FASHION NOTES FROM LONDON

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 230, 27 September 1911, Page 8

FASHION NOTES FROM LONDON

((From Our Lady Correspondent.)

LONDON, August 18,

Another week passes, and still shops are the only ones that dare to point to the fact that summer sunshine—continuing gloriously golden—passes, and autumn's chill winds approach with winter and warm garments, furs, and all the woolly paraphernalia of frost time and snow in the near future.

A hot and exhaustive survey of London shop windows this week gave me few new ideas to pass on to my New Zealand readers. Sales are making their last appeal to the pockets of their patrons, and "Final Reductions," "Last Few Days of Sale," etc., appear everywhere. In spite of all inducements, however, shops are practically empty—an advertisement of the fact that all who can go artvat tho seaside. AUTUMN MILLINERY is one of the few cold weather attributes that does not seem ludicrously out of place, since it is not remarkably heavylooking, and a good deal of it is already in evidence. Concerning it one thing cannot but be noted, and that is the preponderance of small models over large ones, .... ' THE CROWNLESS HAT, which is said to be one of the advance models of winter fashions, is, of course, our old friend the mushroom resurrected. It becomes only a few, and is apt to look floppy if not carefully trimmed; but, worn above a pretty face, it is girlish and shady looking. Some of the new models in this shape are weird indeed, and look like hats that have been put on an operating table and had their main features amputated, for, in place of a crown, they have a hollow, which is supposed to be lightly filled in tfith tulle when the hat is trimmed. Through this, of course, the hair shows. Tiny frills of tulle, always a dark colour on light straw, often form the only trimming on the brimless toques that are, still, so universally popular. Some of these, on top of the frills, have trails of tiny delicate or bright coloured flowers. A piquant model I saw had rows upon rows of little frills of black silk tulle on a white tagel foundation, with sprays of bright red flowers, at intervals of about an inch apart, running from the "brim" and meeting in the centre of the crown. COLOURED PIPING to harmonise or contrast with a gown if still seen, though there is no rage for it as there was in the spring. A neat navy -serge coat that I saw a few days ago had a narrow edging of dark emerald silk inside the neck opening, simply but effectively embroidered with black French knots, and a particularly smart coat and skirt, also of navy blue serge, had an unusual touch of colour introduced by numbers of small gun-metal buttons (in ; shape like trouser buttons) stitched on plentifully with red silk. ■ A PRETTY BLOUSE on view this week, that could easily be copied, was of strips of emerald silk and black net, over a foundation of white net, the whole covered with slightly pleated black ninon. , r " A" CHIC TOUCH, A pretty and original embellishment of a lingerie gown come? from Paris. Why is it, by the way, that our best ideas and most piquant come from Paris, and seem impossible of invention in England, where the fair-skinned and upright Englishwoman can carry them off better than many a Parisienne. At present in France, as in England, in this roasting weather, neckbands* are being discarded, and much transparency sported. In order to soften the outline of their generous day decollette, many Parisian women have a wide Toby frill of pleated tulle that is most picturesque. On a white lingerie gown the collarette of pleated tulle is black or very dark blue, all theo ther hems of the gown being edged with similar tulle. The edge of the tunic, sleeves, and the belt often match the frill at the neck. LACE VEILS are again Very popular in England, though, as I remarked a few weeks ago, only American tourists seem to wear white ones. Those seen on Englishwomen are generally black, and are worn on the hat and draped gracefully over the brim, but seldom over the face. The hideous freak fignrings on veils that were in vogue some months ago have, happily, disappeared. THE HAREM' INFLUENCEis rather amusingly apparent in advance models of costumes destined for tho moors. The skirts are daringly slit at the sides about a foot up from the hem, but instead 1 of trousers underneath nothing more shocking than a panel of dark cloth to match or harmonise with the tweed is seen.