‘Op Art’ In Paris Wools

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30846, 3 September 1965, Page 2

‘Op Art’ In Paris Wools

Paris has gone crazy about “op art.” So it was natural enough that geometric patterns, used with calculated irregularity to deceive the eye, appeared in the fabrics at the . recent autumn-winter collections of the leading French fashion houses.

The new fabric trend was introduced to Christchurch yesterday by Miss Jill Ewart, fashion writer for the Wool Board, who recently returned from the Paris shows. She showed swatches of wool for all types of garments, straight from French mills, and a film of models parading garments by top designers.

In her “Paris Report,” held at the Hotel Russley yesterday for manufacturers, retailers, mill representatives and the press, Miss Ewart said “op art” patterns were woven into the fabric or printed on it. They could also be created by the use of blocks of colour in a garment to give an optical effect. She showed squares, spots, triangles and other forms, which could be exciting to the eye—or plain dazzling, according to reaction. Broad Shoulder

The 1965 silhouette showed the small neat head, capped by an inflated pillbox, tiny brimmed hat or suede kerchief. Shoulders were broader with a high, narrow underarm and rib-cage fit. Waistlines were in their natural place or slightly higher. Skirts had controlled fullness with mid-kneecap hemlines. Shoes were high cut, often with square toes and low, square heels. In the film, taken in the cellars under the Eiffel Tower (“the catacombs”), models wandered about or peeped from behind pillars in hunting suits with thigh-high boots, coats and suits. They were startling winter fashions for the future, shown at a time when Christchurch Women were thinking in terms of summer wardrobes as yesterday's temperatures rose into the sixties.

Paris gave the ensemble look prior importance for daytime, as suit jackets were whipped off to show a dress. Three Coat Styles

There were three main coat styles: narrow with slightly broadened shoulders, redingotes with princess-line shaping and big, roomy topcoats. Their collars were neat rolls, stand-up cuffs ranging to high funnel collars with a horseshoe cut-out for a chinrest. Many were double-breasted, some had back fullness and others had forward slanting seams from hip to hem. Suit jackets were either hip-tip length or wrist-bone length. Some of the longer jackets had back vents. Skirts were slightly A-line in shape, some had apron fronts and trouser-type pockets in side seams.

Dresses continued in the easy-fit line with soft body shaping. Some had alphabet seaming, such as A, X or V, to add a difference to the shift fine.

For late day were haltertop skimmens with cut-away armholes, spiral seaming and spiral draping in soft wool crepes. Smooth satin-finish wools were worn in simple coats over glittering shifts. Dark brown replaced black for the cocktail hour. Colours included vibrant

shades of orange-red, known as Mandarin red; butter cream which covers a range from tawny beiges tn caramel. Black and white burst forth in the “op art” fabrics. Marigold to mustard and brass; blues from Copen (a deep Baltic blue) to paler vibrant shades were other winter colours shown with hyacinth, bitter chocolate, bottle and fir green.

For evening the colours were hot pink, bright fuschia, lacquer orange, turquoise, peacock, jade emerald and dark browns.

Wool textures had many new finishes. Crepe and boucle yarns gave twills a pebbly surface. Double knits and jersey were woven to look like pique. Some twills and ottomans had facecloth finishes. The smooth, face-finishes appeared in many tweeds as well as in broadcloth.

Wool jersey, the most important daytime dress fabic, was seen in honeycomb, floral jacquard and pique effects. Double-face textures —plain reversing to plaids—usually had one surface with a brushed finish.

New in the tweed ranges were float yarns on a canvas base, which gave waffled effects. There were also many large Scottish tweed checks, outside houndstooth checks, chevron patterns and windowpane checks.