WOMEN’S <i> spring </i> FASHION : WOMEN OF STYLE AND SUBSTANCE : This Season, Their Look Is Soft and Subtle

Ease. Softness. Fluidity. It’s no coincidence that these qualities characterize Spring, 1990, fashion because women, not designers, are setting the trends, and they’re demanding a more feminine look. So this season’s clothes reflect not only a looser silhouette and more emphasis on color but also respect for a woman’s dignity and personal style.

For Spring, we gave nine notable Southern California women their choice of the best American and European designers. Faced with a variety of options, including more structured shapes and fabrics, they all instinctively reached for the looser, gentler styles. (Although the prices of these ensembles reach the upper stratosphere, the essence of these designs can be found in all price ranges.)

Probably the most striking fashion change this season is the absence of shoulder pads. A softer, rounder, more natural line replaces aggressive, athletic-strength shoulders. This look shows up most in the easy jacket, worn as if it were a cozy cardigan sweater. Anchored gently from softened shoulders, it is often longer than last season’s jacket and offers a fresh proportion when teamed with above-the-knee skirts or worn over pants.

As the silhouette becomes softer, fabrics become more fluid. Crisp cotton, linen and lightweight wool are more supple now because they are woven with rayon and silk. These blended fabrics often have a subtle sheen, catching the light in sensual ways as the cloth moves gracefully with the body. Jackets seem to float, blouses glide and pants and skirts sway to the rhythm of carefully placed, relaxed pleating and shirring. Gossamer touches of chiffon, batiste and organza give the season’s fashions a lighter-than-air quality.

Color enhances this easy mood. Every palette, from desert pales to natural brights, has been tinted to flatter skin tones. Perhaps designers are taking their cue from cosmetics, adding undercurrents of warmth or coolness. Shades of white range from icy pearl and smoke to warmer sand and buff. Watercolors such as celadon, aqua, banana and apricot take on a misty quality. And brights, including red-orange, marigold, turquoise, orange, violet and many shades of green, have been lifted straight from nature.

ARIANNA STASSINOPOULOS HUFFINGTON, Author

Huffington’s “Picasso: Creator and Destroyer,� an unflattering portrait of Pablo Picasso, shook up the art world two years ago. Her next book will be a study of what she calls “the fourth instinct�--self-examination and self-discovery. “It’s no mistake that the world is moving toward peaceful change. Individuals are seeking that in their own lives.�

Karl Lagerfeld suit, $2,260, at Fred Hayman, Beverly Hills.

DALE HARIMOTO, Broadcast Journalist

Honolulu-born Harimoto was a dancer on Broadway in “The King and I� before becoming a correspondent on TV’s “Entertainment Tonight,� “P.M. Magazine� and “USA Today.� Recently, she interviewed Imelda Marcos. “I can understand how she seduced an entire country,� Harimoto says. “She was one of the most utterly charming women I have ever met.�

Donna Karan ivory embroidered linen jacket, $1,300, and black crepe pants, $365, at Saks Fifth Avenue.

YVONNE BRATHWAITE BURKE, Lawyer

Before joining a Los Angeles law firm, Burke was active in setting public policy as a California assemblywoman and a U.S. congresswoman. Now content to effect change as a private citizen, she says: “There’s a great deal to be gained by influencing policy in and out of government. I’m not afraid to take on major issues.�

Anne Klein orange chiffon blouse, $255; turquoise silk Shantung blazer, $515, and fuchsia silk skirt, $200, at Neiman Marcus.

SHARON SIMONAIRE, Wardrobe Stylist

Simonaire’s credits include photographer Herb Ritts’ Gap magazine ads and outfitting film stars Tom Cruise and Michelle Pfeiffer and recording artists Tina Turner and David Bowie. Her sense of style goes way back: “In the fifth grade, an aunt gave me a minidress and white boots. I walked onto that playground, and everyone looked at me. At that moment, I understood the power of clothes.�

Pink Chanel suit trimmed in black, $2,185, at I. Magnin.

PATRICIA MEDAVOY, Founder of The Show Coalition

Medavoy established her nonprofit organization to ignite the political fires in the entertainment industry. Each month, members gather to hear speakers, who have included Los Angeles Dist . Atty. Ira Reiner on the McMartin case and church worker Jennifer Casolo on El Salvador. “A lot of us felt that by banding together we could effect some positive changes, become part of the process and be better-informed,� she says. “L.A. is a world showcase. I feel the best is yet to come.�

Giorgio Armani linen coat / jacket, $915; silk vest, $500, and linen pants, $680, at Giorgio Armani, Beverly Hills.

ELAINE KIM, Co-owner of Ecru

After living in Paris, Kim saw her niche as one that combines the arts. Her stores are exterior and interior architectural statements, and her modular presentation changes each season to reflect the current, most progressive design statements. “Fashion is more than clothing; it’s an art,� Kim says. “What I create emerges out of social, economic and cultural messages .

Severine Perraudin white linen short suit, $920; gold hosiery by Mary Quant, $63, and Robert Clergerie satin pumps, $180, at Ecru, Los Angeles and Marina del Rey.

ANNIE KELLY, Artist

Kelly paints functional objects such as screens, tables and chairs and gives them a double life as objets d’art. She is currently experimenting with another medium: photography. “I like the freedom of working in Southern California,� she says. “Anything is possible here.�

Romeo Gigli mushroom-pleated-collar blouse, $1,054; foulard tapestry vest, $580, and silk Shantung Capri pants, $306, at Charles Galley, West Hollywood.

TERRY STANFILL, Novelist

Before writing her first novel, about a woman tracing her roots, Stanfill had already devoted time to the Los Angeles Opera Board and to Christie’s auction house as an international representative . “Writing my book has taken me on a personal odyssey,� she says. “It’s important to find time for people and projects that really matter.�

Yves Saint Laurent red suede jacket, $1,970; red crepe pants, $990, and marigold crepe tank top, $375, at I. Magnin.

CAROLYN MAHBOUBI, Manager of Gianni Versace

At 25, Mahboubi oversees the Beverly Hills shop and finds time to assist several charities. She is involved with Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times, a retreat for young cancer patients, and serves as Western regional adviser for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. “Being involved with reality and improving it is important to me.�

Gianni Versace washed silk “slouch suit� jacket, $920; pants, $895, and vest, $550.

Hair by Serena Radaelli / Cloutier; makeup: Francesca Tolot / Cloutier; styling: Gemina Aboitiz / Cloutier