Paris Designers Favour Wool

Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22802, 30 August 1939, Page 2

Paris Designers Favour Wool

From Headlines to Footnotes

(most Cub own cobeespondent.)

LONDON, August 8. ;A. bird’s , eye view of the importance of. wool In .'current fashion trends Is given In'the presentation of hats and accessories organised by. the Interna-tional-Wool ..Secretariat, with - the co-' operation of Paris modistes and designers. .The new ideas formed an outCollection in the rp6f-garden of ithe .Club du Grand Pav.ois, high above, the. Avenue des GhampsE)ysees, . , ’, . . , Through all the Paris culture collections for winter 1939-40,. wool.is dominant as . a material for coats, suits, dresses and evening wear. In line with the style acceptance of wool by Paris designers 'is the discovery by modistes that wool in many, different forms opens up new vistas of Inventiveness fpr hafs that are colourful, novel and amusing, practical'and smart. .Wool fabricator hats are unusual, apd the ingenuity displayed in the manipulation of, wool products new to modistes will‘be greeted with delight by the entire wool. industry. [The most dramatic examples of this are in a special collection of hgts made almost entirely iri knitting wool and urispun combed wool—soft and fluffy as it comes from the hands of comber and dyer. This is the first time that semi-raw wool has been used as a finished product—one more revelation of that Incomparable alliance of French creativeness and craftsmanship that is so peculiarly Parisian. Five different, and. unusual kinds of handwork represented in this collection are: Entire hats made from fine knitting wool worked ori millinery wife, then clipped to give a soft velvety surface. Tapestry work done in fine knitting wool on a net foundation instead of on the usual tapestry canvas.

'Unspun combed wool (known/technically as ■ "slivers”), draped' into toques and turbans and then veiled with invisible tulle to prevent "fluffing.” Stripes of unspun combed wool .plaited and wound Into toques arid brimmed hats. • Wool yarn plaited -and coiled for closefitt'ing caps and turbans,, faintly reminiscent of eighteenth century perruques. Other materials include wool chenille, brushed chine wool crocheting, tosades of varicoloured boucle yarn to border felt toques. Wool flowers provide colour on several of the models. A WQll-known French milliner uses dark red and blue sheepskin for*.high Cossack hats. One of her incomparable turbans, is in flame-coloured thin wool jersey. Scarlet wool cord and tassela trim a black wool felt hat that flaunts' a new line, hugging the head low in the back. Gay little turbans are made from skeins of bright red, blue and green knitting wool. • • There are hats and handbags in authentic Scottish tartans, superlatively chic with dark tailored town clothes or with monotone tweeds for sports and ountry. Smart black wool jersey afternoon hats will be worn, also original evening coiffures made of wool flowers. Large supple handbags of wool or of leather have vivid contrasting wool linings. A Frenchman, famous for sports bags, applies expert workmanship and design to handbags of Scottish tartan and wool broadcloth as rich and supple as the , finest antelope. There are also sports bags in rough brushed chine wool. One maker has shoe maquettes in bright plaid and fine wool broadcloth, and there are gay apphqued and embroidered wool belts, printed wool gloves and scarves. . •