TEXTILES AND FUNCTION WITHIN FASHION
Sarah Braddock

Today's fashion is intrinsically linked to function due to the latest advances in technology. Highly-functional fabrics include those which are good insulators, "breathable", ones which provide protection against radiation/chemicals and those which can prevent the growth of bacteria. These properties used to be found mainly in clothing developed for survival wear or extreme sports, but interest from the fashion world has been increasing. International designers of both prêt à porter and haute couture are responding to these sophisticated textiles and using them to create garments with a new aesthetic for the third millennium. In this way, their different looks and ways of handling are appreciated as well as their high-performance capabilities. Areas of microtechnology, new finishing treatments and the influence of sport and technology transfer are all discussed.

MANLINESS, MODERNITY AND THE SHAPING OF MALE CLOTHING: RESEARCHING A TAILORING ARCHIVE
Christopher Breward

The following represents work based on an examination of some of the publications of the Tailoring Archive housed at the London College of Fashion. It illustrates the uses to which a technical and trade-based collection of material can be put in arriving at a cultural and historical interpretation of men's fashion. Donated to the college by the Clothing and Footwear Institute in 1983, the archive consists of approximately 600 technical guides and periodicals which formerly belonged to the offices of the Tailor and Cutter Journal (established in 1866). I am grateful for the help of archivist Janine Odlevak and the staff of the London College of Fashion Library in furthering this research.

"NATURAL" PLEATING IN ANCIENT EGYPT: A LOST TECHNIQUE?
Ann Richards

The Ancient Egyptians pleated some of their linens. It has long been assumed, on the basis of surviving pleated garments, that all Egyptian pleating was mechanically imposed on finished cloth. Recent archaeological research has raised the possibility that a form of "natural" pleating was also known. This paper is an account of "work in progress" investigating "natural" pleating in linen. My research pursues two lines of enquiry. The first is theoretical, drawing on both historical and scientific sources, and the second is experimental, aiming to determine the specifications of yarn and sett that could create satisfactory "natural" pleating. In this paper, I review the evidence offered by archaeologists for the use of "natural" as opposed to imposing pleating in Ancient Egypt, examine the possible mechanisms involved, and explain the preliminary results of my own research and its future directions.

THE LINEAGE OF COLOUR FORECASTING IN THE UK
Graham Worth

This paper is an attempt to open up debate, to a wider audience, regarding a topic being researched in t he Textile/Fashion Department at the Manchester Metropolitan University. Much of the initial interest in the topic was stimulated by the completion in 1998 of the author's PhD entitled Textile Design Consultancy in the UK: A study of a small group of textile design consultants working in the UK. The PhD research in addition to literature searches and reading of relevant texts also included interviews with textile design consultants and examination of supporting visual material. This paper proposes that much of what we regard as colour forecasting in the UK id based on a tradition established in the 1930's by the British Colour Council. As the research is in its early stages further funding and staffing are currently being sought to develop and widen the topic.

TO FIT OR NOT TO FIT
Denise Gray

Within the UK, apparel production is dependent on the use of block patterns which will fit the average woman. Sizing standards have been formulated on data collected during a survey in 1951. Garments are manufactured to correspond with standard sizes, even so inconsistency of sizing prevails within the High Street. The populace is changing size and shape and research has identified that women today are significantly larger than the British Standard size 12. This paper discussed the development of sizing systems, the commissioned research projects to establish contemporary women's size and identifies the need for a less preclusive sizing system for women. In addition, it identifies how the implementation of new technology could provide the apparel industry with two alternative methods, which could improve the fit of women's apparel.

THE REPRESENTATION OF CONCEPTS IN TEXTILE DESIGN
James Moxey

Studies of the techniques used by designers to represent design concepts have focussed on the disciplines of industrial design and product design. The unique nature of textiles means that textile designers require more varied approaches to concept representation. This paper describes methods used by a sample of student textile designers to represent textile design concepts.

RESEARCH NOTES
Ann Richards