The prospect of a wide variety in autumn fashions which has been opened up by displays during the first week of the fashion fortnight will be welcomed by women, if only for practical reasons. It means that last year’s clothes will not look embarrassingly peculiar (though skirts will probably have to be hemmed up an inch or two) and, even more important, women will be able to choose garments to suit their physique.
The products of the “haute couture” houses will be seen later in the year. The models which are being shown this fortnight are samples of those which the average woman will be wearing in the autumn. So far the displays have been confined mainly to coats, suits, and raincoats.
The idea of two-purpose garment, which has proved so popular this summer, has been continued in the autumn coats, many of which are skilfully cut so as to be worn either belted or loose. Some of them have detachable hoods or capes and others a fringed scarf which, depending on how it is tied, can give the coat either a formal or a casual appearance. There are both double and single breasted styles, and the skirts are mostly loosely pleated to give a gentle swing and soft fullness at the back.
Many of them have been designed - reasonably enough in view of our uncertain climate - to wear over a suit. But the inevitable drawback is that elegance has to be sacrificed, to a certain extent, to comfort and warmth, and the effect is often clumsy and bulky. And here one feels that some of the designers have gone wrong, for they have intensified the clumsy appearance by the use of large collars, cuffs, pockets, and buttons. There are wide halter collars, high stand-up collars, double tulip shaped collars, jutting out pockets with large flaps, and so the list could go on.
Attractive raincoats
Most of the basic suits are, as usual, classic in style. Jackets are of medium length, simply cut, and fitted closely to the waist and hips. But revers can be either low and curved or high and straight cut, and some of the jackets are even neck high with a turned-down collar. Skirts are generally fairly slim, with inverted pleats to give a slight fullness.
There will be no excuse for women living in a wet climate to look drab this year. A display of raincoats this week proved how attractive and even glamorous these garments can be. They were shown in a variety of colours - bright red, emerald green, blue mist, and gay tartans. But even more remarkable was the variety of materials, which included slipper satin, silk, cotton cambric, and corduroy. Nearly all the models had some kind of headwear, among them a sou’wester attached like a hood.
Trimmings are on the whole very simple and unobtrusive. Buttons and bows are still used, of course, but they are much less in evidence than last year. Velvet is still popular, and there is a good deal of braiding and piping in contrasting colours.
