Excellent call on "denim", Elvira! The name, of course, comes from tough cloth originally made in Nimes, France, called (I believe) "Serge de Nimes".

How about 'fez'? <BR>I assume it is named after the moroccan city, but don't know for sure.

How about..Panama Hats

tommy: <BR>You are definitely right. Fčs is one of my favourite cities in Morocco. Less touristy than Marrakech. And it's also a (red) felt hat worn by the locals, but also by the Moroccan King. I don't think anybody outside Morroco wears it.

S H R I N E R S

Years ago, a crazy friend gave us his and her fezes as a wedding present. The homemade box said, "Have a feztastic life together." <BR> <BR>As styles come and go, there's one thing I can be thankful for: I was too young to be in the bars during the days of disco. <BR>

A couple more: <BR>dotted Swiss (type of fabric) <BR>Turkish towel <BR>

Egyptian cotton (fabric used in making sheets, etc.) <BR> <BR>Kind of a stretch, but Hawaiian shirt. <BR> <BR>j

Look what sleep deprivations brings: <BR> <BR>Balaclava <BR>Ulster <BR>Afghan

Vichy-prints (usually cotton). <BR> <BR>It's very fashionable again in France. Usually white/powder blue, white/pale pink for blouses, trousers, dresses, scarves even bikinis. <BR> <BR>Brigitte Bardot made it very hip in the Sixties. <BR> <BR>Sorry, but cannot explain in English what the print (it's not a print though) is like. Small carrés. Please, help from a French person.

You talkin' seersucker? lightweight cotton, sort of crinkly, checkered pattern that's woven not printed? Only worn in the summer?

Elvira: You most probably got it (although I've got to check that "seersucker" word). <BR> <BR>... believe me, over here in Europe, not only in France, it's hip again this summer and I think it's nice, esp. for teenage girls who like to dress up a bit! <BR>PS: And for those you might not know, Vichy is a town.

Madras........ what fun to iron!

Ursual ... do you mean gingham? It has small squares?

Sally: <BR>Let's forget about that Vichy. Over here, most people do know what it is like. In France, everybody. <BR>I have checked with my favourite English-German site www.dict.leo.org <BR>but as I always say, you never find what you need. Didn't find "seersucker" nor "gingham". Now, next time you are in France, ask whether they have something in Vicky-style. I shall do the same in NYC, if I should go... next year. <BR>Florence in Geneva would know. Where has she gone? <BR>

forgot.. yes, Sally, it has squares: Three different types: <BR>white-blue-white/blue mixed <BR>white-pink-white/pink mixed <BR> <BR>also green, yellow, purple..

Ursula is right. The fabric is what is called "puckered" common in bed summer coverings and for travelling,I buy my husbands shirt from L.L.Bean or J.Crew in seersucker, so I can just wash and drip dry them. I have been looking for years for a dress, I don't sew. You don't see pure cotton gauze dresses anymore or bleeding madras also great for travel. One thing I'd like to say about Capri pants , if you are not Ally McBeal in what I call my antipasto, don't buy them in the strech fabric, it will make a pear shape. They can be found in all fabrics and cuts.

mimi: Thank God, you've got it. I think otherwise I would have had a sleepless night. <BR> <BR>PS: Judy: I like Madras to iron (I think you too or not?), you cannot see when it's not perfectly done. I've got bermudas in white/beige/blue/red colours (tiny squares), much easier than bright one colour ones.

From the Fabric Dictionary: <BR>Seersucker <BR>A woven fabric which incorporates modification of tension control. In the production of seersucker, some of the warp yarns are held under controlled tension at all times during the weaving, while other warp yarns are in a relaxed state and tend to pucker when the filling yarns are placed. The result produces a puckered stripe effect in the fabric. Seersucker is traditionally made into summer sportswear such as shirts, trousers, and informal suits. <BR> <BR>the etymology (which I didn't know til now): <BR>Word History: Through its etymology, seersucker gives us a glimpse into the history of India. The word came into English from Hindi srsakar, which had been borrowed from the Persian compound shroshakar, meaning literally “milk and sugar” but used figuratively for a striped linen garment. The Persian word shakar, “sugar,” in turn came from Sanskrit arkar. The linguistic borrowings here reflect a broader history of cultural borrowing. In the 6th century the Persians borrowed not only the word for sugar from India but sugar itself. During and after Tamerlane's invasion of India in the late 14th century, opportunities for borrowing Persian things and words such as shroshakar were widespread, since Tamerlane incorporated Persia as well as India into his empire. It then remained for the English to borrow from an Indian language the material and its name seersucker (first recorded in 1722 in the form Sea Sucker) during the 18th century, when the East India Company and England were moving toward imperial supremacy in India. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

I like capri pants. They're a good alternative to the shorts/pants thing. And I don't think I have the prettiest legs, so they work well for me. I'm not Ally McBeall thin, but I'm not heavy either (size 10). The stretch-type fabric is not as flattering on me as cotton blends. I'm in my 40's & have 3 children, and capris are stylish without looking like I'm wearing something too young for my age.