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SCMP Reporter

SUMMER fashion is fun this year, with designers taking an ''anything goes'' approach.

  If the skirt is mini and the jacket is long, that is okay, while if sleeves and pants fall short, that is chic.

  Should jackets be layered on vests over big white shirts over little skirts, that is fine, and still cool in summer's light fabric range.

  Tops that hug, skirts that wrap and flow, and dresses that are crumpled all make it to the ''in'' list.

  Women have the chance to reveal legs and midriffs and their tans in micro minis, or give the cold shoulder in sleeves which are cropped or cut away.

  Men's casual wear accentuates fitness with bike pants and bodysuits reminiscent of the 1940s. Jackets are fluid and loose.

  Crushed and crumpled is the height of fashion.

   With each collection, the idea is to mix and match. Colours and fabrics are natural and, while spice and pastel highlight features, the overall look is toned down with ecru, sand and ivory colours dominating.

  Natural fibres crowd the Marks and Spencer wardrobes.

  This season will see people dressing up in simple styles with light fabrics and spring colours dominant in their garments.

  Layering is an important feature.

  The shirt is at the cornerstone of Trussardi's new season collection for women.

  Long, flowing sleeves are perfect for spring while short sleeves herald the summer.

  Characteristic of the Trussardi look for men are shirts and safari jackets. The Trussardi range is made from easy-care fabrics such as linen and suede in neutral shades.

   Bogner has found the best for cool dressing - ''from the urban jungle to the African jungle, from the city to the casbah''.

   In menswear, it is the little details that make the difference. Bogner stitches on tropical nut-seed buttons on jackets, suede trim on pockets, embroidery on sweatshirt sleeves, safari jacket pockets, drawstrings and loops for the sportsman's golf tees.

   Energetic, revealing and colourful. It is just what you would expect from Gianni Versace.

  From soft leathers to masculine jackets; from see-through blouses to outsize trousers; from lace to bright summer knits, Versace offers a vibrant collection.

  Ecology has emerged as an important element in fashion in the 1990s.

  Worldwide, efforts are being made to reduce, re-use, recycle.

  Shirts are cut up and sewn into sweaters. Shirts show overlocking stitches in colourfully contrasting thread in the Xuly Bet and Lamine Kouyate labels available at Seibu.

  If you want to be really fashionable this season, follow Basile Donna to Morocco which is where the designer found inspiration for spring.

  Basile Donna has returned with a palette of colour - 20 shades of grey, blues, sun-faded beige and brown with flashes of red, pink orange and ochre yellow.

   The Naturals emphasise neutrals to be paired with black and white. Fluid lines in blazers feature overcheck, herringbone or diagonal patterns, to contrast with trousers in gabardine and drill.

   This season, Etienne Aigner's fashion voyage takes women to Asia, the Amazon, America and India, and reveals a sophisticated look.

   Gucci's word for the season is ''restraint''.

  There are smaller shapes, narrower shoulders, sleeves which do not reach the wrists, and pants falling just shy of the ankle. Shapes are cut close to the body for a slender silhouette.

  Christian Dior is alluring, yet chic, and features gaucho pants in embroidered leather, three-piece suits and fine gold detailing on the little black dress.

   Footwear takes a comfortable new turn with Fratelli Rossetti's longer, tapering models, alternating with square cut, more directional lines for its collection.

  And from feet, to hair, even a summery short bob can benefit from some adornment, while those who intend keeping their long hair will look for new ways to keep it off their face, or tie it up for a neat neckline.

  Every summer, Alexandre de Paris creates a new collection to blow away the cobwebs of winter. Bows, clips and combs are recreated in different fabrics and colours.



Look out . . . anything goes!