YOU'RE WEARING GRAY TODAY, YOU'RE FROM BERLIN I'D SAY YOU'RE A MODEL CAN I BE BLUE FOR YOU, LIKE I'M IN FASHION TOO.....*

Fashion the perfect pick-me-up, say experts

NEW YORK: Fashion isn't as frivolous as it may seem in these troubled times, experts say. In fact, the gentle, comforting colours showing up in the newest collections may be just what we need.

The colours in clothes for next spring, being paraded down the runways in nearly 200 fashion shows this week in New York, are soft and muted. Nothing is terribly bright, nor is anything terribly dark, note industry experts and insiders.

"I think spring is trying to be cheerful in a low-key way," said David Wolfe, creative director of The Doneger Group, a fashion and merchandising company.

Consumers are struggling with concerns over the world's woes since the attacks of September 11, 2001, including the war in Iraq, fears of terrorism, the Asian tsunami and, now, the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, the experts note.

"As a society, we're doomed to living with depressing news," Wolfe said. "But we can take a little happy pill when we go shopping. A little colour makes us feel better."

The colours are homey and soothing, said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone colour Institute.

Designers are calling purple plum, while green is thyme, pink is blush, yellow is buttercup and blue is cornflower.

Then there's clove and espresso and earth and ginger and raffia and pecan - all of which are some sort of brown.

So homey are some looks that designer Carolina Herrera trotted out a "coffee bean" bikini with "radish detail," and Betsey Johnson showed a "mint chocolate" - pale green and brown - baby doll dress.

Then there's the popular French vanilla, which is half yellow, half cream, said Eiseman.
"It's an ice cream colour," she said. "It's that nurturing quality.

"There is a soft, soothing message coming this spring," she said. "We want to get away from the chaos."

The most striking palette for spring is barely there, said Joan Kaner, senior vice president and women's fashion director of Neiman Marcus.

In particular, she said, there is a preponderance of white, ivory, ecru and beige, with "a pop of apricot or blue" as accent.

Kaner said she expects clothes-conscious consumers will love what they see because fashion makes us feel hopeful.

"You get so depressed by the world situation, you want to bring some beauty into your life," she said.

And just how did designers, who have been putting these looks together for the better part of a year, know what we would find appealing?

"Maybe we just expect something is lurking under the surface," said Eiseman. "Certainly after 9/11, that feeling has not gone away. It's in our collective psyche. It still feels like something terrible could happen."

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