Playboy's Fall And Winter Fashion Forecast

It does say October on the cover of this issue, but, as you can see, it's not the season for Halloween masquerading. The eccentric, the outrageous, the defiantly personal modes of dress that flourished a couple of years ago, when the flower children were threatening to make Salvation Army Eclectic a mainstay of American fashion, are essentially gone. Pimps and musicians still go their own way, of course. The rest of us are turning back to the quiet elegance of suits and sweaters and the secure touch of tweeds, flannels and corduroys. The approach of winter has something to do with this; so does the fact that each and every trend in fashion guarantees its own countertrend, and so, perhaps, does the current swing toward conservatism. (Haircuts, as you've undoubtedly noticed, are back in style, too.) Not that individuality has been sacrificed: The layered look, with its infinite possibilities for variation, is still with us; and even the most conservative outfit can express individuality if properly garnished. See what we mean?