St Laurent's dominance maintained

Press, 12 April 1982, Page 9

St Laurent's dominance maintained

By

PEGGY MASSIN,

in

Paris, NZPA-Reuter

Black and sombre colours may put a few French fashion designers financially in the red when new autumn and winter fashions become available in the shops next season.

Presentations in the courtyard of the Louvre Museum recently received a mixed reception from buyers and the press, who liked the chic, understated looks. but scorned the shock effects.

The overall mood is sophisticated and elegant, with rare flashes of colour illuminating the dark, gloomy palette that sometimes appears almost funereal.

Yves Saint Laurent, whose presentation climaxed the week, does not have to woriy about the success of his latest endeavour.

He recently said his biannual couture shows are actually more successful than the mass-produced fashions, known as “rive gauche.” But the brilliant assemblage of separates, often with hints of ethnic influence. were applauded more than any other presentation. Like most other designers, Saint Laurent shows both

very short, tight skirts above the'knees, contrasted by midcalf hemlines featured in the Bavarian-inspired ensembles. The keynote to short skirts is very sheer, dark hosiery and very high-heeled shoes. Karl Lagerfeld, the Chloe designer, showed the most extreme variations, ranging from the skin-tight minis to ankle-length skirts slit up one side or in the back, and often slightly reminiscent of the 1912 to 1914 fashions. There is a definite mannish influence, including all the variations of men’s tuxedos, dinner suits. . mess jackets and spencers over soft blouses which still appear soft without an epidemic of ruffles. The recent over-abundance of frills and flounces is definitely on the wane.

Bavarian influence, the Hapsburg look, and old Vienna reign in many collections, along with a nod towards Scotland and the tremendous popularity of the Renaissance style. Enormous capes right off

the slopes of the Austrian Tyrol swirl down the runways over braid-trimmed Bavarian jackets and dirndl skirts. Jean Louis Scherrer baptised his collection “Balmoral,” but anyone can join a Paris fashion clan with some very untraditional tartans that never heard the wail of bagpipes.

A fabulous mixup of patterns. always a motif at Saint Laurent and Emmanuel Ungaro. comes through everywhere. Ensembles often combine three or four different patterns related in the same deep colour tonalities.

Many seemingly incongruous fabric marriages such as sporty tweeds, leathers, and corduroy step out with sheer lace or glitter blouses. Velvet predominates for day as well as evening for entire dresses and ensembles as well as trimmings on collars, pocket facings, insets, and pipings. Waistlines are generally

cinched tighter than at any time since the late Christian Dior’s new look in 1947.

There are strangling, boned corselets, stiff cummerbunds, and wide leather belts.

After dark the skin-tight renaissance bodices come through in all their splendour, setting off huge balloon sleeves and billowing taffeta skirts.

Hubert de Givenchy, who will celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of his couture house with a gala showing in New York city in May, stars the renaissance theme throughout his formal wear.

Tight velvet bodices with square-cut decolletes set off the bouffant sleeves and fullgathered skirts in two-toned taffeta or exotic brocades and glitter fabrics.

Some designers such as Claude Montana, Thierry Mugler, and Anne Marie Beretta, all big names in ready-to-wear, tend towards a certain eccentricity, with Mongolian and Cossack costumes that appear highly spectacular. They drew applause on the runways, but may have a doubtful future when it comes to commercial sales in the showrooms.