Ladies' Column.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 504, 17 January 1906, Page 2

Ladies' Column.

LATEST LONDON AND PARIS FASHIONS. BY MISB ADA MELLEK, [ALE KIGHTS KEBEBVHD.] A SIMPLE BODICE WITH WAISTCOAT FRONT. DRESS may do muoh, as we all know, to improve or detract from the appearanoe, and it is in the power of every woman to make the best of herself by the fashion of ber clothes, but laek of taste often stands in the way of the best results exposing themselves. A few y9ars ago matronly modes were a olass by themselves, but to-day there is very little distinction between fashions for thirty and sixty, and the elder woman wears what the younger woman wears. Nevertheless there are one or two prevailing modes that seem to suggest dignity and are speoially well suited to

matrons. Among them is the tight-fitting bodice, whether draped or otherwise, the fall bodioe, with drooping waist, being far more youtbful-looking. It is particularly beooming, especially when it is draped, or out with low waistcoat fronts, as in the bodioe sketched, which shows a deep expanse of vest. The fronts are cut double breasted, and the revers are faood with embroidery worked on oloth or silk of a contrasting colour to the bodioe, which is

I suitable fox either serge or oloth. The i sleeves are quite simple, after the fishiou of the ordinary ooat sleeve. Moire might face the revere instead of embroidered oloth, and in this oase a small piping of the bodioe material would be an improvement,

A SUGGESTION FOR A RENOVATED

BODICE.

Renovations, as anyone who has attempted dressmaking knows well enough, are fare more diffioult to aooomplish than the dress out from new material. A blouse of whioh the sleeves are demode might very well be renovated after the fashion of the sketch, the old sleeves being out up for the broad band, covered with stitching, that borders the round-out neck, and also for the soroll shoulder-straps, whioh are like-

wise oovered with stitching, a oouple of straps passing each shoulder and holding together the front and back of the blouse, This is a simple, pretty style for silk and muslin or oloth and laee. There is no fulness on the upper part of the blouse, whioh just fits the figure easily and hangs straight, the material being gathered naturally into the waist. The fastening might ooour at the baok, or that part of the blouse, like the front, might be oloaed, when dealing with new Rtuff, and the under-ami Beams be left open, so that the blouse oan be slipped over the head.

RENOYATING MATS. Towards the f-ig end of a season it is no uncommon thing for hats to require some renovating touohes that will enable them to last out, with a fashionable appearance, until a new season has been fairly entered upon. One of the simplest means of renovating a wide-brimmed hat is the ruohe of frayed silk, ribbon or tulle, whioh is quiokly made and adjusted; another easily-arranged, inexpensive trimming, especially suitable to the sailor hat, is the narrow band of velvet knotted into a smart little bow at the left side, and above it. pieroing the orown, a oouple of quills. This reoalls some charmingly pretty sailor hats, with pale blue velvet bands laid on ruffles of Valenoiennes laoe. Draperies or rosettes of tulle or soft satin ribbon that are crushed with wear should be unpioked, dusted and ironed, and will probably be quite fresh enough to be used again, and last out the season. Some of tbe most fashionable hats are very scantily trimmed, and it is easy, therefore, to renovate modishly at a trifling oost. A trimming muoh affected is the stiff bandeau of Bilk or satin, set upright round the brim of a hat and finished at the baok with a soft bow with slightly fringed ends. The wreath of ribbon-loops, close and oompaot, trimming the base of the orown, is another fashion in millinery that is easily accomplished by the amateur hat-trimmer; whereas the arrangement of ostrioh feathers and the knotting of high bows require more experienced hands. The art of bow-tying is, indeed, no easy one to master without previously taking a course of instruction. The home-made hat may often be detected simply through the method of bow-tying.

THE BRIDAL HEAD DRESS. A point of interest in the attire of brides is the head dress. Orange-blossoms and a veil aie, of oourse, the orthodox dressing, but these are open to variations, in that the veil may be of tulle, net, blond or other laoe, and the orange-blossoms dispose themselves as a wreath, coronet, or sprays. A reoent bride invented a novel head dress showing small low hoops of orange-blossoms through whioh the veil was threaded; another wore her tiara of bridal flowers baoked by a pyramid of loops and ourls of hair; a third dressed her hair with a half-hoop of orange-blossoms posed at the back of the head, supporting) as it were, the ooila of hair that formed the ornamental part of her coiffure; and a fourth wore her orange flowers in a way that suggested they formed the head a baok oomba Aigrettes and Geisha knots of bridal flowers are other new fashions i but some of the prettiest young brides have adopted the simple wreath plaoed forward on the head —a Btyle that is special ly becoming when the hair is simply parted in the centre, Madonna fashion, and drawn gently baok over the ears in full, soft rouleaux. On occasions flowering myrtle takes the place of orange-blossom 3. As for the bridal veil, the richest laoe is not so becoming as plain, clear tulle. This, in its most deoorative guise, has a hem of satin ribbon, and perhaps a few little bands of narrow ribbon along the border; or boasts white silk hand-embroidery in the oornersg