Women who want to be not one but two steps ahead of the fashion crowd may want to turn their attention to pants and, even more specifically, to pantsuits. ”It`s the quiet trend, the sleeper of the season,” says Kal Ruttenstein, senior vice president of fashion direction for Bloomingdale`s, of the return of both a look and a word that haven`t been terribly au courant for years.
Pants have not been in absentia, of course, but in recent seasons they`ve relinquished the fashion spotlight to short skirts, leggings and pants so narrow they almost resemble tights.
What`s new now is the matched jacket and trousers; what`s newer is wearing the suit in unexpected ways-juxtaposing tweed with a sheer or metallic top, for example, therefore feminizing tailored masculinity with a touch of sensuality.
