FASHION NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 67, 20 March 1926, Page 26

FASHION NOTES.

(BY AN EXPERT.)

PARIS, December 9.

Chinese figures and landscapes in vivid greens and reds and blues painted or printed on silk figures are on some

new models of hats. The model somewhat resembles a jelly-mould, writes our Paris correspondent, in shape, with four flaps turned upwards and attached to the crown of the perfectly moulded round cap, and it is these flaps that are of the gaily decorated silk. Another decoration which still holds good, consists of the rose of pale gold or silver kid, set on a brim of brown or black satin. This model was very much in fashion last season, and milliners have seen bo many possibilities in it, that they are doing all sorts of wonderful things in the way of gold and silver kid flowers on the hats. All the latest models are made to be worn set low on the head —we don't seem somehow to be able to get away from this fashion. If you visit any of the smart milliners, you Will find it difficult to get your vendeuse to sell you anything but a tiny hat, and that in colour, either pastel or frankly gay. One has, in fact, to be quite persistent, in order to get a plain black hat. The shape or the trimmings are nearly always in colour—tempting colours—from palest flesh to deepest purple, with blues and greens galore, and yellows like the buttercups and dandelions of the fields. The amusing tug-of-war between straight lines and the flare, continues. I heard it described, the other day, as sympolical of the war of the sexes, the straight line, typifying the masculine, and the curve, the feminine principle. I must say, that the present-day elegante does her best to preserve a strict neutrality. She first achieves miricles of self-denial, in order to preserve her curveless, planked-shape silhouette, and cuts her hair as short as a man's. Then, she divides her attention between clothes copied faithfully from her brother's and fluttery feminine things, reminding one of a butterfly's wings, beating about its slender body. When skirts flare, they must be short. Long, flaring lines are dowdy. Extremes of shortness do not seem to frighten : anybody. Short skirts, however, have I reached their zenith. For the very good reason that they cannot very well climb any higher! But their hem-lines are uneven, very often, and the deepest point id but a few inches above the ankle. Very short skirts are certainly only for the slim, although it isn't wise to wear long skirts, when everyone else is doing the other thing. When a ' fashion is raging, as brevety of skirt is raging, at present, it is really wiser, much wiser, to be a sheep. Originality is admirable, but one supperlative demands another. Do women really admire shingled hair? A really well-known Paris fashion journal has just published the results of a competition, in which its fair readers were asked to submit designs of their ideas of the charming feminine silhouette. The majority of the designs submitted showed long coiled hair, a chignon, or roll low down on the back of the neck seemed to be the favourite style. The bobbed and shingled designs came very far down on the lißt. Now, what are we to think? If woman do not think shingled hair charming, why do they wear it shingled- It is that they sacrifice artistic convictions to more utility, or is it the old question of the sheep once more —a mere imitative propensity? Dress gloves for women seem to have taken on as many novelties in style and contrasting colour effects, as possible during the past few seasons. There has been a decided reaction in favour of mannish stitched gloves and plain chamois models this season. The handstitched glove—the glove in white or buff, and the stitching in black —is particularly smart with the severely tailored redingote or coat-dress. Gloves in that pale tan known aa "blonde," are worn with shoes and purse of the same colour. Our Sketch. Our sketch shows a quaint little evening dress carried out in lime-green satin, and embroidered at the hip and at the

Although in the past 25 years women (have made great strides as scholars and lin the learned professions, few have ever j found the opportunity of widening their j knowledge and experience by study and . travel abroad, except during summer vacations. But at an "At Home" given by Miss Sybil Campbell and Miss Calender, at Crosby Hall, London (the ■ headquarters of the International [Federation of University Women), Dr. | Winifred Chillis told a representative of ian English paper that it is hoped to change all that. In 1910, she said, only two countries had joined their federation; now they have branches in 21 countries. Professor Cullis referred to the scheme which includes an "International Fellowships Fund." The idea !is to provide fellowships to enable the best women scholars in Europe, America and the British Empire to study for a [year- at the university of their choice.