Chicago's Hino & Malee are softening their signaturearchitectural lines with ruffles and scallops.
And Betsey Johnson is skipping along the Yellow Brick Road with aripsnorting takeoff on the "Wizard of Oz" as only Johnson can takeoff.
Kamali is doing a line for Zamasport of Italy and another forBloomingdale's under special licensing arrangements in addition toclothes for her own OMO shops. She decided to meet the press herselfthis season instead of leaving the job to her lieutenants.
"We're in conservative times," she said as she brought out keystyles from her Zamasport collection.
Gone are the wild fake furs, replaced by fake Persian lamb. Goneare hemlines that bare the knees.
Skirts, very narrow or very full, hit properly below the knee, atmid-calf, below the calf or to the ankle. Pants, narrow or verywide, hit just above the ankle or below it.
"You have to be responsible and give consumers a choice. Theshort skirt is an irresponsible way to cure an ill for the industry."In other words, as a way to stir up excitement and change.
Kamali put her punch behind the Zamasport line, which this fallwill go into 15 U.S. specialty stores. Until now, it has been soldonly in Europe. She said prices will run $400 to $1,200.
There are beautiful sculptured jackets and swing toppers overslim skirts or pants. "Long and thin," she commented, "I think it'sthe newest."
Jackets and coats, the latter usually very long with fittedbodices and full swing skirts, have a lot of detail. There's a redwool jacket with black passementerie trim, which, she says, a womancould wear for 10 years. Another has buttons and collar backed inblack velvet.
She uses quilted black velvet for a very long full skirt. Theblack velvet jacket shown over a bias black velvet Jean Harlow gownis trimmed in ermine tails.
She treats these pieces as accessories to collect and keep for along time.
Some of the clothes, particularly the combination of a swingtopper or bolero over a long skinny skirt, recall the glamor of thelate 1920s or early 1930s. The full-skirted coats and long fullskirts are a lot like updated versions of Dior's famous New Look.
Kamali has trimmed down most, but not all, of her shoulders. Shepairs a sqaure-shoulder topper with wide-legged pants for newproportions.
The clothes are beautiful, and should appeal to big spenders whoreally do want to look polite and ladylike.
The main news at Hino & Malee is the softening of lines with knittops and cardigans that end in a ruffle, ruffled leather belts,scalloped fronts on clean-lined jackets, interesting collars, anddresses, coats, skirts and pants in oval shapes inspired by a rubrumlily before it opens. The rubrum shape is achieved by seamingdetail.
They also do a wide-legged pant that looks especially good. Agroup of rainwear in a red with black pindot lacquered jacquardfabric is outstanding.
Hino & Malee kept hemlines somewhere on the knee, except for anoccasional plunge and then mainly for late day.
The couple, who started their business in 1980, are scheduled toenter a new partnership April 24 - marriage.
Betsey Johnson, who refuses to grow up after a quarter of acentury in business, took on the role of Glenda the Good Witch inpetticoats and crown for her show.
Wielding her wand, she signaled groups that ranged from littleDorothy with ruffled white linen aprons to "marching meanie" stripedstretch jersey separates shown with winged helmets.
Some of the groups, with their beautiful ruffled white linenshirts and pants in cotton jersey velvet, dipped back to the 18thcentury.
And then there was 1981 with zippered canvas motorcycle jacketsand miniskirts, plus Johnson's skintight jersey tube dresses. Stripoff all the crazy accessories and fun-making and there are greatclothes, with or without layers of petticoats.
With Johnson, you just forget about hemlines and trends and gowith the flow. She dedicated the collection to the young at heart.Fortunately, her clothes are priced so the young can afford them.
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