No Patterns, Please

TV is not only colorblind; its eye is astigmatic, twitchy and inclined to water. To TV, the most modish gown or the nattiest waistcoat can look like something that was spilled on the carpet. In self-defense, the televisers have been devising a fashion code of their own.

Since BBC is an old hand at television, London has become the Paris of TV fashions, and at least one of its graduates, Bea Lillie, has credited wardrobe know-how for her chic and youthful image on U.S. sets. But New York has picked up a few tricks, too, in recent months. Examples:

P: For men's formal evening wear, bright blue is preferred. Black and navy blue develop fuzzy edges.

P: For women, pale blue is good: it comes out on the screen a charming off-white. Various shades of blue offer a fine range of greys. Bright purple turns into a steady, solid black.

P: Horizontal stripes are not being worn at all this season: they hit the screen wriggling and writhing like worms. Intricate print dresses are not recommended: they have a way of getting "busy."

P: Jewelry and sequins blaze as distractingly as small klieg lights. Large hats block the best efforts of studio electricians. Patent leather shoes and satin dresses have a more unattractive glow than a shiny nose.

P: Men are urged to consider, for informal wear, the advantages of the heavily starched, detached collar*: it does not wilt under studio lights. Bright, patterned ties, like print frocks, are out--and for the same reason.

The best single rule for TV fashions is neutrality. The whole thing hits hardest at women who dote on some shades of red --and at TV engineers who would like to show the girls in orange-red bathing suits. In television's strange alchemy, this shade simply disappears.

* Which the more advanced British prefer in beige, to avoid the glare of white.

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