Nothing is new under the sun

But read on for what's been done

To make spring fashions sell.

The A-line has been modified,

And necklines--they will lower ride.

Heels are higher, hemlines lower.

But when all is done and ever,

Fashion's still where it began--

Out somewhere "twixt star and man."

Harvard Square can be either a wasteland or a garden of Eden for those in search of fashion. Those who decide what to put out on the shelves for sale maintain they couldn't care less what Paris decrees, and a continuity prevails here from season to season. Nevertheless, this year as usual there are subtle changes. A recent looking spree corroborated this. It also confirmed the suspicion that the Square stocks much of the same trite, conservative clothing available everywhere, (though at prices often higher than any other place).

Here's a brief look at some of the better stores to encourage the prospective shopper. ADELE BRAGAR (1684 Mass. Ave.) says, "To Hell with the fashion magazines! I buy what I like." She likes the tailored and simple--"You'll find no lace or ruffles here." Again this spring she's showing shifts along with the newer looking A-line skimmers and fitted dresses. Her hottest number: the essential linen skimmer ($15) in black, blue and putty, too. Mrs. Bragar does not "get on the band wagon with the Marimekko jazz" and subscribes to a delightful sartorial inverse snobbism.

Marimmekko is Finnish for "a little girl's dress for Mary." It's also the trademark of an enterprise which annually sells some 20,000 dresses in this country through Cambridge-based DESIGN RESEARCH (57 Brattle). Termed "Fashion's status symbol" and "uniform of intellectuals," the dress is supposed to reflect a "sophisticated plicity." It is designed for the hand-screened cotton fabric from which it is made. (Ordinarily, a fabric is designed for a particular dress.) Marimekkos are sexy by implication rather than by cut. They belong in the never-never land between the housedress and the beach shift--or at least they did last season.

Marimekko Grows Up

This spring Marimekko has come of age. Veering away from the pseudo ivy league button-down, shirtwaist styles, and the blatant tents for which it had become known, its lines are tamer. However, the effect is definitely on the wild side. A few styles retain excess fullness, but most are slimmed down and even semi-fitted. The trend from small geometric and corny floral-like prints to bold architectonic designs is an improvement. Wrought iron and fossil prints as well as the large circle designs really grab you. Specific spring shapes are back fullness, semi-A (fitted to waist), real A, empire, and square bottom. You'll never see anything stranger than the new ankle-length Marimekkos ($48-60). Some look like hospital dresses; others look like you're wrapped in a fence.

Across the street, THE WINDOW SHOP embodies a completely different fashion philosophy. Although most often associated with leisurely lunches, it also houses one of Cambridge's best shops. In its excellent workrooms, imported fabrics become one-of-a-kind dresses at high, though not prohibitive, prices. Its styles are nether super-extreme nor trite, but distinctive fabrics make it certain you won't see yourself on the street.