WOMEN'S news &views... Variety In Suits By Balmain And Dior

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30588, 3 November 1964, Page 2

WOMEN'S news &views... Variety In Suits By Balmain And Dior

PARIS. New Zealand women, who regard a suit as a must in their wardrobes, would have been particularly interested in Balmain’s recent collection. His high standards of tailoring are renowned throughout the world and this season’s suits, shaped to an easy fit, gave the mannequins confidence to walk with ease to show them off.

Balmain’s jackets are slightly longer with single or double closing. They are buttoned high with notched collars and small lapels. Sleeves are set in, narrow and full length. Skirts, just below the knee, have two or fourpiece panels with the zipper at the left sideback.

With the suits, small head, covering hats, or head-hug ging caps tied under the chia are worn. Coats are big with half belts at the back, ot sashed with narrow leathei belts. He put a soft spongy blue coat over a white suit Dressy coats were narrow ir eut. trimmed with sable anc worn with sable hats. Under sumptuous fur coats he put one-piece shift dresses shaped to a good fit through masterly cutting. A series ol these showed many desigr interpretations. A midnighi blue silk was worn with t velour cloth coat of the same colour. For cocktails, he posed fine black chantilly lace over pah blue faille, and made a jacket of the same. EVENING WEAR His evening line is tall ant stately, usually in velvet 01 crepe, with a tunic effect oper at the sides A white satii blouse, with flat facings out lining the neck and centrt front, was worn with a flowinj black chiffon skirt, which hat a white chiffon underskirt. / deep green silk taffeta dres: with a full-skirt, a fitting bod

ice and long sleeves, had a' heavily jewelled necklace- i yoke, and cuffs, in gold, re-1 fleeting a Siamese influence. Evening coats were long and flowing. A black velvet one was lined with white lace to match a white lace ball gown, i His choice of colour tended

to the neutrals, to deep col- ! ours, and to taupe, black, beige and white. Presenting nothing extreme, nothing in poor taste, Balmain remains unchangingly elegant. HOUSE OF DIOR The House of Dior’s suits were shown in two silhouettes, one straight and narrow and the other wide and bulky. Both lines were very French, very feminine with nothing of the masculine influence of last year.

With full. peasant-type skirts he teamed broad, belted jackets with raglan sleeves to complete the bulky look. His slim-skirted suits had brief, fitted jackets worn with turtle-necked sweaters or bias cut cowl-necked blouses. Neither jacket nor skirt is lengthened this season at i Dior. Suits are. however, worn ! with low-heeled shoes and berets thrust forward on the head. FITTING WAISTLINE Coats comply with the two silhouettes. There are voluminous coats with gigantic low-set raglan sleeves, belted and collared with fur. Narrow coats are doublebuttoned. straight and unbelted, with high cuffed collars. MODEST NECKLINE Having sponsored the plunging neckline for the last two seasons, Dior now promotes a modest high neckline that is almost prim, except in a few little slinky black dresses where the neckline is cut to a deepening line. Dior also promotes new interpretations of the “Paris Classic,” the one-piece sheath dress, sculptured and plain, collarless, with back fastening, that has been the vogue for so long. VARIETY IN WOOL

Immediately after the collection at Dior, a reception was held by the International Wool Secretariat, at the Avenue de Neuilly, where a display of wool materials from the best mills of France. Italy, England, Scotland, and Ireland had been arranged to show the variety of design, texture and depth of colour in the present fashion trends. Fabrics are flatter and smoother than in previous years, and they ranged from the finest wool crepes to thickornamental tweeds. The most sensational was Bernat Klein’s “vivid velvet” tweed, a fabric consisting of mohair yarns interwoven with coloured velvet ribbon, which reflects the light in extraordinary mosaic and stained glass effects. It was made in Scotland and was used in the collections of Balmain, Dior, Lanvin, Ricci, for suits and coats.

This is the last in a series of articles on recent Paris fashion collections written by Miss Alice Bowbyes for a group of New Zealand newspapers. Formerly on the staff of the School of Home Science, University of Otago, she is now at the Macdonald Institute, Guelph, Canada.