Seventies Have Accessories Buyers Groovin’

NEW YORK — When it comes to accessories, the Seventies are still going strong for fall: fringe, suede, et al. But stifle that yawn — buyers are all in for the repeat trend. “It always takes customers two seasons to jump on and go with a trend,” said Claire Distenfeld, owner of Fivestory here. “A retailer is always happy when a trend is continued and pushed further. Street stylers and fashionistas are going to jump on the trend yesterday, but actual customers don’t really get it for months in.” As Neiman Marcus’ fashion director and senior vice president Ken Downing noted, the decade as an influence lends itself to more than a one-note trend. “[This season was] a schizophrenic take on the Seventies,” he said. “In many peoples’ minds, they see the Seventies through one lens, but we have to remember the psychedelic music moment, the flower children, the hippies, the disco and even punk, which emerged late in the Seventies in Europe. There’s not one vision that says Seventies — there are many.” Added Suzanne Timmins, senior vice president and fashion director of Hudson’s Bay and Lord & Taylor, “There are generations of people who have never worn that stuff. We need

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