Fashion: Only the Young

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As the showings wound up in Paris last week, the question seemed to be: What do you wear if you are over 20? To emphasize the point, Yves St. Lau rent sent his models out with their hair done up in little-girl braids or little-boy helmets. The colors were as gay as a picture book; in fact, that is where the idea came from, St. Laurent explained. His mother gave him a book of Mondrian's paintings just last Christmas, and his showstoppers were all movable Mondrians, practically gift-wrapped: jersey dresses splashed with squares of stand-up-and-yell colors on neutral ground.

The young feeling infected even Balenciaga, who at 72 is considered the Michelangelo of the trade. The master put his hostesses in white stretch pants under taupe chiffon or gold lamé topped by an ermine poncho. Sauciest fillip was a see-through chiffon muumuu worn over a flesh-colored skintight jump suit. And Pierre Cardin exposed his pound of flesh through circular cutouts scattered at strategic points on his dresses —here at the collarbone, there smack dab over the navel. He also wolfishly evoked Little Red Riding Hood, with dozens of furry capped capes.

This year's loser seemed to be Hubert de Givenchy, who for years has been making Audrey Hepburn look young even before she needed any artificial aids. It seems he is hung up on the same little-nothing dress that was a wow five years ago. Givenchy fled even before his collection had been completely shown, and the only applause came when someone opened a window.