LONDON AND PARIS FASHIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 5, 7 January 1899, Page 6 (Supplement)

LONDON AND PARIS FASHIONS.

(From Our London Correspondent.)

EMBROIDERY ALL THE RAGE.

The white piques that are fairly incrusted with embroidery in a heavy white braid are among the handsomest things of the day. I have noticed so many of them lately made in such a smart fashion, with coats and skirts and fancy blouse vests. The coats are cut square in front to hang down in tabs, while the back is short and saucy. The braiding covers the whole coat, revers, body, sleeves, and all, and is rich in effect. The braiding on the skirt usually is heaviest and most elaborate on the front breadth, where it extends nearly to the waist, gradually tapering off at the sid_es, till at the back it is quite narrow*. Some of the skirts aire made with the flaring circular flounce, in whichL case the flounce is richly braided all over, and the seams of the upper part are also decorated with braid.

An incrusted white pique like this is perfectly stunning when worn with a full ruffled blouse vest of turquoise blue muslin under the coat and a hat of rough yellow straw trimmed with black wings and black taffeia ribbon.

Gray piques, or rather drab ones, are tbe very latest thing in piques, and are smart. The shade is so soft and becoming that any one can wear it, and it is exceedingly stylish.

Never in the history of dress has white been so generally used as at present. It is even invading the mourning department, and more white dresses are ordered for ladies in black than have ever been heard of before. Indeed, every effort is being made to break the monotony of the intensely sombre costumes that custom prescribes as first mourning. Dresses of nun's veiling cashmere, pique, serge and cotton goods are called for every day. These are made up on very simple lines, great care being taken to avoid everything in the way of elaborateness.

Among' the summer designs one of the simplest and prettiest is of fine white pique. The skirt is quite plain, and has a narrow apron, and is very close fitting in the upper part and flat in front, the material being quite tight round the hips, and there being no pleats at the waist behind. The fulness begins below the hips behind and at the sides, and develops into wide hollow pleats at. the bottom. The skirt touches the ground all round. The corsage is a rather long bolero, coming down to the waist. It is closed, crossing over from right to left, but there is a slight opening at the top. The upper part just reaches the neck at the sides and back. The bolero is trimmed with a row of dyed guipure insertion, with rose patterns in high relief; it is tight in the back and seamless, and taken in in front, The sleeves are tailor made, set in in large pleats, are rather small along the arms, and almost tight below the el-

bow. They are trimmed with dyed guipure insertion four centimetres wide. The chemisette is of white cambric finely pleated. The neck trimming and scarf are of the same material,and the scurf is fastened by a large soft bow of the same material. The waistband is of white pique five centimetres wide, and round, and is stitched very closely so as to look almost like braid. The hat which completes the costume

is of rough plait straw, amazon shap-1 ed, with turn-up brim and pointed in front The crown is flat on the top, j of moderate size, and low. The hat is J trimmed with a drapery of soft white j faille, with a large bow of tbe same in front, in which are set two curled ostrich feathers, drooping right and j left. !

Dainty lingerie is a part of all nice women's wardrobes. Here is an illustration of a very pretty nightdress made in white flannelette, with a yoke, and trimmed with deep flannelette embroidery. It wears well, and always looks nice. It can be made in linen with lace trimmings. The newest, sleeve is close, so close that when made by an artist it hugs the arm without a wrinkle and rolls up from the' small cuff that overspreads the knuckles clear up to the armpits. Here, like a smoothly drawn kid glove, the sleeve opens bell-shape around a small puff, which rather resembles a musk-melon in shape, and, if the sleeve is cloth or silk, this puff

is most likely made of gathered or plaited silk muslin. To complete the arms' decoration, a very modest flat epaulette extends from the shoulder upon the puff. A bit of braided cloth, two wedge shaped pieces of goods, or scraps oi rich embroidery, form the epaulette, that is invariably edged with a narrow quilting of material from which the puff is made.- /../.-£_. AA ROSELLE.