Page 39 Advertisements Column 1

Press, 7 October 1980, Page 39

Haywrights *■' . J

COLOMBO STREET CHY ONLY There is a new movement, new fashion activity at Farmers & Haywrights- Ths news is all good. To begin — fashion at Farmers & Haywrights is a three-way split. Young Fashions; The -Fashion Showroom; Sportswear/Knitwear. Young Fashions are right at the top of ths main stairway. The department has changed radically in recent months arid is now a boutique area with music, atmosphere — and the clothes to match. Sandi Ree - man who is in charge, was with John and Merivale in Sydney, and she is very much up-market. Although she calls her area, "The Young Collection", therejs no limit to signify age. The mood is co-ordinatej coordinate all the way, all the day. Not only colours but styles, add and subtract. The look for spring/summer irt "The Young Collection" has come via France, and’chic is in. Labels are Sherwood, Careria’, Charade, Mirror Fashions, Susy Speed, Cherry Lane. For sporty gals, summer is pants. First the bermuda shorts, then the knickerbockers. Pedal-pushers next, then overalls and dungarees. The top to wear all summer? The sweatshirt — in pastel stripes. Or the short-sleeved shirt with the boyswear cut. .Or the cocktail print cotton shirts (pina colado, daiquiri etc). Main colours for spring/summer are lilac, pink, jade, yellow; with black and white very strong. The palest of grey is seen as, and used for, contrast emphasis. Natural fabrics — silk, linen, cotton are in demand. The quality is up, the look classy. Sandi R.eeman bubbles with enthusiasm and her imprint is beginning to show. The lay-out is good, accessories are part of the scene, the impact of "The Young Collection" comes on strong — this place is fun! ■ The Fashion Showroom (up three steps) is under the aegis of Mrs Pat Asher, and here the fashion mood changes. The sub-title of this story could well be "Clothes for the Intelligent Woman." What do we really want from our clothing? Value for our dollar for sure, which means versatility. Clothes have to go round and around, be seen, be worn, as often as possible. We want a degree of polish and finish, without gimmicks. But we want "the-seasori-looks" like piping, split skirts, soft fabrics, the new colours. We have — "The Stowaway Collection" from Farmers & Haywrights. Each season, Farmers & Haywrights work closely with the fibre-knit firm. Bonds, arid under their own house label, "St Kathryn," produce a range of little-money-clothes. Clothes that have a thousand lives, have all the new season's touches, are simplicity itself, are near to or under $30.00. For spring/summer 1980 they have named this range "The Stowaway Collection"and it wins on all counts. Styles are Simple, the line is clean, the colours soft and beautiful. .St Kathryn and Bonds both liked the clarity of water-colour paintings — so tha water-colours were bom. The dresses and suits are efl in fibre-knit fabrics, — screw 1 it up in the corner of a case or even a hand-bag, give it a shake — and it-is-ready-to-go-time. •if there is an air of anonymity about the 1980 summer scene, Pat Asher suggests it is (a) reaction to last summer's strident tones, and (b) in times of economic uncertainty, universal dressing becomes more desirable. Anonymous does not mean dull however. It means clothes that while they may not "knock you out," can be collected — and worn with pleasure for more than one summer. Which is where investment dressing comes in; the other story from the Fashion Showroom. The investment may be the perfectly cut linen blazer; the Italian inspired dress with micro-pleated skirt, the top cut fine and lean, the colours simply.— clever; the silk separates; the tailored day dress in a primary shade and easy-care-knit fabric; a silky knit two or three piece suit. How to tell investment pieces? The cut is simple, there is reliance on texture and colour, there is fine, almost invisible detailing. You know you can wear these clothes fbr ever. You pay more. But you get more. The intelligent woman finds fashion in the Fashion Showroom that she can wear to death — and still love. Colours are fresh and clear, or the understated primary colours. The best of the New Zealand manufacturers are represented here. Mrs Asher is positive, in her approval of Made In New Zealand. She likes the direction manufacturers are heading towards, and feels that their copies of Italian and French pret-a-porter are well adapted to our way of life. Collectible labels'include. J. L. Sports, Spojrtscraft, El Jay,’Bonds, L'Officiel , Fellini, Leslie Fay Sportswear and knitwear this summer has been much influenced by activity and exercise dressing. But forget the running, jumping bit. These clothes •are for the Standing Still People, and they couldn t Warm-up C pants have been translated into fashion, the leisure suit in cotton knit and towelling will be essential summer wear, summer gear. Leave the running .shoes off, and wear with new flat loafers, moccasins, sandals. Colours are delicious; violet, lilac, chrome, cream, raspberry etc. Last summer's colours may •have flopped, but at least we are now aware of colourl And in the words of Mrs Shirley Rose the head of this department, "perhaps the day of beige for everything has gone?" We should hope. There is a ‘return to tailored pants, and the fabrics are new. Stretch is back. Stretch denim and stretch corduroy. The line is straight and sleeker and the colours are darker. In knitwear, the little top looks good with both the tailored linen skirt or the casual cottons; the cardigan is not quite popular again, but shirts are doing double duty as jackets, over boob-tubes and camisoles. With the blazer way out in front of the übiquitous cardy. . In swimwear the new range is the nicest look for years." Fabrics are as light as air, and the cumbersome bra-cup has disappeared: their function replaced by clever, indeed brilliant cutting and design. Bikinis are fine for sun-bathing, but the swimsuit for 1980 is the one-piece — the maillot — and this year the designers have been kind to the larger figure. The colours? All the new shades, but some interesting darker earthier shades (olive, cocoa, khaki) will look good against the tans of summer 1980. Photo Shows: L'Officiel dress (top leftLsll3.9s. Fellini knit dress (top rightss6l.so. Fellini knit suit (bottom) $90.00. Illustration shows:: Everyday El Jay $lOO.OO. Everyday El Jay Scarf dress $lOO.OO. FARMERS & HAYWRIGHTS. Colombo St Chch. Ph. 798-700 _____