Fashions Are Picturesque

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 72, 17 December 1938, Page 7 (Supplement)

Fashions Are Picturesque

Hooped Crinolines, Flower Garlands, And Sparkling Jewels

z pHE platitude, “History repeats itself,” may also be aptly applied to fashion, if the revival of Victorian and Edwardian clothes and coiffure may be taken as an indication of the backward swing of the pendulum. Sponsored by the Royal Family, crinolines, ostrich plumes and lavish jewellery are London’s latest vogues.

(“Dominion” Special Service: By Airmail.) LONDON, November 30. fjARLANDS, similar to those worn by the native girls in the Hawaiian Islands, are the latest addition to evening gowns, according to the latest news received from the Gay City. The garlands are made of flowers, feathers or shells. Little mother-of-pearl shells are are worked into flower patterns, set among longer shells gilded over to resemble leaves, and then hung round the neck. They may also be worn as a garland for the hair, when a comb is attached to hold it in place.

A striking garland seen in Paris was made entirely out of uncurled ostrich feathers. Black feathers were worked into a long tress, bound at intervals with oblique bands of mixed black and red feathers. The whole was finished with two black and' red tassels, also made of uncurled feathers. Ostrich tips are not only maintaining their vogue with leading modistes, but are now also finding favour with the general public. Tips of all qualities are finding a market such as has not been known for many years. The Queen and the Crinoline. Victorian frocks are now quite essential for smart evening wear and real crinolines, over hooped petticoats, twirl their way round London’s dance floors. Queen Elizabeth has done more than anyone to revive these Victorian fashions. The Queen indeed is recognized as the guide whom all follow in deciding what to wear. The Queen’s first appearance in a crinoline dates back to the Royal visit to Paris last July when her full-skiited Winterhalter frock of white tulle with silver embroidery, its off-the-shoulder decolletage and wide-spreading skirt aroused the admiration of all the Parisian dress designers.

Since then the Queen has on many occasions shown her fondness for these fashions of earlier days. The State visit of King Carol of Rumania offered a further opportunity for dress designers to demonstrate the grace and charm of Victorian styles.

Wearing one of the loveliest dresses ever seen in Buckingham Palace, Her Majesty, escorted by King Carol, made her way. amid the admiration of everyone present, to her place in the centre of the big horseshoe table at the State banquet in the palace. Of silver-grey slipper satin, the skirt of her Pompadour dress, which measured 15 yards round the hem, was decorated with bands of Valenciennes lace mounted on tulle. Over the lace was embroidered glittering pailletes and diamautes. Hundreds of tinted pearls embroidered the pointed corsage which had an off-the-shoulder neckline,

finished with soft mauve satin aud tiny sleeves. A shoulder cape to match added another graceful touch to the gown. Her Majesty wore a tiara, necklace and bracelets, all of magnificent diamonds.

The Duchess of Kent, whose Edwardian fashions have proved to be very popular, has now adopted the crinoline. On her recent visit to Bath, the Duchess showed her approval of this picturesque fashion and wore a crinoline skirt with the off-the-shoulder neckline. Two Kinds of Jewels.

Jewellery for this season seems to fall into two categories. One: the conservative and unobtrusive; and the other: the very gaudy. Pearls head the list in the unobtrusive variety, and some exquisite work can be seen among the latest “dressmaker” jewellery designs. Three and four-strand chokers and necklets with the strands intersected with black velvet ribbons and fastened W’ith a tiny bow are Considered to be very smart. Black velvet neckbands with an edging of tiny pearls is another striking novelty which tones in beautifully with the latest fashions of crinolines. Among the gayer and more gaudy jewellery fashions one finds examples iu the new gilt mesh. I have seen some most attractive work, and one in particular caught my fancy —a mesh necklet about three inches wide which was studded with artificial amethysts and had a wide bracelet to match.

Amethysts and aquamarines are proving to be very popular stones in the artificial jewellery line. Among the synthetic jewels, I saw one piece which struck me as being both ornamental and useful.

Large artificial stones —aquamarine, ruby, emerald and sapphire—are set in a glitter of paste. The large centre stone is detachable and can be substituted to match or contrast with the dress being worn. Detachable synthetic clips of bright-ly-coloured stones can be added to a handbag and look very well on bags of a sombre colour such as black or dark blue. Paste jewels still hold the field in adding a touch of colour to the hair and some attractive little novelties in the shape of butterflies, a bow or a star, are as popular as ever. Stockings.

The shorter the skirt, the more stocking to be displayed, seems to argue a sense of logic, and with fashion decreeing a skirt-length which is now almost knee-high, we have to be as careful in selecting our stockings as our make-up. America has always given us the lead in hosiery and the most recent ex-

amples from across the Atlantic seem to have been created with the idea of following implicitly the current dress and shoe colours. The colour known as “Ealltone” is particularly suitable for plum and wine colour dresses, while for frocks of violet shades, blue op even brown, the new “Lovelee,” in deep beige, are a remarkably good match.

The new dark fashion for dark green dresses is matched by “Embassy” stockings of a gleaming coppery tint, which are very flattering to the leg outline. If you have a liking for black, you’ll find that “Coppertint” will suit you admirably. For lighter dresses of pinks, pale blues or clear greens, a brighter shade of stocking called "swing” fills the bill. A very sophisticated colour known as “Twilight,” of off-black, deeper than the darkest nigger black, goes very well with the richer day and evening colours.