Take your pick: soft or snappy

Press, 18 November 1982, Page 17

Take your pick: soft or snappy

Sea-and-sail. inspired red, white, and blue .... the vibrant pinks, jade-greens and turquoises of a Brazilian carnival, and a palette of pastels intensifying from lemon and coral to canaryyellow and burnt orange ... here come the colours of summer, 1982.

Stripes march up, down and across in bold splashes or narrow lines. Spots are decorative in big polka dots or subtle sprinkles. Plain fabrics are made to co-ordi-nate.

The whole combines in a variety of styles to give the body a gentle Y-shape — wide at the shoulders, and narrowed over the hips. You can opt for a lean, athletic look, or be ruffled at the neck then flounced in skirts with a feminine flip. Body-conscious but never self-conscious, this season’s summer styles are designed for ease of movement and comfort. Fussy details are eliminated, but the fun of frills is not ignored. Hemlines can range from inches above the ankle to as few inches below the waist as,a respectable wrap will allow.

Pants are worn as longshorts or short-longs, tapering from the hip, fanning-out

from pleats and gathers or, in the newest shape, falling loose in a simple swish which stops above the ankle. Minis are not worn with the stilted wiggle of the 19605, but with a confident stride. And fashion no longer decrees that every girl should show a knee.

It offers options and new directions. What looks good on' you should be worn, what does not should be discarded.

Long and lean, brief and bold summer’s shapes may be but they are always styled to follow the wearer’s contours.

If hemlines hanging low look grannyish to you, choose the flip of a skirt which bounces from the knee, or sits snuggly over the hip. If frills turn your small self into a decorated doll, choose the uncluttered lines of a slide — a straightthrough dress which forms an elongated T-shape.

If culottes flare to parachute proportions, choose tapered cropped pants or lean walking shorts which cuff above the knee.

If the drain-pipe look emphases curves too much, go for a jodhpur cut, wide over the thighs and fitting at the calves. Avoid bulky fabrics with this look, the idea is to cover shape and yet suggest it, not to exaggerate what is already there. Balance lengths with shoe styles. Staggering, knees bent on stiletto heels does little for the comfort or appearance of a mini-skirt wearer. Low, dainty heels are needed for short skirts, but longer lengths need “lifting” with higher heels. Cotton: cool as a top, crinkly in a skirt, crisp as pants, a wisp of see-through

cloth, or heavy-duty denim drill.

Cotton is summer’s fabric. Its natural properties mean that it “breathes” where many synthetic fibres trap heat and stains.

■ Cotton washes well and dries quickly. It weighs little, and is easy to sew. Its absorbent properties make it receptive to dyes.

Silk and linen are also naturally versatile. They come in many weights and textures. Synthetic blended with these fabrics adds crush-resistant properties and should cut costs. For summer beware the synthetic which clings. It becomes sticky and distorts the hang of a. garment. ■

Portfolio up-date

Swimwear, leisure wear and beach accessories will feature in the next Portfolio column, on Thursday, December 2. Future columns will look at new ways with hair, skin and make-up; follow fashion trends with young outlook items to buy or make.l