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About Sandy post. (Sandy, Oregon) 1938-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 1982)
6 G re s h a m O u tloo k Tue» M arch 30, 1983 Sandy Post Thors A p ril I 1982 Top fashion lik e Russian ro u le tte He is urbane, charming, witty, and he helps women spend money Lots of money — up to 1100.000 per day — just for clothes Norman Johnson Jr is the couture import buyer for the 32 Saks Fifth Avenue stores across the United States Buying (or ordering from designers' salons for sale in the stores) these ex- pensive clothes which can cost up to thousands of dol lars, is like playing Hus sian roulette," said John son. 54 Sometimes I think I should go into buying jeans I have to stop and weigh a lot of things before I plunk down 15.000 for one outfit I ask myself, I)o I stand a chance of selling it1 Does it represent some- thing? “I think good buyers have to lead the customer to new trends And that outfit may be important to have in stock, but it may not sell. A good buyer has to ferret out what is re markable. new. extraordi nary and beautiful To the buyer's taste, of course In a sense. I'm imposing my taste on customers ” Those customers don't seem to mind Johnson tells of the woman from Greece who flew in, spent SI00 000 during one day of shopping, then went home to call up and reorder some of her purchases Shed given the clothes to relatives, she explained, and needed to replace them Couture clothes cost so much (from several hun dred dollars up to the thou sands) for several reasons, Johnson said First, good material and workmanship are involved Second is that "a lot of hands work on that garm ent before it reaches the consumer And all the expenses for this, the machinery and the handwork, are increasing When I buy. I look I t see that the intrinsic value is there somewhere But when wool is >150 to >200 a yard as it is now. that’s ex pensive And designers use the very best fabrics “I learn every day on this job Now I'm learning a great deal about fabrics, t e x t ile s , w e a v e s , th e weight of silk The more silk (threads) in a garment, the better it cleans and lasts There is a trend in this country away from heavy clothes Everyone is trav e lin g . and th ey w an t clothes that span the sea sons And there is layering, maybe with a sweater Sweaters are very import ant " tiood designers — his fa vorites are Karl Lagerfeld for Chloe. Emanuel Un garo. Missoni. Giorgio A r mani amd St. Laurent (al though another buyer buys St I -au rent) — go on for years, he said The late Chanel, for in stance, liberated women and pul them into soft and comfortable things She will be with us forever I'm very impressed at how copies of her designs go on and on. "Galanos is an important California designer, and then there are new young designers coming along constantly who must be checked out and encour aged There is a constant search for a new talent Boland Klein is an English designer just coming out with his second collection, and I think he is terrific." There are two types of fashion customers, Johnson believes, "Women who look for investment clothes and do long term buying and the fashion freak, who likes to look new each season .»and usually buys more ” Even women with con siderable money to spend on clothing shop budgets, he says. from Somewhere there is a figure in their minds, but I like that. I t ’s a challenge to develop workable clothing on a budget." F o r h im se lf, he has worked out a wardrobe of navy suit, gray flannel suit, blazer and two pairs of slacks which he replaces as the need a ris e s And women are getting to dress in a prescribed manner as men do. he believes. There is no recession in couture buying, he said. In stead, there is a 30 to 40 percent increase in busi ness which is rather ex traordinary But then busi ness is good for other luxu ry-type items, too.” M a k e u p m ust be fle x ib le In each new fashion sea son. you should update your makeup to comple ment the new trends No matter what the new styles and colors may be they are only as good as they look on you The right colors on your face are every bit as important as the colors and styles of your clothing, according to the beauty and fashion ex- perts at Lertn Cosmetics If the current trend is not for you. then don t detract from your total image by following It L 'e n n e ip e r ts o ffe r these guidelines to mat • sure your makeup always looks its best, regardless of what the new fashion and cosmetic trends are - Study your face M>ok for the attractive qualities l>n<v you understand your skin and bone structure, you can begin to use make up effectively — Establish a sensible daily regimen by cleaning your face thoroughly be fore putting on any make up Use a cleanser that sof tens stun as it removes ail trace« of grime No make up will look its best unless your skin is smooth, fresh looking and blemish free — Apply makeup in a soft warm shade that com plements your skin tone Foundation helps even out color, and hide* skin im perfect ions — Highlight bone struc ture by using lots of cream or powder blush in a shade that will go with all the new spring colors Anchors Away! A very nautical look in which to enjoy the summer sun: Esprit’s comfortable, cool all-cotton playwear in regatta red-white-and-blue. Shown: Rose Hips crop pants teamed with a jaunty sailor-collared blouse. From a large selection. Today s fashions for men, women and juniors. In GRESHAM VILLAGE, Burnside at Powell. Open Monday through Friday 10a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday noon fo 5 p.m. — Accentuate your eyes by following your own eye *hrl I«* • : ♦. Z ■ ---------- ------------ - ____________ ________ ___
