Reader Is Eager to Get With This ‘System’ of All-Season Clothing Pieces

Dear Fashion Police: I live in Orange County and would like to know where I can find Norma Kamali’s Wardrobe System. I’ve enclosed an item about it from a 1995 issue of Harper’s Bazaar.

--NORMA FAN

Dear Fan: We have to admit we didn’t hold out much hope that Norma Kamali’s Wardrobe System would still be around when we saw that 1995 date on the clip. After all, how many designers stay with a concept for four years?

But miracles do happen. The New York-based designer, known for her sporty, sexy separates and dresses, is still doing her System, only now it’s simply known as the poly jersey collection and is one part of her OMO Norma Kamali clothing line.

In 1995, Harper’s Bazaar touted the System as “the lightest way to travel we know,” and that’s still the case. Pieces can be rolled up for wrinkle-free wear. According to Liz Victory, director of public relations, the pieces are “lightweight and all-season, and can be worn alone in the summer or layered in the winter.”

Pieces are always available in black, white and red, but other colors and patterns are added each season. For fall it’s navy, olive and a stone marble print. Prices range from $195 to $385, and sizes range from petite to extra-large.

You won’t find Kamali’s clothes in any store but her own, which happens to be in Manhattan (at 11 W. 56th St., in case you’re planning a trip east).

But you can find them in cyberspace at her Web site, https://www.omo-norma-kamali.com, where you can order whatever your heart desires.

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And Another Thing: Last week “In Need of Style” wrote asking for “cool, not old and frumpy” plus-size shops in Los Angeles. We obliged with several but want to add a couple more to the list: Abundance in Sherman Oaks (13604 Ventura Blvd., [818] 990-6128) carries a range of clothes for sizes 14 to 36, including casual separates, coordinated business looks and evening wear.

Owner Michele Varon says the store specializes in personal service such as wardrobe coordination and tailoring. Trunk shows and fashion shows are scheduled regularly.

Avenue is a chain of plus-size clothes that offers casual, business and dressy clothes. This fall’s collection includes a silver Lurex sweater ($59), velour pants ($42) and a duster coat ($49.50).

Stores are all over, including Fox Hills Mall in Culver City, the Garden Grove Center in Garden Grove, Northridge Plaza in Northridge, and at 8111 Beverly Blvd. in Los Angeles. A complete listing of stores can be found on Avenue’s Web site at https://www.avenue.com or by calling (888) 283-6831.

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Guess What the Ad Means: What’s with the new Gap commercials? You know, the ones where the models all stare blankly at the camera singing Madonna’s “Dress You Up” or Donovan’s “Mellow Yellow” and are all dressed similarly. At the end, the words “everybody in vests” or “everybody in cords” appears.

What happened to those great mini-dance production numbers for khakis? We loved those. This new series is just weird. Everyone looks like Village of the Damned Gap Models.

Maybe this is some sort of communist fashion manifesto pushing the idea that we should all dress identically. Or maybe those models were tired of dancing and just wanted to sing instead.

What do you think the ads mean? Please enlighten us, and do it soon. At this point we’re afraid to turn on the TV.

Write to Fashion Police, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053, fax to (213) 237-4888, or send e-mail to [email protected].