CONTRAST

Continued from Page 27

THE
COLORFUL
KINGDOM

Their names are becoming
1 increasingly well known, and
their designs are being given
more respect. Once considered
too kooky and/or punk, British
designers are capturing a new
audience with their imaginative,
colorful clothes. Vivienne
Westwood, a major name on
the British fashion scene,
presented a fall collection that
ranged from hooped miniskirts
with Victorian corsets to short
fitted wool jackets with checked
miniskirts. Other designers,
such as Alistair Blair, Jasper
Conran, and Zandra Rhodes
showed collections that gar-
nered serious attention.
Alistair Blair displays his Scot-
tish origin in tartan plaid jackets
and long tartan capes, black
velvet berets, and dagger jew-
elry: evening clothes came in
beautiful colors. Jasper Conran,
who has been likened to Italy's
avant garde designer Romeo
Gigli, shows skirts with tulip-
shaped hems and wrapped
bodice tops. Zandra Rhodes is
known for her fantasy evening
fashions, which this fall include
delicately embroidered pearl-
edged chiffons. For day, she
adds quiet dark wool suits.
Other names to watch are
Workers For Freedom, Joe
Casley-Hayford, Jean Muir
Sheridan Barnett, and Katharine
Hamnett.
On the whole, British design-
ers like the play of color, using

34 FALL '87

The fabric is pink taffeta, and
ruching accents the neckline and
hemline, in a short cocktail dress
by Alistair Blair.

nutmeg, loden green, amethyst
and ruby red to enliven basic
black, charcoal grey, taupe and
off-white. Newest colors on the
fashion horizon are the pastels,
notably pale rose, turquoise,
peach and lavender along with
rich cream — used for cotton
sweaters, sheer blouses and
skirts. Other highlights: white
shirts, to counterbalance the
dark tartans; knee-length
breeches, either tight and quilt-
ed or in soft, wide-wale cor-
duroy; flowers, either embroid-
ered on fabrics or printed on
silk; cuddly animals, like teddy
bears and squirrels, in gold and
silver jewelry.

jama outfits and robe coats, in
satin and wool. The second are
back-baring cocktail dresses,
and poufed party dresses of
tulle.
Hubert de Givenchy
The
designer, best known for his
ballgowns, showed he has a
flair for daytime clothes as well.
Among his ideas are quilted
short jackets, nailhead borders
on cape-stoles, and above-the-
knee classic suits in a stripe.
Short dresses are favored for
night, usually in black velvet
with flounces at the hemline.
Also shown are black jersey
sheaths accented by feathers or
by crushed velvet dotted with
rhinestones at the hip .
Karl Lagerfeld — In designs
for his own company as well as
those for Chanel, he showed
clothes for the young and
perky. Slim, almost mili-
tary-looking, jackets are teamed
with slim, short skirts. Tyrolean-
inspired duffel coats, toggle clo-
sures and folkloric embroidery
get a designer nod.
For evening, Lagerfeld is
among the designers who favor
the tuxedo look for women
his are satin tuxedo dresses
done for Chanel. Lagerfeld also
favors fur, in mink chokers and
bracelets, and in Persian lamb
muffs. Also noteworthy are his
evening blouses, in cream-
colored crepe georgette with
lace appliques; they are worn
with plaid silk palazzo pants.
Yves Saint Laurent — From
tailored wool suits to fingertip-
length skirts in pearlized leather,
Saint Laurent was hailed as be-
ing at the top of his form. As
has happened in the past, his
ideas will no doubt be copied
by others — for example, when
the stores are swamped with
knee-high suede boots studded
with colored stones, remember
that YSL showed them first (with
a hip-length tailored blazer in
corduroy and a short, slim skirt).
Overall, the clothes are leg-
baring, such as skirts with
wrap-over curved fronts. Very