With the advent of the midi skirt, and nothing whistling but the winter winds, women's fashions seemed to have reached desperate straits. The only way to cross them, clearly, was in pants. Knickers and gauchos, hiphuggers, bell-bottoms and jeans—all are currently outselling dresses of any length. Women in pants are no longer restricted to appearances at the local supermarket but are welcomed at offices, restaurants, theaters and nightclubs around the country.
Wildfire Proportions. From teeny-boppers in tie-dyed numbers to jet-setters in custom-made styles to grandmothers in sensible versions with matching jackets, women of...