Silky blousons for spring

Press, 19 August 1978, Page 10

Silky blousons for spring

You may be getting that early spring feeling. I’ve always associated the “switch” from winter to summer clothing with Show Week, because, as children, we were allowed to wear our first summer dress of the season to the A. and P Show and it was usually a new dress, specially made for the occasion. But Show Week isn’t until November. Maybe

thfese warmer afternoons are here to fool us. Nevertheless. I’ve just returned from a quick week pottering around Australia's oasis of fashion manufacturing —- Melbourne. There it is considerably cooler but the winter sales have finished and are replaced with fresh spring shop windows. I can’t resist relating an early forecast of what I spotted just to put you in the mood for spring. Spring fashion this year is easy to wear and casual — big dresses and super shirts bloused up over double belts or silk cords. The same big dress can be worn with a skirt, lace petticoat. or straight, narrow-legged trousers. This look can be completed with a vest or a soft, unconstructed blazer. For the evening the same casual approach is achieved with chiffon or silk pants and cowl-neck, loose tops worn under a long chiffon cardigan; or ruffled lace tops bloused over silk pants or full-gathered silk skirts. The feminine ruffled look still applies, worn in soft layers of muted pastel fabrics. So the big shape is still with us in a more feminine floating form, worn blouson puffed up over belts. Collars are smaller, softer and untailored. The big fashion news is colour — rosy tones of brick through to pink or natural dessert colours of sand, stone, string, hessian and tobacco brown with a textured finish. The fabrics range from crepe de chines, pure and raw silks through to the new coarser textures such as “potato sack,” jute and hessian. Old-fashioned linen is back; and look out for

gauzy fabrics, layers of floating voile and very soft crinkly cotton. The three major accessories are shoes, belts, and jewellery. Shoes for day are in caramel colours, or pastels, mainly low-heeled with roman-sandle styling or finely strapped. Evening and dressed-up footwear is either loiv. like satin ballet pumps for the young, or very high with fine set-back heels and very fine gold-leather or chain straps. Belts are worn doubled in leather or silk often ornamented with knickknacks. Jewellery is varied but fun with lots of stick-pins everywhere — from sea shells and gold motifs to plastic animals and sea creatures.Evening jewellery, on the other hand, is formal, fine and mainly in gold, coral and ivory often with tiny inset diamonds. Those with figure faults (and let’s face it. most of us have something to hide) will find the spring look easy to wear. For those with small waists and big hips the waist can be clinched in and the top puffed or bloused up. Those with no waists but small hips can belt in above the hips — as they did in the 19205. Big thighs can be hidden under the skirts or by wearing a dress or supershi -t over pants. The “shorties” should keep the line clean and heat with not too many colours. The mature, elegant women can wear the big dresses with a belt and add a blazer. The classic, constructed look is still great fashion but worn in softer, looser lines.