Cautious Approach To City Pants In ChCh

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31981, 7 May 1969, Page 3

Cautious Approach To City Pants In ChCh

City pants—launched by Yves St Laurent and labelled by the American fashion authority, the “Women’s Wear Daily” —are stepping out to the office in New York, London, and Paris.

Socialites and “swinging” batchelor girls are wearing city pants to parties, the , theatre, restaurants, and charity balls. Jacqueline Onassis has ordered an evening tunic suit from Valentino and Barbra Striesand went to the Oscar presentation ceremony in a see-through pair.

A dressed-up, more feminine version of the trouser suit of,other years, city pants have a well-cut flare and are worn with a tailored tunic or mini-coat. For day-time winter’wear they are best in wool-jersey, tweed, or gaberdine—but under night lights almost anything goes. After-five sequins, lace, crepe, -chiffon, and moire are fashioned into the style which some designers claim is going to put the skirt out of-business. So' far the trouser take-over bid is far from successful in Christchurch. The "Kiwi” woman, by and large, is a conservative "bird” with a cautious approach to fashion.

Convention figures largely in her wardrobe, with the budget a close second. She usually decides what may be all right in St Tropes is all wrong in Christchurch, and very often her employer is in complete agreement Department stores consulted yesterday would not allow their employees to wear trouser suits to work, except in young fashion departments. Conservatism holds sway in many professional offices, but a city boutique reports that about half their customers buying city pants say their bosses approve the new look. Boutiques, which have the largest sale in city pants, are naturally enthusiastic about them. Mrs Barbara Scott, manager of Snob Boutique, wore hers to the shop last Friday, and her assistant was wearing slacks and jacket yesterday.

“Unprofessional”

Department stores which remain unruffled about the mini-skirt generally object strongly to trousers behind the counter. They consider them “unprofessional," and fear that customers would be taken aback, at the sight of a trouser clad salesgirl. Uniforms govern the attire of many working women in Christchurch, but since the State Services Commission has no rules on dress, city slacks may take over the typing pools. Reasons for women increasingly adopting trousers are variously interpreted. Norman Hartnell considers women now want a change from the mini length, but have expressed their preference for slacks over maxiskirts. Men who dislike women in trousers blame emancipation, and followers .of the fashion claim they have greater freedom in slacks.

Few barriers to women wearing trousers remain. Most hotels and restaurants have had to relax their rules, and wise girls can get round the few that cling to tradition. The television comedienne, Judy Came, went to one such establishment recently and slipped off her slacks in view of fiash-bulb popping news photographers. She went inside in her tunic—converted to a neat mini dress—and next day the house rules were changed. Discarding the slacks ani wearing the tunic as a dress is a technique some Christchurch girls employ. I* the boss objects to the female form in trousers, they leave

the slacks hanging in the cloakroom. Adverse male reaction does not seem to deter a determined city pants wearer. Young women say their boy friends or husbands often object to the slack suit at first wearing but come to like them.

The photographs show (at top) St Laurent’s sweater coat and pants ensemble in fir green pure wool jersey, and (below) a long, wraparound coat by Barentzen in black and camel, doubleface fleece, fastened with a chain belt and worn with wide, cuffed pants.