FASHION CONTESTS NOW THE RAGE IN ENGLAND

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 March 1947, Page 8

FASHION CONTESTS NOW THE RAGE IN ENGLAND

Fashion competitions are all the rage in England. They are conducted in some of the best-read newspapers, with big prizes. Apparently they are as popular as the football pools, which at one time received so much publicity. Even with the newsprint shortage, and the small, compact newspapers (charging 30s a line, or part of a.line, for “want ads”!).the fashion .competitions are accorded a top . space, over six columns of an eighth column page. The sum of £5OO for first prize, with £2 2s for each runner-up,.is offered by England’s leading' Sunday newspaper. One week competitors had to place in order of merit six coloured scarves. The following week nine variously coloured and distinctively designed blouses, worn by a distinguished .model, had to be listed in their ordeT&i attractiveness. The correct brder, in each case, was determined by an expert in the trade. What makes the competitions more difficulty is the fact that, since the newspaper is published. in the ordinary black and white medium, colours are merely described in print. Thus, descriptions of the blouses read like this:—A: Red, grey . and navy fancy .check, in . striking design; cotton rayon mixture; B: Midgreen, soft fibre blouse, .neat collar, smart inset pocket; C: • Orange and turquoise striped blouse, in- soft fibre, open neck, short sleeves. Two coupons may be filled in for lid, and four for 3d. Apparently the competitions are self-supporting. On the basis of the first prize of £5OO,

making no allowance for the cost of prizes for runners-up, there would have to be 40,000 entries at 3d each. That would mean 160.000 coupons. But the competition probably shows a big profit, so that it is not unlikely that at least half a million coupons are returned weekly. On the same page, the newspaper publishes each week a crossword puzzle, with a first prize of £750 and a second prize of £250! The words are not difficult, some of tliose in a recent winning entry being: Food, mock, safe, feet, pier, aghast, snuff, fan, she, bulls, kill. Four coupons, each with a solution, may be submitted for Is, or two for 6d.