COTTON MATERIALS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23273, 16 February 1939, Page 4

COTTON MATERIALS

FOR DAY OR EVENING WEAR CAY AND INEXPENSIVE Plants bearing large yellow flowers with purple centres blooming under tropical skies sounds like a tale of romance, but the end of the story is a practical one. These centres expand into pods, which at maturity yield tho white fibrous substance known as cotton. " Tough cottons" is the pet American name for those useful tub frocks that are the mainstay of our summer wardrobe. But cottons are really only tough in the way in which they have spread through our wardrobe, especially during the last eighteen months.

Cottons are used for those charming ground-length house coats, whose introduction has proved such a boon and comfort to us when spending a quiet and restful evening at home. These are subtly lined and quilted to give the necessary warmth you need in winter.

To the average woman there is something delightfully feminine about these coats for leisure hours. Inexpensive, yet smart and modern in cut, they give that perfect feeling of relaxation so necessary to a woman after a busy day. Your tennis shorts or frocks also owo their good wearing qualities to the material from which they aro made—cotton.

Besides being used for overalls and house gowns, cotton in its most expensive quality is used by exclusive dress designers for evening dresses. A classically cut evening gown has a distinct touch of originality when it is made from cotton with an artistic hand-blocked all-over floral pattern. It stood out distinctive and alluring when worn in a recent fashion parade. Stiffened cotton organdies take their share of popularity. They tub and tub again, and in their crisp freshness are not only young looking but economical for party frocks and dance dresses. Gay, thrilling and adaptable, wo owe a lot to colton for tho brightness of our wardrobes, whether in the house, doing the daily chores in a pretty puffsleeved overall frock, or dancing in a wide-skirted gown to the swinging lilt of the band in the ballroom. Designers and manufacturers have given us gorgeous cotton fabrics with which to replenish our summer wardrobes. Dawn to midnight is the slogan of the cotton world, which shows , that cotton frocks, even when brilliantly patterned, are fast to washing, light, and sun. Cotton is an ideal material for sports and holiday wear, and each year it seems to become more and more gay.