What’s in store for summer

Press, 9 July 1986, Page 12

What’s in store for summer

In vogue

Paula Ryan

It may be mid-winter, but the first summer clothes have appeared in our shop windows this week, so it is obviously time for a summary of the way summer is going to look. There are going to be so many options and alternatives to dressing that summer will be one of the most interesting seasons in years. Some quite clear cut categories are evident, and everyone seems to have got into the act at the same time. Fabrics, colours, accessories, and jewellery are all working together to capture the right atmosphere with totally pulled together looks.

There is a very definite “city dressing” theme which can be summed up as “Paris souvenir.” This is not a dressed-to-kill category at all, but a reallife way of dressing for the city in lean, easy styles with rather casual attitudes. Positively Parisian This is, of course, a very Parisian approach to self-assured style. The silhouette is slim, often with an accentuated waist and shoulders, and is somewhat body-aware. Shirt-blouses and coatdresses fall crisply into this category, and the knee-length city shorts are important. Slim and fitted jackets, cropped, waist-length jackets, waisted and collarless jackets, relaxed hip-length jackets all sit comfortably over the shorter, kneeskimming skirts.

Trousers are wider and straight cut, pleated at the waist with tumed-up cuffs, and are worn with classic polo-shirts or blouses with lengthened, crescent-shaped collars. This category is where the classic colours in pure linens and cottons, pique, ottomans, gabardines are totally at home ... white, black, navy, the naturals, alone or in two-colour combinations. Pale checks, simple prints, and spunky graphic designs come into this category, particularly in black and white. The positive/negative — negative/positive treatment with prints is extremely effective when used in black and white. The look is accessorised with wide belts accentuating the female form, and sophisticated, dark sunglasses. Large round earrings in either silver or gold, Chanel-style gold buttoning, and wide gold or silver bracelets impart the polish.

Out West The next new thing is in the “new west” looks which mostly move round the many blues of the new chambrays. It is a very fresh and natural look, but at the same time is very feminine and quite romantic.

The chambray blues move in full, wide, calflength skirts cinched tautly at the waist and grandfather-style shirts neatly collared and with elbow-length, puffed sleeves. The chambrays lend themselves to mocksmocking, draw strings, and lots of layering. In this category, layering remains important, but must be kept in character.

Denim appears in the “new west,” but this is not just-for-jeans denim. Deep indigo denim appears in beautifully tailored city jackets, skirts, and immaculate city shorts, real Fifties dresses, shaped and fitted, and extremely body-aware. An important accessory here with denim is a belt with heavily embossed, silver buckle. Broderie, braiding, and flashes of red also work well in this group. In casual wear, there is much emphasis on folk art in the modern ethnics. An imaginative and exciting combination of mixed cultural themes taken from the most varied sources is inspiring some highly individualistic ways of dressing. Draped skirts and trousers are very often teamed with rather severe jackets with a “colonial” aspect.

There are Aztec geometries in brilliant colours, African patterns sourced from ancient art, Egyptian urn patterning, splendid Indian Raj designs often tinged with metal threads, batik appearing in every fabrication as well as its natural form. The fabrics in this renewed ethnic look are very interesting. Textured visual effects, a handwoven appearance, brush-

stroke patterns 'on a mixed-colour, base, primitive and magical symbols, antique fresco patterns, gold, silver and other metallic shine, along with Madras and Bayadere stripes. This is probably the most fascinating of the summer news. It will be seen in draped, slim, knee-length skirts and dresses worn with severe, Nehru-type jackets and Aline tunics. Folkloric styles adapt to sarongs, dresses with

knotted halters, bandanas, head-wrappings, and comfortable and sporty colonial-style shorts. This is where jewellery fashioned in old gold, silver, copper and brass with real ethnic overtones falls happily into place. Sexy sixties Another very interesting new facet comes in a group we’ll call “video,” which is a Sixties revival of Mary Quant pop art and is very sexy sixties. The overtones are pure 1986.

It is, of course, young fashion which demands good taste. It’s Twiggy mini-skirts, Brigitte Bardot and Carnaby Street of the Sixties.

Contrasts mark the proportions, the colours and the patterns. Op Art and pop-art figure largely in the patterning, postcard prints, cigarette packet labels, cartoons and scribble motifs and large psychedelic futuristic and surrealist floral patterns

form somewhat space-age garments. The silhouette is easy and changeable in contrasting proportions of long-over-short or short-over-long. Trapeze shapes figure prominently, sometimes as tops, leaving the navel free over a miniskirt. Dividing seams on solid colour placements are often geometric, T-shirts are rolled up as far as possible leaving the navel free. This is the group where the 1986 hot pants will settle, as well as skintight stretch trousers and slinky cat suits. The colours are all the psychedelics, led by bright orange, citrus yellow, red, bright green and with patterns often based on black. Lengths vary Generally, dresses are very feminine in Forties styles with gores, waist darts, clean chemise outlines and lots of bare shoulders.

Skirts are slim but not too tight and in the more; tailored looks fall just at the knee. Length, how-, ever, varies with style. The chambrays can fall to almost ankle-length, whilst the “video” dress is the merest mini.

Blouses are led by the classics and polo shirts. The big white shirt remains a staple basic, and’ is a winner in chambray. In the knitwear, the modern classic look in new and rather figurehugging .twin-sets and: shirt-style polos are the-stand-outs. 1

Separates are more coordinates than separate pieces held together with a belt They are much better thought out and are based on single colour themes. '

piece of any summer, wardrobe plan. In white, it will move around end-, lessly. The shape can vary from narrow and long/ short and boxy, classic blazer, shirt jacket, Nehru/.' : ,