WOOL PROMINENT AMONGST NEWEST PARIS FASHIONS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 12, Issue 89, 1 September 1948, Page 3

WOOL PROMINENT AMONGST NEWEST PARIS FASHIONS

“Wool’s first quality is its appearance—quite apart from its practical advantage,” says a leading Paris designer: And since Paris fashion seeks to express quality to the last degree, it is natural that wool should have a prominent place in the fashion creators’ new collections. Among the wool materials in the collection (says a fashion note received by the New Zealand Wool Board from Paris) will be pilot cloths, new qualities of face cloths, quantities of blanket cloths and a certain number of velour cloths—all of which will lend a sense of weight, luxury and warmth to the picture of fashion for Europe’s winter. Materials such as these are -at their best in colour, and because of this there is less black than Paris is accustomed to see in the late summer. Outstanding colours are going to be all the light browns, tan, leather, nut brown, cinnamon, coacoa brown and tobacco. These will be followed by dark greens based upon France’s winter foliage-: pine needle, ivy, laurel green, spinach and a few light lichen greens for those who are seeking pastel shades. New Look Now Modified ' As far as lines are it is certain that the New Book Will continue, but in greatly modified form. There will be no skirts of extravagant length, nor will the skirts be full enough to consume unnecessary lengths of the precious wool materials which everyone is so eager to obtain. The waistlines however, -will remain tightly nipped, shoulders will slope and hips will maintain gentle and more, natural curves than those which surprised everybody a season or two ago. There will certainly tie two types of coats, both equally effective in the new materials. The first will be the fitting redingote type of classic appearance. ( The more popular promises to be' a loose, straightly falling model, often with concealed buttoning down the front or with such ample fullness that no fastenings are required. In every case coats promise to be of moderate length, just covering the calf. There will be many interpretations of the pleated skirt, some aecordian pleated to give a slim, almost tubu- ’ lar line, nevertheless with ample

width for walking—others flaring out in fully pleated effects. Other designers favour pleated panels, either two or four, in black skirts which are topped by pastel coloured jackets edged with fur. Simple sports frocks with an almost tailored bodice and full skirt are going to appear in many light colours, topped by coats in contrasting shades, frequently lined to match the dresses. The coats which top such dresses are often made from smooth semi-velours worked in broad' bdnds to imitate the working of a fur coat, each band being separated by a narrow piping of satin or fialle. There are likely to be touches of bright blueish red for the coming season, while mauves and purple—which are particularly attractive in these velour fabrics—are still rising in popularity. Checks And Tartans Once again French fabric manufacturers express their feelings for checks and tartans. Houses such as Rodier are introducing a whole range of tartan wool fabrics, exact replicas of the tartans sported by the different Scottish clans. These come in various weights, though mainly lightweight for dresses, to add a touch of colour to otherwise neutral outfits. There is little doubt that tartan wool blouses are going to be a fea-

ture 6f the new fashion picture, while striped materials will take a secondary place. But the main emphasis will be on plain colours and almost classically plain weaves, deliberately chosen to show the increasingly fine qualities of wool materials now being woven in France.