SKI FASHIONS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 11 February 1939, Page 10

SKI FASHIONS

THE LATEST FROM PARIS. Just as French ski-ing has thrown off all foreign tutelage, so this season have French ski fashions bid goodbye to Tyrolean and Norwegian influence. A famous Parisian leader house, Madeleine de Rauch, has just given a presentation of its collection devoted entirely to ski wear. The ski costumes and ensembles have all the elegance of French fashion but their simplicity marks a great change with those of last year: embroideries have completely disappeared. Grey costumes made of gabardine or - other woollens are the keynote. The outline in general is classic. The most fashionable shape is straight trousers gathered at the ankle in the shoe. Then come the usual straight trousers turned up at the bottom, breeches to the knee, trousers closely fitting the leg from the knee down, and the skirt fastened on the front with a row of buttons, hiding puffy knickers. The collection included a few boleros accompanying skirts and sometimes trousers, while vests held the first place. They are generally like vests for cycling, but made with closer attention to workmanship. They have a yoke slightly gathering the front and back parts of the bodice. In certain cases a simple stitched design ornaments the edge of the yoke, the belt incrusted and gathering the lower part of the vest. Yet the tightfitting jacket is not excluded; it is made in light colours and accompanies grey, navy blue or black trousers. Pockets have never before been so important and they play a great part in ski fashions this year. The impeccable workmanship and the unusual ways in which they are placed give the suit a new note of refined elegance. Pockets have indeed become its main ornament. On all vests shown there were no fewer than six or eight pockets, two or four on the breast and two or four on the lower part, of various sizes and shapes, semicircular, square and triangular. Some are pleated or entirely covered with braid contrasting in colour with that of the vest.

Blouses are ample and gather in the belt, with wide long sleeves. Most of them provoked for original pictured designs, for instance, one showing, on a light background red cable cars running up to the white summits of mountains, the black cables forming diagonal lines, all of the most charming effect. There are many other blouses made, of printed light materials and jersey. Oiled materials have also their place, combinations of green and red spotted with white dots are of the most amusing effect. A thin woollen pull-over is worn underneath. A yellow skin waistcoat has two garnet zip-fastenings on the front, making it tight-fitting at the waist. This goes with a garnet skirt. Pointed hoods are in great favour as head wear, generally matching blouses, but the great novelty is a bandeau gathered at regular distances and ending in a bow on the front of the head.

Though the general impression is one of great sobriety different colour combinations enliven them considerably. Generally scarfs, belts, wristbands, reverse and even trimmings of the shoes are all of a same vivid colour, but different from that of the blouse or pull-over, which are of warm shades. Striped vests are worn over grey or navy blue trousers. Sometimes an amusing original detail is placed on the revers of the collar, such as a small barometer, or a compass as a button fastening the blouse. Fur has no other function in this collection than for trimming threequarter coats and very high caps. White sheepskin is much used. Some costumes have been characteristically named, such as “Troika,” composed of a three-quarter coat made of brown fur, lined in green, straight grey trousers and a huge Russian cap, this being with plaids, the only two foreign notes in the whole collection;; “Tempete” (storm), with beige trousers, tight-fitting from knee down, blouse made of black “cire” with pointed hood matching it, a beige band adorning the front; “Diane” is a very sweet ensemble for a very young girl, with a short navy blue skirt, a straight, ample vest of a vivid red accompanying it.