FASHION NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 49, 27 February 1937, Page 3 (Supplement)

FASHION NOTES.

AUTUMN'S NEW IDEAS.

LOUD CHECKS FOR SPORTS. (By A PARIS EXPERT.) The burden of styles has been taken off the shoulders. The new fashions come swinging in with sleeves that are dashing but entirely cured of superathletic shoulders, a disease they've suffered from for some years. There is a general tightening of the body lines of coats and jackets above the waistline, and raised waistlines that go shooting up to directoire height in many evening gowns and coats. Below the waistline, styles flare and swing extravagantly. Autumn suits with tunic jackets that flare from smooth waistlines to full circle hems are dashing little numbers in the front ranks of Paris styles. Evening jackets are fantastic below their fitted Waistline*, flaring out in stiffened peplums, like the skirts of Ball Island dancers. Flares on Coats and Skirts. The new coats put all their emphasis on the skirt, many of them flare from the waistline at the back, sometimes they flare like a bell all round. Extreme fullness is put in coat skirts at the front and at the back. These coats are incredibly young lookinjr, with their girlish simple collars and fitted waists and swinging skirts. High waistlines are to be noted, and some of them have a new kind of decorative sleeve like that of a cavalier. Dresses wear their skirts wide. too. and their bodices pinched in tight, and they often are made striking by trimmings of contrasting bands. Swallow tail tunics appear on some of the new frocks. High necklines are out, and the new styles take a variety of designs. Th« uew celours axe those that

come from the woods, with deep reds and light browns and rich greens in the front rank. The blue of a mountain at night is a favourite shade, and the copper, orange, and burnt tones are new and smart. Black, as always, is in front rank, but the dark reds a.nd greens look like dangerous rivals. Legs and ankles become more prominent°both during daytime and evening. Skirts are briskly short for day, and for the evening they are likely to be transparent to the knees, or split.

Concerning the Sports Wardrobe. Sports suits take a tip from sporting gentlemen of the past, a-nd come out in the loudest checkered patterns. They are made of cloth, checkered with such colours as red, green, and yellow.

The new sports styles are just as practical and easy to jump around in as possible, but they are nevertheless feminine. The chic "thing is sports clothes that make the wearer look like a picture —a graceful moving picture. Everybody in Paris has taken up "bicycling, and there is a flavour of the "bicycle built for two" about sports clothes that are worn to play golf and tennis in. Blazers, flaming with lurid stripes like in the gay 'nineties are worn with flannel trousers that are shorter, but not short. Plus-fours that are perilously near being bloomers, in the good old sense of the word, are made of the gayest colours and worn with woollen pullovers for active sports. Sports frocks have divided skirts (you may call them culottes), cut circular, but the simple note remains. As a. matter of fact, modern girls going in for sports in a big way, copy the major element of men's sports clothes — comfort. A Leaning Towards Flowers. Flowers are all over everything. Roses, huge vivid roses, garlands, of cornflowers, trim evening dresses. Bright flowers are stuck into the front of the decolletage as if in a window-box. Feathers are used for little shoulder capes, often tied on with small, neat, stiff ribbon bows. There are long, light blue coq feathers, there are greenish bronze feathers, and haloes of paradise and osprev prongs. There are filets of gold for the evening coiffure and flower garlands, Juliette cads of pearls, wreaths of tiuT bio* and

pink birds, tricornes of velvet and satm; these adorn the heads of the smartest women in Paris in the evening. Although there is a leaning towards Spanish colours, without warning Pans has drifted once more back into its old love, dead black. Black chiffon, black taffetas, black velvet, black net, black lace and black stiffened organdie. Black appears for woollen day dresses, relieved by starched linen collars or sometimes unrelieved.

Gilded Boutonnieres Are Fashionable. Gilded boutonnieres are fashionable, and clusters of tiny flowers in pastel tones, painted on gold, are surrounded by gold leaves, and worn on fur neckpieces, tailored suite and dressses. First introduced during the Christmas festivities, and continuing in popularity, are necklaces, bracelets and rings of crystal. The jewels are cut like marquise diamonds, and are dazzling under electric light. They are mounted on platinum Settings, and will be worn with formal evening gowns this autumn. The eternal theme of stars, hearts and flowers is again to the fore. These jewels bring an unexpected touch of light and beautv. A large mirror-glass star, for instance, is laid on the breast of a black evening gown, and tiny crystal stars plav up and down the front of a pale pink quilted satin dress, finally coming to rest on the lobes of the wearer's ears. Could anything be more j inconsequential and luxurious?

Fashion Details. France gets her i<lea? where she will. Fashions have always amused the French. They spring from a whim or a

necessity; it was the neglected dentistry of the fascinating Empress Josephine that led to the lace handkerchief as a mere show-piece, and the little stature of Louis XIV. that brought in Louis heels. The clothes creations of the gifted French is an inspiration to the women of all countries. It is the immediate caucie of dress consciousness the world over. The voluminous skirt now being exploited in direct opposition to the streamline of mermaid proportions does not bunch into the belt in gathers as did the early voluminous skirt, but is fitted at top and widens below in graceful lines. Some designers prefer to keep fullness to the back, with a straight effect in front, and there will be many straight skirts. I liked the simplicity of a white brocaded wedding gown I saw the other day. Not a stitch of trimming on it. Nothing but a wreath of orange blossoms and the customary tulle veil—quite austere, in fact. Paris loves the kind of clothes that have few seams, that hang softly almost like draping from the shoulders. A 1930 Paris dress carries the same ideas to the last degree. It looks in your hand like nothing at all. Put it on, though, and it takes life on lines of your figure, j Three little leaves of 18-carat gold. I held in a cluster, make the newest eari clips. ! The new Egyptian profile buttons, and i buttons made of the mask of comedy jand tragedy, are new fashion notes; also : buttons made from tumbrel wheels. All ' are chic.