfortable,” she said.

One of the major must-have items for back-to-school this fall is the vest. Made from fleece or nylon, girls’ vests sport pockets and zip-fronts just like boys’ vests, but the girls’ version has a more snug fit. The vests come in a wide range of colors, and some are quilted with mock turtlenecks.

Hoods and zip-fronts in sweaters, sweatshirts and jackets are also essentials for girls. They can achieve that popular layered look by wearing a T-shirt under a hooded sweatshirt with a denim jacket or vest on top.

Nylon athletic pants with stripes down the side are making a repeat appearance this season. And corduroys are also back in for the fall, particularly with a ‘60s-type hip-hugger waist and flare in the leg. Cord skirts are hot too, as are cargo skirts with lots of pockets.

Traditional bulky backpacks will begin to give way to roomy, cross-body messenger bags in leather, canvas and microfibers. They rest on the hip from a strap over the shoulder, giving girls a more graceful profile.

Backpacks made from clear, durable plastic fit the bill for students whose schools require see-through bags as part of stepped-up security.

Overall, from sporty vests to sleek stretch jeans, girls’ back-to-school fashion this year is eclectic and versatile, said Daly.

“One of the things about this season that’s good is that it’s not just one style. There are a lot of options out there,” she said. “You can express your own style without being sort of locked into one look.”

(Lindsay Wise is a reporter for Scripps Howard News Service.)