RECOVERING STYLE FASHION OPTIONS NO LONGER LOST TO ILLNESS, SURGERY, PAIN.

Byline: Candice Choi Staff Writer

Getting dressed for a night out isn't the pain it used to be for Theresa Kimotek.

Those with an array of medical conditions are shopping at Burbank-based Finnease, which has incorporated hospital staples like hook-and-loop fasteners and easy-snap buttons into a high-end line of clothing.

``I never dreamed I'd see anything like this in my life,'' said Kimotek, an 85-year-old Burbank resident who is recovering from three cancer surgeries in the past several years. ``I just zip up the sleeves and, gee whiz, there it is.''

Now the operators of Finnease want to outfit everyone from the elderly to post-operative patients with clothes that are easy to slip in and out of, but still look good.

The key is that nobody can tell it's adaptive clothing. The fasteners - snaps, zippers and Velcro, running up and down the sides are hidden, and the fashions are easier to open during a restroom visit or to remove at day's end.

Kimotek donned some Finnease garb when a friend took her out to dinner last week. ``It feels so good when you finally get out of house, and the clothes make you feel even better,'' she said.

Until recently, the convalescent-clothing industry has been overwhelmed by a drab look, despite the changing lifestyles of its main customers - senior citizens, said Josefina Ownby, who joins her husband, Bob, and their daughter in running Finnease.

Bob Ownby said convalescent-clothing makers long believed that seniors and others recovering from hospital stays have little regard for how they look. Yet senior citizens today are more active and need something nice-looking to wear when they go out for dinner, a wedding, a play or other events, he said.

``It's a totally different group that's aging right now,'' said Rhea Espino, the Ownbys' daughter and company's vice president of sales and marketing.

Active seniors want to vacation and travel and enjoy their retirements, she said. And they want to look good while they're doing it all.

``You do have people in assisted-living homes who have lived well all their lives and are fashion-conscious,'' said Barbara Krueger, president of SeniorResource.com, a Web site on lifestyle choices for seniors.

Since opening in June, Finnease has struck distribution deals with the Senior Emporium in New York City, Active Wear in Arizona and The Boulevard in Rosamond.

Bob Ownby said many people wander into the store after visiting the hearing clinic next door and are surprised at what they find. One woman even said the clothes looked like something Elizabeth Taylor would wear.

``They don't look like those hospital scrubs,'' said Mutch Carino, a Simi Valley resident who has bought several items at Finnease for his aunt. ``It's just nicer - people want to feel better about themselves when they're going out.''

After having a stroke, Carino's aunt needed loose-fitting clothes making it easier for family members to dress her and help her go to the bathroom. It was hard finding something that fit the bill when taking her out to church or family outings.

The concept of Finnease was born during Josefina Ownby's 25 years as a nurse who noticed that her patients had few clothing options when it came time for social events. She recalls one college-age woman with multiple sclerosis who found dressing for outings was an ordeal.

Not only seniors and people with disabilities look for clothes they can more easily slip into and out of, however, the Ownbys say. Wealthy women who get liposuction and other cosmetic surgery might also need something a little more comfy post-surgery, Espino said. In fact, potential customers include everyone who wants to change clothes quickly on road trips or just likes the convenience of Velcro, Bob Ownby said. Josefina Ownby said she wants her styles eventually to go mainstream and perhaps even find a younger market.

``It's going to revolutionize the way we get dressed,'' said Bob Ownby, 55, who tested out lounge pajamas his wife designed. ``There are certain openings you can detach, and you can adapt them to where you want to use it.''

Candice Choi, [phone]

candice.choi(at)dailynews.com

Finnease

4020 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank

[phone]

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- 2 -- color) Josefina Ownby and her daughter, Rhea Espino, show some of the stylish jackets in their easy-dressing Finnease line. Below, at the Finnease shop in Burbank, a mannequin wears a jacket sleeve easily snapped open for a blood-pressure reading.

John McCoy/Staff Photographer

Phil McCarten/Staff Photographer

(3 -- color) Rhea Espino looks on as Theresa Kimotek, 85, recovering from surgeries, admires herself in an elegant wrap-on outfit.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer

Box:

Finnease (see text)