This is “Morning Edition”. I´m Renée Montaigne...
Police in San Francisco yesterday saw a woman wearing a virtual polo shirt, talking to a man outside a topless bar. They arrested her for loitering. The judge asked her about it. She explained that she is the bartender and was cleaning up an overturned trash can with the help of a customer. The judge told the arresting officer, “I see nothing improper here. If anything, she´s over-dressed.” The accused took off the uniform jacket the officer had covered her with and went back to work.
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Court Rules... Virtual Clothing in Public No OffenseChicago, October 4, (AP) – A municipal court here has ruled that the wearing of virtual clothing in public is not, in itself, a punishable offense. In a ruling made public yesterday, the 5th District Court of Chicago ruled that a woman who wore a virtual dress while shopping in a local department store was not breaking the law. The complaint was brought by the store, which alleged the woman was “merely a sensation-seeker”. “The law requires that you clothe the genitals,” Judge Myron Hegel ruled. “The accused was wearing a skirt and a virtual blouse with collar and cuffs. She appeared to be as stylish and well-dressed as other customers and was in possession of enough money to purchase the merchandise offered in the store. No breach of the law is involved. If the store wishes to exclude and embarrass a customer, that´s up to them.” In a statement issued by Marshall Field following the ruling, the store emphasized that the action was taken without approval of the management, and that ... |
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Grace Maginnis says ... . . . Guests at Linda Moore´s latest shindig say that she´s still wild about VeeCees, the virtual clothing. Reports are that once again, all the guests dressed virtually – virtually naked, that is ... And Linda´s not the only one giving virtual parties! |
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Washington Post, The Style Section, November 26. Expectations that the virtual clothing craze had peaked were dashed Wednesday when Sissy Jamesen, personal assistant to Senator Wendell Robinson (R-MA) accompanied him to the White House Thanksgiving reception for Prime Minister Lev Przbezewski wearing a dazzlingly colorful virtual evening gown based on a Courrèges design. Onlookers noted Ms. Jamesen was chatting amiably with the First Lady and that the Prime Minister´s attractive wife, Zelda, appeared quite interested in the design of her skirt. |
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Business Week, December 15.
The remarkable success of Still Waters Fashions´ lines of virtual clothing has obscured an even more remarkable marketing bonanza. Still Waters´ licensing agreements with L´Eggs, the hosiery marketer, have far exceeded expectations of either partner. L´Eggs, which manufactures and markets traditional hosiery, as well as making private-branded virtual stockings in standard styles and colors under the license, is hard pressed to keep merchandise on the racks. The fancy designs, sold on racks next to the L´Eggs product, are selling just as well.
Those fancy and slightly up-scale virtual stocking designs, as well as the stick-on clocks (the tiny designs women attach up the sides of their virtual stockings), are experiencing phenomenal demand. Still Waters, in a prescient move, retained manufacture of fancy VeeSes in the deal with L´Eggs. Their other lines, virtual clothing and virtual jewelry, though highly popular, are far less in demand, though doing well by any other standard.
“We´re delighted, of course, by the ready acceptance of VeeSes,” Anne Stilwell, president of Still Waters, said in a telephone interview Friday. “At the same time, we are pretty sure that our VeeCees and VeeJays [Still Waters´ brand names for virtual clothing and jewelry – Ed.] will continue to gain acceptance among people who want to have a little fun with what they wear.”
The reason for the boom in virtual stockings appears to be practical – the wearer need not remove them, even to bathe, because they merely color the skin. Users report wearing virtual stockings for several days, washing them off to change color, or when changing outfits.
The skyrocketing popularity of stocking clocks rests on their low cost. Whereas traditional hosiery with clocks or similar designs is relatively pricey, the tapes sold by Still Waters Fashions at $2.49 each, provide clocks from ankle to waist on two legs. Since many users only use part of a tape for both legs, the cost per use is even lower.
Finally, Still Waters´ fancy legware designs, merchandised side-by-side with L´Eggs´ more basic styles, are not significantly more expensive, while providing a definite fashion statement. Still Waters is constantly varying their selections. Some fancy designs feature open-work where the skin color shows through. Inventive purchasers are buying brightly colored L´Eggs virtual stockings and applying see-through VeeSes over them. The results range from the bizarre to the beautiful, not to mention a double sale that benefits both partners. It´s fun for everyone.
However the wearers look, the results for Still Waters Fashions are enviable. Spokesmen for L´Eggs indicate that they, too, are laughing all the way to the bank. – Sylvia Renfrew