Goodbye, Paris; Hello, Hattie

U.S. fall fashions appeared in stores and dress shops last week just as the first pictures of Paris' new creations blossomed forth in the magazines. The contrast was startling. Many of the French styles seemed outlandish to the American eye. Jacques Fath offered maternity-like tent coats ("the green cone"); Balenciaga suits had elbow cuffs like parachutes. One Schiaparelli model looked like an oldtime Bloomer Girl (see cut) in an evening gown consisting of a short halter and harem-type underskirt. By comparison, conservative Hattie Carnegie's trim, attractive "spider web" evening gown looked just the thing most U.S. males would like to see their wives in.

There was method in the French madness; the zanier designs were aimed to catch the headlines. But there was also desperation. In two years, 40% of Paris' fashion houses have closed because of soaring costs & taxes and the loss, through currency restrictions, of British sales. Faced with the growing skill of U.S. dressmakers and competition from upstarts in Rome, many French designers are willing to try anything to win back their position as fashion dictators. But their dilemma is as old as the New Look: their clothes are too expensive for the French (who like innovations) and too extreme for those (Americans, Swiss and Latin Americans) who have the money.

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