Colonial Noumea—
pp. 53-56 · Read in the full issue
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From Helen Rousseau
The Paris fashion world is reaching closer to Noumea, with the recent visit of a member of the House of Christian Dior, the setting up in business of a former Dior couturiere and the latest creations brought back from Paris by an Australian arcade owner in Noumea's Quatier Latin.
A young Caledonian who has trained at the House of Dior in Paris has just returned to open her own boutique.
She is Miss Georgette Eduffe, who spent years in Paris and also worked for two years with a French couturiere in Sydney.
The new boutique Dorothea was opened at the end of November by Mr.
Francois de Roussy de Sales, a visiting representative of the House of Dior. Mr. de Sales had arrived from Sydney on a tour to launch the new Christain Dior cosmetics in the Pacific—Australia, New Caledonia and French Polynesia. He ex plained that the new range of Dior "maquillage" is presented in 150 colours, especially concentrated on the eyes, and inspired by the gowns created by the gowns created by Christian Dior.
Women in the South Pacific are being favoured with the new Dior "explosion de couleurs" as it is not until next north ern spring, in March, that the products will become available in Japan and the US.
Meanwhile "Dorothee" in Rue Sebasto pol will be among the shops offering Dior perfumes and cosmetics as well as "pret-a-porter" (ready-to-wear), lingerie and jewellery with the Christian Dior label.
Not far from the Quatier Latin end of Rue de Sebastopol, the Australian wife of a Caledonian businessman, Mrs. Betty Nawa, returned from Europe in December with the latest models of ladies' and men's wear. Mrs. Betty Nawa has been in Noumea for over 20 years and operates the "Bettina Arcade" on Avenue de la Victoire, where two banks are also con veniently located.
The arcade offers a hardressing salon, shoes from France and Italy and boutiques
In present-day Noumea, modern department stores and super markets rub shoulders with colonial architecture, like the Hotel New Orleans below, and the old ironwork and orna mented paving of the main post office (page 51).
for men's wear and ladies' fashions from bikinis to culotte gowns.
Mrs. Nawa was surprised on this latest visit to France to find that beside their stately old buildings and exclusive tiny boutiques, the French are now putting up great shopping complexes—reminis cent of Roselands in Sydney, but with that extra French flare for fantasy.
Speaking of fashions from Paris and the Riviera, Mrs. Nawa hinted that girls would be greatly tempted to steal their men's wear, now that close fitting trousers and shirts have become so popular. Her Paris "Club'' shirts (the French delight in English labels to be fashionable) are of fine lacy and embroidered fabrics, with tucks and shaping to achieve the "pres-du-corps" line (close to the body).
These are priced at $B-11. The men's pants are also very sleek and form fitting, slightly flared at the bottom to give what the French call the "elephant's foot" look ("patte d'elephant").
For those who have finished their rambling through the shops and quaint old wood and stone houses in the Quatier Latin, behind the Avenue de la Victoire, Bettina Arcade offers an up stairs coffee shop.
This is a popular haunt of young "militaires" from the army barracks up the hill. The balcony above the flaming poincianas on the Avenue de la Victoire overlooks the gendarmerie headquarters and offers a gay view of the parade of Noumea's inhabitants and their flashing automobiles.
Finally, for home-makers seeking decorative linen, towels and table wear in Noumfea, "Blanc et Couleurs" opened in December in the middle of the Rue de I'Alma with an elegant selection of cotton and linen goods from Italy.
Noumea is more than shops. There are fine beaches, such as this one on the Bay du Citron (at top), there are parks, such as the famous Coconut Square in the heart of town (centre), and modern homes scattered about the hillsides over looking the bays. Noumea is on the point of a boom, following announcement of a big new de velopment of the island's nickel riches. Noumea's present popula tion of 50,000 is expected to double by 1984.