Paris in the Mirror

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 114, 16 May 1931, Page 9

Paris in the Mirror

Wrfttw tor "Tb» P»tt". 'tar G«rmalh«.

1 ... , . . PABIS, 18th March. ! Before it dawned,- great things were prophesied for the 1931 period in every domain. If we are .to believe the papers,' the couturicrcs, financial experts, political maniacs, and general know-it-alls united their crystal gazingjs, pens, and tongues in heralding thia potential greatness of the new de-

cattle. ■ . [Everybody agreed' that extraordinary evolutions were due.'to ripen,"though. nobody seemed to know^ust what, or how. ■■< Sartorially speaking, • the :turnou*e wouU -appear to have had some foundation, for French fashions ; are having a real /Renaissance. Never have the'- creators been more .'creative. Noi not)! even in the 1930 period, when, judging by the true and false fashion too-'bs of the /period,' and picturesque magjaaincs, which can be picked up any day <on: the quais by the river, imagination,! as applied to female adornment, lan/W- Ana there is more tban a Freuilian Telation between, the word, Eenaij ssance used in connection with modem fashions and that florid epoch. ■There: is a richness, a profusion, a large sweep1 to the Paris couturieres' spring collections that remind one of a Medeei tpageant painted by Tintoretto, THJ3 NEW COLOURS AND THE i NEW TABRIOS. The! new colours are intensely interesting}.' The rich browns, that-run from the tolnesof old sherry and port, to the very darkest Ethiop's pate, those winereds, pike iiquid garnets and rubies, so dear Ho the Venetian painters, the. Amamnthe, favourite red of the Doges and *f Cesare Borgia, blues of sapphire land dark lapis-lazuli, pure enough to m;*ke the Madonna's mantle, and green—a live bronze-green, that might have jbeen taken right off a lady m Veron)ese. . , Them there are the fabrics, supple crepe fde chines, georgettes, marocams, and W silk jerseys, the flowered gauzes, the brocades—these are all new. In tihe realm of lingerie there are the lustreliass satins,,; the silk linens, the crepe jde chines and. batistes, and ■; the shantungs. Tor unceremonious afternoon rfresses a new mash material is now bwing used. This is silk stockinette vnth openwork and .English cmbroideiy. This fabric is_made! with little d«ts or lozenges, and is worn over a lightj-coloured foundation, usually matchiiig the fine lingerie collar and CUffs; :| ■ ■■'■■ ■..'■■■' Crepii georgine is one of the important materials for dressy occasion's. Nothing ib better' adapted to set off the, delicae3r of tho details which make the effect of tho dress, such as insertions, panels, tflounces, and pleats. Its supplenessj th c • gracefulness with which ;it falls, and its exquisite transparency are necessity for the proper expression' of the designers' ideas. '.. EVENliro DRESSES AS SEEN AT ; THE COLLECTIONS. ■' All ajnart evening gowns are now made Icing. Every dressmaker has his or her o>vn ideas as to what this length should be. For instance, a dressmaker will favtmr the high waist, as we see it in the pictures of Madame de Kecamier, anwther shortens the skirt in front to; leave room for the feet, and another snakes the fullness in tiers or flounces^ and adds panels to form trains. are put into the fullness of crepel godets are arranged in the form of .large fan-pleats, the fullness expanding most gracefully at the bottom. ' , Tho backward trend—flit necessarily the bustle —is being followed in a completely modern manner: Diagonal flounces of ruffles, ascending to meet the decolletee in back, oblige, your eye to "make the tourV of the figure, accentuating the sculptural, three-dimen-sional quality of the frock." Many orf the formal evening frocks nre made touching the heels at the back or actually trailing; other evening frocks are made with wide draped girdles that give the effect of a lower ■. waistline, : and another evening mode includes some beautifully original versions of this theme with draped or

shirred hip-lines picked with jewels and jewelLed girdles. s NEW LARGE HATS SHOW FOREHEADS. Don't, I beg you, make tho mistake of thinking that the wide brim hats of last year have' much in common with .those of this.. You will be wrong. Put

Morning iailor-nuide of dark blue chine material 'with casdquin in ro^e crepe. A soft,bow tie of the material, is fl neiv fashion note.

them together, and you will see that in every respect the new hats are only distantly akin to the old. These off-thc-forehead ■; turbans, to which we have all been faithful'for so long, have made their influence felt, and the result is that nearly all the new big hats show a large expanse of brow. If you complain that you have not one pretty . enough to show the milliners retort that that is your look-out. With the modern beauty-parlour any woman's forehead can look charming. Fashion takes no notice of what is; she is concerned only with what oughtto be; and this is the reason why there are so many more pretty women about nowadays than there used to be. But to return to our subject: The newest models are undoubtedly more becoming and more feminine than wero the old. HATS OF GROS-GRAIN RIBBON. It is emart this season to choose for wear with your softly-tailored suit a hat of gros-grain ribbon. This is a medium which seems to have taken popular favour this, spring, and is one of the means the milliners have taken to get away from the übiquitous felt. The shape, of course, must be on turban lines, \and it should be as neat and as tailored in appearance as possible. The large hat really is coming in' this summer, and, as I have just said, it will be quite different from the large hats of past seasons. The brim of this hat will appear to flop, although actually it is usually set in the most supple curves by skilled fingers, whose owner knows how much the same curves help in adding beauty to the face they shade. The crown, of course, is shallow, for one's head must appear to be as small as possible, and the trimming, if any, will be as exquisitely neat as the milliners know how to make it. Hats, as a matter of fact, are showing an in.triguing diversity of line, and women are finding out that an uneven brim is kind and very becoming. '