New Fashions Follow Body Lines

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31029, 7 April 1966, Page 2

New Fashions Follow Body Lines

The female figure is back in fashion —clothes which follow women’s natural curves predominate in the spring and summer collection by Cantwell Fashions of Christchurch.

Suits and coats | feature subtle shaping around the bust and waistline to give a soft feminine look. Dominant colours return to the fashion scene in shades of navy, brown, white, beige, end pink, but there is still a sprinkling of soft pastel tones. New in the fabric line is a synthetic material, crimplene, which is creaseless and washable. Also new is doublefaced white cotton pique which has a slightly quilted look and is washable, and siliconised cotton very popular with the younger set in America. Above The Knee Skirts, in keeping with overseas trends, have risen to an inch above the knee. The majority are still fairly straight but inverted sunray pleats are returning, while inverted pleats for easy movement are still to the fore. Mondrian-influenced “middi” skirts cater for the younger set. These feature bold colour contrasts such as avocado green and brown, white, pink and blue, and black and white. Many have belts resting on the hip, top stitching and slant pockets. Suit jackets are slightly longer and can be worn with or without a belt. Trims are very much in the news and feature braiding, satin bind-

ing, embroidery and stitching. Silk is combined with wool to give a chunky checkerboard pattern with a knitted look in a two-piece natural tone suit. The jacket has setin sleeves and the pockets just on the hin feature crochet trim. The skirt is straight. Another outstanding suit is of dark fawn needle-cord velvet. The jacket has fly-front fastenings and a narrow belt. The skirt is slightly flared. This suit can be teamed with a matching shaped coat. Showing American influence is a three-piece navy and white suit in crimplene. The skirt is navy, and is worn under a white jacket blouse with navy and white banded collar and cuffs, a sleeveless navy jerkin is worn over the jacket. A modified version of the sailor boy look is demonstrated in another navy suit. The jacket is squared in the front with side fastenings white the back is gently shaped to the body. High Winds Coat fabrics are both plain and textured. The highwaisted line is still news and most coats have a slightly tailored appearance achieved by raised top stitching or softly flowing seaming. Scalloped collars edged with plain embroidery strike an attractive and unusual note. Side inverted pleats from waist to hem are featured

in a belted coat in donkey brown. Pockets are set on the bust-line and tabs on the sleeves. The back is shaped to the waist-line.

The military look is introduced in a navy worsted coat, by use of navy braiding down the front and four antique brass buttons. This coat has a cut away front from below the waist to show the matching skirt.