Columnist Muriel Stevens: Fashion trends are male order

Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2000 | 9:33 a.m.

Muriel Stevens' shopping column appears Wednesdays. Her Dining column appears Fridays. Reach her at muriel@lasvegassun.com or 259-4080.

There are today almost as many men's fashion magazines as there are women's. The New York Times regularly devotes special Sunday magazine sections to "Men's Fashions of the Times."

Not too long ago I walked into a Saks Fifth Avenue store on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, Calif., and wandered for at least five minutes before realizing that the jewelry, chic sweaters, jackets, leather pants and handbags were devoted entirely to males.

Nothing foppish, just trendy, well-designed attire geared to Gen X'ers and Baby Boomers. These colorful duds have not replaced business attire or the more conservative look that will always be in favor.

Males just have many more style and color options these days and they're taking them.

Being fashionable has nothing to do with size. The newly opened Rochester Big & Tall Clothing store in the Best on the Boulevard mall center offers, in addition to the expected, designer brands and custom clothing. The day I visited the handsome shop I was really taken with the selection and variety offered.

Unisex still cool: Guys and gals are wearing Donna Karan black leather jeans ($298). If I were a guy I'd pass on the alligator-stenciled faux leather pants from Calvin Klein. Of course, these designs are meant for younger men, so just about anything goes.

Color me pretty: More than men's clothing is changing. At the recent International Hair Color Exchange symposium all of the Clairol models were young, handsome males.

The annual symposium is held in Las Vegas, Chicago, New Orleans and Washington, D.C., on alternate years. This is where new hair colors and products are introduced and where the hair color companies demonstrate new techniques for applying the colors.

Jennifer Woods, one of our town's leading colorists (La Rue's, Commercial Center), attended the symposium. The information and photos Jennifer shared with me were an intimate glimpse into the ever-changing world of hair color. It was a fascinating briefing.

When it comes to hair color some young men are even more adventurous than women -- they tip, tone and color their hair with wild abandon.

But they're sticking with the gold and blonde tones -- definitely more sophisticated than the windblown-blonde surfer look.

The coolest color trend is red. Women are going wild for the mixed red colors. The gorgeous young models in the photos wore these colors well. Even the combination colors were startling, but they'd look good no matter what.

Some of the new hair coloring techniques are startling, too. Roots are "in." Instead of color being applied from the roots out, "The colors are sort of mooshed around so the roots remain dark," was the way Jennifer explained this technique. So, if you don't have time to get your color done, don't worry about the roots showing, you're right in style.

There are new coloring techniques, too, for really curly hair. A wooden dowel is put through each curl. The dowel keeps the curly tress in place as the color is brushed on -- a terrific idea for dealing with unruly hair that's being colored.