SMART FROCKING AT WANGANUI RACES; FURS AND TAILORED SUITS

Wanganui Chronicle, 5 June 1950, Page 7

SMART FROCKING AT WANGANUI RACES; FURS AND TAILORED SUITS

Although officially wintei, the weather was fine and mild on Saturday for the first day of the Wanganui Jockey Club's June meeting, which attracted a large crowd of racing enthusiasts. The dressing, as Is usual at this time of the year, was chosen for warmth. Tailored suits, fur wraps, astrakhan, tweed, boucle, or velourfinish coats In many styles were worn by a large majority of the women, and with a bright note given by contrasting blouses, trimming on hats, and gay floral sprays, looked very smart. Suits were the most popular wear. Tailored in fine woollens, there were many in' grey and. all shades of brown, green, and blue, and a sprinkling of pastel and brighter colours. As well as self-coloured materials a number of grey suits featured either overchecking or stripes in varying widths. One suit seen had a faint checkerboard effect in reversed weave. Grey jersey was the materia! used for a smart frock with accessories in coral shade to match the feather on the cloche hat. Many young girls looked very attractive in two-piece suits in shades deeper than pastel, worn with smart little hats to match. Coats, too, were in many colours and styles, some loose and full at the back, others with the back pleating and new wide lapels and collars. They were in all kinds of materials from tweeds boucles, frostine velours, and astrakhan, and the colours showed a wide range. Very smart and elegant was a grey suit which featured buttoned diagonal flap pockets giving added interest to the jacket. With it was worn a closefitting felt hat draped at the side with multi-coloured pastel ribbons. Grey skin handbags and shoes completed the outfit. A cocoa coloured velour coat, beautifully, cut had back pleating below a fitted waist, wide sleeves and wide Peter Pan collar. It was worn with a head-hugging cloche hat adorned with a tall pheasant feather. Another attractive coat of sapphire blue striped weave boucle was worn with a felt hat to match, smartly draped to one side and caught with dusky pink roses. Fur wraps were favoured, some racegoers preferring short coatees, hip-length capes, and shoulder capes to the full length coats of fur. A few beautiful coats of squirrel, dyed squirrel, and mink made their appearance, while golden and silver fox furs and shoulder capes looked extremely smart on well-tailored suits. The majority of hats were in the latest styles that come well down on the back of the head with the off-the-face lines to suit the new coiffure. Many were of felt or velour and softly draped to frame the face and trimmed with feathers—pheasants’ feathers, upflung quills, or small Custers of feathers attractively placed on the models. Others had the side drape of wide ribbons either to match the ensemble or form a contrasting shade with the accessories. One or two hats were double brimmed with the trimming nestling in between. There were chic little velvet models with delightful finishing touches, brimmed hats, some in the rolled brim style, and berets were also favoured. Layers of pale mauve chiffon and ribbon formed the hat of a wearer of a pastel blue two-piece suit. Mr. F. F. Newman, wife of the president, who welcomed the guests at the official luncheon, wore a pin stripe pewter grey tailored suit, wine blouse and wine felt hat banded with grey ribbon. A spray of flowers in wine tonings and a grey fox fur shoulder cape completed her outfit. Very attractively arranged were the floral decorations in the luncheon room. Hydrangeas, in all the rich deep winter tonings, and the scarlet leaves of the ornamental grapevine filled the long troughs set on the wide shelf at the end of the room, and in the centre of each long table were large low bowls of many kinds of beautiful flowers in many colourings.