Sun Sets on the Empire Line

published Jan 4, 2008
Sun Sets on the Empire Line
All those empire-waist gowns and tops that looked so stylish not so long ago suddenly have turned into the fashion equivalent of pumpkins, morphing from au courant to out-of-date as quickly as the New Year's clocks chimed 12.

Or so say northern hemisphere trend-watchers.

The high-waisted "baby-doll" look, which topped most must-have lists in early 2007, is one of several trends predicted to take a tumble early in 2008.

"Baby-doll tops - my clients are totally over them," says Wendy Ricchi, owner of the ZouZou boutique in Orlando.

Berri Morris of the Coralia Leets Boutique in Winter Park, Florida, is even more blunt: "High waists make you look pregnant.

My customers do not want to look pregnant. They work out. They're in good shape. They want clothes that show off their shape."