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mrlerNative Texan Is DesignerOf Clothes for Spate Agew IBy WALTER LOGANNEW YORK (UPI)—Raben Torres. 37. the Texan who became one of Parts’ leading fashion designers for women, is so sincere when he discusses his men's wear designs you are convinced men will soon throw away their suits and dress themselves In zippered space age costumes.Most coats worn by men these days are made with either a single or double vents in the rear, a throwback to the dark ages of 150 years or so ago when they were straddling horses instead of rushing about the country In fast cars or Jet planes.So Torres designs body-hugging garments to be worn with soft and comfortable turtle-necks and usually fastened with zippers. Buttons he regards as throwbacks to the horse and buggy age and shirts and ties he regards as instruments of torture.Torres, whose Texas drawl has long since given way to a sort of an international drawl with French overtones, left his native Edinburg. Texas, for school at Southern Methodist Univfetslty in Dallas where he was graduated In 1952.He went from Dallas to New York where he became head designer for White Stag, a manufacturer of sport and outerwear, and thence to Parts where in 1960 he became couturier, or designer, for the house of Nina Ricci. In 1965 he left that firm and presented his own collection.That collection included garments that could be worn by either men or women and probably was the first Unisex showing.“It was in 1965 that I realized my clothing — men's clothing — was no longer performing. that is, not satisfactory for an active man,” he said. “Looking at a man’s suit as we know it, it is a leftover from the clothing worn 150 years ago when man was on horseback. And this is the spatial age.“We have been using buttons that are simply decorations though everything else has changed — transportation, communications, even women’s wear, but not men's. So to me the tie belonged to the museum with the 19 th century costumes. and clothes that will be worn in 1980 are being developed today.”Torres, who is particularly partial to knit Jersey and stretch fabrics for his space suits, was wearing a blue-grey Dacron and wool nonknlt with what he calls a Cosmonaut collar.. There was something faintly West Point about his costume. especially the- blue-gray color and the military-type collar. The Jacket was fastened with a double zipper and worn with very slim trousersand 10-inch black boots that looked as much space age as 18th century. Under it he wore a white turtleneck knit.Party Wear At a recent formal party In New York he wore a similarly cut Jacket but in what he calls Mexican Pink, and with black trousers and white gloves. With it was a. Whit* turtleneck shirt. It mirrored his belief that a man should not party in the same dark suit that he will be buried in.Torres' reputation has not yet set the United States on fire although his recent tle-ln with Hart Schaflner ft Marx will help. But in Scandinavia he is regarded as one of the great geniuses of men’s wear and may soon win that samereputation in Eastern Europe.His schedule called for a December visit to Budapest to making Torres clothing for the Eastern European countries, a move that follow?Mr. and I Shawred the presentation of his starkly simple clothes in Moscow recently at invitation of the Soviet Government.“They liked the Torres clothes and they would like to have them.” he said.Torres’ marriage with Hart Schaffner ft Marx marked the closest thing to an upheaval the American men's clothing Industry has seen in years. The name designers have become more and more popular in what is called the current clothing revolution and the Chicago firm took on not one but nine famous designers.Hart Schaffner ft Marx is the largest manufacturer of better priced . men’s clothing in the United States lt;*100 to *200) and does an annual business of $280 million a year. When a firm that big goes designer-conscious it means the clothing Industry Is in the middle of a revolution.The nine designers will form what the company calls an International Design Guild and some of the designs will go into immediate production, while others will be studied with a view to possible inclusion later, the carefully worded statements report.Whether Torres will again find instant fame as a designer of men's clothes remains to Aye seen. But he will be in good company. The other designers are Hollywood’s Jean Louis, Luciano Franzoni of Rome, George Tank us and Olle Ham-marsten of Stockholm, Eric Joy and Barry Reed of London, Jean Tronquet of Paris and Alexander Soland, the former Swiss tailor who Is now head designer for Hart Schaffner ft Marx.l-eri-myni)I.-it-Planes to OrderTULSA. Okla. UP1» — The huge Maintenance and Engineering Center operated by American Airlines in Tulsa is becoming expert at turning out specially equipped planes Tor VIPs.It has made special modifications on Boeing 727s anfi other jets for Vice President Spiro T. Agnew. the late Sen. Robert Kennedy. President Richard Nixon. Gov. Nelson Rockefeller and Pen. Eugene McCarthy.. _ Aand ft dren. tume won Make toure eral her of he Ga entee night atten RickAugi; Ralp M daug tend M of C in t Aug M and ner Bos M Mr. v|si exa N visi ols han ft ate Mr ft rec Wil lint \tor Ch Soi Ha. SOIweHalikterthith«wiUP-upenn-alsMoil Order SchoolBERKELEY. Calif. lt;UPI» — An unequalled range of college-level correspondence courses is now being offered to students throughout the world by the University of California Extension's Department of Correspondence Instruction.The 1969 bulletin lists a new high of 324 courses in 50 subject areas. Among them are 19 courses given for the first time, including urban renewal, police administration, international relations, cost accounting. ancient Egyptian literature and history of the American theater.rty are ces 1 in Jng nu-the in-themeai by:us-lionlies.leni oriverres-anyBas-he)ak-Ignores RankST. LOUIS lt;UPI)—Who but a teen-aged daughter could slap a U.S. Army general on the back and call him baby'* —and get away with it?Maj. Gen. John Norton, commander of the Army Aviation Systems Command, had the unenviable Job of explaining to his 4.000-personnel some major reorganizations within the command.‘ As the general left his house for the mass meeting at Kiel Auditorium, his 17-year-old I daughter. Sandy, said “Sock it | to ’em. John baby.”George Halas of the Chicago Bears established the NFL record for longest fumble return with a 98 yarder in 1923.The wearing of socks in National Football League games -was made mandatory In 1945.
Newspaper Details
McIntosh County Democrat
Checotah, Oklahoma, US
Thu, Jan 23, 1969
Page 9
Full Page
Clipped by
Eastern O.
AL, USA 05 Jan 2017
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