speaking og knits - this from the International Herald
When knits are hits
By Suzy Menkes
Published: September 27, 2006
MILAN The war of the wools is being fought in such a genteel way among the Scottish knitwear clans that they seem more like friends than fashion foes.
Ballantyne and Pringle should be archrivals, since both brands showed on the same day in Milan, both have a diamond pattern as a base and both are trying to be lairds of luxury. Yet they proved that when knits are hits there is plenty of space.
Ballantyne played up its heritage by transporting a little bit of Scotland to Italy. Two weavers creating intricate intarsia, or built-in-picture, patterns worked at their looms against a backdrop of 40 years of designs. Framed like the pictures they create were the color charts for poodles, flowers, polo players and jungle animals. Each spot on a leopard's hide, or the petals of abundant poppies, appeared on the archive knits.
Taking inspiration from the historic themes, especially from the prolific 1970s, Ballantyne showed the modern versions of animals, art, flowers and sport. Worn casually by the models with streamlined clothing, the intense art and craft was absorbed into a fresh, preppy look.
At Pringle, the designer Claire Waight Keller did something smart: She focused on knit but fused it with tailoring to create an unforced collection with a defined identity. Rib-knit collars or cuffs casually enriching a jacket, or the designer's favorite pleated skirt with flying panels of knit, seemed light and modern.
Catching the 1980s vibe, Pringle's version was of a generous, but not chunky, trapeze-shaped top worn with skinny pants. The stitch-craft was delicate, especially for the slithery dresses that opened the show and for lacy cardigans, which along with a pallid palette and feminine shapes made this collection seem young and fresh.
MILAN The war of the wools is being fought in such a genteel way among the Scottish knitwear clans that they seem more like friends than fashion foes.
Ballantyne and Pringle should be archrivals, since both brands showed on the same day in Milan, both have a diamond pattern as a base and both are trying to be lairds of luxury. Yet they proved that when knits are hits there is plenty of space.
Ballantyne played up its heritage by transporting a little bit of Scotland to Italy. Two weavers creating intricate intarsia, or built-in-picture, patterns worked at their looms against a backdrop of 40 years of designs. Framed like the pictures they create were the color charts for poodles, flowers, polo players and jungle animals. Each spot on a leopard's hide, or the petals of abundant poppies, appeared on the archive knits.
Taking inspiration from the historic themes, especially from the prolific 1970s, Ballantyne showed the modern versions of animals, art, flowers and sport. Worn casually by the models with streamlined clothing, the intense art and craft was absorbed into a fresh, preppy look.
At Pringle, the designer Claire Waight Keller did something smart: She focused on knit but fused it with tailoring to create an unforced collection with a defined identity. Rib-knit collars or cuffs casually enriching a jacket, or the designer's favorite pleated skirt with flying panels of knit, seemed light and modern.
Catching the 1980s vibe, Pringle's version was of a generous, but not chunky, trapeze-shaped top worn with skinny pants. The stitch-craft was delicate, especially for the slithery dresses that opened the show and for lacy cardigans, which along with a pallid palette and feminine shapes made this collection seem young and fresh
