NEON BRIGHTS

For the past few months, we’ve worn gray, gray and gray-but not necessarily in that order. Once in a while, if we were feeling a bit adventurous, we’d throw in burgundy or pine green as an accent. But we didn’t want to stray too far from the neutral-as-nirvana philosophy we knew so well. After all, neutrals spelled sophistication (every fashion manual told us that). Neutrals were what we needed for work (every pinstripe told us that). But neutrals were kind of boring.

Do you have neutral fatigue? Its symptoms include a strong physical resemblance to linens and tablecloths and the ability to fade into the woodwork. If you’re still unsure, this test is foolproof:

Q: If your total wardrobe were washed together, would your clothing:

A) remain exactly the same shade: gray

B) become pink

If you answered “A,” your wardrobe has been neutralized into nothingness. The antidote is easy enough to acquire, however: Just add color. After several seasons of lackluster shades, a number of prominent designers are jumping on the color bandwagon for fall: Claude Montana, Valentino, Karl Lagerfeld, Perry Ellis, Oscar de la Renta and Bill Haire, among others Spurred on by Stephen Sprouse’s landmark neo-Sixties collection for spring, these designers are embracing the psychedelic shades of two decades ago- acid green, hot pink, cobalt blue, lemon yellow, bright purple and vivid orange.



A LITTLE COLOR goes a long way. That’s why some designers, such as Claude Montana, Valentino and Gene Ewing, play only one high-octane bright-usually an oversized jacket or a coat-off head-to-toe black for plenty of impact. If that’s too tame for you, try adding wool jersey gloves or a colorful hat in a different Day-Glo shade. And jazz it up with jewelry-rhinestone glitz by Kenneth Jay Lane, gold coin earrings by Miriam Haskell or Richard Serbin’s rubber and rhinestone bracelets.

Other designers don’t hesitate to mix brights. Perry Ellis, for example, has departed from his usually subdued palette this season. Inspired by the artwork of Sonia Delaunay, his collection features curved geometric patterns in stained-glass brights such as red, purple, yellow and green, accented with black. Emanuel Ungaro, never one to shy away from color, mixes high-impact colors together in prints as well as reserving them for single pieces.

Oscar de la Renta pairs coats of cobalt and red with equally striking dresses, and fezzes in other bright colors complete the look.

Brights played off brown instead of black looks even fresher. Bill Haire’s fall collection shows just how striking this can be. His huge coat is brown wool on the outside with black piping trim, but it shows its true colors inside: The lining comes in fuchsia, chartreuse or red.



WEARING A STRONG color isn’t as easy as wearing a neutral. First of all, it shouldn’t overpower your hair, your skin tone or your personality. Secondly, you’re much more visible in a bright color than a neutral, which is presumably what you want if your clothes are well-made and fit well. If they don’t, though, it will be noticed much faster than if you were wearing a more conservative color.

But none of this should frighten you back to the safety of neutrals. You have to be somewhat more selective-any piece of clothing in a bright color just won’t do. In fact, a bright color may well cheapen the look of a garment that doesn’t look exactly right on you, even if it was expensive to begin with. To pass the increased scrutiny bright colors receive, your clothes should strive for the kind of playful sophistication shown on pages DL8 through DL10. These clothes have one thing in common: a basic simplicity. There’s no need for any fuss; the color and cut carry the clothes.

PERRY ELLIS available at The Gazebo, Bloomingdale’s, Marshall Field’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Sanger Harris, Loretta Blum, Dillard’s, The Carriage Shop, Sakowitz, Barbara Robertson, Lilly Dodson, Neiman-Marcus and Lou Lattimore.



GENE EWING available at The Gazebo and Neiman-Marcus.



BILL HAIRE available at Amy’s, Lester Melnick, Lilly Dodson, Mary McCauley (Fort Worth), Mary V’s (Tyler), Neiman-Marcus and The Gazebo.



EMANUEL UNGARO available at Loretta Blum and Neiman-Marcus.



VALENTINO available at Neiman-Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue.