Fashion copycats recognized today merely as 'wanna-bes'

One TV personality believes it is time to get dressed up.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
More than a decade ago, in the midst of the casual dress-code arrival, Newsweek magazine posed the question: "Are we becoming a nation of slobs?"
Today flip-flops show up at weddings and at the White House, track suits go to gallery openings and short shorts are not uncommon on commercial flights. It appears the magazine saw the down-and-out look coming. Has it gone too far?
We think so. And so does Robert Verdi, the host of E Channel's "Fashion Police."
"People are just too casual," he said recently in response to a question about what he would like to change about style across America. "I just wish people would get dressed a little more."
Verdi was working for Casio and promoting G-Shock watches when he called to chat about fashionable accessories.
Meanwhile, he had some observations on fashion direction. Dresses are most important this season. You should have one, along with something in a floral pattern, he said.
Metallics are still hot in accessories, including watches. It's kind of a Madonna, Cindy Lauper retro, he said.
And on celebrity: "Everything in our society is about becoming famous. Everybody wants to be a star." It is what reality television is all about, he said. And it's why fashion consumers cannot wait to wear the dress Teri Hatcher wore or grab the bag that looks like one Jennifer Lopez once toted.
In the old days, he said, people knew who you were because of what you wore.
Today your clothing tells people who you want to be.