Vintage clothes make comeback in designs for fall season

NEW YORK -- In the fashion world, 2003 will be a vintage year for wine. The rich-yet-soothing color flowed freely on the runways during New York Fashion Week.

Carolina Herrera showed a belted double-breasted jacket in burgundy satin over a slim pearl gray skirt, and she used the same burgundy color for a fitted leather jacket with a wool skirt in a wine-and-blue floral pattern.

Oscar de la Renta showed his affinity for Bordeaux, using it for a cashmere cape and coatdress, and a velvet embroidered jacket. And Linda Allard, designer for Ellen Tracy, is a fan of merlot, at least when it comes to a burnished leather coat and a jersey wrap bodysuit paired with similarly colored pants.

Calvin Klein's wines are pinot noir and port.

Other top shades at the recent designer previews during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week included white and black for all the 1960s-style mod looks, pops of bright orange, blue, red and green, and earthy browns. Leave it to Betsey Johnson to do a cheerful, rainbow-striped South-of-the-Border skirt.

There also were more versions of Army green in military-inspired silhouettes than one might expect -- considering these garments could be on the racks during wartime.

There are many similarities between the early '60s and now, socially and politically, which made the decade a natural inspiration, explains Tommy Hilfiger, one of the proponents of modern mod along with Marc Jacobs, Charles Nolan for Anne Klein and Kenneth Cole.

Meanwhile, Donna Karan did a futuristic version of "mod," putting a wide patent leather belt over a sleeveless turtleneck catsuit in ivory stretch cashmere.

"It was a revolution then, and now it's a new revolution," Hilfiger says. "World peace is what we strived for then, and it's what we're thinking about now."

That said, Hilfiger notes that often in the toughest times, people strive to look their best, giving them confidence and a positive outlook. And, he adds: "Young and fun always has a place in the world."

Hilfiger's collection featured an oversized houndstooth pattern on trousers and dresses, shiny patent leather pants in white and black, and short A-line jumpers. Go-go boots, white at Hilfiger and silver at Cole, were the kicker.

Women's skirts are short and their pants are slim; the men's suits, dressier than anything Hilfiger has done in years, are appropriate for job interviews. "People will be more interested in dressing up, not to be more glamorous, but to be better dressed," he predicts.

Satin and other shimmery fabrics made the runway shine. Light-catching fabrics were used in evening gowns -- including Ralph Lauren's stunning icy white, full-length skirt and beaded camisole worn with a ski parka -- and in daywear, including Donna Karan's satin trim on the flounce of a black gabardine skirt and Herrera's tailored satin blouses topped with thin belts and worn over pencil skirts.

Blue Swarovski crystals dripped from a ruffled cocktail dress at Zac Posen, and a crystal-embedded fabric made a light green belted coat even more eye-catching.

Some other trends worth noting: oversized versions of classic patterns such as plaid and herringbone and Michael Kors' "python" print, and fur, used for outerwear, trim and as luxurious lining. Ski clothes move from the slopes to the sidewalk with skintight jumpsuits and boxy parkas.

Coats in general were very important in these collections, ranging from short, boxy bombers to wear with skirts or longer, A-line styles to go over the skinny pants. Chic capes looked great with flat-heeled boots, and Balenciaga's shearling shrugs were adorable if not functional.

And when so many thick, metallic zippers hang off designer motorcycle jackets, do they count as an accessory?

"There's so much to buy and wear," says Glamour editor in chief Cindi Leive.

Tweeds and herringbones seem so right for fall, and all the fur -- real or faux -- makes a nice addition to anyone's wardrobe, she says, and the return of tapered legs and higher waists on pants will be welcomed by many women. But, Leive adds, don't expect low-rise styles to go away entirely because denim companies adore them.

"Still, there are no pleats on pants. It'll take a long, long time for those to come back."