Slip Dress

This season, everyone will be reading the fine print a ankle-grazing, princess-lined, soft granny dresses beckon an era sweet nostalgia.Retro prints to the forefront! There is a lot of petal pushing going around to accompany spring's unabashedly feminine mood -- with not a single shrinking violet in sight.The return of the soft "afternoon dress," stitched up in fragile fabrics and layered for individuality, harbors no trace of soppiness. The most versatile version with button-front styling is cut with the ease of a blouse and treats the dress as an accessory, thereby making it a prime target for layering.

The rays of the rising sunAsian touches showed up in several couture collections for spring. Christian Dior and Jean Paul Gaultier, for example, both showed kimono-shaped garments. These were the newest of the new and at the same time an old story -- yet more evidence of Japan's centuries-long influence on Western clothing.The Brooklyn Museum of Art is currently documenting the power of that influence in a show full of garments gorgeous enough to knock your split-toe socks off. "Japonism in Fashion: Japan Dresses the West" includes historical Japanese clothes as well as designs from the likes of Worth, Poiret, Bonnie Cashin, Rudi Gernreich and Yohji Yamamoto.

The tank dress and the slip dress, both based on underwear that has been left in the drawer for the last three decades, are this summer's hot styles. Ask any woman below a certain age, and chances are she has never owned a full slip but is now prepared to wear one in public this season.It's again a case of a new generation finding excitement in old stock designs and making them fresh.Fresh they are. Slips and tanks, once worn to ensure modesty and provide warmth, for several seasons have been out on their own with the show-offs.

At 6-foot-2, I am always the tallest in the crowd. At school I hide my height by wearing baggy clothes - mostly sweats and jeans. I desperately want to look more feminine, but I have problems deciding on the right clothes.Last summer when I turned 16, I bought a slip dress. My fathetook one look at me and said I looked like a bean pole.What should I look for? I want to wear dresses, particularly as they are now fashionable.Stop trying to hide your height. Consider yourself lucky. You're as tall as many of the supermodels who come down the runway, and they look great.

How you dress for holiday parties depends on your personality, and your pocketbook.Herewith, a series of suggestions ranging from economy to deluxe:* Man-tailored restraint. The menswear look is expected to be good for spring. (Has it ever been bad?) Why not get a jump on it with black-tie for the holidays?There are a couple of ways you can put this together.You might try to find an actual man's dinner jacket or black (or midnight) suit jacket in a consignment shop. Look for a small size, but remember: Loose and easy is in style.

Let's face it, the high school prom is really one giant fashion show. Even more important than who you show up with, it's what you wear that counts. No wonder the pressure heats up this time of year as the prom draws near, sending throngs of teen-age girls into the malls in search of their dream dresses.It's a dress-up dream scene with everything from sweet to funky to Hollywood siren styles making its way to the school dance floors."The idea is to find a dress that's unique so you won't look the same as everyone else," advises Sarasvati Walker, a senior at the downtown Baltimore School for the Arts, who recalls that last year five girls showed up at the junior prom in the identical dress.

At 6-foot-2, I am always the tallest in the crowd. At school I hide my height by wearing baggy clothes - mostly sweats and jeans. I desperately want to look more feminine, but I have problems deciding on the right clothes.Last summer when I turned 16, I bought a slip dress. My fathetook one look at me and said I looked like a bean pole.What should I look for? I want to wear dresses, particularly as they are now fashionable.Stop trying to hide your height. Consider yourself lucky. You're as tall as many of the supermodels who come down the runway, and they look great.

Q: I have a big bust and cannot wear the simple slip dresses. I also find it embarrassing to show too much bust. What do you suggest?A: Forget about the simple slip dress and look for one with a built-in bra. Many designers realize how impractical the basic slip is for most women.In Paris, Emanuel Ungaro explains: "I have always believed in dressing real women, and real women need structure in clothes. Even when I use the most fluid fabrics I add structure. It's concealed, but it's there."

Short and sweet. Sheer and sexy. That's how American designers plan to dress women next spring. The mood is young and frisky, to match the circus atmosphere which prevailed in the big tents in New York's Bryant Park where designers made their first collective effort to put the American fashion industry on the global map.They say, whoever They are, that hemlines rise with the economy. If last week's shows were any indication, we are in for a business boom-boom.Designers had an almost unanimous show of thighs to vote out long and bring in short.

Jill Andrews Bell may design wedding gowns, but she's the antithesis of a bride.In her Canton studio, she's more likely to wear black Converse sneakers and a skirt made of upholstery fabric than satin pumps or a silk sheath. "People look at me and they don't believe I make wedding dresses," says Ms. Bell, 26, who has worked in New York and London.But in the heart of the marrying season, she's more concerned about her creations than their creator. Some days, she's lucky to have time to throw on a T-shirt and shorts.

I'm visiting my in-laws in Florida for the Christmas holidays, and I know we'll be invited to lots of parties. I'm looking for a dress for New Year's Eve that's bare but not too sexy. I don't want a slip dress. I already have two.One of the prettiest dresses to turn up at the New York holiday collections was the strapless dress. It comes in many shapes and looks good both long and short.Isaac Mizrahi, who did it at both lengths, says it is one of his all-time favorites: "It's a silhouette that is flattering to most women, because most women have good shoulders."

I am slim and in my early 20s, and for the past two summers I have worn nothing but slip dresses. They are so cool and unconstricting. They also show off the tan I work so hard to perfect.Is there anything available for fall that is as comfortable and easy to wear?The dress is a major fashion statement for fall, and it comes in many simple shapes. Some of the best are from Italian designer Gianni Versace.He describes the look as "chic and modern" and says it can be worn in many different ways:"The sleeveless dress is the most versatile and modern of all," he tells me. "On warm days I like it worn with bare legs and a midcalf boot.

Q: I have a big bust and cannot wear the simple slip dresses. I also find it embarrassing to show too much bust. What do you suggest?A: Forget about the simple slip dress and look for one with a built-in bra. Many designers realize how impractical the basic slip is for most women.In Paris, Emanuel Ungaro explains: "I have always believed in dressing real women, and real women need structure in clothes. Even when I use the most fluid fabrics I add structure. It's concealed, but it's there."

Let's face it, the high school prom is really one giant fashion show. Even more important than who you show up with, it's what you wear that counts. No wonder the pressure heats up this time of year as the prom draws near, sending throngs of teen-age girls into the malls in search of their dream dresses.It's a dress-up dream scene with everything from sweet to funky to Hollywood siren styles making its way to the school dance floors."The idea is to find a dress that's unique so you won't look the same as everyone else," advises Sarasvati Walker, a senior at the downtown Baltimore School for the Arts, who recalls that last year five girls showed up at the junior prom in the identical dress.

The tank dress and the slip dress, both based on underwear that has been left in the drawer for the last three decades, are this summer's hot styles. Ask any woman below a certain age, and chances are she has never owned a full slip but is now prepared to wear one in public this season.It's again a case of a new generation finding excitement in old stock designs and making them fresh.Fresh they are. Slips and tanks, once worn to ensure modesty and provide warmth, for several seasons have been out on their own with the show-offs.

Jill Andrews Bell may design wedding gowns, but she's the antithesis of a bride.In her Canton studio, she's more likely to wear black Converse sneakers and a skirt made of upholstery fabric than satin pumps or a silk sheath. "People look at me and they don't believe I make wedding dresses," says Ms. Bell, 26, who has worked in New York and London.But in the heart of the marrying season, she's more concerned about her creations than their creator. Some days, she's lucky to have time to throw on a T-shirt and shorts.

A soft fluff of feathers framing the face. A sprinkle of sequins scattered about. The glitter of gilt trim giving that overall glow.These are the details that make the fashion difference this holiday season. Whether the outfit is a body-conscious Lycra tank dress or an easy-flowing crepe trouser suit, it's the trimmings that count."Embellishment is the key to the season," says California designer Monica Harri, who creates the Hearts and Monica Heart lines that can be found in such area stores as Casual Corner, Merry-Go-Round and Paul Harris.

The rays of the rising sunAsian touches showed up in several couture collections for spring. Christian Dior and Jean Paul Gaultier, for example, both showed kimono-shaped garments. These were the newest of the new and at the same time an old story -- yet more evidence of Japan's centuries-long influence on Western clothing.The Brooklyn Museum of Art is currently documenting the power of that influence in a show full of garments gorgeous enough to knock your split-toe socks off. "Japonism in Fashion: Japan Dresses the West" includes historical Japanese clothes as well as designs from the likes of Worth, Poiret, Bonnie Cashin, Rudi Gernreich and Yohji Yamamoto.

Short and sweet. Sheer and sexy. That's how American designers plan to dress women next spring. The mood is young and frisky, to match the circus atmosphere which prevailed in the big tents in New York's Bryant Park where designers made their first collective effort to put the American fashion industry on the global map.They say, whoever They are, that hemlines rise with the economy. If last week's shows were any indication, we are in for a business boom-boom.Designers had an almost unanimous show of thighs to vote out long and bring in short.

This season, everyone will be reading the fine print a ankle-grazing, princess-lined, soft granny dresses beckon an era sweet nostalgia.Retro prints to the forefront! There is a lot of petal pushing going around to accompany spring's unabashedly feminine mood -- with not a single shrinking violet in sight.The return of the soft "afternoon dress," stitched up in fragile fabrics and layered for individuality, harbors no trace of soppiness. The most versatile version with button-front styling is cut with the ease of a blouse and treats the dress as an accessory, thereby making it a prime target for layering.