……….A LOOK BACK………I don’t recognize the model in these National Ads from the late 70s, but I remember this Spring collection. It had a strong men’s wear influence……Silk shirts with silk ties, and lots of Panama linen, which is a heavier weight washed linen which gives the linen a softer hand and more drape…..It came from Italy……The skirt was in navy crepe…..The Panama straw hat, that we had made for the collection, was FABULOUS!
………………If memory serves this raincoat was to be made out of a coated, water proof white opaque fabric and a clear plastic for the side panels…..both manufactured by “Giovanni Crespi”…..The coat was a simple A-LINE shape, with a fly buttoned front and a shirt collar with a half moon stand……To keep the silhouette clean there were no armhole seams…..a sort of raglan sleeve was created…..The clear plastic was somewhat stiff though it was very light weight. This kept the A-Line shape from collapsing in…….Under the coat is a BOLD STRIPE knit red and black dress. The rain boots were to be vinyl, and AK Co. did have an umbrella licensee to produce the red and black umbrellas.
………………Creating clothes utilizing geometric shapes goes back decades…..Two of the earliest designers to use blocks of fabric were PAUL POIRET…..and SONIA DELAUNAY, though she was best know for her paintings and textile design…..Yves St. Laurent made a big splash with his reinterpretation of the Mondrian paintings, which were all about blocks of color……In my croquis sketches there is certainly a 60s vibe…..Knee high socks with color top bands worked well with the short lengths, or opaque tights gave total leg coverage….The shoe I sketched had a slightly undercut block low heel, and the front had a blunt square shape. The square leather plaques which decorated the shoes, in contrast colors, added to the total look. White contour leather belts with white leather buckles added to that 60s hip hugger flare…Square acrylic clip on earrings in all the colors was a fun accessory……These clothes were to be made in Ponte Knit which was heavy enough to keep the shapes. The knit was easy to sew, and also gave the contrast pieces, pockets and inserted stripes a clean look.
…………………Color blocking can be utilized in many forms, and striping fabric whether printed or cut and sewn together, as these were planned to be, added another aspect to “color blocking”…..All of the styles sketched were to also be in a Ponte Knit…except the little sketch of the dress with the contrast blue and red skirt, and the color stripes down the side. That was to be made in a sweater knit…..These were all about the youth quake of the 70s!
…………………..On every trip I took to Saint Tropez it was an overload of inspiration. There was so much to see, and everyone was showing off their best!…..Here are some very quick croquis I did on one of those trips…….From left to right…..The bare midriff bold stripe off the shoulder knit, short sleeve top with pleated linen “dance” side buttoned shorts. The shorts had a flare that almost made them look like a mini skirt. The pleats helped to give the leg width……In the center is an off the shoulder long knit bold stripe dress with 3/4 sleeves and a high slit. The princess seam on one side was banded in black all the way down on both sides of the slit…….The strapless bold stripe knit top had an attached button front placket, and shirt collar….but it only had real button holes on the collar stand and down the placket to the start of the sweet heart neckline….The rest was faux and didn’t unbutton…….The shoe sketches were also inspired by my trip to St. Tropez….The ESPARDRILLE PLATFORM HIGH HEEL had a classic crocheted toe cap on the linen upper. It had ties that went up the leg….The 1 1/2″ platform was covered in woven jute, and the heel was a bleached stacked wood…..The SLIDE was in the bold stripe, and had a “teacup” heel covered in black and white stones…..The toe character was to be a squared off point………Good times!