Fashion Forward

Vivienne Tam "Because of the pollution and the damage that we're doing to the environment, we will be wearing more clothing--protective clothing. Protection from the air, protection from the sun is going to be very important. So the sketches cover the hands and even the face with masks. Sheer coverage. And if things keep going the way they are in the industry--using synthetic fabrics and using machines to bond and glue clothes instead of sewing them--human touches like hand embroidery or hand painting are going to be the ultimate luxury."

Cynthia Rowley "It's sort of the whole idea that between global warming and biological engineering making our bodies even better, I think we'll have less coverage in the future. People have been wearing less and less over the course of this century, and I think that trend will continue. Especially when we get into the next millennium and the concept of engineered vanity. With plastic surgery and prenatal genetic engineering, people will be close to perfect physically, so there's no reason to cover that up with a lot of clothes. The only thing that will remain as an accessory is a communication center with our cell phones, Internet and faxes of the future."

Sandy Dalal "The idea of men dressing with individual flair is past ready to come of age. The evolution of menswear will eventually go more to where womenswear is: fewer uniforms and having more personality echo in what men wear. The jacket and the pants don't always have to match! Guys fall into this ditch of finding one thing, one store or one silhouette that works and then wearing it for the rest of their lives. Boring. That scene isn't going to make it through the next century."

© 2000