Italian fashion trends

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32901, 27 April 1972, Page 7

Italian fashion trends

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter —Copyright) . FLORENCE. Evenings are going to sparkle next autumn and winter.

Gold - laminated evening knitwear, gold or silver kid belts, rhinestone pendants and beaded pullovers for cocktail parties appeared on the fashion catwalk at Palazzo Pitti in the second day of new collections of boutique and ready-to-wear clothes. The biggest new look so far is the gusseted sweater to wear with an evening gown. It is very comfortable for dining in draughty Italian palazzi, and not too far removed from those the girls wore at concerts in the 19505.

The pullovers in Billy Ballo’s collection came in layette pink, and had V-neck-lines, long sleeves and a windowpane overprint in silver laminate. They were worn over a pink silk shirt with a self-tie and an anklelength, box-pleated, pink crepe evening skirt. A narrow silver kid belt marked the waistline, and the shoes were two-tone Chanel pumps in silver and black. For daytime, the same pullover was sleeveless, and worn over a short-sleeved blouse with embroidered scallops at the cuffs and collar, and pink wool crepe trousers.

CASHMERE CARDIGANS Tendresse put short-sleeved cashmere cardigans over onepiece trouser dresses whose bodices were the smallest possible bathing-suit tops. The waist-length jacket came in horizontal panels or beige and toast, and the trousers were windowpane print. Garbel’s polka-dot, black and white sequined cocktail tube ended in three rows of black ruffles, and was worn with nothing less than a tulle stole. With his black faille evening tailleur, he showed white kid gloves, and black stockings with seams. Caumont, another big name among the Italian boutique designers, showed short Kelly-green cocktail dresses in slinky silk jersey with halter necklines. And then there was his evening trouser outfit, which would have been a standard men’s tuxedo, including black satin lapels, except that the jacket was cut like a hip-length pyramid coat.

Among the Parma design houses, Aquarius teamed apricot windowpane print trousers with a hip-length clutch jacket in solid apricot moufflon wool. They were worn with what looked like apricot gym shoes with crepe soles. FLUFFY FABRICS Fluffy, deep-piled woollen fabrics, always lined, are another revival from the 50s. In previous seasons the emphasis was placed on newer fabrics, such as lightweight double-faced wools that gave a sculptured effect to clothes, and slimmed the figure. Now, fabrics have grown shaggier again, even for jumpers and cardigans, with angora a new favourite. The cut as a result is wider to

accommodate the fabrics, and the effect is bulkier, for chubby jackets and polo coats.

Even the furs show the difference, as in Melloni’s collection.

Monkey-fur eyed turquoise was used with big patches of black suede so that the monkey fur frothed upward, fountain fashion, at the collar, cuffs, and here and there.

PINK POPULAR Several designing houses in Florence reported that the buyers for boutiques and department stores were eager for dresses, rather than trousers or separate ensembles. One house said its best seller was a pink angora mini-dress with a circle skirt and long sleeves.

Pink is such a popular colour, in fact, that the accessory manufacturer, Tilla, of Milan, was showing costly tortoise evening clutch bags in pink, but, he said, the bulky shoulder-strap handbag was still a must with the new autumn clothes.

For the day, however, the most popular colour combinations were grey with black and white camel with canary or brown, and white with cream or tan accents. Among the fashion fads missing from the collections are pop appliquees of hearts and stars, and blazer jackets. But motor-cycle jackets and windbreakers are still popular, especially if they come in knit angora and are worn over silk-jersey evening gowns.