DINNER GOWNS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 32, 8 February 1939, Page 14

DINNER GOWNS.

HARLEQUIN PATCHES. LATEST VOGUE. LONDON. Harlequin patches are a Paris evening vogue. One repeatedly sees Schiaparelli's black jacket, with black velvet patches, completing a slinky black crepe dinner gown outline on special party nights at the Restaurant des Ambassadeurs. The new silhouette in black moire, with bow at back of knees and odd sleeves, one short and puffed, the other long and straight, is also frequently seen. A very charming gown in turquoise blue is worn with a full-sized domino mask belt fastener, half in blue and half in pink velvet. The doffing of jackets may reveal high or low-necked corsages. The Jean I'atoii dinner gowns are mostly chosen from what is called the "cabaret" group, and are high-necked, with long or short sleeves. They look particularly fine in heavy black matt crepe. They arc svelte, with sometimes a narrow godet pointing down centre front repeating an openwork motif in the corsage.

A fairly deep, squared front yoke in stencil lace patterned design veers away from the shoulders into a broad V at the back. Another idea in simple decoration for this elegant black dinner gown outline is a single iris—the bloom of gold metal foil posed to the right of the corsage on a green stalk, which is run diagonally down to the opposite hipline. Dainty Ruffles. Fitted white'lace blouses with dainty ruffles ring the changes for slender black face-cloth ekirts completed by fitted jackets or straight-cut, finger-tip length capes. These are likewise of face cloth and ornamented by fur at the base of a one-eided cross-over fastening to jacket or round neck and down either side front of cape. Black fox is ueed on one and silver-pointed fox on the other. Entirely different is the Patou model of heavy'black crepe with closed waistlength Eton jacket. The skirt to this gown is gathered and hangs in heavy folds from a corsage of white and black stri|ied crepe. This is V fichu folded from nape to front waistline, which is girt round by a high green and white striped belt beneath a bare back.