BATES John (Designer)

John Bates is photographed with two dramatic outfits from a 1979 collection. They both use silk cut away to reveal the torso _a charismatic theme based on shapes from the 1930s and 1940s. The black dress uses a geometrically bared midriff in a modern take on Carmen Miranda's trademark_ a feature Bates had used in 1965 with his "bikini dress", the halves of which were joined with transparent netting. These squared-off shoulders minimize the hips, and spaghetti ties are used as suggestively available fastenings. Decorative cocktail hats finish both outfits and lend them the highly co-ordinated, polished look of the 1930s. In the 1960s, Bates created "the smallest dress in the world" and the black leather wardrobe for The Avengers television series. His wide range of eveningwear, much of its ethnically inspired in the 1970s, was skillfully made and had a sophisticated youthfulness. 

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