Today's NYT Styles

There were several interesting articles in today's New York Times Styles Section.

the latest men's wear trend: The Shrunken Suit

A suit jacket's standard length is usually held to be 78 or 79 centimeters
(about 31 inches), but these designers have shaved from 1 to 5 inches off the bottom.
Ditto pants, which bare not only the ankle but, horrors, a bit of shin.

Author David Colman offers several positive aspects of this new trend, including:

• the short suit works well un-nested, as a cross-over element
• compliments the smaller proportion of accessories showed by Los Angeles designers
• less "business" than a traditional suit - goes from day to evening
• ideal for men 5'7" to 5'11" with a trim, narrow frame
  

CFDA lobbies Congress for copyright protection for designer clothes

The reason clothing design is not protected under copyright or trademark law in the United States is that it is considered foremost as a utilitarian item, not an artistic expression or scientific invention... But the [CFDA] argues that the legal principle exempting fashion from copyright protection — a 200-year-old idea that useful objects should be unregulated to encourage the growth of industry — is outdated in this era of sophisticated mass copying.

Of course, there are strong feelings on all sides of this issue. The author adds an interesting side note to our study of Ralph Lauren:

European laws have been more favorable to designers, although with tangled results.
Yves Saint Laurent sued Ralph Lauren in 1994 in a Paris court over Mr. Lauren's design
of a tuxedo dress. Mr. Lauren was found guilty of copying and fined roughly $300,000.
At the same time a Saint Laurent executive was found guilty of denigrating Mr. Lauren's character and fined $90,000.

See also articles on the first performance-enhanced textiles for Golf wear; how to build your belt wardrobe, and the new direction at Gucci...

it's surprising to hear someone sound almost relieved that the style of [Tom Ford's] successor, Frida Giannini, doesn't immediately suggest an orgy or, as Mr. Ford once put it,
an impulse to "pour hot wax over your lover and stradle him."