Trends for March 19, 2001

Lisa Ferguson

Monday, March 19, 2001 | 8:48 a.m.

Spring shopping fling?

Spring is nearly upon us we're just hours away, actually, from the official start of the season. So who doesn't have his or her spring wardrobe in order by now?

Oh.

Well, then, you've got some work to do and no time to spare. Thankfully, VF Jeanswear Inc., which claims to be "the nation's denim leader," has come to the rescue with some hints about this season's hottest fashion trends.

Look for olive green and neutral colors, as well as various shades of khaki, on store racks.

White will be everywhere on shorts and capri pants and on everyone men, women and kids (though that may not please parents of messy-but-fashion-forward toddlers).

Dark-wash denim (remember, this info is coming from a blue-jean maker) will continue to rule. Beyond blue, deep gray and blue-black hues, something called "dark vintage sandblast washes" will be hot.

Wearing it well

Speaking of fashion, the makers of Woolite recently conducted a national survey in hopes of analyzing fashion influences.

The results should make the folks at VF Jeanswear happy: 65 percent of women polled chose blue jeans as their favorite clothing item.

Also on their "must-have" lists were a tailored suit or blazer and a little black dress. Among the things they could do without were high heels, leather jackets and miniskirts.

Who do women look to when following fashion trends? Calm down, VF Jeanswear. It was a tie 43 percent chose "Good Morning America" co-host Diane Sawyer, while the same amount named "Pretty Woman" Julia Roberts. Songstress Vanessa Williams finished third and, hard to believe, supermodel Cindy Crawford came in fourth.

Family affairs

Maybe it's not your wardrobe, but your family that's falling apart at the seams. We can only assume that was the impetus for the creation of National Family Day, which will be observed on Sunday.

Sponsored by the organizations KidsPeace, the National Center for Kids Overcoming Crisis and the National Tabletop and Giftware Association (Huh? How did they get in there?), one of the ideas behind the day is to get families interested in "reclaiming a rewarding mealtime" to boost communication.

Among the organizations' tips: "Define Your Purpose." That is, your family's purpose during dinner. Maybe it is "to grow in love and support of each other as a family."

Hey, here's a good idea "prepare the meal." Despite the fact that it's tough to eat without food, cooking the grub can be as beneficial as chowing down, especially if the entire family works together.

Devise "family time" at the dinner table. It can be simple or structured, from planning a vacation to "discussing a proverb or quote or reading a chapter of a book."

Finally, when dinner's done, remind everyone when the next meal will be served and, during cleanup, follow up with conversations or concerns that were expressed over the pot roast.