FASHION NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 21, 25 January 1936, Page 3 (Supplement)

FASHION NOTES.

THE NEW POWER. SUBTLE COMBINES OF COLOUR. (By A PARIS EXPERT.) The new fashions make Paris more French. The city at night is full of daguerreotypes: Women with sloping shoulder anci blossoming skirts, and hair parced in the middle. Exhalations of pinkness and fragility abound—a superlatively Gallic pose, exalting the feminine. In a sense, though, it is not a pose, women are genuinely trying to regain their kingdom again, the kingdom of gentle power. Power through coquetry— through the swish of skirts and the halfglance over the edge of a fan. Power, through the arch of an ankle (so new a sight!), shown by the new up-in-the front gown. Power through all the mighty battery of charms that, paradoxically, accentuate weakness. Needless to say, the men are delighted. Certain women do specific things with this mode. Some well-known Parisiennes accentuate this "girlishness" by wearing heelless sandals, some make a sort of halo of curls on the top of their heads, others wear fringes. Old-fashioned bouquets of natural flowers held tight in aureoles of tulle or paper lace, are revived. And fans add charm. A number of women wear curls tight, flat and lacquered in the manner of Greek heads. And all wear jewels in their hair at night—clips, diamonds and crystal stars, wings, jewels, flowers, the two small clips to the hair like wings, or the diamond curls shaped like wood shavings.

Revues and the revival of classic plays have had a lot to do with these new fantasies of the coiffure. And the craze for multi-coloured crystal stars, continues, and these are used on hair and neckline. Colour Combinations Give Charm. A determined effort is being made to get women out of black, both by night and by day. Certainly the palette is an attractive one. For the street, dark brown, navy, green and dark red are being offered as substitutes for black. Navy has an excellent chance of acceptance, but I feel that the other dark shades are really more suitable for autumn wear. A certain amount of beige is found in many collections, in both apricot and yellow tones. Champagne and a pale yellow like fresh butter are occasional shades, and there is one gown in blonde tortoise shell in almost every fashion collection. Combinations of dark brown and pale blue, of brown and green, brown and white, brown and yellow, of navy red and white are everywhere, particularly in country clothes. Three colour combinations are not at all rare. Some bright reds lend a cheerful note, and coral and tomato shades are much seen. There is at least one combination of pink and red in every fashion showing. Gray is still tentative. There are some bright greens for evening, also subtle shades of burnt orange, strong, vivid blues and prune. This latter is going to star. Winter Models Have Beautiful Effects. Paris has designed winter models in a neat and sober mood, using trimmings sparingly, even upon evening ensembles. Sports clothes are largely in jerseys or uni-coloured woollens, with a coloured note in the neckline or in the belt. The lines are straight with slight width about the shoulders and a well-defined waistline. Even the short fur coats,