COLOURS OF PROVENCE

No wonder artists have always been inspired by the warm Mediterranean colours of the South of France. You can see them in every village, on the shutters and doors, in the striped blinds, the arrays of ripe fruit and vegetables, and again in the Provencal costumes of the past - quilted skirts bunched up to show bright petticoats, cloaks of patchwork silks in the special capes from Arles, the little geometric and 'boteh' paisley patterns on the scarves, aprons and bonnets, all in wonderful sunny shades echoing the landscape, the ochre rocks, and flowers in the maquis wild vegetation, and the blue, blue sky. At present, the dealers complain that costume sells better than mere yardage - but where can they find clothes in good condition and in sizes fit for beefy anglo-saxons? No, they say, no-one wears this stuff, it just goes into collections and decorates empty spaces. It's a fashion!