London Look Popular In New York, Paris

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31086, 15 June 1966, Page 2

London Look Popular In New York, Paris

The London and Carnaby street looks have taken Paris and New York by storm. New designs from London appear on the streets of Paris and New York as soon as they are produced, according to Mr F. D. Cantwell, who has just returned from a trip to fashion capitals.

Mr Cantwell, managing director of Cantwell Creations, Ltd., obtained ideas and designs for his 1967 autumn-winter collections.

There was no sign that the mod look was on the wane. Indeed, it was growing in popularity and had not yet reached its peak, said Mr Cantwell. Girls from 14 to about 22 wore their skirts four to five inches above the knees and hemlines were not going to drop in the foreseeable future. Mr Campbell said the short skirts were not worn by women in their late twenties and upwards. “Hemlines start dropping imperceptibly among women who are past 23. There is a wide variety of lengths from calf to mid-thigh level,” he said.

Young Parisian women had fallen in love with the miniskirts which they called les mini-jupes.

Mr Cantwell said he had never before seen a look created by London designers sweep the fashion world in such a short time. The nautical look created by Yves St. Laurent, with its brass buttons and epaulettes, had also gained a large following. Brass buttons were appearing on everything from coats to suits. QUANT DESIGNS Designs by Mary Quant and her associate house, Alexon, were more popular than ever. Their three-piece jacket, skirt and pants sets or trouser suits were seen everywhere. The jackets were of window-pane checks and the skirts and trousers of matching plain tweeds.

Several of Mary Quant’s trouser suits would be

featured in his next collection, said Mr Cantwell. Women who felt that the mod. look was not for them had a wide range of styles from which to choose. Check coats, teamed with matching plain fabric dresses, and reversible coats were fashion news.

Although New York also was under the London fashion spell, designers there were having great success with the Western look for casual wear, said Mr Cantwell. Jackets were fringed and trousers were worn with holster straps and even gun patches. Every fashion - conscious New York woman had at least one “fun fur” coat in her wardrobe. These “furs” were made from both synthetic fabrics and wool. Popular colours were navy, black, green, burgundy and ash or blonde.

New York had given the old favourite, the jersey knit suit a new lease of life. Three-piece suits were more popular than two-piece and the old plain-knit styles of the last few seasons were rarely seen, said Mr Cantwell. Weaves which gave a wide variety of texture were to the fore. Textured jackets and skirts were teamed with plain knit blouses. Trims, too, were important for emphasis. Mr Cantwell predicted that the New Zealand woman would be quick to wear “fun furs” and the new suits. SWING-BACK COATS

Coats were still semi-fitted, but the swing-back worn several years ago again was appearing on the fashion scene. The straight skirt was still about, but the cone shape predominated. The latest fabric was curly camel, a top-quality fabric which was an improvement on the normal camel, and valeur velvet Also popular were twills and whipcord. Although youth continued to call the fashion tune overseas, Mr Cantwell felt that New Zealand conditions demanded that manufacturers should produce top-fashion clothes for women of all ages.