Ethnic and Eclectic
By Fiona Ma

From wool harvested from an exotic Himalayan goat to Indian-inspired gowns to Pokemon-style prints, the Asian influence permeates trends this winter and spring in ways like never before.

This summer, Julia Roberts popularized pashmina when she wore a baby-pink shawl made from the fine wool to the L.A. premiere of her movie Runaway Bride. The wool from the underbelly of the capra hircus goat can be several times more costly than cashmere. Worth’s pashmina shawl costs $350. Still, the versatile toppers are just as appropriate with an evening gown as they are worn with a suit or pants. And of course, since they are unisize, they fit anyone with flair.

Designer Anthony Cruz Legarda takes the concept of fusion further. Seeing fashion as part of a fine-arts fabric that encompasses theater and poetry, Legarda has devoted most of his time lately to Arkiteknik, a “fashion theater” production inspired by the major impacts on Filipino culture: Malaysian, Muslim, Chinese, Spanish and American.

That theme also shows up in his latest creations. A multicolored, hand-woven silk jacket and chiffon silk skirt is inspired by Muslim culture in the Mindanao region of the south Philippines; a hand-woven, hand-beaded crop-top and skirt set takes inspiration from the Igorot tribe of northern Luzon.

In a more general sense, the concept has caught on -- shoppers will be hard pressed to find a major designer who isn’t fusing in Asian elements for this winter and next spring. Bright colors, color blocking and layering, long nylon skirts and Asian characters and motifs predominate -- a yellow and fuchsia T-shirt from XOXO, for example, features peonies and a China doll.

“Most of the new designs are coming from Japan, especially Tokyo,” explains Nathan Laffin, fashion director for the juniors section at Macy’s San Francisco. Tokyo, he says, “is setting the latest fashion trends, versus London a few years ago.”

Such items are also easy to care for and young looking -- qualties that Esprit Corp. hopes will draw customers to its new, 3,000-square-foot store in San Francisco’s Stonestown Galleria.The store, which opened Sept. 23, is Esprit’s 19th full-price retail shop in the country and the first for San Francisco.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.