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Spring
Fashion
Index
A
Woman for All Seasons:
This year and every year, women could stand to take a few
style cues from So-fee-ah.
Buh-Bye
Gwyneth, Hello Lita Ford:
You knew they'd be back before too long. WW presents
'80s looks now, in all their trashy glory.
The
Tale of the Taper:
Why guys should show a little love for their own legs.
Five-Minute
Shoe Shakedown:
We interrogated four Portlanders with serious shoe-buying
habits to find out why they worship at the temple of Imelda.
Taking
It to the Streets:
What do your clothes say about you? Quite a bit--but,
as our snapshot of Portland style reveals, the message is
often way off the mark.
The
Summertime Sum:
Legs of leather, a python purse and preppy pieces turned
on their heads will help you stride through summer without
sweating out your wallet.
Use
it or Lose it:
Traditional tennis togs are the least sporty sportswear,
which makes them perfect for off-court duty.
You
Lookin' at Me?
The season's best bets for hiding those lyin' eyes.
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Long before Sophia Loren lent her name to a line of specs
or perfume, she flaunted knockout feminine style in numerous
films.
Throughout the '60s, she strutted her voluptuous stuff
in roles as a call girl, mother, millionairess, mistress
and disenchanted daughter. The Roman-born beauty left leading
men--the likes of Marcello Mastroianni and Cary Grant--trembling
in their smart leather shoes. Whether she was toting babies
on her hip as a poor Neapolitan cigarette vendor, seated
behind the wheel of her Rolls Royce in a fur-trimmed coat
and cream derby hat as Anna of Milan (in Yesterday, Today
and Tomorrow) or wearing only a wool blanket (after a drowning
attempt in The Millionairess), Loren projected unprecedented
sass. Sure, her jaw-dropping beauty and dangerous curves
were part of the appeal, but she also embodied courage and
assertiveness. She wasn't a pampered bimbo but a tough woman
who had survived a poverty-stricken childhood in war-ravaged
Italy. She was womanly but not fragile, tough yet empathetic.
And now in her 60s, God love her, she's still got it all.
The time is now to try to capture a bit of that Sophia
style. Classically feminine fashion is back in vogue and
easy to find. (May we never wear flannel--unless it's gray--again!)
Clothes don't make the woman, of course, but these pieces
do fondly recall Sophia's unmistakable spirit:
PRINTED DRESS
In Marriage Italian-Style, the curvaceous bombshell,
wearing a red-printed flouncy dress, is assisted through
a bus window by a lucky gent with a great view. No wonder
Mastroianni offers her a ride. This black-and-white '60s
number is cut differently but has the same swingy style.
Even if this dress has been snapped up, you'll find something
Sophia among the racks of vintage dresses here. ($16, with
black slip, also $16, at Red Light Exchange, 3590 SE Hawthorne
Blvd., 963-8888)
STRAW BAG
This roomy straw bag with leopard-print lining and black
straps and trim recalls the one Loren carried to complement
her fluttering dress in Marriage Italian-Style. It's ideal
for stashing your goods on holiday in Venice--or Cannon
Beach. ($78 at Nordstrom, various locations)
BLACK SHIFT
Loren stopped traffic leaning against her stalled Rolls
Royce in a classy black shift as Anna of Milan. This updated,
knit halter version is equally stunning, even if you don't
have her hourglass figure. A narrow black belt with gold
buckle replaces the wide one that cinched the cinema goddess's
waist.
($625, also available in black-and-white striped knit at
St. John Boutique, 814 SW Broadway, 221-2055)
STRAPPY SANDALS
As call girl Mara (in Yesterday...), Loren makes a seductive
entrance, nudging open her patio door with a foot framed
by a backless gold sandal. Wrapped only in a white sheet,
she sashays around the terrace, causing a young seminary
student to conjure sinful thoughts. This gold and cheetah-print
version might grab similar attention on a back deck in Beaverton.
($59.99 at Cathy Jean, Lloyd Center, Northeast 9th Avenue
and Multnomah Street, 249-3672; 413 SW Morrison St., 525-7819)
VINTAGE SCARF
A silky, printed head scarf looks great on a woman wearing
cool shades and a killer outfit (especially while cruising
in a convertible with Cary Grant á la Houseboat).
Dig into the brimming metal bin here for your own ladylike
swatch. ($5 at Monkeywear, 811 NW 23rd Ave., 222-5160)
MARY JANES
Sigerson Morrison's sumptuous Mary Janes are reminiscent
of a pair that Mastroianni's shoe-obsessed character, Don
Domenico, gives Loren's Filumena as a gift in Marriage Italian-Style.
A wide range of heeled sandals available at this shoe boutique
are also Sophia-worthy. ($146 at Halo Shoes, 2428 NE Broadway,
331-0366)
GOLD LOCKET
Gold is as popular as Nasdaq portfolios this year, but
Sophia always knew that nothing looked better glimmering
against her bronze skin. And gold looks good on everyone--Portland-pale
or otherwise. This 1920s, oval locket stands out with a
delicate flower design and nice price. Loren stashed a 100-lire
note bearing the date of a particularly steamy night with
Mastroianni in her locket. Maybe you could stow an illicit
e-mail message in yours.
($63 at Avalon Antiques, 203 SW 9th Ave., 224-7156)
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Willamette Week | originally
published April 12,
2000
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