44 — Sunday, April 28, 1991

SPRING HAS arrived and
in Europe fashion designers
are affirming that it is back
to femininity, back to soft
tailoring and 60s savvy as a
model for dressing.

Carol
Crenna

FASHION STATEMENTS

In the land that stands for some
of the most strikingly chic forms
and proportions in fashion, this
season European designers have a
tendency toward gimmickry and
exaggeration, especially in couture
‘collections. But, in ready-to-wear,
the most skilful designers rely in-
stead on 100% pure and simple
design.

In a season when frivolity calls
the shots, these designers add

.and-up-and-take-notice details
which reflect classic femininity
rather than flirtation. It may be to
offset the absurdity of the rest of
the designers’ collections.

These clothes are made for
‘seal life’? fashion beyond the
runway. Although designers tend
to waver back and forth from re-
ality to fantasy, some still under-
stand that women now don’t want
to dress up like flashy beacons for
trouble; they want to be elegant,
and sometimes even discreet.

The Continental drift from Paris,
Milan and Germany:

Here, three of the North
Shore’s most well-established . de-
Sigter boutiques offer some of
Europe's best clothing. .
© Heatiserington’s in Park Royal
South ‘recently won Vancouver
Magazine’s fashion award for the
best women’s wear retailer. It has
a foyal following in Vancouver
who come for the service as well
as the top quality French and
German designer lines including
Cacharel, Jean Claude, Steilmann
and Heidemann.

Paris’s Cacharel perfects the lit-
tle sun dress, adding spandex tc
bustier styles. The spandex is not
added to show every flaw, howev-
er. A heavier weight cotton allows
the dress to skim the body, not cl-
ing, with a straight falling skirt. It
is shown in black and navy with
spandex, or in white cotton pique
and a pretty cotton floral without
stretch. It is with waist-cropped
jackets or those that hover below
the hip in matching fabric.

Alsc from Paris, Jean Claude
sends out visions of the city
woman in top of the line, tailored
looks with added fashion forward
details. Polished suits are fitted
and flattering with not-so-basic
cuts such as a front closure that is
cut-out and split similar to a Brit-
ish riding jacket. Since the high
quality fabrics and construction
are reflected in the price tag,
classic colors of navy, black and
off white have been chosen for
versatility.

He also enjoys the feminine
look of a dress, with wonderful
linen chemises that are cut short
in bold shades of emerald green,
bright red, sunny yellow, black
and navy. They are topped with a
matching classically styled jacket.

—- North ShoraNews

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EUROPEAN DESIGNERS will add style and personality to your spring and summer wardrobe. Check.

out local boutiques that carry well-known European labels.

animal print that looks like hi-tech
cave painting.
* At Compliment Fashions, 150
West '5th St., in North Van-
couver, designer clothing is of-
fered at the shop as well as ward-
robe consultation, hairdressing
and makeup application for a
total look. German lines are the
store’s European specialty and in-
clude Steilniann and Heidemann.

Klaus Steilmann adds unex-
pected twists to classic European
styles in his line which highlights a
blend fabric which is washable
and does not wrinkle. He has
done away with strict tailoring
and cuts and has instead incor-
porated a soft look in unstruc-
tured, long jackets with short
skirts, sarongs and walking shorts
that are slimmer through the hips
but are fuller at the hem. Longer
skirts are fuller and draped in
light fabrics.

The designs are cut in linen and
viscose in solids or versatile five-

A flirtatious style is long and fit-
ted through the bust and waist
with shoulder straps, and it ends
in a Mowing skirt. It is available in
emerald, red and black linen.

An extraordinary Parisian line
by Chakok is said to be the
French version of Missoni, known
for its superior knits and colored
wovens. The designer produces the
fabric exclusively for the collec-
tion in colorful weaves and knits.
A highlight is the unique knitted
linen which is hand washable and
can be twisted, folded and packed
without wrinkling. Promoted to
be the finest linen available, the
fabric is expensive (pants average
$500, jackets are $800-$900) but
versatile.

It is styled into jackets, pants,
skirts, dresses and leggings. The
fitted little dresses are printed in
bold prints and have matching
printed jackets to add overtop.
Patterns include a red/purple/
geometric

color prints that can work with
most wardrobes. Shades of
banana, light green, reds, soft
navy, and pale grey with white are
shown. Prints combine blue/
fuchsia/black and green or
pink/white/yellow and blue. The
three-quarter length jackets have
small checks, or subtie tone-on-
tone stripes for added interest.
Blouses add femininity and are
coordinated in smart tri-color
mixings with other pieces. The
blouse prints range from an
abstract floral in khaki/crearn/
mint and yellow or geometrics in
red/purple/turquoise and white.
Germany’s Heidemann has fun
with casually elegant day wear. It
is a fully coordinated sportswear
group in brightly colored prints
mixing colors such as turquoise
with lime green or black, and red
with white ané navy. Unstructured
jackets drape softly in a blend of
viscose, polyester and wool in
solid shades.

emerald green/yellow

light, feminine jackets

Crenna’s
quick
snips

SAUDI INTEREST ... The BSA
Group, a Saudi Arabian firm, met
with members of the Western Ca-
nadian Designers and Fashion
Association’s Board of Directors,
disclosing plans to set up a large
retailing area in the mother coun-
try which showcases designers
from all parts of the world in one
expansive complex.

Adel Mostey of the BSA Group
explained that a portion will be
designated to Vancouver, featur-
ing both established and up-and-
coming labels. Interviews are cur-
rently being arranged for all inter-
ested manufacturers and designers
in the city.

464 ...the two firms which

jointly licensed Polo Ralph

Lauren went bankrupt. ¥¥
, — Dean Williams
Polo Ralph Lauren,
regional manager

POLO CLOSES ... Polo Ralph
Lauren New York officials and
Norman Tam, who licensed the
Western Canadian outlets, fuse
to comment on the closin, of
Vancouver’s Robson and Water
Street locations.

According to B.C. Report,
Michael Belcourt, president of
Ralph Lauren in Canada, stated
that the closing was ‘‘simply a
licensing situation.’’ Belcourt a!so
said that problems have been
brewing in the two Vancouver
stores for about two years, but he
would not give details.

Dean Williams, . regional _man-
ager for Po!o Ralph Lauren, said
that it is ‘‘public knowledge that
the two firms which jointly licens-
ed Polo. Ralph Lauren’ went
bankrupt.’’ He added that he did
not know whether Norman Tam
had any ownership in either firm.

Although. no official an-
nouncements. have been made,
Williams disclosed to B.C. Report
and confirmed to AGIF that Polo
officials were in Vancouver
recently to negotiate new leases.
and the stores are scheduled to
re-open in May 1991.

The jackets can be worn casu-

ally if teamed with pants, especial-
ly those that look like a cross be-
tween suit trousers and jeans in
both fabrics and styling. They are
said to be very flattering because
the style is trim through the back
and has more fabric in the front.
They are available in mint green,
white, black, khaki and navy.
*¢ Exquisite Boutique in Park
Royal North has a wide sel.ction
of European imports from sports
to evening wear. The complete
collection by Paris’s Louis Feraud
is available here, as well as an ex-
clusive line by Jobi from West
Germany.

Summer trends by Feraud in-
clude swing coats, walking shorts
for day into evening wear, off-
the-shoulder styles and horizon-
tally striped tops.

Feraud takes the tied bow to
new dimensions in prints that add
confetti dots to oversized bows in
and skirts.