PEEPS AT PARIS

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 62, 6 December 1930, Page 7

PEEPS AT PARIS

Art and Fashions HOW TOURISTS ARE DUPED (By Melanie.) Paris, October 22. I have just had the pleasure of taking a young friend for her examination to the State School for Decorative Art, and as the method of conducting these is so different from ours, it is interesting to hear how it is done. At the stipulated hour 108 young women presented themselves for the 26 vacancies, having previously—in the case of foreigners—shown the receipt for the quarter’s rent, necessary the secretary assured me for peace sake, as he is not anxious to have police coming down on undesirables. A letter from the nation’s representative and passports furnished further proofs of respectability. Beyond that foreigners competed on exactly equal terms with the French.

The first formality was passing round the hat —not in our sense —but with all the letters of the alphabet in it. One student then pulled out a letter—H in this case. At once the vigilator called names of candidates beginning with that letter, and as each was called she gave up her admission card, and then passed in to choose her place, most important since the first test was a plaster head. Three of these were placed in different parts of the huge 'hall, empty except for a few stools, which each girl took till the last ones (letter G) had nothing much in the way of place or seating accommodation, for it is not the custom of the French to study personal comfort. The hubbub was terrific, and the elderly lady in charge would every few minutes shout, “Less talking, please; this is a concours," but no one took the slightest notice, and borrowings of pencils and paints, with suitable remarks, were the order of the day—or rather of three mornings. On the second afternoon was held the geometry examination, a delightful farce, for all and sundry helped each other, and when I went round the exhibition of work held after, not one had mistakes, marks being allotted more for presentation. The beauty of it was that no work was given in till the last of the four days, and so on the third day, those that had a little spare time went back to their geometry and touched it up, likewise their unfinished heads. The final and fourth day consisted of a close study of some flower or leaves—in this case a branch of parsley—on which was to be based a decorative design for a book flyleaf. Still chatter and interchange (subrosa) of ideas, with screams from the lady. No inks, etc., were supplied, and tables which even the parsimonious authorities recognised as necessary, were planks of wood roughly joined together and put on trestles, with the resulting sardine congestion. No names appeared, only numbers. I must say that the results justified the freedom given, for the variety of work was very marked, and in spite of help and narrow quarters, there was no doubt as to the test being thorough and fair. General culture is of a high order here. Can you imagine an English—let alone a colonial —wine-keeper having a large notice in his window, urging people to buy his wine because it was the beverage beloved of Catullus, Pliny, Horace and Virgil?

‘Taris By Night." Not long ago a prominent actress threatened to sue a French agency for breach of contract in that it did not want her any more as the “wild woman” in a Parisian cabaret visited as part of the trip, “Paris by night.” We all know that many of these places are mere “frame-ups” to let the tourist think that he is really seeing naughty Paris in a way unknown to most 1 For about 15/- he_ is promised a peep behind the scenes, which he certainly gets, but not in the way he thinks. Far from being the haunts of apaches, of which there are mighty few left, thanks to frequent clearances by the police prefect, M. Chiappe, he is paying to be laughed at. In this case Mme. X. revealed that her show was supposed to be the meeting-place of criminals, so when the innocent victim came along, he ivas regaled with tramps, hired at 1/- per night, dummy figures supposed to be drug addicts, and discreetly kept at a distance, a wild woman who, after fierce encounters with the landlord, was forced to sing with her partner, also as it happened, an opera singer “taking a holiday,” and so on for about 20 minutes, when the thirsters after knowledge were whirled to another “show.” I have met more than one student who made an honest penny to pay his university fees by joining a gang of “roughs” at night at the bidding of an agent. No. the tourist of a week does not see this side of Paris, especially if he has his female belongings with him. Fashion Hints.

Changes this season are marked, and we can no longer pride ourselves on comfortable short frocks, so easily made at home. Everything tends more and more to Victorian ideals, mysterious frills and volants envelop lovely woman, whose charms increase as they are hidden. Only one’s back may now be on full view, even arms up to the elbow are clothed in soft suedes matching the gown if you are rich enough. Fortunately for hygiene, tailor-mades—-all the go now—are still only half-way down the leg, but regrettably fit in at the waist, so that we must hie back to blouses, with their too often slovenly look. Jackets fit neatly in at the waist, and are adorned with buttons and belts. As for long coats, they are now an important part of the wardrobe, and trimmed with much fur up and down the arms, huge collars up to the ears, and smart little muffs to match, they are undoubtedly attractive. Their lining, by the way, should pretty nearly match the material, and the dress underneath. And if yon want to look “it,” have a hat made of the same material, likewise a scarf and handbag. If you have plenty of fur—bunny is popular here —make a large band outline the whole jacket, crossing and buttoning in front. Evening dresses, alas, are careering along in more and more expensive styles, and the latest idea is to have contrasting colour. Brown with pink, green with old gold, dead white and jet black, scarlet and sand, shot taffetas, are all to be worn, and where possible shoes are exactly to match. Of trimmings there are few; lace—a little, and glass of two tones to go with the dress. Otherwise the money goes in yards of material for very full flowing skirts, draped or worked in tiers, quite impossible for the amateur.