Timely Design That Will Flatter Hourglass Figure
Question: My brother will be married in a morning ceremony. Please suggest a stunning dress for my 5-foot-7, 45-30-47 figure. I am open to all suggestions except a chemise. I absolutely refuse to wear this no-waist style. I would prefer something to accentuate my curvy figure. Is a hat appropriate?--L.D.
Answer: You can show off your hourglass figure and still keep perfect fashion time by wearing this Dynasty dress modeled by Linda Evans in the current McCall’s catalogue. The Nolan Miller design (Style 9240) can be made in matte jersey, as Evans shows it, or silk Jacquard or charmeuse. Because this dress has a 1940s ring to it, you might want to wear a turban like those worn by the 1940s movie queens--a turban made of the same fabric as your dress. It’s a Lana Turner look worth repeating. A hat would be appropriate, but it is not required, of course.
Q: Where can I purchase men’s garters? I’ve tried all the department stores and quite a few men’s shops. No luck. Most of the clerks don’t know what I’m talking about. The ironic twist to all this is that the current C&R; Clothiers TV commercial shows a man running around in his underwear with his socks held up by garters. But C&R; doesn’t carry them either.--M.S.N.
A: Keep your socks on, and Carroll & Co. in Beverly Hills will help you keep them up. English garters are available there for about $15. They come in black, brown, wine or navy, and in garter parlance they are the single-grip style--one front clip for each leg.
Q: I’ve just purchased a very expensive goose-down-filled ski parka by Bogner. It’s all white. The tag says to dry-clean only; the fiber contents of the shell are 37% cotton, 37% Modal, 21% nylon, 5% acrylic. The lining is 93% nylon and 7% acrylic. The interlining is 100% nylon. I’ve washed all my other down items in the machine and dried them with a tennis shoe (to revive the down). Any reason not to do the same to the parka, or must I have it dry-cleaned?--S.B.
A: If you want to be able to have redress with Bogner or the store where you bought the parka, follow the care instructions.
Q: I’ve recently lost a lot of weight, and I am now in need of a new bra. For years, I simply replaced one bra with a new one in the exact same style number from the exact same manufacturer. Now I need a fitter. The department stores no longer have real corsetieres, and I don’t know where to turn for help. Do you?--P.A.
A: Yes. Go to Livingstone’s, 339 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, where a full-time corsetiere is on hand to fit you. Livingstone’s has been in business since 1921, and the shop features special undergarments for special needs and special sizes as well as standard-size bras that are just plain pretty and functional.
Q: I was given a quartz-action watch for Christmas. I like it. It works. But what does quartz action signify?--J.Y.
A: Quartz action refers to the mechanism whereby a miniature computer chip transforms precise, electrically stimulated vibrations of a quartz fragment--up to 32,768 per second--into energy for running the watch.
Marylou Luther welcomes questions from readers. Mail to Clotheslines, Fashion85, The Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053.
