Look, No Straps

Fashion's epidermis epidemic bared the thighs in 1969 with the mini. More recently, the midriff and lower back were boldly revealed by skimpy little halter tops. Where could designers go from there? Up. Flesh-o-mania has now reached the shoulders and the neck. The latest in deshabille: the strapless look.

Well-rounded clavicles are on display in everything from evening gowns to T shirts. Neck and shoulder in popularity this season are strapless "maillot" (one-piece) bathing suits, sundresses and jumpsuits. Women cannot buy the styles fast enough. Manhattan's Henri Bendel already has its daytime strapless line on second and third reorder. Halston has sold 380 strapless sarongs (price range: $600 to $1,000). Calvin Klein's Lycra maillot is the coolest hot-seller in his swimsuit collection.

Body Consciousness. The strapless look got broad exposure at the recent Academy Awards presentations when Elizabeth Taylor, Marlo Thomas and Marisa Berenson shouldered their part of the show in Halston sarongs. Audrey Hepburn sailed through her first Hollywood appearance in eight years in a strapless sheath by Givenchy.

The new designs are soft-top versions of the heavily boned "Maginot Line" prom gowns of the '40s and '50s. Recalls Pat Johnson of Washington's Garfinckel's: "It used to be with the old strapless things that you moved one way and the dress the other." Today's no-straps are made of soft, clingy fabrics such as matte jersey and chiffon. Strapless bras are rarely worn. Says Martha Ferris of Chicago's Bonwit Teller: "It's bareness without blatancy."

The bareness is a big reason why the look has caught on. Women are more body conscious than ever--and anxious to show off their well-toned torsos. As Garfinckel's Johnson puts it, "Women are playing tennis, going to spas and generally taking better care of their bodies--and are proud of them."

Other oracles of undress view it differently. Says Choey Fong, owner of the C.M. Bazaar boutique: "Women are more comfortable with their equality with men and are willing to look feminine again. What is more womanly than bare shoulders?" Cynthia Margulies, fashion coordinator for Raleighs in Washington, senses a conflict in female emotions. Explains she: "Women don't know if they want to be daring and sexy or romantic and Victorian. These new tops bare the shoulder. But some of them come in puckered gingham. They're selling like mad and it's because women want to look old-fashioned and virginal and sexy all at once."

Looking sexy is the big pull. Says Marilyn Black, a public relations expert in Los Angeles: "Guys call me Carmen Miranda and snap their fingers over their heads when I walk down the street. Bare shoulders must be sexy." Tina Comparato, a Washington saleswoman, confirms that "you get more looks in a strapless dress than in a very short one."

Ample endowment, of course, draws looks. Even so, the strapless outfits are appealing on any woman. Says Calvin Klein: "I've shown strapless clothes on models who are almost all bone--with no problem." Correll King, 22, of Lubbock, Texas, agrees: "At first I thought I didn't have enough to wear the strapless clothes, but I've changed my mind."

Whatever a woman's size or shape, decolletage can slip into disaster for those into strapless chic. The drawstrings and elastic used to hold the garb up are not fall-safe. Arleen Sorkin, a Washington student, remembers the night her strapless turned topless in a Manhattan nightclub. Recalls she with horror: "I ran to the bathroom and cried. And I don't think my date ever recovered." Sorkin, however, was quickly on top of the situation and now owns five strapless outfits.

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