Spring Fever At Maxims

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31584, 23 January 1968, Page 2

Spring Fever At Maxims

(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) PARIS, Jan. 22. A woman nearly had her wig knocked off at Maxim’s yesterday. Another had a glass of liquor spilled in her lap. A fashion artist kicked a photographer. The photographer kicked him back, the “New York Times” News Service reported. The bodyguards of Mr and Mrs Richard Burton almost lost their tempers. The Burtons did not. This was the first day of the spring-summer haute couture collections. Things are usually more sedate at Maxim’s, the restaurant whose decor represents the full flower of the ideas of good taste of 1900. Today, Maxim’s was yanked into 1968. Vicky Tiel, aged 24. and Mia Fonsagrives, aged 25, two American designers, showed the clothes in their first couture and ready-to-wear boutique. Thte Burtons, who have invested SUSSO,OOO in the boutique, beamed like proud parents during the show today. The “Mia-Vicky” collection

has a 1930 s punch. The models have long hair, curled and waved every inch of the way. There is 1 lots of slipper satin, cut-I out velvet, diamantel trim, biasy ruffles, cape i sleeves and high, shaped , heels. Dresses are all lengths. There I are “micros,” which bar- j ely cover the buttocks: I and minis, maxis and the I 1930 s length well below I the knee. The show included Miss Taylor’s first attempt at designing a “hippy” wedding dress consisting of a transparent white tulle embroidered chasuble worn over a skin-tight body stocking. Miss Taylor’s son, Michael Wilding, juh., designed a velvet evening cape decorated with giant dragons. The showing was staged like a musical comedy, with dancing mannequins who wore jewellery claimed to be worth SUS2m, lent by a leading Paris jeweller. Plain-clothes police mingled with the crowd to keep an eye on the diamonds, but no-one else seemed to give the jewels much attention. All eyes were on the clothes and the Burtons.