SALES END—SPRING ARRIVES

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 71, 24 March 1915, Page 8

SALES END—SPRING ARRIVES

& OTHIHG VERT STARTLING IN HEW STYLES. •FASHION NOTES FROM LONDON. ■(From Our Lady Correspondent.} LONDON, February 5. Only a few firms venture on the exelusiveness of sales in February, and it is assumed that all others ■ thankfully note the close of the last day of January;. Therefore, it is all the more astonishing that hardly a shop window can resist the temptation to pretend a sale is still on! SPRING FASHIONS, have arrived—the most welcome of the year, always, not hailed this time with much beyond a sort of symbolic joy as remembrances of Spring, the beginning of new times and. hopes. They are fresh and bright-looking, rather than startlingly different from those of the winter. HATS are small-brimmed, toque-shaped, and have generally very narrow, upturned brims, the most popular medium being fine grained coloured tagel. One or two strange examples of an attempted blend of old-fashioned colourings, with bizarre modernity are to be seen, pinks and blues, with one startling addition of some foreign shade. One neat model perhaps worth attention was a dove-grey straw, round the deep Tound crown of which was a narrow loose band of pale pink panne velvet, while a couple of tiny imitation pheasant wings were stitched on to the left ride of the brim, just there straight though upturned the rest of the way round. POKE BONNET SHAPES, slightly modified, show signs of being popular, the foundation, strangely enough, of pale coloured velvets, sometimes edged with a thin line of dark fur. ONE GOLD ROSE on one large black velvet hat can be effective and striking, but a thousand gold Toses on » thousand black hats is a thoroughly gloomy spectacle, and there seems to be just a fear that these may return to the over-popularity that was theirs before. IMITATION AIGRETTES and black brush mounts of various descriptions are 'being worn as the sole trimming of the upturned mourning toques that, alas, become more common each week. ! A PECULIAR EMBELLISHMENT has been thought out by some milliners for hats, which the simple soul will be glad to see marked at such high prices that exclusiveness is assured. They are. fairly large and almost entirely covered with strange wispy ends of feathera sometimes in different colours, sometimes all of one, but always requiring multitudes otf feathers to carry out the licheme. ; Sometimes one long wisp shoots out from the. centre of the crown: LOOSE MESHED VEILS i of fibre or rather thick silk, and with a fine deep border in a colour to match the hat, are being worn loose over the face and hanging a little down the back. COSTUMES. j It is difficult so far to prophesy what' the prevailing fashion in coats is to be, but there are no signs in the models now being shown that very long models' will return. The grey silky rep cloth that enjoyed such universal popularity i two years ago, is apparently coming in again, and with it the excellent white pique that we.all like for collars, cuffs, insets, vests," etc. So far all costumes of this have smart short coats hanging loose from .the bust in front and from, the shoulders "at the back,.though they arc in no way voluminous. Sometimes these are split up at the back and laced with cord. Both naval and military costumes are, as might be expected, very much to the fore in the new styles, some of the naval ones so conspicuously identified with an officer's uniform that the -wearer need not be surprised if she "is expected to acknowledge a constant, salute as she walks the streets in -these military days with marines in tens,of thousands about. Khaki covert coating is also well to the fore, some coats; and skirts even being made with pockets, military collars, and broad belts, finished with military buttons. Fine navy surge is to enjoy its usual well-deserved popularity. ——— i LACED BELTS, that is to say, broad belts mounted on something stiff and laced together in front with .cord, appear on some expensive coats and skirts. VERY BRIGHT WAISTGOAfc of soft brocaded silks in vivid rose, bottle-green, yellow, violet, etc., in redingote shape, meeting on. the buist and then cut away to two joints, are being worn with- sombre 'coloured costumes. SILK INDOOR COATS of very chic proportions will appeal to those who like to be as smart indoors as out. They are so far of costly handembroidered taffetas with the ground generally dark, and the embroidery in bright clusters, are made rather loosely with long slender sleeves, and drawn in just above the waist on a cord before being finished with a tiny frilled basque. NEW PLEATED YOKES on the skirts of charmeuse dresses, for afternoon wear have three flat horizontal pleats to a of about seven inches fro.ni the waistline.