Wide Selection of Country Clothes is Available in Dunedin

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27091, 27 May 1949, Page 2

Wide Selection of Country Clothes is Available in Dunedin

NOTES FOR WOMEN

Next week country dwellers will be coming to town for the Winter Show and women will be looking round the shops of Dunedin for clothes that are smart, practical, and designed for country living. France and America may lead the styles for formal or town wear, but British designs are still pre-eminent for country clothes. The best in British design and textile making goes into coats, suits, and dresses which are meant to be worn in the country.

The talking points of high fashion — the exaggerated skirt, collar, trimming —may look attractive in formal surroundings, but they can look absurd in the country. This does not mean that country clothes do not change. They do change, but the change is more subtle. This year suit coats are more fitting, and the long tweed coat has a straighter effect at the back, fullness sometimes being supplied by a box pleat. Most of the stores seem to have a big range of tweed suits, usually in a small neat pattern. Small-Patterned Tweeds Favoured colours this year seem to be in warm shades of green, brown, and fawn, with a good many shades of yellow and mustard. Grey suits are coming in, some in gaberdine. One tweed suit had a waistcoat cut in with the coat, so that there was no need to wear a blouse. Other suits had matching overcoats—the suit was in a small check and the overcoat in a larger version of the same check. Skirts, blouses and odd jackets are essentials in the country-woman’s wardrobe. There are still some tartan skirts in the shops, though these have been extremely popular. Tweed skirts this year are made in flared styles as well as with the more usual inverted pleat. A new note is seen in the tailored woollen blouses coming into the shops. Most of the twin sets have cardigans buttoning up to the neck. A change from the “ bulky ” is the waisted knitted jacket. This is a much smarter

garment than the somewhat shapeless “ bulky.” Brightly coloured tailored jackets in corduroy are also on sale; these look very gay with a contrasting skirt and are warm enough for outside wear on a mild day. Corduroy, indeed, is a great favourite this year. Skirts, coats and slacks in red, green, blue and brown corduroy are a feature of the casual dress display. Suitable Accessories The right kind of hat to wear with country clothes is something of a problem for the woman who gets tired of the classic riding felt and its Homburg relations. Berets are a fairly safe choice as an alternative. Either the small round variety, or a big soft beret in fine felt is capable of many adaptations. It can be worn with one side upflung, trimmed with a quill or a brooch. It can be worn demurely and elegantly, flat on the head and held in place with two big hat pins. These should have really large round heads and can be trimmed with anything except sequins. A few pairs of exciting hat pins will do a great deal for one beret. Well cut shoes in good leather can be bought just now in the shoe stores. For general hard w«ar there is nothing to touch the classic brogue in a well polished leather. For less strenuous wear there is a good selection of lovely casual shoes in suede or bright leather, which help to emphasise the wool jersey dress or suit so useful far afternoon wear.