It`s come to this: a Chicago law firm has banned spandex from its hallowed offices. No, not stretchy underwear. Just skin-tight dresses, jumpsuits or such that might, ah, be distracting.
A couple of weeks ago, high school officials in Lockport, Ill., did the same thing. When it comes to schools, though, you can usually expect a ban or two, especially in the springtime when the blood starts surging and kids are likely to get a little more frisky or fashiony.
But maybe the spandex ban in the office shouldn`t come as too much of a surprise after what we`ve been seeing on the streets-including Michigan Avenue-during the past few unusually warm weeks. Sweet young things wearing tight, tight things. Bicycle shorts. Jackets with black or printed leggings or tights that reveal nearly every contour of the body. Spandex dresses and skirts so second-skin and so short we`d get nasty letters and scolding phone calls if we showed them in the paper.
Fun fashion when they`re on young things with lithe bodies.
Kind of embarrassing when they`re not.
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What Chicagoans are wearing to fancy parties these days is getting to be like Chicago`s weather-it goes from one extreme to the other:
– Short and long, of course, though short and oh-my-god-short are overtaking the long gowns.
– Lots of all-white and all-black ensembles or extremely vivid colors
(especially the lime greens, though chartreuse and purple-together-can be a bit much).
– So understated that some women look as though they came straight from work (at the law firm that banned the spandex, probably) or so done-up and over-glitzed they`d make Bob Mackie`s gowns for Cher look tame.
Two black-tie parties in recent weeks that drew heavily on the design communities-both fashion and interiors-proved that ”black tie” on an invitation now means women wear everything from business suits to ball gowns and men still generally wear tuxedoes but the ”tie” ranges from non-existent to silver or patterned.
Earlier this month, DIFFA/Chicago (Design Industries Foundation for AIDS) held its annual benefit, ”Venice, a Masked Ball” and last week, the Apparel Industry Board, Inc., held its fourth Awards Gala, during which Mark Heister was named Chicago`s Designer of the Year. The Grand Ballroom of Chicago`s Hilton and Towers served as a beautiful setting for both parties.
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Among the winners at the AIBI: Linda Heister (the winner`s wife), in a dressy black suit with ivory satin collar that he designed just for her for Valentine`s Day; Margie Korshak`s whole clan (Korshak received an award for her public relations talents): She wore short silver and black gazar-a gauzy silk-designed for the occasion by Zoran; her mother, Edith, in black lace long Oscar de la Renta; her daughter, Susan Chernoff, in Isaac Mizrahi`s tiny trapeze covered with iridescent blue square sequins); her sister, Hope Rudnick, in gold lace Carolyne Roehm; Abra Wilkin in coat and dress ensemble of shimmery white sequins and lace by Chicagoan Becky Bisoulis.
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Guests at the DIFFA party had a lot of fun with their masks, creating opulent ones of feathers or flowers, simple ones of gold sequins or humorous ones (like Snoopy`s ”famous World War II flying ace” goggles, cap and scarf).
Perhaps that`s why there was less fantasy or adventuresome dressing than might be expected, considering the theme, which would seem to call for imaginative costumes. While there were some exceptional clothes (June Blaker`s ”Josephine Baker” gold jacket, edged in fringe to the knees, designed by Price Walton), some stunning gowns (Nena Ivon`s gold Bob Mackie-worthy of a grand ball), women`s clothes ran the gamut from dinner suits to understated pants outfits. Not to be missed-and certainly a candidate some day for the Chicago Historical Society`s costume collection-was the drop-dead Gianni Versace gown worn by a very slender Siobhan Engle. In very bright oranges, purples and blues, the floor-length fitted slip gown was covered with the faces of Marilyn Monroe and James Dean, except for the little bra-like top, which was totally beaded in the same bright colors.
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Doubleheaders: Among those who stood out at both parties were two Oak Street retailers, Joy Sandler, manager and buyer for Gianni Versace, and Terri D`Ancona, co-owner of Terri D. Ltd.
For the AIBI gala, which she chaired, D`Ancona chose Thierry Mugler`s white jacket with peplum over slim, short silver skirt. For DIFFA, she was in Claude Montana`s deep purple killer of a suit with deep V neckline, asymmetric peplum and asymmetric skirt that went from very short to floor-length.
Sandler went a little exotic for DIFFA in Versace`s bell-shaped strapless dress, patterned with chains and baubles, then chose a calmer route in her 2- year-old navy Versace dress with white band collar and rhinestone buttons.
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Zandra Rhodes, the British designer known for her zany hair, scroll-styled eyebrows and fantasy evening gowns, has a new look: ginger-colored hair that she calls ”very discreet.”
Actually, her hair-which has gone from blue to green to pink and, more recently, fuchsia-is still ”sort of lively, you might say, because I`ve kept the undertones pink and overlay that with brown.”
”I really quite like it,” she said during a phone conversation from the Neiman Marcus North Park store near Dallas, where she was making a personal appearance. ”It makes my eyes more dramatic. And, I don`t quite frighten people in the same way I used to.”
She reminisced and chuckled about her first appearance for Marshall Field & Co. years ago when she was in her blue hair phase. ”My print that year was abstract Western. There was Olivia, the model, in one of my gowns and there was I in my blue hair and cowboy outfit. A woman who knew Olivia came up and said, `You`ve never looked so beautiful, that gown is divine.` Then she turned to me and said, `But, I don`t know how they let a model like you even get in the store.` ”
Rhodes said she went to her current ginger/brown shade because one day she ”wanted to go somewhere incognito. It turned out everyone loved it, and it gave me a new perspective. You know, a new hairstyle can do you over more than new clothes can.”
But clothes, naturally, are still her first love. Her fall collection, which she`s bringing to Marshall Field`s on June 27 is a lot more fitted, she says, and brand new are a collection of scarves plus some leggings and bodysuits printed with her 1960s ”Mr. Man” pattern (little neon colored men and `60s motifs).
”I just dream of the day that people will give up hard-edged clothes and say, `We can only live with Zandra`s fantasy things.”`
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More fashion comes to the financial district: AnnTaylor will open a new store here June 27 at LaSalle Street and Jackson Boulevard, joining the new Barrie Pace boutique of Baskin.
It will be the eighth AnnTaylor store in the Chicago area. A cocktail reception and preview of the new store will be June 26 as a benefit for The Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois. Tickets are $30; for info, call 312-922-1742.
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”Fifis” for ”Photo”: Lagerfeld Photo, the new men`s fragrance, took top honors (called Fifi Awards) in four categories of the annual competition sponsored by the Fragrance Foundation. It won for its print advertising, its TV advertising campaign, best packaging and best new fragrance (in its distribution category).
What`s most interesting is that Lagerfeld himself-already a designer of men`s and women`s clothes under his label, as well as the Chanel and Fendi collections-took the photos for both the print and TV campaigns.
Oh, yes. He also designs the interiors for his own homes-all of them.
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Isaac Mizrahi, whose fall collection is being described as ”a torrent of fascinating ideas,” will bring that collection to Ultimo, 114 E. Oak St., from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday. It includes, among other things, Indian beadings, Western fringes, biker leathers, Scottish tweeds, men`s pants suits and schoolgirl jumpers.
Here`s the good part: A New York scribe wrote of it: ”Not only was the show a tour de force, but when the clothes were inspected on showroom racks, devoid of their madcap accessories, their true wearability, even practical qualities, stood out.”
