Fashion 87 : Paris Shows Mix Frivolity With Chic Maturity

Count on Yves Saint Laurent to put Paris back in perspective.

After three days of fashion fireworks during the spring-summer couture collections that took place here this week, the Saint Laurent approach was as welcome as a glass of cold water after an orgy of champagne.

This is not to deny the excitement elsewhere, especially the Christian Lacroix collection at Jean Patou. But, as Sonia Caproni, vice president and fashion director of I. Magnin, said after viewing Saint Laurent: “Now I can relate again. These are chic clothes for the chic woman who often has a split fashion personality and who also wants all the fun that was offered elsewhere. It’s definitely not an either-or fashion situation. Women want both looks.”

Best Foreign Designer

Lacroix, who was named best foreign designer by the Council of Fashion Designers of America in New York earlier this month, filled his collection with the wit and charm that are his signatures. As everywhere in Paris, lengths were consistently above the knee, with skirts looking even shorter as they billowed over frothy crinolines. Even dresses that looked short and simple as they walked down the runway, as Lacroix put it: “boiled over” in back into taffeta bustles, bows and ruffles for a late-’80s Gay ‘90s joie de vivre.

Hats topped scarfs wrapped around the head or perched on overblown roses tucked into chignons. In among the youthful exuberances (Lacroix is 35) were signs of a growing maturity. A black Chantilly-lace strapless dress drifted over white satin and was punctuated with a lemon-yellow bow and a big pink rose in the middle of the back.

While the emphasis, as in so many of the collections, was on evening wear, there was a new strength in the short day dresses and the suits, especially the blush-pink linen with its deeply scooped neckline and slim skirt.

There were hints of this low- exploding silhouette in Lacroix’s winter couture collection and again in the one Karl Lagerfeld did last season at Chanel.

Lagerfeld’s way with it for summer is what he calls “parabola.” It’s the look some French journalists described as “the rooster,” because what looked like simple princess dresses from the front were hiked up in back to form cumulus clouds of tulle. Everyone’s favorite was the strapless white organdy with appliques of black satin ribbon around the gyrating hem, to look like piano keys in perpetual motion.

While Lagerfeld described his “parabola” as fun, he said his new way with the Chanel suit is what couture is all about. Basically, it’s a looser, away-from-the-body jacket that sits on the hipbone and is worn over a slim skirt that often turns out to be a simple slim dress. “It looks like nothing because everything is hidden inside to give that perfect simplicity,” Lagerfeld said.

Hats, which at Lacroix entered into the spirit of the clothes, at Chanel were often an over-the-top element for what is basically a more serious look.

Both Emmanuel Ungaro and Marc Bohan at Christian Dior got the message about that new low exploding silhouette and went about it their own ways.

As always, no one can beat Emmanuel Ungaro when it comes to draping fabrics around a woman’s body. And drape he did, with double-bubble sleeves erupting from the shoulders plus bows, ruffles and all sorts of other adornments jutting out well above the knee. His best looks were the simple, white, long crepe dresses with midriff cutouts that closed the collection.

At Dior, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, they made the mistake of opening the collection with the original New Look suit of Christian Dior of 1947, a hard act for anyone to follow.

Marc Bohan’s best looks for Dior this season were his crisp suits, some with portrait necklines inspired by that original Dior collection, worn over deeply pleated short skirts. The jackets were usually nipped in at the waist with wide patent leather belts.

Everywhere, knees were well on view with legs looking longer by way of high-heel pumps and sheer, pale stockings.

White and navy were the basic spring shades, with, at every house, tender shades of pink with touches of ice blue, mint and lemon sherbet. And, miraculously, just touches of black appeared. Fabrics were Shantung and linen for day and taffeta, satin and lace for evening.

The situation before the Saint Laurent show was that ruffles had reached such proportions that everyone was wondering how to sit in this new fashion and whether doors were wide enough to accommodate the look.

Saint Laurent conquered by being himself. His classic pantsuits--among the only pants this season--and man-tailored suits; his slim chemise dresses and his narrow sarong skirts were all there. But in a season of short skirts, Saint Laurent cut his just that much higher so that even the most tailored suit had more sex appeal than cancan-girl frivolities.

Jackets too nipped and curved in at the waist, and skirts wrapped flirtatiously over swinging hips. His daytime accessories were impeccable: tiny, straw gob hats; big, flat silver earrings; wrist-length, white kid gloves; sheer stocking and high-heel pumps.

For evening, as a concession to ruffled madness, skirts dipped in back with panels of floating chiffon knotted and draped around the body. Perhaps the most dramatic look was the elongated, corseted, lace T-shirt afloat in gazer bows.

Givenchy too stayed true to himself with his stars the double peplum suits in black wool pique.