Consumer's Choice

" 'Courage!' we said to ourselves when we had finished thinking up this one." said New York's B. Altman & Co. department store in an ad last week as it put on sale the first short-sleeved suit for men.

Altaian's hoped that the out-at-the-elbows look might fit in the trend toward cooler, lighter, more comfortable men's wear. It was a long reach. But like manufacturers and retailers all over the U.S., Altman's was taking no chances on passing up whatever the big-spending U.S. consumer might want. Anticipating his whims and angling for his taste were new trends running all the way from cars to corsets.

Detroit, which had been taught a costly lesson by the demand of the consumer for the economical compact car. was hustling to put out all kinds of new models, including king-sized compacts for next year. The sweeping changes promised to establish a new trend for all cars (see below), bring the timely death of what American Motors' George Romney calls the "gas-guzzling dinosaurs."

"Reconstituted Food." The trend for simplicity and economy--with style--is also evident in women's clothes. The U.S. Labor Department reports that by last year eight out of ten new workers joining the labor force were women. Result: women have more money of their own to spend, and fashionmakers' fall lines reflect this. To provide for the growing mass market, the garment trade hopes to concentrate on fewer styles, and counts on mass production to hold prices down. There will be more of the basic models-nubby coats, colorful wool knits and fur-trimmed garments. Dresses are being made with jackets for double duty, the jacket removable for evening. Corset and other foundation-garment makers have cut the number of styles by a third, yet have managed to bring out a new assortment suitable even for bikini wearers. In June bridal gowns, the train that so often required the help of small brothers has been replaced by a nononsense, efficiency ballerina skirt. Plugging a new trend, a fresh series of dresses will be labeled "junior petite," aimed at the teenager.

Simplicity also shows up in the scramble for self-service, and the laborsaving device. In Manhattan, Macy's last week introduced a Universal Match Corp. vending machine that dispenses men's T shirts and shorts in various sizes, makes change not only from coins but from currency up to $5. Bellringers Restaurant in suburban Chicago, which once served only cold dishes and fried items, recently added twelve meat dishes, 20 casseroles and five hot sandwiches to its menu--without adding a kitchen. The secret: precooked foods warmed in an electronic oven, similar to airplane meals. On the Indiana turnpike. Interstate Hosts' chain of 16 restaurants serves $4,000,000 worth of such meals a year. Boasts Regional Manager F. D. Gibbons in the horrible jargon of his trade: "We don't have cooks in our restaurants --just people who reconstitute food."

Without Reservation. The airline busi ness, which now takes 19 people to provide for one passenger, is seeking economies too. Scandinavian Airlines predicted last week that before long an air traveler will be able to buy a simple ticket good any time on any airline without advance reservations. SAS Vice President Warren Kraemer also suggested that in time the airlines will serve hot food to all classes of passengers (it is often cheaper than elaborate cold cuts), and that distinctions between first and economy classes may disappear. Kraemer suggests that businessmen who usually travel first-class for status reasons should be encouraged by their firms to buy economy tickets, and with the money saved, and a little added, take their wives or another business associate along on economy prices. The firm would be ahead, he says.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.