Tailored elegance

Press, 15 March 1980, Page 10

Tailored elegance

BEAUTY

’ By l

Paula Ryan

This ’week, along with 300 other fashion lovers,-1 viewed Ballantynes annual fashion parade. It was coordinated and compered by Pieter Stewart. The parade itself, featuring men’s and women’s fashions for winter 1980, was set in a city scene amid old ornate, street lamps. “Fshion in the

city” was the theme, — gentle modern jazz 'completing an atmosphere of quiet sophistication. The fashions, divided into sections, began on a leisure-wear note. Ski wear opened the parade and was mostly quilted with the sleeveless over-jacket playing an important role for this sea-

son. Apres-ski wear was fun with a little more substleety of colour replacing the strong primaries of previous seasons.

It appears that track suits are no longer restricted to the track. Several made in plain or cord-like velour looked suitable for wearing day or evening. The bush jackets for men also presented a new dimension to men’s week-end wear.

The evening as a whole was well received, Margaret Milne’s knits receiving special applause.

Several three-piece suits in subdued tone-on-tone colours added a note of current high fashion with their long,- lean styling among the knitwear section. Checks and plaids teamed with solid colour co-ordinates added town and country style. The city suit with its short tailored, belted jacket, worn over a lean, knee-length skirt was probably the most repeated garment in the parade. Every suit, however, had its variations.

Some were edged in leather while others had velvet for. trim. Colours were generally subdued and more winter-like, although there was still a flash of colour for evening wear.

Another garment featured strongly in plaids and tweeds was the cosy top coat, usually belted but always shown with/ high, structured tailoring. Men’s wear was also generally tailored with a strong English influence in styling in both city and country wear. Pierre Cardin, Hardie Amies and Burbury were among the fashions for the men, plus fours adding a touch of classic dressing.

Although some of the garments shown were imported, locally made garments, including special garments from Ballantynes own workroom, dominated the parade. Ultra suede mad into tailored jackets, and coats and sutis by El Jay demonstrated beautiful and clever use of colour in this fabric. Dresses with a spaceage influence revealed by geometric inserts added colour in the young-fash-ion section. The Liberty prints showed yet another dimension in the use of fine wools. Evening wear was both fun and sophisticated; a large section was devoted to tone-on-tone, handprinted silks by Fanny Buss. The evening benefited the Canterbury Plunket Society by $2OOO.