LONDON FASHIONS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 232, 24 June 1908, Page 3

LONDON FASHIONS.

AH skirts aro plain (writes tho London correspondent of tho "Sydney Morning Herald"). There ia not a frill or flounco on the. market, andthe best dressc3, neod I ■hardly say, aro trailing on the ground. That', of course, goes with tho feeling, for Empire gowns or the Directoire period. With tliesa gowns has corno in a now style of. coat. It may, or may not, match the skirt. Often it is in black' glaco silk, or in some well-chosen shot, silk glace. In Shantung, which promises to bo a very snmrt material this year, tho coat 3, do,match, but they aro made without sleeves.,, A very• long, space is. cut'to allow tho sleeved arm to como through; in fact, tho opening extends below the waist. This is a very shapely garment. It opens again at the hips ■ over straps of. silk, with buttons on either side. The opening is edged with a band of silk cut on tho cross, and the front, which has a waistcoat, is cut. .away at the siuo. Something liko the. long morning coats adopted a few seasons ago by the Jeunesse doreo, who started tho fashion of having their coats bound with braid round the'edges. Ladies followed on last year, and one still sees a good many of .them. This cut away basque i 3 tho most noticeable thing this spring, and I think nothing will bo more worn. .

There is also a' wonderful • cult for cloaks and every form of wrap. Cloaks are quite smart onco more, and are most convenient for many purposes. They must Teach to the, •feetr -and.-bo so cut that- a • graceful ■ lino' •is givon. I have'seen one or two which come' up to my ideal of .what a'garment of this kind : should bo; ; It .was made in tile finest, softest faco cloth of crushed strawberry beautiful tint.' The collar was' of handsome enibroidery', tied with long scarf ends of shot silk, finished with tassels, There wer.e some braid or passomonterio ornaments to fasten the front further down,' but it was a delightful'garment, and one of the best I'have over seen. This' idea carried out in mole cloth, with a royal-blue oollar and shot-silk scarf, with blue tassels, would be an ideal wrap to put on over light dresses, for here, alas, so often a garden party is spoilt because tho muslin gowns look limp when their wearers arrive. Girls shiver coming down in the train, or are chilled, and therofore do hot look nice when the drive, if a long one,' is over. I am convinced one of tho roads to good .looks is to keep tho ' body ' suitably warm; the discomfort of being ohilly is much more to be dreaded than' feeling a littlo warm. <

• Thero"have beon some smart weddings lately, most of them at the close of April, when many a brido .must have shivered as though it were December. The favourite material seems to bo the richest, softest, satin money can buy. No matter what-a brido chooses she never looks better than in rich whito satin, with its lustrous lights arid shadows, a sheen on it like the skin of a fine pearl;-laee—old lace,-of course, if it is in tho -family—pearl 3, and softnesses in the way of tulle or not or chiffon for the long wrinkled' sleeves; the skirts ample long and plain, sweeping behind her as she goes.' Bridesmaids more often than not, appear in what one may call fancy dress. Thero was a wedding the other day whe'ro tho girls wore Early Victoria poke bonnets and full-frilled skirts. But tho Empire dress is tho one most liked for bridesmaids. It is moro useful afterwards, and is usually becoming to young girls. . . Thero is a pretty fashion introduced tlis spring-of having a long satin' or • soft silk girdlo passed twico 'round tho waist, and then knotted a- little to one side, the ends falling to' the feet. This relieves the .plainness of the front of these long-skirted gowns, and it gives lougth to the figuro, which is so desirable. .They may be of. chiffon or net, and as a rule'they are finished off with heavy, tassels.. ;