FAVOURED BY FASHION

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 59, Issue 135, 21 March 1939, Page 3

FAVOURED BY FASHION

EDWARDIAN SILHOUETTE. The new Paris collections stress the grace and elegance of London in the mid-nineties. This winter’s evening silhouette is very like the familiar picture of Queen Alexandra on her afternoon drives; her ostrich feather boas, her curly ostrich feather hats, beveiled, perched loav on the forehead, rich brocades, delicate laces, A’elvets, moires and ottomens in all her favourite shades of mauve, her bunch of violets, above all her coiffure. For the Paris silhouette is dominated by the upward sweep of the coiffure. Accompanying it come blouses, morning and afternoon dresses, informal evening dresses, all high necked, many Avith little upstanding collars, evening dresses with leg-o’mutton sleeves reaching right to the Avrist, tiny evening hats, muffs. They are tantalising, neAV, gay. They require “putting on,” understanding, wearing-—the graceful poise of an exquisite, small head, a lissom figure, a tiny waist. The neAV clothes have revolutionised all the basic principles of, modern design. Accent is on the part of the anatomy .between the natural waistline and the bust, and it is imperative this looks tiny. Wrapon and one-piece foundations feature this portion unstretchable and boned, and give some ease over the hips, reversing all the old familiar principles that have held since the war. This emphasis on the Avaistline section naturally leads to a preference for the controlette, because only a. controlette can give the maximum Avaist control. For those Avho prefer a tAvo-piece foundation,; hoAvevev, there are cleverly built up Avaistline garments extending Avell up in front and loav over the buttocks at the back. Brassieres are designed to hold the bust high, rounded and Avidelv, separated, and have a deep bandeau to fit well down over the corset, thus increasing' the control of that all-important Avaist area. Last season’s corsets fall short of this season’s silhouette. It’s almost hopeless trying to look Edwardian if your foundation doesn’t properly emphasise your Avaist and bust. Even the neAV daytime clothes, which are as practical as anyone could wish, require the new season’s foundations to give them the slim midriff and high proud bosom that is the basis of the new silhouette. And the silhouette, after all, is the basis of the new fashions.