Fashion from flood pants to capri pants

And chunky equals bad (shoes, that is)

by Adam Koehler and Chris Congeni
FOR THE POST

The Mission:

Springtime is in full swing. But of course, the ninety-degree weather better indicates the beginning of summer. Each change of season indicates more exciting changes on the forefronts of college students - new loves, new music, new parties, new friends, new classes to blow off, and most importantly, new clothes.

Unfortunately for many Athens clothing store owners, students often venture to Lancaster or Columbus to look for the latest trend. But there ••are•• shops in Athens that might be able to save everyone time and gas.

Manager Karen Whitlatch of The Other Place, 43 S. Court, travels to Chicago and New York several times a year to bring back the latest trends. Owner Joni Hodgson of The Inlet at 5ive, 5 N. Court, goes on "buying trips" to Las Vegas biannually in order to get the scoop on West Coast fashion.

Owners Amy Mangano and Carli Brown of Arifacts Gallery, 2 W. State St., and Shoe-Be-Doo, 57 N. Court St., also look to Las Vegas, as well as Chicago and New York, for what's up-and-coming.

But collectively, Ohio University is unique in its fashion sense. With so many diverse students and Athens residents filling the streets and alleys of Athens 24-7, one can only wonder if there is any kind of fashion theme here. So is there?

The Patrol:

The entertainment staff nominated two fashionably sensible gentlemen to search the streets of Athens to get a sense of what exactly OU students dig. We are the chosen ones.

The participants:

In order to judge OU students' style, we did some very thorough investigating. Perched on two chairs outside an Uptown coffee establishment, a lot of people were observed. Various ladies and gentlemen strut their stuff up and down Court Street, sporting the latest (and not so latest) fashions of the times - and season. Two hours of scrutiny proved plenty. And students were very willing to help us out.

The Breakdown:

A. Clothes

When one thinks what is new in the world of OU fashion, two words come to mind - capri pants. Also referred to by OU sophomore Ben Gelow as "shpantz" (shorts + pants).

Hodgson noted the success of capris.

"Girls now wear any length of capri pants; looser fitting and crop varieties do best," she said.

Whitlatch said flood pants will be making a comeback.

But looking mainly to New York for the latest trends, Whitlatch said slimfit pants are very popular, though it will take longer for them to gain popularity here, as OU students haven't caught on to the trend yet.

Junior Suzanne Burge said she still prefers looser fitting pants.

"I don't feel ready for slimfit yet," she said.

For as long we can remember, spring and summer have meant tighter shirts and pants. The designs on the body-hugging apparel are becoming increasingly more elaborate, moving away from simpler flower patterns and plaid. For guys in particular, Brown noted that Hawaiian shirts will be huge. For some, Casa Nueva t-shirts complemented by heavy overalls have transcended the fall and winter seasons. They're a hot item this summer as well.

Next we tackled cargo shorts. At the rate this trend is gaining force, everyone and your grandma will own a pair by the end of June. Cargo shorts will continue to be worn mainly by guys, though more women are now taking a liking to the multi-pocket look, in both shorts and skirts. Long cargo skirts also seem to be popular.

Although little has changed since '99 in the cargo family, there is a new addition. They're called parachute shorts, and soon will be taking off faster than Britney Spears's latest knock-off of the Rolling Stones. While having many similarities to cargos, parachute shorts are baggier and tend to have even more useless features, such as drawstrings by the knee and zippers everywhere zippers just aren't needed. They frequently are made of a nylon and cotton blend, for better breathability and a sportier look.

B. Shoes:

Eighties flip-flops are making a comeback. This cheap footgear can be heard from the other side of Court Street with little problem. (Not to mention the occasional man or woman tripping all over herself once reaching a certain pace.) Old Navy seems to be placing the majority of these old/new flip-flops back in circulation, but expect to see many of the other big-name stores putting their name on this revival.

Whitlatch foresees an ending to chunky shoes and sandals, but new lines from New York indicate animal prints will continue to gain popularity.

"Chunky shoes are starting to become more stylized and sleek, and a lot flatter," Magano said.

C. Accessories:

This would not be a fashion article if something were not said about OU students' choice in headgear. Headgear this season includes tight netting and skull caps, visors, straw hats and bandanas of all colors. Women are styling in their bandanas more frequently than in the past. Brown said fedoras and derbies will be popular choices for guys.

Hodgson, Brown and Magano all felt big-beaded bracelets are on their way out, perhaps having one last summer left in them. Hodgson said copper, silver and smaller-beaded bracelets will gain prominence.

D. What the future holds:

According to Hodgson and Whitlatch, leather and pleather (lightweight synthetic leather) pants and tops will be hot for fall and winter.

Magano said that for jeans, the destructive look - tattered, ripped and holy - is coming back from '80s and into style for the '00s.

Will we all come back next fall looking like extras in a Poison video? Only time will tell.