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Gresham O u tlo o k. Tues
C o o rd in ate s
m a ke sp rin g
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The working woman has
left her mark on women’s
fashions
The tailored, classic look
has been softened and
stylized into coordinates
that make planning an of
fice wardrobe fun. Jackets,
skirts, blouses and knit
tops mix and match for
variety and flair.
S tra ig h t, pleated or
A-line skirts can be replac
ed by a split skirt for an up
dated look The gathered
front off a yoked waistband
adds a touch of femininity.
Jackets, shorter and
more fitted this spring, are
also shown in straight
styles Collarless and with
puffy sleeves, they reflect
the ro m a n tic look in
daytime attire.
Knit tops are as ap
propriate on the job as on
the tennis court. Scoop,
boat or V necklines can be
accented w ith b rig h t,
Doreena Paxton models a three-piece Patty Woodard baubly jewelry for a finish
ed look
coordinate outfit.
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M arch 30, 1982 Soody Post, Thurs., A p ril 1, 1962 — 3
M ic h a e le V o llb ra ch t makes
the stars g litte r even m ore
Liz Taylor Warner plans
to wear his 23-pound heavi
ly beaded long gown —
backward.
Polly Bergen s slim, lit
tle size 6 figure looks great
in his overgrown prints,
but then so does Liz Car
penter’s size 16 to 18 bulk
And the wedding gown
he designed for Maria Bur
ton, Liz and R ichard s
daughter, was made from
the Mexican rug on his
bathroom floor.
That's the way designer
Michaele Vollbracht oper
ates — with a wide-open
artistic sense honed to a
cross-cultural ethnic look
fo r to d a y ’ s w e a lth y
woman. She had better be
Prices range from about
$1,000 to $14,000, although
he does offer one little
staple dress at $450.
Vollbracht is a “hot” de
signer right now The 33-
year-old American design
er, a graduate of Parsons
School of Design and 1980
winner of a prestigious
Coty award for fashion.
said that “ I'm an artist,
first and foremost."
He designs bold prints in
vivid colors, drawing inspi
ration for simple shapes
such as tunics and ponchos
over s k irts and pants
“from National Geograph
ic magazine,” he says, and
the lively look of people on
the streets of New York
where he lives and has his
factory He usually signs
hts work, and names his
prints such as West meets
E a s t” o r ‘ Ja p a n e se
Leaves.”
Mv things are verv eth
n ic ,” said V o llb ra c h t,
dressed in a mauve crew-
neck sweater with pushed-
up sleeves and cotton khaki
pants.
• My bridal gown, for in
stance, is made from the
M exican rug fro m my
bathroom flo o r. I love
Mexican artifacts, but I ’ve
never been to Mexico
Hope to go som etim e
We ve got lots of customers
from Mexico in our Nei-
m an-M arcus stores in
Texas.
“ But, then, we re draw
ing South American cus
tomers to stores in Florida
now They're bypassing
Europe And European cus
tomers are coming to New
York. I think the Italians
are ahead of us in design,
but we. the Americans, are
ahead of Paris These peo
ple used to go to Paris but
now they come here I t ’s
the sportswear emphasis
"I think I’m sportswear-
oriented, with easy tops
and soft pants, jackets and
s k irts , the concept of
sportswear But I'm best-
known for my evening
things. I th in k women
should g litte r like hell at
n ig h t. They have the
chance Men don t
", designed a menswear
collection a year and a half
ago and it was a total dis
aster, but then I’m not in
terested in designing for
men.
W l
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