SUNDAY, MARCH 15,1964
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
SUNDAY, MARCH 15, 1984 THE MICHIGAN BATTY
PAGE N.THRl
FEMININE LOOK:
a
Stress Comfort in Formals
By KAREN KENAH
Comfortable femininity has re-
turned to the fashion scene in
cocktail wear for evening this
spring.
Gone are the days of not breath-
ing for the stays of a merry wid-
ow; gone, at least for a while, are
the days of the too-tight girdle.
Today, the dress is being con-
structed with the woman in mind.
Nor does it less enhance the
figure which it fits: With increased
comfort has come a mature wo-
manliness of style. The woman is
once again a human being and
aot a china doll who looks and
feels sure to break if seated in-
,orrectly.
- Simplicity
The key to the new look is sim-
plicity, but carried to extremes.
Material, drape, and ornament
strive -to attain impact.
Materials are important in this
spring's look. Colors are either very
plain, black and white very popu-
lar, or positively wild.
The texture and content of the
fabric' is extremely important.
Equally in style are starchy piques
and light, flowing blends of rayon,
silk and other synthetics.
Dresses Drape
Drape this spring can be taken
at face value, for evening dresses
do drape. They do not stand stiff-
ly away from the figure or mold
stubbornly to it. At last women
do "not have to spend their even-
ings concentrating on holding in
their stomachs.
Waistlines are for the most part
either Just below the bust or ab-
sent altogether. When present,
they are defined by a simple line
of stitching or small sash. Often
they are not drawn close to the
body even here, the skirt of the
dress falling from its collar with
the most transitory of interrup-
tions.
Even when the waistline is in
the conventional place it is sel-
dom fully defined, but, rather,
suggested by small darts or a
slight taper. The woman is thus
Spring Spurns Teasing,
Hair Becomes Natural
By ROSALIE BAINE
but they caution against a conflict
The bushy, stiffened mass of between skin and eye color.
wavy wire that has passed for Not to be forgotten is the long
hair since teasing, came in is beatnik effect often used by per-
positively out! Fashions again will sons with exceptionally straight
allow hair to actually look like hair. This style does have its ad-
hair. vantages-it never has to be set
Long, overteased, black-combed and one can ride in a convertible
flips are definitely antiquated. The with no worries at all.
new styles require rather short However, the new style should
hair-not below the nape of the also have many of the same ad-
neck. Hair may or may not be vantages. Since it is short and
blunt cut, depending on its type. natural, the hair should hold its
To replace the stiff "bubble," set without resetting between
an entirely new type is here. To washings. If the simple style
give the necessary height these should become disarranged, it
depend on, lifting and pinning could be quickly and simply comb-
locks of hair. Hair is still nearly ed into shape. None of the time-
straight with perhaps just a sug- consuming re-teasing, re-spraying,
gestion of a wave, re-shaping procedure so often used,
Cheek Curls and Bangs by the wearers of a bubble will be
The only exception to this rule necessary. You can throw out that
is the hair at the sides. It is can of hair spray which once ac-
brought around the face in cheek companied everyone everywhere.
curls on both sides. The back, The 'Hidden Body' Look
however, remains-straight. The key to the new look is the
Bangs, of course, are still in-- "hidden body" that everyone must
they range from feather bangs to be familiar with. However, the
the heavier, almost layered type. "body" must be very well hidden.
Most popular are the short, gent- The style should look effortless,
ly combed to one side variety. painlessly neat, soft and natural.
Even evening styles tend to be To attain this ideal, hair should
far more simple. Such styles pos- be washed often. Use of stick hair
sibly have more curl than their spray should be kept at a mini-
casual counterparts. In any case, mum-just enough to hold the set.
the hit-em-in-the-eye shocking If hair is exceptionally curly,
type effect has given way to an straightening is suggested.
extremely sleek, smooth look. This spring should produce a
Authorities say the blonde is softer, more feminine look in hair
still the most popular hair color, styles. What a welcome relief!
ON THE BEACH:
Girl's Swimsuits ShowDegage Look
By NANCY CHESLER
By NACY CH~tERBright colors are definitely "in."
The French have a word for it. However solid colored suits seem
Degage means loose or relaxed and to be on their way out and prints
the degage look willbe seen loung- are taking over.
ing on all the beaches this sum- Biggest of the prints are the
mer. polka dots which are currently
The new casual look in swim- sweeping the entire fashion Indus-
suits is best shown in the blouson try.
top, hanging loose to the hips. Already known for breaking box
Hip-belts and sashes are shown office records all over the coun-
on many suits but are not neces- try, "Tom Jones" is also breaking
sary for the look. fashion records. The bikini suit is
Necklines are scooped and fall expected to be the biggest seller
casually just below the collar bone. this year, due to the influence of
Judging by the success of the the Albert Finney movie.
covered up suit last season, women Bikinis Are In
are more than willing to give up
sunning for fashion. Under the imfluence of the low,,>..
sunningorashionre. cut look which dominates the
Woman's Secret Weapon movie, University coeds have
The California boy leg may well bought more of the new Nutty :'*. "t
be this year's secret weapon for Bikinis this year than ever before.
many women. Long enough to con- Skirts appear to be less common
oeal many figure flaws, it is still this season.
short enough to accentuate the The two-piece suit promises to
long-legged look, be a big seller this season. The
The degage suit may be a one same covered-up look as domi-
or a two-piece suit. Most favored nates the degage look is the secret
fabrics are knits and synthetics ingredient that makes this year's
Over the degage suits, women two-piece special. k4
will be wearing new wild shifts. Not to be outdone by "Toms:..
A-lines are most popular. Jones," the Beatles influence will
The full range of the rainbow predominate in beach accessor-
will be visible on this year's suits. Wies- ... Briefer look in swim suit
SHOW-OFF!
FOR ELEGANT DRESSING, the long styles have once again be-
come popular. The long sweep of the dress, its graceful folds,
create a slimmer, more dignified look. Adorned with long gloves,
the scooped neck and tight bodice exude elegance and beauty.
enhanced by what is left to the
imagination.
Skirt Emphasized
With the waistline high or ab-
sent, emphasis falls on the skirt
and hips of the woman wearing it.
The skirt is neither very full nor
very tight, but employs one of
two basic styles. It may be made of
a fairly flexible material and con-
tain just enough fabric to fall in
graceful folds which emphasize the
movement of the wearer.
Or the skirt may define more
clearly the hipline, falling straight
from hips to hem.
Because of the importance of
the skirt, the hemline is also im-
portant. It is in essentially the
same place as last year, at the
middle of the knee.
Daring Necklines
Necklines have taken perhaps
the most daring path this spring,
definitely down. In opposition to
the rest of the trend which seeks
to enhance by concealing, the
neckline enhances by allowing a
tantalizing and daring peek at
the part of the female which is
perhaps most expressive of her
femininity.
However, for the less.bold, more
subdued necklines are also stylish,
the most attractive of these being
perhaps the line midway between
the shoulder and collar bone.
Simplicity and femininity carry
over into themes for ornamenta-
tion of these creations. Often
there is no added flourish, origin-
ality stemming from the boldness
of line.
Ruffles have changed character
radically. This spring they are long
and graceful, used mostly singly
tt stress the femininity of a neck-
line or to enhance the front of a
dress by extending its entire
length.
Y
"
.. Dressed for cocktails
I'
EMPHASIZE FEMININITY:
Plunging Neckline Arrives
From Europe, Creates Stir
By JAMES PETERSON
The. plunging neckline has in-
evitably arrived in America from
the continent and has already
started to create a stir.
With the new emphasis on the
feminine and romantic in wo-
men's clothes, renewed interest in
the bosom was bound to arise. Re-
3ulting are extremely low cut neck-
lines designed in a V, UT or square
shape and devised to show a prom-
inent rise in the bust.
Some of the necklines are so low
that the bras are build right into
the garments.
'Tom Jones' Style
The whole trend got started last
fall when , the House of Dior
brought out its striking "Tom
Jones" original, an after-five
gown with a low cut V-neck sur-
rounded by ruffles. This extreme-
ly feminine dress quickly interest-
ed 7th Avenue enough to follow
suit.
This winter and spring a string
3f evening gowns and cocktail
dresses with low necklines has
been pouring out of New York.
The American woman has re-
sponded and the new style is sell-
ing.
Local merchants report that the
new style has been selling well,
especially the long evening gowns.
They expect that cocktail dresses
with the low neckline will do as
well when they go on sale soon.
Dior Collection
The fascinating thing about this
new craze in plunging necklines is
that it all began with two dresses
in a Dior collection that numbers
some 250 items. The two gowns-
after-five dresses-were added to
the collection with the full un-
derstanding that they might not
move.
But move they did, and their
prototypes are proving a popular
improvement over the harsh and
severe styles that have been fill-
ing the women's wear market in
the past years.
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