Exposed to the Elements

Ou r livesconsist of a variety of different elements — elements beyond the oriental concept offire, water and air;elements beyond the ones we see in our natural world,likerain,the sun and snow

No, the elements ofour livesare much more complex — so complex, they defy complete human understanding We, to bring order to our lives, must break down each element and discover what elements itin turn iscomposed of ors were most evident,replacing the primary colors of recent fashion history.

And so we come to the age-old element of fashion, of style It has been around since Adam and Eve's God-designed fig leaves. To understand it, we must examine what elements comprised fashion for 1988/89 astheyconstantly changed Color was an element of fashion However stable it may seem, itunderwent many changes A new colormadeits way intosome ofour wardrobes, acid yellow. The color was bold and bright and popular among a young and mobile crowd It was joined by a host of other acid-type colors, none proving aspopular.

Traditional white shirtsreceived a new wave of color as the stripe invaded. Stripes, ranging in width from very fine to an inch, were painted in a great many colors.

Another important element of fashion was texture Cotton made a big come-back during the year from itspolyester beating ofthe'70s. The cool, comfortablematerial found itsway into every conceivable item of clothing.

The texture to discover in 1988/89 was rayon. This material went beyond words, sporting a comfortable, soft feel and a silky surface It also held the quality of "draping," a stylish way of hanging clothes on one's body. Rayon was combined with several other materialstoform a variety oftextures.

Wool also was a popular texture

Each of its many forms had its own function. Pure wool was retained for sweaters, pants and skirts. Wool, combined with cotton, polyesterorsilk, generally was reserved for coats and sports jackets The handknit sweater was always made ofwool as itgained popularity.

Liberty sees many ofthe elements offashion in every aspect of student life.

Pastels stood their ground, established asacolorofthelate1980's. Once confined to the female side of fashion, pastels in 1988/89 saw a slight move into the male sideaswell.In trade, women continued to borrow the dark hues oftraditional men's fashion for their business-like approach Dark, muted colors proved popular in the fall Rich browns, blues and blacks created subdued clothing and accessories forthe fashion-conscious.This group also included the mustard yellow, khaki,dark green and burnt orange colors.Men's ties and women's skirts were where these col-

Pattern was a primary element in style. It was not enough to have clothing in the right color and the right texture It had to have the right pattern. Patterns like houndstooth and tweed were easily identified. More complex patterns, repeated squares, emblems and unusual lines proved more difficult The key to pattern over the year was individuality and uniqueness.

Patterns encompasssed the simple and complex.The stripe,traditional plaid and emblem were alsocontenders inthe battle. The simplest of all was no pattern at all We had three basic elements offashion and style. There may have been more. Each person carefully considered theelements ofstyleand ranked them inanorder ofindividual importance Style was apersonaldecision asthe '80sslowed toaclose and we looked toward a new decade.