A Perky New Look

While the U.S. garment industry has been going through some dark days, both literally and figuratively, the early spring and resort-wear fashions for 1984 now on display in designer showrooms are the brightest and boldest in several seasons. America's fashion pacesetters are counting on the economic recovery to make women more confident and carefree when they shop for clothes. A year ago, in the midst of the recession, muted pastel tones dominated the top designers' collections, but now the lines shine with brassy shades of red, blue and green. In the way they are cut and the way they flow, the new tops, skirts and dresses are daring, distinctive and sometimes a bit naughty. Observes Kalman Ruttenstein, a vice president at Bloomingdale's, Manhattan's ultra-chic department store: "Often in tough economic times, designers lose their sense of whimsy and feel that women prefer to invest in serious clothing. But this season the clothes are perky and upbeat." Perry Ellis is showing a line of cotton and linen boat-neck tops that can easily slip down on one side to uncover a shoulder, as Jennifer Beals' sweatshirt did in the movie Flashdance.

Expected price range: $50 to $150. Calvin Klein is offering a sleek and sexy new backless sundress ($190). For buyers wanting something a little more modest, Klein has oversize chambray linen shirt dresses ($290) that can be tied tight at the waist or left free to ripple in the wind.

For hemline watchers, the news is mixed. Some designers are still trying to revive miniskirts, but in general, hemlines are going down, reaching to mid-calf or even lower. Explains Zack Carr, head of Klein's design studio: "The longer length looks more relaxed and gives a sense of languidness."

Some designers have taken striking new directions.

Ralph Lauren, whose Southwest look a few seasons ago sparked interest in prairie skirts and cowboy shirts, is now touting a nautical line designed to make lifelong landlubbers look as if they belonged on a yacht. The centerpiece: a navy serge officer's jacket, complete with braided gold trim and shiny brass buttons, for $470.

Norma Kamali, who stormed the fashion world with her sweatsuit look in 1981, is now unveiling the "super dirndl," an haute couture version of the traditional peasant dress still worn in Austria and parts of Germany. With their tight torsos and broad, billowing skirts, the Kamali dresses ($96) are sure to turn heads. To go with her clothes, the designer has come up with perhaps the most eccentric item of the season: pigskin high-heel shoes encased in vulcanized rubber that lace up over the ankles ($45). Kamali may give new life to the old rock-'n'-roll exhortation from the mid-'60s:

"Put on your high-heel sneakers!" This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.