Ladies' Column.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 505, 24 January 1906, Page 2

Ladies' Column.

LATEST LONDON AND PARIS FASHIONS. Bs MISS IDA MELLEB [All Bights RsbbbvedJ A SIMPLE FRENCH DRESS. TO suooeed in the art of being welldressed a woman wants more than fashionable frooks. A pit into whioh many a would-be well-dressed woman falls is that baited with exaggerated types of modes of the moment, a oommon error being the exploiting of over-abundant ruffles at the elbows and too much effusiveness of frills elsewhere. The model on whioh a dress is built should, above all, be one that is entirely suitable to the material used. There are many things, indeed, to be oonsidered in the aim to be well-dressed, taste being a most important faotor, and out, in the matter of tailor-mades especially, having muoh to do with the success of a gown. For this reason and others, including the difficulties of pressing and shrinking, oloth ooat-and-skirt oostumes, that are usually recognised as tailor work, are rarely as suooesßful when built at home as the more dainty gowns, whose out is in a measure concealed by trimmings of sorts and plenty of flounoinga. The house-dress of soft oloth, with full skirt and draped bodioe, that represents one of the most beooming, useful and fashionable modes for women of forty and over, can be oarried out with excellent results by the home dressmaker of average intelligence if she be provided with a good pattern as a guide. The dress sketched is a Paris model that looks very distinguished in blaok faoeoloth, with a vest and high collar of white broderie Anglaise, a little blaok velvet bow at the neck and a larger one below, gathering up the drapery of oloth that falls in deep, heavy folds to the waist. The sleeves, long to the wrists, are entirely draped, and the skirt is pleated at the sides and arranged below the knees in horizontal

folds, This simple Frenoh dress is particularly becoming to the figure, if the bodioe is carefully out —and it should be draped at the baok across the figure, the drapery running upwards from the under arm Beams to the oentre baok seam. A pretty feature of the design is the long, narrow opening at the neok, A SJWAFT DRAPED BOLERO. Another example of a draped bodioe, or ratber bolero in this case, is given in the second sketoh, which represents a pretty vogue of the moment in voile and silk, with a round yoke of ivory guipure. In checked or plain voile the design works out with very good graoe. The original from which the sketch was made, is of oheoked voile, in a pale shade of blue and white, with straps of blue taffetas frilled with narrow Valenciennes laoe, and

a yoke of ooarse guipure, the oharming, little sleeves, with puffed tops drawn intipft&jg folds below and strapped with laoe-edged *•%* silk on the outer sides, being completed by frills- of voile. The fastening ooours at the back beneath a strap of silk; but a front fastening could ba arranged, the yoke, however, being olosed thereabouts and fastening on the left shoulder with small pearl buttons and worked loops. A BLOUSE OF BLACK LAWN.

The relief of laoe is all-essential to dressy blouses, be they of whatsoever material, and a pretty whim of the moment is the inletting of neoklaoes of fine laoe, these being particularly effeotive in the new laoe of Brussels oharaoter, with raised, double* petalled flowers. A large number of slipblouses are arranged with slender V-shaped fronts of fine or ooarse laoe let into the material, this being a newer idea than the square or round yoke. One suoh blouse is illustrated here, and the original is expressed in blaok lawn, arranged in small

tuoks. the inlet front being .of fine black laoe insertion, plaoed in diagonal lines and seamed up the oentre, where a flight of little bows in black ribbon velvet decorates the vest. Blaok guipure would be aa effeotive as fine laoe for the latter, and the cuffs should correspond with the laoe used and be strapped with lawn. A blaok blouse, either of lawn, as suggested, obiffon or Jap silk, made after the style sketched, is one of the most useful things a woman oan have in her wardrobe, and is of speoial servioe when visiting friends or holidaymaking in boarding-houses or hotels, since it adapts itself to many oooasions.

LINGERIE FOR THE TROUSSEAU. Fashions in lingerie run into wild extravaganoe where appealing to those of praotioally unlimited means, the daintiest of underwear in fine nainsook showing a profusion of small tuoks and an elaborate amount of hand-work besides, the latest idea being the mixing of fine laoe and handembroidered oambrio or nainsook in the % form of medallions, which are let into m oamisoles and entire washing outfits. ..JF Avoiding extravagance, however, are soma oharming speoimens of lingerie (quite suitable for a trousseau) unadorned by laoe. or tuoks, and sparsely embroidered with little bouquets of flowers or single marguerites, between the flowerß being slits,* whipped with flax, thread in harmony'^with-. the embroidery, through whioh are threaded; strings of pale blue or pale pink ribbon,£g£