PLEATED PRETTINESS

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 87, 4 July 1927, Page 5

PLEATED PRETTINESS

BY ISOBEL FRANCIS Pleats are extremely popular with fashionable dressmakers this season. A designer told me they will be favoured just so long as women need to give the illusion of slimness but, of course, pleats mean freedom of movement, and they are certainly very decorative. When used to give the slimmest effect possible, the whole skirt of the frock or jumper suit will be tightly pleated. Patterned pleating, with stars, lozenges and wavy lines running across the closely folded materials, is even more successful than the simple, knife pleatings. Pleats rre sometimes stitched into place, but this is a somewhat severe style, so many frocks have the pleats stitched only a few inches from the waist line, with the rest of the pleats flying apart as the wearer moves. To complicate the skirt of a crepe jumper suit I have seen smocking introduced into the pleating in bands of three inches, and this gave an ornate appearance to the skirt. A lovely gown for a sumptuous tion, sold by an exclusive West End shop is of white georgette, the long bodice being covered by a close webbing of pearls. From the waist hangs a fringe of strings of pearls, and under this is the finest of accordeon-pleated skirts. A very desirable dance frock of white georgette and pale green taffeta, is made with skirt and bodice front of the pleated georgette, and green taffeta made into a chic coatee. Somewhat elaborate was the afternnoon frock worn by the mannequin of a famous dress house the other day. bf rose coloured crepe, the top part showed a mass of flat petals, while the skirt was arranged with pleats stitched down, and scalloped and picotted at the hem. Although far from new, a frock with Panels slit to reveal a finely pleated underskirt is still fashionable, for here °ne has freedom of movement, and yet the long panels give illusion of great slimness.

Eight rows of kilted frilling, each in a different shade, including red, orange and primrose hues, is the pretty inch cuff on a severely-cut black cloth frock exhibited in town. In .he same shop I also saw an attractive three-piece suit of fine suitin lilac tones. Here the bodice cf the frock is of a striped pattern, two-inch stripes being printed in three shades of lilac. The skirt is of the Idlest colour, in plain suiting arranged m box pleats each two inches wide, so inat the whole carries out a consistent of two-inch bands on both bodice and skirt, the one being marked y colour, the other by pleating.