Baja jackets new trend in outerwear
By Casey Barnes Special to the Kansan
Consumers who are in the market for a new winter coat and expect the usual wool or cotton fabric may be in for a surprise.
Although wool, cotton and leather are still popular, there is a new trend on the market: baja jackets made out of recycled fabric.
One of the biggest changes in outerwear fashion this season is the wide variety of baja jackets, said Jill Legler, manager of Sunflower International Casbah, 803 Massachusetts St.
Bajas are pullover jackets usually made in another country. Some are even made from unknown, recycled materials. Legler sells baja jackets made of wool and cotton from Thailand, Ecuador and Guatemala. She also
sells bajas from Mexico, which are made from an unknown substance.
"They are probably acrylic, but we like the idea of them using old, recycled clothes to make them," Legler said. "You just never know what the fabrics are."
Bajas are good for layering, which is another popular trend for this year's fashion in outerwear.
Many of the coats being sold are oversized with big shoulders and plenty of room to layer, retailers said.
"We always sell a million sweaters and people wear those for coats," Legler said, "The interest is in functional as well as fashionable."
Craig Randle, manager of Hunters, 919 Massachusetts St., said she agreed that the functional look was in style. From barn-
style jackets to bomber jackets and blanket coats to leather coats, outerwear this season is versatile.
"Overall, the look is still outdoorsy, with the rigid, functional look in earth tones and contrasting colors like burgundy and hunter green being popular for this fall," Randle said.
Jeremy Furse, owner of Britches Corner, 843 Massachusetts St., and Hunters, said the move this season was definitely toward a more outdoors feeling.
"The classic country gentleman look is popular this fall and is influenced by the hunting and fishing kind of jacket with lots of pockets and more pronounced textures," Furse said, "The coats this season are going to be functional more than anything else."
The coats and jackets that are setting trends this season are made not only for fishers and hunters but also for the varying weather of a Kansas fall and winter. Some outerwear is made with snap-out or button-out liners that can be removed when the weather is mild and replaced when it gets cooler.
Most retailers are selling coats from $99 to $299. Bajas cost from $14 to $24.
Many stores are selling blazers as well as coats for outerwear. Hunters sells various colors of men's wool blazers with big shoulders that women will buy too.
"We buy men's coats knowing that women will buy them, and that is just fine with us." Randle said. "Women like some of the male styles better than men."
Short, black dresses dominate winter formal scene
By Stephany Kimball Special to the Kansan
When women think of dressing formally, the idea of what is fashionable may differ from woman to woman. Not this year.
Black, simple and classy is the primary look this year for formal wear.
"My ideal formal dress would be black because it is so simple, and it's very elegant," Cara Arensberg, Atchison freshman, said.
Short, black dresses are the most popular style this year.
Most women are still going with the traditional short length — the basic cocktail dress, said Jamie McReynolds, manager of Mark's Bridal and Formal, 815 Massachusetts St.
McReynolds said that black dresses and other very dark colors were most popular.
Although styles may vary from store to store, most Lawrence store owners and managers agreed that black and dark dresses were the fashion leaders this year.
"The full-length and short velveteens are the best sellers," said Wanda Davis, lady's wear buyer and merchandise manager at Weaver's Department Store, Inc., 901 Massachusetts St.
Other popular styles include short-skirted, long-sleeved dresses and long-skirted, no-sleeved dresses.
Accessories are also very important in formal dressing.
"Satin or velveteen chokers with pendants have sold an awful lot," Davis said. "Women are being more overstated than understated with their jewelry."
Kourtney Gellender, Pittsburg sophomore, likes her dress simple and her jewelry sparkling.
"I would wear a rhinestone necklace, earrings and bracelet because they're more elegant looking," she said. Gellender prefers to pair this jewelry with a simple, full-length black dress.
"Black is so simple and classy," Gellender said. "Besides, it usually fits any occasion, so the dress could be worn again."
Christina Wilson, Scottsdale, Ariz., freshman, agrees, but she has an added reason for her preference.
"My ideal dress would probably be black, shorter and maybe with sequins," she said. "Black is very elegant. Black also makes you look skinny."
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Fall Fashion Tab • K-you • October 29, 1993