Hem length minor problem

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32450, 10 November 1970, Page 6

Hem length minor problem

(By 1

NORMAN HARTNELL)

■ ■ LONDON. How long should a dress be? Never before i has the fashion world been in such an uproar over what I regard as a’ pretty minor problem. A dress should be like a good speech: long enough to > cover the subject, but short enough to arouse interest. : Certainly, I’ve never before lived through a season in which so many different hemlines were permissible, and I’ve seen many seasons in my tinte. i The fashion designers are hard at work pushing the midi but the young girls Want minis. The men want minis too! Some extreme girls want maxis, so do some extreme fashion manufacturers, as maxis mean more cloth, more cost and more profit. BEST LENGTH In between are thousands of middle-aged women who have not altered their midi hemlines in 30 years. What is the answer? To me it is simply to wear your hems just where you want them. At present midis seem to begin just below the knee and stop just above the ankle. The most practical

length is just above midcalf, but try on several midis and see which flatters you most. There is one good thing about midis: they make plump people look slimmer, and hide over-plump thighs and legs. The Italians are busy producing mid-calf rnidjs and “standards” (knee-skimmers), and in London a walk down Bond Street reveals so many hemlines and so many versions of the midi that the only people who look “different” these days are the conventionally dressed. . BOOTS NEEDED One firm,, embarrassed by the hemline dispute, has made knee-skimmer dresses and mid-calf coats, and called them both midis. Remember that the midi length urgently requires the right accessories'. Midi suits look pretty dreadful unless worn with boots. In the same way, midi length of torso alters proportions, so wear a neat, lean bodice, with a raised waist. An "A”-line to midi skirts gives the longer hem a softer look. If you do your own dressmaking, cut dress skirts on the cross, or make them gored or flared. The raised waistlines add inches, too. NEW COLOURS Look for midis in liberty prints, wool jersey, and clingy, softer cloths. Shetland weaves are “in” and so are fake Fair Isles and various geometries. If you wear a printed shirt with a midi suit, make the colours of the print echo the colours of the suit. Colours to go for are aubergine, scarlet, forest green, and peat brown flashed with chrome yellow. Coffee bean is the present “rave” shade. Look for raincoats like this, double breasted, and with military collars. Pockets? Patch—with side openings. Raincoats are not what they used to be. They are far nicer. Cotton bonded to rubber by a special process has opened new doors for rainwear for both men and women.

Another popular colour will be desert gold for cotton gaberdine. Incidentally, red synthetic leather (not shiny p.y.c.) is a good buy, too. Rain slides off. You can buy suits in it, flared skirts, and zipfastened windcheaters. And the latest rain things are maxi-bags in shiny p.v.c. with cohtrast insets for decoration.