What A Waist
During the arugula days of the '80s, no career woman worth her 401(k) was without her power suit—that boxy, curve-concealing number with shoulder pads the size of a 12-ounce pork chop. Now, as designers continue to emphasize the feminine form, women's suits have shaped up—just ask Madonna, Princess Diana or model Helena Christensen, who have all sported ensembles that pay homage to the hourglass figure. "A woman's body is sexy—why hide it?" says designer Richard Tyler, whose well-suited clients include Julia Roberts and Cindy Crawford. "Even if you are a little bit overweight or your body is not perfect, this is more flattering than trying to disguise it." Stylemakers say their inspiration for the svelte silhouette comes from such fashion icons as Jackie Kennedy and Grace Kelly, who made fitted suits de rigueur in their day. "In fashion there are always things coming and going, and right now there's a '60s wind blowing high," says Italian couturier Valentino, one of Jackie's favorite designers, who now counts Sharon Stone and Nicole Kidman among his clients. "Elegance and tidiness are back in." Unlike its stodgy, for-office-use-only predecessor the new style is versatile enough to work after-hours. "Suits are easy," says designer Karl Lagerfeld of Chanel. "You pick up one piece, then another, and you go."
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