Following The Royal Lead

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 148, 18 March 1939, Page 3 (Supplement)

Following The Royal Lead

With The Queen At British Industries Fair

LONDON, February 24. WHEN Queeri Elizabeth and Queen Mary visit the British Industries Fair at Olympia, as they do, not once, but several times each year, they usually set the seal of success upon many new fashions in dress styles, fabrics, dress accessories and all kinds of household goods. What these ladies mark out for their approval, one may rest assured will be approved by hundreds of thousands of women the world over.

"VOT that tlie average woman follows Royal taste just because it is royal. Rather she knows that it will probably be her own taste. The Queen and the Queen Mother like ro wear sensible and attractive clothes, just as they like to surround themselves with sensible and attractive things in their homes. They were on the look-out for goods bearing such qualities when they made their first tours of th? newlyopened fair this week. At tlie fashion parade of the British Industries Fair. Queen Elizabeth saw some of the new “petticoat frocks.” with the petticoat frill showing below the hem of tlie skirt. She found them

very attractive. So they are attractive, and one of the most; important fashion features of 1939. So important, indeed, has the peeping petticoat become that when one is not really worn under a dress, the designer often indicates its influence. A great many afternoon dresses have wide bauds of contrasting fabric- at the hem to simulate the petticoat. Once again, the Queen showed her particular fondness for pastel shaded frocks. She chose peach coloured lingerie for herself and the two Princesses. Peach satin quilted dressing gowns for the little girls has an embroidered design of flowers and lovers’ knots worked in pastel blue and pink silk on collars and pockets. A charming new curtain fabric bought by the Queen from another stall at the fair was patterned with white seagulls against a blue ground.

Her last purchase was at the India display, where she ordered an Indian sari dress-length in apricot and silver thread, which was hand-woven in Benares. Disney Novelties. WALT DISNEY’S new screen character, Ferdinand the Bull, was prominent at the fair. He is featured on some of the new fabrics and decorates swim-suits, holiday frocks and children’s wear. The Disney stall, laden with children’s toys, cups and saucers and so on, decorated with ; “Snow White” and other famous DisI ney characters, called forth a com-

ment from Queen Mary on how much she enjoyed Disney’s films. Both she, and the Duke of Kent, who was with her at Olympia, bought a child’s “Snow White” table set in pewter ware.

Sets ’of china, designed for small households, were among other things which appealed to Queen Mary. She bought a china fruit set and coffee set mounted on little basket-like stands, to save space in storing. The coffee set had cups hanging at the sides, the saucers were in the centre and the spoons suspended above them. Handbags with inset fob watches, new toilet bags in stitched taffeta lined with new rubber material, and bracelets with enamel charms in the forms of pineapples, bananas, and figures of St. Christopher also found their way into the Royal shopping list.