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wx/xm. EASTER CANDIES as fresh and welcome as Spring. BROOKWOOD FLORAL SHOPPE W. RTE. 120, McHENRY, ILL. % PHONE 385-4320 The "do-your-own-thing" wardrobe is done and gone! No more helter-skelter mix and match pieces accumu­ lating in the closet. American fashion is sim­ pler, cleaner, and less com­ plicated than ever as it swings into the spring show, ings. But clean and simple by no means equal boring and dull; color and cut are alive! According to the Ameri­ can Designer Showings for Resort/Spring, 1977, Ameri­ can fashion ushers in 1977 with five major changes: a narrowing down of options, writing "finis" to the do- your-own-thing syndrome, the widening of skirts, the return of the waistline and interest in hemlines. Designers aim to bring fashion and life-style closer by divorcing fashion from the calendar. They see to­ day's workable wardrobe as a year-round turntable, ef­ & m how&u •rf&wm P • BLOOMIN' EASTER PLANTS • LILIES • GARNETTE ROSE PLANTS • TULIPS • AZALEAS • CENTER PIECES AND MUCH MORE 1 EXCLUSIVELY AT BROOKWOODI CUSTOM FLORAL EASTER ARRANGEMENTS AT VERY SPECIAL PRICES. The FTD Sosterlfldjrt" (Bouquet Stop in and we'll sand your Easter greetings with this loving gift of fresh spring blossoms in an embroidered, woven basket Or.'send an Easter Lily in the same basket, or one of our other lovely spring selections &^mk(M>auCatuliel KITCHEN (/FRESH FROM Bolgers Drug Store 1259 N. Green St. McHenry SUPPLEMENT TO McHENRY PLAINDEALER- PAGE 8 -FRIDAY. APRIL 1. U77 Remember friends, relatives and loved ones this Easter with.... Spring into best fashion ideas ever seen! The neat and simple basics: Perfect anytime> season 9s look is 6together 7 fortlessly swinging from cli­ mate to climate. Most designers now con­ centrate on seasonless fab­ rics, adding layers instead of changing weights. Tweed, cotton, unlined flannel, gab­ ardine, cotton twill, burlap, linen, crepe de chine, taffeta, velvet, all have lost their sea- &>nal connotation. Our designers have en­ dorsed the busy American woman's rejection of the confusion and waste repre­ sented by too many aimless separates. Piling on multiples in rag­ bag mixtures is out in the new discipline. Current thinking is toward deliber­ ately related costumes which j can also interrelate. Most collections reflect one of the two distinct Am­ erican aproaches to dressing: slick, cleancut and modern or nostalgic, folkloric clothes which dramatize the peasant look like stage costumes, in vivid colors with rich, elab- orite trimmings. The stress is on native costumes of the Americas: Caribbean, South American, plantation, etc. themes. Some collections cover both points of view. While there are far more skirts than pants, there are pants aplenty, and in a great variety of lengths, from heel to above-ankle to Bermudas, to shorts and short-shorts. All pants and most suit skirts are narrowed down: dresses and evening dresses are either wrapped close and flowing out Or very full and billowing. The dirndl and the tiered peasant skirt are a natural expression of the native-costume kick all de­ signers are on. The waistline is definitely a new focus: wrapped with a sash shaped-in in suit jack­ ets, marked by wide bias in­ serts, or cinched in with a stiffened cummerbund. Some designers also play with the wavering waistline -- low blousons and high empire bodices are frequent. The arms are played up in many variations of shoulder and sleeve interest. Sleeve­ less dresses, sleeveless jack­ ets, boleros, big peasant sleeves, raglan shoulders, squared and dolman arm- holes are among these. One Americanism in these collections is a total cleanup of all dripping or draggy ex­ tras. Everything is either at­ tached or built-in, without extraneous doo-dads. Trimming is much more stressed: braids, tucks, em­ broideries, pipings in bright color contrast, lace inser­ tions. Wild and wonderful color, the whole paint-box range, and sweet, tender colors are countered in the American collections by many nuances of no-color and white. The natural and earth tones are very big with sports design­ ers, who also love the big brights. THE CASHMERE DRESS THATS A SWEATER. Ribbed, cowled, go-anywhere pull-on to go with anything, furs now, silk raincoat later. The dress a woman wears on the plane, slips into gratefully when the resort night turns cold. No- melle/Cashasere blend for softness and stamina, the knit conies in this season's Clean White, Natural, Peach, Blue, fellow, with narrow suede beh. By Kimberly in 6 to 16. in*, EVENING DRAMA OF SILK TAFFETA from Bill ss . . . A halter neck gown with stitched down hip tucks above a full skirt with a pleated flounce (left). Navy taffeta skirt * f°r eVening (ri*hl> features a four-tiered