FASHION NOTES FROM PARIS.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 116, 17 May 1924, Page 22

FASHION NOTES FROM PARIS.

(By AN EXPERT.)

PARIS, January 26. i The acuteness of the housing prob- ' lem in Paris is vividly demonstrated by the revelation that considerably more ; than half of the population lives in ' hotels or furnished flats. There was a time when the family that lived in anything but a house or flat furnished with i their own effects was regarded with a more or less suspicious eyes by their ' neighbours. The non-possession of a j house full of furniture was often asso- ; ciat.d in their minds with fly-by-night practices. Now there is no stigma attached to residents in furnished flats. There are lots of people with fat bank . balances, but no "sticks" of their own. ! As for renting conditions, they are beyond words. Apartments are literally not to be found; the few that are available rent at unspeakable prices,' and where to go, how to acquire a roof above one's head, has become a burning question. When I consider this situa- ; tion, I admire as they deservo these beautiful homes in which every article is a treasure in a perfect frame. What would they cost at the present time? It is unbelievable the price that ia now asked for the simplest piece of antique furniture. Eight thousand, ten thousand francs is the price of an ordinary little table such as, before the war, we would have considered dear at a thousand or fifteen hundred francs. . Sometimes I have asked some of these dealers whether he sold many pieces in a day at such a price, and tho reply, ] given with more than a touch of scorn, is: "These tables are not difficult to sell, madame. It is only when you I come to the pieces at a hundred or a hundred and fifty thousand francs that there is any difficulty!" I asked no

nore at that point; safety lies in light. I returned to my taxi lost in thought, considering the many marriages which are taking place at present, woniering how the new homes are ever furnished. Many newly-married couples have to live now in hotels. They see no wisdom in buying a "home" when there is such a slender prospect of finding a house to put it in. Almost weekly surprises seem to arrive from Paris headquarters in connection with the fancy little coats and skirts. Only the other day we were discussing the Parisian uniform of crinkled velvet, and here, right on top comes another, direct from the same centre, comprising a flat pleated skirt of dull black satin, worn with a short belted jacket of embroidered cloth or satin suede. The high-class couturiere this season is using smooth-faced materials for the coat frocks which I'arisiennes love so dearly —such as kasha and perllaine, and, for the more dressy examples, heavy-weight marocain and dull satin. In style the majority appear to be slim and rather fitted to the figure, while in lieu of the usual narrow belt or metal girdle a long waistline is defined by closely grouped gorgings or thick pipings. At the back they may perhaps pouch just a trifle though that is not of necessity. Again in lieu of the common-place squareshaped collar that can be worn up 01 down, there comes an exceedingly high band of the fabric cut with a subtle flare at the top, so as to set easily above the tip of the chin. With the coming heavy fixtures for dances and balls for New Year festivities, a great deal of attention is naturally bestowed on dance dresses. Where these are concerned it requires a certain amount of courage to step away from the decree of closely swathed skirts and long, slim bodices. Not that there is not plenty of diversity brought to bear on such models. The more so now the "Bateau" decolletage is giving way before the really more become V shaped and low round. A V bodice that is amusing and uncommon is draped in soft defining folds to the waist at the back. Another that might be, but seldom is, cut in one with the jupe, Princess-wise, crosses right over in front, to fasten on the opposite hip, where the skirt draperies take up the story. In soft satin, the last named is a style that can positively do no wrong, j and with the exception of some handsome jewelled ornament on the hip, there is never a vestige of extraneous decoration. At the same time, this severely classical type of gown is inclined to add a few years to a debutante, and it is the jeune fille who would be well advised to take her courage in i her hand, and launch forth into rather I more fussjr little dance frocks, the skirts I slightly hipped, if the material and gen eral character of the design permits surmounted by a normal waist and close-fitting corsage. When a frock after this genre is achieved in georgette it is a veritable triumph.

Our Sketch. This coat-frock is of chestnut coloured crepe marocain, with vari-coloured embroidery on the skirt, the collar, the revers, and the cuffs. The collar is

wired at the back, the sleeve trimmings also, while, from the hip-pocket, there falls a handkerchief of the same embroidery, completing a very unusual ensemble.