`Short' Doesn't Say It

Wow, great new look. We've given the Wednesday Fashion pages a face-lift. Watch for anexpanded version of Style Watch, a weekly Deals column, Shop Talkprofiles of unique stores and other rotating features. You'll alsofind profiles of style makers, see what trends are happening on thestreets and get the scoop on what it's like to try out some of thelatest looks. n your way to the thrift shop with your short skirts? Not so fast.

At the recent haute couture shows in Paris, where designers showexorbitantly priced made-to-order clothes that help them maintaintheir oh-so-exclusive images, the word of the week was "micromini."

How short? Far too short to even contemplate for real women inreal life. Yves Saint Laurent's short skirts with a wide band of lace at thehem are among the skirts predicted to be most influential.

The about-face in lengths can be seen as a victory for women,because long skirts haven't been a big hit, especially among workingwomen and anyone past 40. Some women, however, think designers aretrying to jerk customers around, telling them what's hot one seasonis passe the next. Let's hope it's the former. After all, women aresmart enough to know they should wear what suits them.

New look at W: W has undergone a makeover. And it's for thebetter.

The glossy Fairchild publication, which has been the consumerversion of Women's Wear Daily for 21 years, has shrunk from abroadsheet size to a more manageable 10 1/8 by 14 1/8 inches. It'snow bound like a magazine instead of being divided into countlesssections. Formerly a biweekly glossy, the new W will come out 14times a year.

Highlights of the August issue include a survey of what womenlove and hate about fashion and a look at Hillary Rodham Clinton'sstyle of entertaining at the White House.