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Women's fashk Suits h< By The Associated Press Once women proved they didn't have to look like a man to think like a professional, they bagged the business suit and took up with dresses and separates. 011 ito am oniAt/inn a mnaic_ 11UTY OUltO CUV VUJVJUIg U IVIlttiJ sance and what's out there for fall doesn't look anything like the dowdy duds of a decade ago. Even Norma Kamali's sleek i dark pants suits with fedoras and oxfords look sexy. But if you're buying only one suit this fall, the color to have is red or fuschia, says LaVelle Olexa, senior vice president of fashion merchandising at Lord & Taylor. Add insurance and make it plaid. "A traditional tartan or newly colored in fuschia and green," she suggests. lexiure is cremcnuousiy unpuitant, too, according to Peggy Kaufman, senior vice president at Ann Taylor. "Tartans, tweeds, boucles ? they all have a 3-D look and feel." Jackets and skirts, sold as a unit or as matching separates, offer variety. Many of the jackets are long and lean, but other styles range horn traditional blazers to peplums and couture-inspired cardigans with the requisite gold buttons and contrast binding. 33*. Mill DUU TF 2nd Pool Table T< Televisi Engravi AVAI I * * VTI The ons for fall ve ne1 Skirts can be skinny, pleated or flared; long or short But style and length must be in proportion to the jacket. Olexa calls a pleated skirt the new standard. "Pick a skirt with some fullness and movement" she suggests. "It looks new, fresh, flippy." Or choose a flared skirt Kaufman says. "It's all about a sense of motion, away from a feeling of tremendous structure." Length depends on style. /\ picaicu a*Jii uiai 510^^3 uit knee can take a longer, bigger jacket," Kaufman says. "On the other hand, a longer flared skirt ? say, mid-calf ? takes a shorter jacket. It's a question of balance. A customer must never feel that the outfit is wearing her." For more mileage, try separates. "The concept of separates is to create versatility," says David Tharp, a vice president at Brooks Brothers. "They work great, for instance, if you're a size 10 bottom and size 8 top." The plaid suit wanders far afield of the traditional gray glen plaid of yore. Like, how about one in leather? Or houndstooth printed on , suede? If that's a bit too avant garde, -Out-lour? XII ?33*-, IE( Floo ii ^ "tfNM ennis p on [_ ng Servi ILABLE TO I Mo Sa Su i Gamerooi the \N look go for wool with details such as zippers and buttons for a here-andnow look. 'The scuba style continues into fall, done in basic solids like black and brown, as well as fashion brights," Olexa says. Buttons are news, too. Look for them as a bonus on a nifty new suit or haunt flea markets and side street shops in search of some to update last year's buy. Look for oversized pearl, crystal, colored stones or gold or silver. "They're all great decorative updates," Olexa says. "They're really a form of self-jewelry, and they create a suit you could wear to the office and out to dinner." If you don't want to shop for a blouse and you find the lingerie look too revealing, suit up in a dress and jacket "This year many of the dresses at Ann Taylor will have jackets in varying lengths so you have an outfit that looks like a suit," Kaufman says. "For evening you can take off the jacket and underneath you have a dinner dress ? a slip dress with straps or a tank or chemise." Jewelry can set the tone. "In the office stick a pin on your jacket" Kaufman says, "and at night, wear the pin on your dress, along with a necklace." TO Ou^IM r-R ices ML STUDEI\ Hoi nday Friday turday nday m is mana USC Univi in Qp ;? ?.? ILKUUOT ussell House \/irit%f\ rickmac ^.v jp^rE-ps v iu00 vjames MAt? suites ixtiii MWtOR1! '* e; \ - ' fe ? ^ Card Games H_J|| Board Games Lounge Area ITS, FACULTY AND STAFF jrs 9:00am 11:00pm 1:00am - 9:00pm 1:00am - 9:00pm ged and operated through srsity Bookstore. fy m ^ IB B '^"W 1111 I -4. . II