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•IS-FASHION WORLDBlackr;(F,niTOIf.« NOTE: Fnllnwlne 1» tbo ' pUiird ami flnnl artlrli* In n SfrVs mi 'pthe Ncarm rlcslsnrr.i whn «rw nlaj'nu *|§Bn Innrwis’nKly Inrjrc roln In thf ifgvrorlrl of fashion.)*fly CATHERINE BREWSTER1 NEW YORK (WNSt Several years ago a black L%itesigner who had taken some training in Paris open-' ed a millinery firm in New York. As he had a flare for ' publicity, he quickly got at-; tention, and 1 interviewed• him.■ At that time, black ■, -designers were rare indeed,■ ‘and Edward Masket and I . agreed we would send out'his story without a photo of ; !himself, using instead a■ model in one of his hats.• Why put off possible buy-• ers?” Masket asked cheer-• fully.• Today, as a current black■ designer recently said to ; me, Black is in.• Actually, it has been for• some time, and often with « an international aspect.; Take the instance of llylan 1 Booker as an international i star.*■ Ten years ago, liylan• Booker went to England• with his G1 benefits. He had• been to England while in the ; Army and liked the country.\ He wanted 1n study at the:: ★Royal College of Art. It was his good luck to have the famed design teacher Jane Ironside, who has turned out most of those young designers you hear of on the London scene.House Of WorthHylan Booker first attracted attention in his own boutique business, as did the English designers. He expanded into ready-to-wear wholesale, and did very well. Then, two years ago. the chance came to go right to the top of the fashion world - the couture.The House of Worth was being re-opened and the hackers offered the young American hlack the position of designer. The move was even more significant in that Worth began the whole idea of modem couture over a hundred years ago, when the Englishman Charles Worth launched a custom establishment in Paris that became world-famous.Today, Hyland Booker not only designs for Worth but creates menswear for a Swedish firm. He regards himself as ‘‘universal Western rather than exclusively American. I'm a citizen of the world.★ ★While the American Booker went abroad t o reach his eminence, Hazel Blackman came from abroad to America to create her career. Bom in Jamaica in the West Indies, she always wanted to design, came to New York for study, as she had an uncle here with whom to live.She worked for many years on Seventh Avenue, sometimes as a seamstress, sometimes as a private dressmaker, sometimes as a sample maker. By the time she opened her own showroom and workrooms, she could no longer be classified as a young designer, but she knew ail the ropes.She called her place The Tree House” and filled it with things which were later to get reams of publicity when done by other people. While Hylan Booker creates universal Western” fashion, Miss Blackman was bringing in African fahries of nil kinrls. and using African clothes as bases for unusual s|orts and leisure wear.“1 never thought that an American fashion business could bo built on adjellaba,” she told me once. That’s a mistake of inexperience. A single fad is no sound basis. But I did believe that internationalism was growing all the time, and that Africa was a vast, untapped source of inspiration.As a result, she was far ahead of the trend to ethnic fashions and to using such down-to-earth fabrics a s denim, African printed cottons and even African blanket cloth. She went to Africa and visited out-of-tbe way spots such as Lesotho to come back with fabrics no one else had.Yes. she said recently, “I've always had the problem of capital, and I suiv-fxise I could have gone much further if I had found backing when I was starting out. However. I've enjoyed what I've done.”If Hyland Booker has perched atop the international couture, Jean Williams has found a special place in New York couture. The city has a number of snecial s a ions where designers crcat small collections to which only private customers are invited.The clothes are made up in standard sizes, but the customer does have the benefit of alterations, she gets exclusive fabrics anti she has the designer’s advice on accessorizing.“I often help her get the right accessories, said Jean, who is so tall and pretty that she is her own best model. “I began designing for a few stars when Iwas in show business myself, and I soon realized that designer advice is one of the big pluses about a couture operation.”“problem” j ! perspiration ! solved iorthousands who perspire heavilyAn antinerspirant that really worksiSolves underarm problems for many who had despaired of effective help. Mitchum Anti-Perspirant keeps underarms absolutely dry for thousands of grateful users, with complete gentleness to normal skin and clothing. It will keep you drier than any anti-wetness agent ever put in an aerosol spray can! By anybody. This unusual formula from a trustworthy 56-year-old laboratory is guaranteed to satisfy or dealer will refund purchase price. So get the posi-j tive protection of Mitchum Anti-Perspirant, liquid or ! cream. $3.00, 90-day supply, at your favorite drug or toiletry 1 counter.
Newspaper Details
Lubbock Avalanche Journal
Lubbock, Texas, US
Thu, Apr 08, 1971
Page 11
Full Page
Clipped by
Nick N.
NA, 15 Jul 2023
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