Miniskirted kimono introduced in Japan
NEW YORK (UPI) — The miniskirt has come to the Japanese kimono. We immediately thought of a name for it: The minimono.
Responsible for this and other revolutions in the centuries-old dress of the Orient is a Japanese woman more famous as a fine artist than as a fashion designer.
Miyoko Yanagita, wife of a prominent Japanese businessman, is highly trained having studied with both Oriental and Western teachers, specializes in abstracts and devoted her latest one-woman show to art inspired by the "now" sound of electronic music.
Art shows
The petite Japanese artist has had her works on exhibit repeatedly in her homeland and in Europe and has had two one-woman shows in New York, the latest staged at the Park Avenue branch of the Bank of Tokyo Trust Co.
Ties for Spring stress texture; keep wide trend
NEW YORK (UPI) - The Spring and Summer tie picture at a glance: heavy textured silks in light-toned tweedy weavies, ties completely coordinated with the dark toned shirts now in vogue, wild prints that a drunken Picasso might stir up-and a steady trend to wider ties.
Some manufacturers are turning out floppy bow ties bigger than the ones of yesteryear, ties which can be worn either as ties or as belts, big square scarves that can be worn like a sailor's kerchief and much bigger than the cowboy type Apache scarf. And, of course, Apache scarves.
The most accepted "wide"
width seems to be 3-3/4 inches
but some boutiques are showing
tie five and six inches wide.
Print look
The big thing at Lanvin is the print look. There are abstract chain link designs against a solid ground, overtones which look almost like a plaid, red and white against navy for example; bold printed stripes in such color combinations as navy, medium blue, red and emerald green.
Another style leader is Polo by Ralph Lauren. His hallmark is richness and you can see the weaving of his heavy Indian silk tweeds 20 feet away and know they will have a rich feel. There are silk tapestries with stripes, handblocked "people prints" on Indian silk, textured Italian silk with a satin stripe. Lauren brought back the square bottomed knit last year; this year he is bringing back the bowtie—but loose and floppy in foulard prints.
MINNEAPOLIS (UPI) – Sunflower watchers of the world. go home! Those bright yellow blossoms aren't going to follow the sun across the sky after all.
"The notion that sunflowers turn to face the sun all day has existed as long as the plant itself, but it is a mistaken one." says Dr. Freeman K. Johnson, director of sunflower breeding research for Cargill, Inc., international agrribusiness firm here.
"Heliotropism -- the tendency of certain plants to face toward the sun -- occurs in the sunflower only during early stages of growth, when the new leaves and bud areas twist to catch more sunlight," he says. "After the flower has bloomed, it stands still."
Apr. 8
1969 KANSAN 11
While she talked about her painting, which began in childhood, she also explained how she got into modernization of the ancient kimono.
KANSAN features
In addition to using traditional materials, like oils, for her paintings, she also uses plastics and fabrics for an often three-dimensional effect. In fabric, she uses a sort of batik dyeing technique on cloth. This led to textile design and it wasn't long until she figured the complicated construction of the kimono could be simplified.
Many changes
So that the kimono could fit into the busy life of today's woman, Mrs. Yanagita has made the garment sleeveless, if the wearer wishes. Skirts can be the traditional ankle length, knee length or, yes, mini length.
She's adapted it too as a two or three-piece outfit and is making it in reversible fabrics.
Her fashion designs now are making their way into select Japanese stores, she said. She
Photo by Ron Bishop
Meet the 1969 Angel Flight Pledge Class
Seated from left to right: Carol Smith, Salina sophomore; Sandy Read, Alexandra V., sophomore; Barb Clark, freshman; Barb Jacobs, Kirkwood, Mo., freshman; Robbin Chaney, Kansas City, Mo., freshman; Sherry Love, Topaike sophomore; Marynane Medved, Kansas City sophomore; Margaret Drackert, Kansas City, Mo., freshman; Debby Quick, Hillsboro, Ill., freshman; Marti Crow, Pratt freshman. Second row: Karen Park, Oakley freshman; Janis Herman, Coffeville sophomore; Pat Rich, Leawood sophomore; Debby Moberly, Mo., sophomore; Carol Garland, Glenview, Ill., freshman; Mary Huggins, Prairie Village freshman; Jean Tamasi, freshman; Vicki
Wellner; Linda Ireland, Kansas City, Mo., freshman; Susan Majure, Shawnee Mission sophomore; Susan Treadwell, Wilmette, Ill., sophomore; Marilyn Nevard, Wilmette, Ill., sophomore; Julie Jardes, Overland Park freshman; Janice Jones, Macon, Mo., sophomore; Hariette Stewart, Leavenworth freshman. Third row: Bonnie Tomek, Omaha, Neb., sophomore; Ann Wallin, Omaha, Neb., freshman; Susie Freed, Terre Haute, Ind., sophomore; Brenda Wart, Parsons sophomore; Jo Werner, Kansas City, Mo., sophomore. Not pictured: Martha Atlas, Shawnee Mission sophomore; Julie Smith, Shawnee Mission freshman.
admitted their appeal has been to the younger women; the older woman has given the changes "tremendous opposition." But the designer figured the new
kimono eventually "will be accepted."
The artist is the wife of Seijiro Yanagita, a former banker and the first president of Japan Air
Lines. He now is with the Japanese government's Economic Cooperation Fund. The couple has three grown sons.
Steve says advertising raises prices.
But how come that color TV set his fraternity just bought costs $300 less than it used to?
Ten years ago, a typical 21-inch color TV set sold for $700. Today, you can get a comparable set for under $400. With a lot of improvements, to boot. Like automatic fine tuning. And need less for servicing.
What brought the price down so dramatically? Many millions of dollars of advertising, mainly.
Weren't there a lot of technological improvements, too? Yes. But they might have actually added to the price without the vast increase in sales, and volume production, made possible by this advertising.
Maybe you, like Steve, think advertising raises prices, favors big outfits, helps keep useless products on the market. But actual cases prove just the opposite. Advertising lowers prices (like color TV.) Encourages competition. Promotes new ideas. (Contact, for instance.) Helps the imaginative little guy catch up. (Like Diet Rite Cola, who beat the big cola companies with a good product ... and advertising.)
Interested? Write us. We'll gladly send you more facts about advertising. You'll find they speak for themselves.
In the meantime, keep an open mind.
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