BELGIUM
4
r
0 ‘ 14
•
it I
#
#
q
Carole Little's Blackboard Print available in
jute in misses and rose in petites
i Isu m
misses & misses petites
contemporary fashions
Harvard Row Mall
11 Mile at Lahser
354-4650
Store Hours: Daily 10-6
26
IN STYLE
Thursday 'til 8
don't have a lot of customers,
but most of our customers are
buying the whole look — from
the shoes to the hats, the whole
line. They are even buying the
picture frames and the chairs."
Van Noten says other shops
are copying this theme concept.
"What I don't want to do is be
like Ralph Lauren — keep the
same image all the time. It's
nice to see an evolution and I
think people are curious to see
what new theme we will have
next season."
Ann Demeulemeester, like her
friend Van Noten, worked for
several years designing lines for
other manufacturers, which
gave her experience in the nitty-
gritty of the industry. Still, now
that she's on her own, the petite
27-year old designer complains,
"It's a lot of work doing
everything yourself. You have to
be the creator, manufacturer,
secretary and transport com-
pany all at once."
Demeulemeester designs
clothes that she personally likes,
without concern for their com-
mercial success. However,
unlike many of her former
classmates, she does not base
her collection around a theme.
"I have all kinds of inspiration
for my work," she says. "A
theme would impose something
artificial."
Demeulemeester's clothes
combine structured cuts with
drapes and fluid forms. Most of
the shapes can be formed with
strategically placed buttons, but-
tonholes or tied ribbons. Skirts
are straight or fitted to the
ankles with draping or pleating
at the back. Her favorite color is
black, often with white accents.
For summer 1988, part of the
collection is all-white clothes in
a combination of materials; the
other part combines black or
aubergine with light salmon,
deep purple or bright red.
The American market has
turned out to be the most
receptive to her collection, and
is the most important outlet for