Fashion, these days, is full of contradictions.

Sneakers have become the brogues and pumps of the new decade; casual Fridays have begun to permeate the rest of the week; dot com slack is the rule, not the exception. Still, it seems, in the sphere of women's clothing, casual wear manufacturers just can't relax.

Perhaps it's the popularity of one-stop shopping, the flourishing of mega-markets like WalMart, that has infected the once-healthy practice of specialized buying and browsing. It used to be you'd purchase your sweats at the Gap, and your Saturday night best at the boutique most noted for its eveningwear. Now the Gap carries beaded clutches and sexy black frocks. The lines have been blurred. Lifestyle is continuously moving forward. And casual wear manufacturers are following suit.

"Lifestyle has evolved. We can now have one outfit that works for all kinds of activities -- working, working out, going out," says Michael Budman, co-founder of Canadian casual wear icon Roots, ripe for expansion at almost 30 years old. "It's all merging somewhere."

Where exactly is evident in Roots' new direction. To compensate for this aformentioned evolution, and in an attempt to cover off various lifestyles in a single ensemble, Budman has "stretched" the company's focus. And quite literally. Once renowned for its sporty leathers and slouchy sweats, Roots is now also celebrated for its sleek shapes, fashion-forward fabrics and feminine cuts. Slim skirts in rayon and spandex, and slip dresses in nylon/spandex blends are the norm for girls. Athletic begets urban. Informal begets chic.

Twenty-year-old Canadian travel clothier Tilley Endurables is perhaps best known for the khaki "adventure cloth" hat that spawned more than 1,000 locations worldwide. Yet one of its biggest sellers today is its silk line for women, who, at the end of the day, were left with nothing to wear to the dining room, theatre or casino. After numerous requests from loyal female customers, the outfit was compelled to seek out a new microfibre from Japan (they call it their "Tilley silk") that can pack as well as a pair of safari shorts, but gain entrance into any ballroom. "It was a natural progression for us to eventually tackle eveningwear," says Alison Tilley, vice president of merchandise and marketing. "It's not always what you do in the day when you travel, but at night as well." In keeping with their vacation wear credo, Tilley's eveningwear is sold by the motto, "elegance you can scrunch in the palm of your hand."

There are several explanations for this movement of traditionally casual clothiers into the realm of the formal, or at least more elegant. Like Budman of Roots, Doris Montanera, editor of the Canadian fashion trade magazine Style, attributes the transition to a parallel shift in lifestyle. "There's a big trend toward versatile clothes that you can wear in the day and move into night." Then there's the incessant flip-flopping of fashion, the current backlash against a decade of dressing down, spearheaded by fashionistas yearning for a change. And, of course, the mirroring of today's economy -- art imitating life. "With the economy looking up, manufacturers strive to catch more of the market share by expanding," says Montanera.

"The economy right now seems very much like the economy of the '80s. Consumers want to look rich, whether they really are or not," says Michelle Zacks, senior fashion editor of Sportswear International, the U.S. sportswear retail trade publication. "Dressier looks help convey that image in a more obvious way." Zacks points to urban streetwear labels like Sean John, the new line from rap idol/industrialist Puff Daddy, to illustrate the trend. "It's rife with fur, crystal trimmings and luxe, luxe, luxe. Not what you'd usually expect for that market." Rhinestones and sequins are back, fur de rigueur, even jeans are dark, sleek and pristine for downtowners striving to look uptown.

Partnered with that backlash against the natural, easy look comes the lust for "ladylike" fashion. "After lots of minimalism and uniform looks, consumers are happy to embrace more glamorous, individual styles," says Zacks. Fendi, Hermes and Manolo Blahnik, with their studded handbags and stilettos, are leaders in the accessories of the day.

Execs and designers at Burberry's of London, one of the world's most recognizable products -- recognized most for their English climate-inspired rainwear considered dowdy by vibrant youth -- have taken the last two years to reposition their brand for a younger, glamour-crazed market. An ad campaign presenting a lanky Kate Moss wearing a body-hugging strapless number in the traditional Burberry plaid led off the renaissance last season. "We've brushed off the image of an older, conservative company and targeting a younger, hipper individual," says Robert Vignola, executive vice president for Burberry in North America. "Now that we've got a captive audience with the brand, we'll grab the attention of the more fluid, contemporary customer." He acknowledges the "Gen-X" target marks the company's biggest growth potential and poses an even bigger challenge, and adds that the latest campaign is but a start.

"People are becoming more and more interested in, and comfortable with, glamour and the ostentatious," says Zacks. "And this trend is bound to continue on all levels of the fashion spectrum, from junior's to young men's to high-end designer."

Could that mean we'll soon be suiting up in black-tie and maribou for the nephew's birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheeze? You'd better buff up your stilettos, just in case.