London Fashions For America

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue LXXI, 14 September 1940, Page 3 (Supplement)

London Fashions For America

By Joan Littlefield

and see dresses and ensembles

Women's Wo rid

IT is strange and rather tantalising to sit in a Mayfair salon

that never will be worn in England. Yet this week London fashion houses — all personal rivalry laid aside — are showing collections designed especially to attract the United States and South America and make London take the place of Paris as the fashion centre of the world. Frank Ward, Norman Hartnell's business manager, had the idea of co-opera- | tion between London houses. "When ideas clash, fashion brilliance is lost in the conflict," he said. "So we are collaborating. We are out for two things—to establish a permanent repu-

tation for clothes and bring American dollars into this country with which to buy back necessities." The Hartnell-collection I saw to-day should certainly bring us some dollars. Styles range from the neatest of suits to lavish picture gowns, which we have almost forgotten how to wear in this war-swept country. There was a little gasp of pleasure from English women guests when a golden-haired mannequin swept through the room in a white satin picture dress, called "Gilded Lily." It had a long, very full skirt and an off-tlie-shoulders corsage worked in a leaf design, culminating in a huge white rose in front. The leaf design was carried out also around the skirt. Another breath-taker was a green crinoline dress with yellow net, deco-

rated with a bold lattice-work of pale green net. Mostly, however, the evening gowns have short sleeves and high necks. They are close-fitting and, in most cases, their corsages are embroidered with diamante or sequins.

Many have short, matching coats, often trimmed with fur. One pale blue lace embroidered dinner-dress had a pattern of diamante and sequins all over. Another, in royal blue romaine, has its short, puff sleeves, sash and neck all embroidered with sequins. Ground-length sashes tied loosely at the back were a rtatur of many dresses, Both day and evening dresses in the Hartnell collection had pleats and tucks. Sometimes a frock is tucked from ncck to hem and the pleats may go round or down.

A black, wool afternoon dress featured tucks across the whole dross and across the top of a short, matching coat. A l>laok dinner dress had tucks going up, and down, a fluted skirt, a square neck, finished with diamante clips, and it was topped by a 6hort coat trimmed with silver fox.

Several'day ensembles had lavish fur trimmings and were completed with huge muffs. Tockets are often of fur, and fur collars stand out from the neck and are open at the throat. One attractive beige day dress, called "Puss Puss," had a matching coat with nutria shoulders. Nutria also trimmed the hem of the coat and the high hat. Short Skirts Most hats are high and rather military, or else pulled down low over the eyes, but exposing the hair in back. Day skirts are short and tight, and jackets still maintain their padded shoulder line and are iouble-breasted with four pockets. An ensemble called "mignonette" was in three shades of green wool, the palest on top. It had fur pockets. Another day ensemble consisted of a red wool dress and coat. The dress was

rsccented by blue and pink bands around the neck and sleeves, and blue and pink cock feathers decorated the back of the hat.

A striking evening gown, aptly named "'Bra.vado," consisted of a scarlet top and a violet skirt of crepe. Neck and shoulders were a mass of sequins worked on chiffon. An evening dress in royal blue crepe was topped by a short yellow jacket trimmed in blue sequins, and there were yellow sequins on the frock. Another dinner dress in black velvet had ruby embroidery on the shoulders and sleeves. It was called "Jam for Tea." Black velvet seems popular for dinner frocks. One had a top in broderie Anglaise, showing the wearer's neck and

shoulders as through a lattice work. A lovely black velvet picture dress, called "Lady Fauntlerov," had a white neck, top and puff sleeves heavily beaded. One rlinner dress had a 6hort coat of glittering tweed; sequins are mixed in the weave. Most frbcks shown are plain enough to show off jewels, which many women are buying just now as an investment.