Evening star., 1963-04-07
EASHlONNOTEBOOK-
At-HoneCIothes
BoII-Gown Priced

Som ething fantastic is
happening in the fashion
world.
Designer Bill BIass who
was q visitor to Washington
during last weeks Cherry
Blossom Fashion Festival
and whose collection for
Maurice Rentner was shown
at Julius Garfinckel 81 Co.,
says that it is not unusual
for q woman today to pay
as much for her at-home
clothes as she does for q
ball gown.
There's no question that
the women who set fashion
throughout the world are
buying many more hostess
clothes than ever, what with
most Of them owning coun-
try homes and doing a lot
Of entertaining in their
homes" he told us.
One Of the fashions that
many women in the audience
at the Cherry Blossom FASH
ion Festival. staged by Flea
nor Lambert last week, won't
forget was Norman Norell's
now-famous orange heavy
satin bath robe" with ma
room revers styled exactly
like O mans robe. It was
bought by Mrs. Loci Guinness,
one Of the worlds most ele-
CANT women, for her at
home wardrobe.
Bill Blass says that fashion
is breaking down into two
ways Of dressing. There's
the sportive for daytime and
the very much dressed-up
look for late day and eve
ming" Women today are not
being guided In buying FASH
ion by geographical bounda-
ries, either. I'VE are headed
in the direction Of the uni
versal wardrobe, says he. The
dress that Is good in Palm
Beach will be good in Deau-
vile and the same holds true
Of non-resort cities. "You
don't dress differently for
Paris, London, or Rome" he
insists.
A peek into his fall master
plan Of fashion sees him
saying There's really no
news in silhouette, so fabric
and color will dominate the
fashion scene. We are once
again in the era Of The In
dividual' In fashion," Mr..
Bass feels.
Another heartening sign
that American women are
growing up in their fashion
thinking, he says, was ap-
parent to him when he
showed his collection recently
in Palm Beach. Twenty-Five
of the same coat and dress
were sold to some Of the most
elegant women there" and
he continued, mot one Of
those women was worried
about the other woman's
having the costume" Elegant
women In Europe think that
when q designer has some
thing in his collection that Is
great" they want to wear 1t
that season. 1t is not unusual
for several women to be wear
ing similar expensive DiOrs
and Balenciagas ct q chic
soiree, changing the color
perhaps to suit them, but
otherwise as the designer
created it.
He foresees q great day
coming when American wom-
en- Of great chic win wear
American designer clothes
with the same pride they do
French clothes. The Cherry
Blossom show where Gustave
TasselI, Bill Blass, Pauline
Trigere, Norman N0rell,
James GalanOs, Bonnie
CaShin, Sarmi and Scaasi
were runway hits, proved
that beautiful clothes are
not Just the province Of Eu-
ropean designers.
Lester Gaba, the staging
expert from New York, let
Washington in first on a new
lighting technique for tash-
ion shows that he has come
UP with. Spotlights which
always seem to glare at the
people near the runway were
: happily missing at the Cherry
Blossom Festival show.
Lights were placed on the
runway and bathed the
models In what he terms
"neo-realistic" lighting, from
below rather than above her.
It proved pleasant to look at
as well as helping to show
off the clothes In the most
effective way.
Lltrico Of Rome. the mems