Tight Squeeze

It's a summer fashion shoot in the dead of winter. Everyone arrives at the loft in down jackets, sulky and bulky. The photographer turns up the heat, breaks out the machine-age chairs and tosses fluffy things underfoot. Winter hits the floor in a pile. Summer jumps off the hangers--close-fitting clothes in soft tones. Among young designers, the trend is to use tight stretch fabrics. It's a less drapey look than the usual casualwear, yet just as relaxed. Models gather. At first, they touch one another's clothes tentatively. Sensual stuff, this. Smiles break the ice. There's no fancy gender-bending here. Boys will be boys and girls will be flirty.