The Inter-Continental Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya, held a Malagasy Festival Week last week, following the considerable success of the hotel's recent Swiss Week. The Malagasy Festival ended on Saturday (30 March) with a colourful fashion show featuring designs, fabrics and clothes from the Malagasy Republic.

Most of the dresses and costumes were made from hand-woven cotton, raw silk, polished silk, raffia, pineapple fibre and even cloth woven from silk cocoons.

Another main feature of the week-long Festival was a display by a troupe of Malagasy dancers, musicians and actors, depicting some of the traditional folklore of the island. There was also a lavish buffet of traditional Malagasy dishes, and French wines and cheeses.

Throughout the week three was a Malagasy "market", and a competition was run in conjunction with Air Madagascar with a first prize of two return tickets form Nairobi to Madagascar.

SYNOPSIS: A fashion show provided a colorful climax to the Malagasy Festival Week, held at the Inter-Continental Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya, last week, The show -- organised by African Heritage Limited -- was given on the last tow days of the Festival -- Friday and saturday.

The polish silk used to make this gown was just one of the traditional materials the designers and turned to, to make and elegant and contemporary collection of clothes, Many of the more casual outfits won admiring glances from Miss India, who was among the guests.

The sari was prominent among the more gracious styles chosen by the designers, and silk was a "must" to provide the soft, billowy lines of this essentially traditional costume. But in Malagasy, silk is used in a variety of different forms, and the designers could choose form raw and polished silk.

The whole display was given a bright and easy-going background by the music, and among the prominent guests who obviously enjoyed the East African rhythms were films star Michael Caine and his wife. The vivid colours of the dresses added to the relaxed informality of the occasion, but there was till the occasional evening dress that carried an air of dignity and elegance suited to more formal times.

Many outfits were apparently designed for sun-lovers wanting to dash from house to beach and on to a dance. This two piece was made from raffia, and the necklace was dyed raffia. The show, together with the other events of the Festival week, successfully transferred the stimulating atmosphere of Madagascar to the Kenyan capital.