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Wet Weather Fashions
| Article
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16951 |
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Section : |
LIFE
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| Issue
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4 / 1990 |
1,460 Words |
| Author
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Wendi Winters
Wendi Winters is the fashion writer for Manhattan's West Side
Spirit as well as a special correspondent for the Antelope
Valley Press. She has written several fashion articles for THE
WORLD & I. |
It's that time of the year again. Many of us have just spent months holed up like hibernating bears, trying to avoid the cold air and wet snow. Now, with spring almost here, we'll spend the next few weeks pretending to be ducks - quacking and complaining about the rain and leaping puddles big and small.
March and April are usually damp, dreary months when it's cold, wet, and miserable- looking outside, but this year's rainwear fashions will have you singing in the rain. Many of the best are in bright, eye-grabbing colors, and best of all, they will actually keep you dry.
Rainwear is supposed to keep you dry, but it's taken many years and quite a bit of serious research to develop fabrics and clothing styles that will actually prevent you from getting drenched in a downpour. Early versions were made of tightly woven wool tweeds, sometimes in a balmacaan style. The natural oils contained in wool created a mild water-repellent effect. The right weave kept water from penetrating quickly.
The balmacaan, which originated in Scotland, - a country known for its mists, drizzles, and foggy weather - is cut as a loose-fitting coat with raglan sleeves and a buttoned-up front with a small collar. The original wool version was helpful in keeping the rainout, though not perfect. Today, cut in khaki or navy water-repellent gabardines, twills, and poplins, it's a classic in traditional men's rainwear departments, though it ranks high on the list of ho-hum fashion.
Over the millennia, rainwear has progressed from the scanty protection of a few fig
... (1996 of 8620 Characters)
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