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THE CLASSICS  
by Bernadine Morris 

After a few years of comparative reason, the silly season is upon us in clothes. Great big Super Bowl padded shoulders. Tiny little disk hats meant to be titled over one eye and wrapped in swathes of flirtatious veiling. Skinny skirts, meant for slithering, not striding, with slits up the sides, back or front. The kind of hyper-feminine doodads we all thought were safely relegated to the attic - and the annals of fashion history.

Having known easy skirts, comfortable shoes and non-restrictive unconstructed clothes, is it now necessary for women to mince and flirt and put up with figure-distortions just to keep up with fashion?

Maybe- but not quite yet. It's conceivable that women will decide they're bored with freedom and would like to go back to traditional feminine frills, thereby inspiring fashion designers to invent more of them. Certainly, there was opposition to the loose, layered clothes that have been dominant for a few seasons. Too darn loose, some women said. What's the point of exercising and dieting if nobody could see the trouble they took?
Still, happily, there's a middle ground between the femme-fatale sort of dressing of yesteryear that is staging a sort of comeback and the comfort-gone-too-far look of recent seasons.

Its name is "classics" and it represents a strong force in fashion today.

Stores are setting up classic corners as they once opened way-our boutiques. Designers are calling attention to their classic cuts.

What is a classic?

Something that endures, which in fashion doesn't necessarily mean forever, but more than a season or two. Its lines are usually pure and simple so that one doesn't tire of them. Its colors are generally neutral, which means they blend with other colors nicely (that isn't too restrictive a stricture when you consider that red can be a neutral).

Classic clothes are also adaptable, adjusting to each other very well, as well as being effective on numerous occasions.

It is possible to build a wardrobe around classics this fall and be reasonably sure it will not only last through next year- but also look perfectly fine all along the way. Add something gay and mindless for evening, if you will, but stick with classics during the day and you won't find yourself in a constant dither about what you're going to put on in the morning.

An unexpected invitation to an elaborate lunch with cause no distress, nor will

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