This past year in fashion took some significant twirls in the direction of political incorrectness. It's the way of style. Once an idea filters to the hoi polloi, the movers look to stir things up.
PC is past chic and the natural woman is losing ground to the pop tart.
As the nation looks ahead to more Republican cloth coats, fashion leaders are showing clothes made from rubber, plastics and funky synthetics. It was bound to happen. For years now, the enlightened have been virtuously wrinkled, proof of their ecological awareness and loyalty to natural cottons, linens and silks. Now that even discount chain shoppers have cottoned to wrinkles, the fashion crowd is looking elsewhere.
Synthetics are now the way to stand out from the crowd, and industrial-strength fabrications have been showing up in designer collections as nylon cocktail dresses, spandex suits, vinyl coats and rubber evening gowns -- all pricey. It costs to be fashion-forward.
At a time when women have made great strides in the way of opportunity, the stylists have them teetering into 1995.
Some fashionable feminists argue that sexy dressing is a form of empowerment. Well, fashion is sending women out there armed with such archaic weap ons as killer heels, torpedo bras and gobs of cosmetic camouflage. It doesn't do to carp. The generation called X that grew up speaking PC is discovering the novelty of the tease, another archaic form of sexuality that
existed long before safe sex entered the common vocabulary. The young ones are beginning to take to the idea of sexy dressing, even if the closest they will ever get to a garter belt is a rock video.
Remember when the only good bodies were hard bodies and fashionables flocked to the gym to huff and pump? They showed off hard-won buns in stretch togs while running in place and sweating expensive bottled water at the health bar.
That scenario has run its course. Today's trendies are cutting aerobics classes in favor of rich desserts, witty hats and conversation at the coffee bars. Fashion has taken up the slack and the foundation industry is cranking out new high-tech lines of waist-cinchers, butt-boosters, thigh-slimmers and bust-enhancers. The virtue of working out has been lost to Lycra.
A few seasons ago, high-fashion collections were still rich with references to ethnic designs and patterns. Now designers have done with the global community and are back to running with the jet set. Contrived fit, sheeny fabrics, done hairdos and serious makeup are the new direction.
It's too soon to tell whether the artificial look will catch on, but it's best to be forewarned. Remember that cleavage is in, hair spray is a given, high heels are desirable, lip gloss is a must, mesh stockings are not just for hookers, blue eye-shadow is back and glitter is crucial.
Oh, and it's now chic to like polyester.