The dress of the Fremen m the days of the Atreides has long been a subject of specula turn because strictures against pictorial repre sentation were widely followed But discov enes from the Rakis Finds have answered many of the questions that so long puzzled the curious This information will be sure to stimulate the fashion wise trendsetters of our own times One of the stops on the Grand Tour of the tenth millennium was the Great Hall of the Imperial Palace on Kaildin In this lush edi fice the splendor of the Comnos was everywhere visible The walls of the Great Hall were covered, floor to ceiling with mosaics depicting the peoples of the Impenum among them, of course were Fremen But the Pal ace burned during an uprising early m Paul Atreides Jihad, and its art was thought lost forever Recently, though, the crystal cata logued as 1 F469 has been found to contain picto-discs revealing the art treasures of the Palace in all their majesty From these discs, from the occasional surviving portrait, and from records of the textile trade, the keen-eyed students of clothing culture have given us a new understanding of Fremen attiie Men's clothing appears to have been brightly colored-at least, clothing worn casually at home seems to have favored tones of yellow bright green, blues, crimson, and so on, for the trouser and jerkin On festival occasions, men would add a cloak of merino wool, m natural shades of black or buff Men's FREMEN CLOTHING 225 FREMEN CLOTHING O n84 MTt WouifcRTH- trousers were narrowly pleated at the waist, fitted closely to the leg, and ended just above the ankle Over this was worn a close ly fitted jerkin or jacket, cut in a deep vee to the waist, where it was held to the body by a belt of matching fabric closed by a buckle of metal or metalhum The favored metals were copper (thought to promote general health) or silver (said to aid virility) In the opening OB the chest, young men often wore tolsams or medallions, usually decorated with a religious theme, although some commemorated an event of the Jihad Older men often wore chains, not with medallions bat with small nngs symbolizing the water-rings they had won in battle On the bead, older men wore either a small turban or scarf, while youths went bareheaded The house shoe was most often a heelless slipper, which was replaced by townsmen with & heavy boot of sturdy yellow leather The desert Frcmcn doffed their slippers for a thick stocking over which, of course, went the specialized sutlsuit boot Women's clothing was similar to mat of men, except that another layer was added Although men's trousers were made of a medium-weight brocade weave, women's trousers were made of a fine cotton Those who could afford it luxuriated in troubers of the sheer cotton from Loomar The female jerkin- the giumlik-was likewise cut in a deep vee, and in the earliest days appears to have been worn open Later, however, jeweled clasps closed the jacket over the breasts and at the waist Over the trousert.