FASHIONS FROM PARIS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 156, 1 July 1916, Page 17

FASHIONS FROM PARIS.

(By a Parisian. Expert.) '. PARIS, May 2. THE MODE SERIES YOUTH. That the styles of to-day are essentially for the, young and slender no one can deny. Then: is the short, wide skirt, for example. Where is the sedate matron of 50 or thereabouts who, I after having worn a skirt that covered j her ankles for full thirty years, could I suddenly chop oft ten good inches and! feel perfectly comfortable ■walking about; in a skirt thai is even shorter than what was formerly known as ""shoe-top"' length , : Even the new boot, the 19Iβ top of which ha.= risen to meet the emergency, does not console her. tfhe does not feel comfortable in the very short skirt—''voik tont"! So it is the skirt—who revels in the short, wide skirt, but wp mi;st all admit that not even every girl looks well in the short street frock. It may be the fault of her build, of her carriage, of her long, swinging stride that she adopted at the beginning of the War. or it -may be the fault of her tailoj", but honesty compels mc to admit thait some of the silhouettes which I see an the streets from day to day are little short of grotesque. HOC3E GOWNS AND AFTERNOON" FItOCKS. When it comes to house-gowns and dressy afternoon frocks, it is quite a different thinjr, for. with a very trim shoulder line, a snug-fitting bodice, and foe: encased in damty, well-cut shoes, tap voluminous skirt i b> , it ever so short t i≤ at once becoming; and picture.ui.ic Never rli-1 coutuneres offer I more de'eetable afternoon frocks or the ! dressy kind than lor the spring and! I summer season o" l'Jlti. They are be-l j ribboned, be-purltd. h.vfrili.-.!.' and becorded; they arc be-flowered anJ belaced. Favourite colours are rose. blue. jieranium, and hoitensia. There ia also a yellow, and there are two shades of jrera. What ]:retty summer frocks in lisht stuffs and in muslins these will make! White Mil Ibe as popular as I ever, and the "materials are muslin. J faille. satin, taffetas, an-1 georgette j crepe. Crepe do chine is not -.vorn. for i the obvious reason that it dops not suit! \ the mode. It lacks the crispness of I j fiiile or tafleta.l. and the tilminess of j unislin and mousseline de scie. ' FOR PRACTICAL L\SE. The Parisienne's wardrobe is not com- ■ iDiete without one or more Iroojcs ot tint? ' served exclusively for country wear, as formerly. Very frequently they are worn in town, and stand out apainst a '■ monotonous background of dark blue ] serges and gabardines, because of the extreme auppieaess of the material. jrracpfd! fokb. Costumes of jersey cloth are very simply made, and usually consist of coat and skirt; the skirt. quite plain, and the eoa:. rather long, loose and belted. Sometimes the edpes are boua.l in narrow braid in the same shade, but no ether trimming is allowable. EALF-MOL'RNING. Hah'-mourning appeak to the average ■ woman, for she well knows she appear* to advantage in the simple mourning 5a rb of black and whit?. A most attric-

tive frock in half-mourning had the bodice of white crepe de chine, and the top of the faille skirt, which was turned down at the top, faced with white faille. Two deep puffs of faille bordered the bottom of the skirt, and ma<Je it appear quite voluminous. OUR SKETCH. All indications point to a continued popularity of faille, and the chic little half-mourning costume of black faille here illustrated is a cade in point. The 1 J short coat and the wide skirt are trim- ( ! mcd with crepe ruehings, while ti'el ' quaint little patch pockets, with their!

• floating streamers aiul tassels complete a ] '■ becoming and dainty ensemble. Th»i tnque which tope our model is of dull ■'. lack silk—the upstanding bow at the back, which id placed iv a very becemin.; ' I position, being of black crepe. i DETAILS. The short full skirt ia now an acceptel , Let. but there are many important cew of fashion not yet exploited by .' the majority. I can never understand J the peculiarly English slovrneso in renlis- | J in J. and reluctance to adopt, new deta.ls. Jlf you have not been able to get the kitlest" thins ' n coats and skirts, the weap"jing , of the newest collar and the right 11 boot will do much toward labelling you . j smart. CoHare are perhaps the '. essential details of the moment. In many cases they are mounted on .i .' ehemi~ette of lawn or net. and thU is a .' delightfully practical way of solving the 1 difficulty of laundering and the problem of what to do with our last season's lon necked blouses. , a The fashionable coiffure i≤ largely a matter of individual taste. The hair may be worn high or low, may be in a ■' wide or narrow effect, s A charming finish to a black chiffon I blduse i' a square double collar of whit- , - crepe with black dots.