Revival Of Crochet Fashion

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31771, 30 August 1968, Page 3

Revival Of Crochet Fashion

Crochet work used to be synonymous with the fireside and a rocking chair, but no longer; youth has taken over and lacy, see - through dresses that grandmother would never have dared wear are now very much part of the after-five scene.

Nimble-fingered New Zealanders now have a much improved selection of crochet patterns, and an endless variety of materials. A crimped nylon with a

subtle, silvery sheen was one of the new fibres shown by Alliance Textiles (N.Z.), Ltd, in a lively parade of handknits on Wednesday evening. The fibre’s glint showed to best advantage in silver mist, which was crocheted into a dinner dress with a flaring skirt of circular, open-weave bands and a medallion hemline.

White edging touched up another sparkling style in lavender which spun out gently in a lacy pattern from the hips. The very short skirt of a party dress in rieh brown was crocheted in wide, open-weave pattern and finished with a scalloped hem. Off-white edged the brief

chemise top and formed the pom-poms on the tie belt. Two appealing styles in four-ply wool could well be worn to the office and on to an informal party. Petal pink coloured a pretty Edwardian style with a raised waist-line, leaf-design gathered skirt and long sleeves with wide cuffs. A lacy turtle collar (one of the newest style features) gave a covered-up look to a longsleeved frock in violet For Knitters Knitters were not neglected; textured and lacy designs were achieved equally well with two needles. A white dine-and-dance dress had the current “little girl” look. The sleeveless bodice was scooped at the back and front and the short skirt flared in a shell pattern from the waist. The firm finish of a crepe wool suited a sleeveless smock frock in white threaded with pink. The same wool was knitted in a lacy pattern dress, styled with a tie belt and bloused top. Relaxed Loolg Most of the interest arose from intricate stitching and colour combinations. Stripes were effectively used. A patio frock in four-ply worsted wool, with cross-over straps, was ringed •with wide bands of blue, turquoise, white, and willow green. Fine stripes of

red, white and blue formed the bodice and short sleeves of an A-line dress. The relaxed-look, V-necked cardigans and- jerkins of the 1930 s added their reminiscent style to the parade. A dashing tan weskit with matching scarf in four-ply bri-nylon topped a polo-neck jumper in a soft, pearl shade. Several sweater dresses had V-necks. One of the most forwardlooking outfits was a French cardigan suit. The cardigan jacket reached almost to the hem of the short slightly flared skirt. It was knitted in a four-ply wool coloured warm brown.

Murmurs of appreciation from the audience greeted a double crepe, three-piece suit in bright aqua outlined in white. It was a tailored, elegant outfit, notable for its dainty textured knit, and would be favoured by the over-255.

But for sheer impact there was nothing to better a tangerine bikini knitted in a new machine washable double knit wool, guaranteed not to shrink or fade.

Gay vibrant colours made their presence felt but the newest shades were nature’s tones—subtle and appealing—including coffee cream (a warm off-white) willow green, sunglint (a glowing daffodil) pearl, African marl (a bluegreen mixture), and woodfire (a rich, dark brown).