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Show Has An Effect' :itx , i ' , , 'If? ' "' :"' ' 'i : ,' " '.' '' - f " '; H t- . " ..... I" I f - ... ...... STYLE AND CUT by Hand H Leather LEATHER IS NO LONGER JUST A LUXURY ITEM. It is a key factor in investment in-vestment dressing. (Casablanca Leather). There's the prestige plonge skin from Francy ("greasy" lamb, which simple describes a step in finishing to soften the leather), "crispy," describing the uneven bubble texture that results when the lambs are overfed, plus embossed skins to impart an exotic texture, etc. With fall leather outerwear lines opening, some divergent prices for essentially the same distressed look can be expected. M. Julian's Wong explains that there are two ways of distressing the leather. One technique is stone washing (also used for denim jeans) versus the more expensive nubuck process which buffs the leather. A chemical is then added for the color distortion. The difference in a jacket's price? At least $20-plus at cost. "Raiders of the Lost Ark" deserves a hearty round of applause from the men's wear industry. Even in steamy jungles or at the bottom of a tomb with treacherous snakes at his feet, Harrison Ford, the movie's star, refused to shed his felt fedora - or his tired looking leather jacket. The ripple effects are still spreading. Harrison become the Headwear Institute's man of the year. And his jacket became the inspiration for outerwear people to come up with endless versions of distressed leather. The best is a replica of the wear-softened bomber looks from World War II, but with a difference. They're about half the weight and are really knock-offs of the distressed leathers that surfaced last summer in Paris. Top Italian designers followed suit for this fall. The groundswell for distressed leathers in this country is only the tip of the iceberg. An amazing variety of leathers is available for fall. And it comes on the heels of the best leather year outerwear makers had since 1979, when prices of skins soared and the bottom fell out of the market. John Hult, vice-president of sales and marketing, Cooper Sportswear, says, "Our leather business went ahead 120 percent in 1981. What's realistic for next fall? A 10 to 15 percent gain." Leather users feel certain that the main pluses will continue to come from the luscious, supple lightweight drum-dyed cowhides and lambskins. Some people are especially enthusiastic about lambskins because thev offer great versatilitv. Ik 1 - -V . PL s t 1 r v t Jacket by Remy Leather Now that leather is back on the track, outerwear makers are pressing for new ideas to keep the pot boiling. Some are going the better route with expensive hair sheep. Others hint that somewhat thicker (but supple) steerhides (at about 1.2 millimeters) are next. All this could be a step along the way. Hult at Cooper feels certain that goatskin is next. "It could be three or four years down the road. But there are 4 billion goats in China. The only drawback today is that this grained leather tends to be stiff, but we can expect the tanners to kick the problem. Look at what they did to invent distressed leathers." COMFORTABLE STYLES for the great out doors by Casablanca Leather. |