The '20s look in Paris

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33448, 1 February 1974, Page 5

The '20s look in Paris

t.'i .Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) PARIS, January 31. Paris fashion designers yesterday looked back 50 years to the 1920 s and the fluid, lithe designs of Paul Poiret, the nian who liberated woman from corsets. I The undoubted star of the I second day of the spring and [summer collections was a Belgian, Jules-Francois 'Crahay, who was responsible [for a brilliant collection at : Jeanne Lanvin. Mr Crahay interpreted the 1920 moods in very contemporary and wearable silhouettes which were greeted with thunderous applause. Lithe bias-cut crepe dresses with surplice bodices and the opulence of the decors and costumes of the Diaghilev Russian ballets for

levelling wear mark .his deI signs. I Gold brocade djellabahs with matching swami, turbans, assymetrically cut caftans and on-shouldered sari dresses trimmed with giant artificial flowers, ropes of pearls and ostrich-feather fans in matching dusky offtoned pastels, also make up a considerable part of the collection. DRAW-STRING CAPES Many body conscious crepe dresses are accompanied by draw-string capes while Mr Crahay has also resuscitated the full-skirted ball dress with high waistline and enormous pleated or fluted cape collars. Pierre Balmain also showed another winning collection in retrospective mood with dresses which grow in fullness below the hips to low-calf hemlines and suits with high inset sleeves and long, pointed revers. His evening fashions

follow the same slinky lines with lowset skirt fullness, elbow length pagoda or lantern sleeves and the deeply slashed decollates which are one of the hallmarks of the Paris fashion scene this year. The Chanel collection once more proved that noone will ever be able to replace the late “Grande Mademoiselle” and although the emphasis is on evening fashions, the suits, ensembles and daytime models received most applause. CHANEL SUITS This year the collection has been jointly designed by Jean Cazaubon and Yvonne Dudel and Mr Cazaubon has certainly recaptured the feeling of Chanel’s famous suits but in bolder patterns and colours than usual. And if everywhere else the hemline is dropping, at Chanel it stays right where it always was, just below the knee.