LADIES' COLUMN.

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 122, 23 May 1908, Page 11

LADIES' COLUMN.

London Jiashion JS'otes.

(From Our Own CorresDondent.l 3rd April. Parisian dressmakers have the reputation of doing very daring things with tho present-day double skirt, which affords many opportunities for varying monotony, the same skirt usually having two tunics — one perhaps matching the skirt, tho other being a controst. It is if courso the transparent fabric that p;iyes these many opportunities, for experiments of the kind cannot be so success fully carried out with materials of a solid nature. One of the French ideas is to have a long coatr; resembling a tunic of white cloth, worn with a skirt of black cerpo de chine, or a tunic of cerise cloth over a 6kirt of black chiffon'; the white cloth tunic would of course need some black braiding, as also would the cerise one, so as to accord somewhat with tho undor-dress. , The tunic effect is particularly noticeable where fashions for evening dresses are concerned, carried out in fine soft fabrics, the final success of course depending upon the way the tunic is draped — it is by no meanß an easy matter to arrange the folds of one of these over-skirts so that they fall in a Rraceful manner upon _ the skirt beneath. _ Crepe de chine is popularly employed in this connection, and it seems best suited to the needful requirements ; the variety known as crepe meteor has a particularly smooth and silken surface. Skirts of dinner gowns and of smart afternoon dresses are made with long trains, but dresses which aro intended primarily foV dancing are made sufficiently short to clear tho floor all round. There are dainty dance-frocks for girls made of fine Brussels net, with fairly full skirts, finished at the hem with two. or three flat tucks, each one outlined with feather-stitoh embroideries worked in white filoselle silk.

Cable silk, by the way, is among the most up-to-date embroidery mediums; it iN a link between filoselle and soutacho, being more substantial than the former, though not. so solid as the latter. It can be used with excellent effect to outline a medallion or motif. . Then, loops of. the silk cord are used, wound in and out of each other, to outline the littlo now capes which the tailors are making of tho dress material and which some people are preferring instead of little coats. The fronts of /he shoulder capes seldom meet, and underneath a good deal is seen of a white frilled lawn or hem-stitched vest; others of the littlo hhculder capes are richly trimmed with braid or embroidered galons, the ends finished vith pendant tassels, if not with the loops of silk cord just mentioned.' Among the newest fronts for wearing \s ith tailor-mado'gowns are thoso in plain lawn, with hem-stitched frills - laid on across ; the collars of many of these are finished with a-tiry muslin ruche. A double capo collar of not, lightly jewelled and edged round with two rows of fine fringe of pearls and crystals i& one of the newest details for the evening bodice, intended especially to be worn with a. dress of _ severe princess shape. Charming embroideries worked on fine silk not in Sobs' silk and in metallio threads are noticeable \in the case of many of tho new model ''evening gowns; tho flowers aro worked in raised chiffon and choniUe, whllo sprays of foliage aro introduced by the use of narrow China Bilk ribbon; sometimes 'these embroideries are lightly veiled with chiffon oi silk muslin, in some contrasting colour, so no 'end of dainty and unusual results ca n thus be^obtainod, tho citcct^ boing further heightened when tho origirial foundation is of gold or silver tissuo, glints of wlloso brightness occasionally are obfiorvable' through tho embroidery and the filmy veiling. • For real summer wear thoro is an abundance of Shangtuntj silk, for blouses, entire dresses, coats, etc. ; this material is still to hb had, in ovory colour imaginable/ Thovo is something about the softness of it* folds that recommonda this fabric, and then, too, it is > almost overlasting wear. Some daring woman have announced their intention of wearing whole drosses of toilo do jouy, that beflowered material which in France seems to take tho place of tho chintz used in England for furniturc-coveTing^j the- idea hardly seems attractive, and it is to bo hoped that the use of thin material will be kept within bounds — at au.y rate, so far as the .construction of entire dressss is concerned. ,' Bordered materials are everywhere prOminont, no matter what thoir substance, or whether rhey aro plain or figured ; Btriped and checked dress and blouse stuffs nearly all have a plain or fancy border of considerable width. Just at tho present period tho French woman is devoting considerable attention to her shoes and stockings, and the outcome must sometimes be rather startling, for the stockings are usually elaborate in design and gorgeous in colouring. Tho latest notion is to have real laoe about tho ankles. Thus, a pair of bright green silk stookings will have ankles of grcen_ lace, and green shoes must be worn with them, while the skirt too must correspond, for harmony of colour is the _res6unding note this season, dress inconspicuously- crashing contrasts no_ daring combinations. But if such brilliant colours as emerald ,and cerise are worn about the feet, the wearers can scarcely be accredited with a desire to dress inconspicuously ; crashing contrasts are sure to result from a mode so daring. A new idea for the spring, and rather a pretty one, is to have a waistcoat of coloured cloth affixed to a coat arid skirt cohtumo of cream sorge or cloth; thus a neat and well-fitting waistcoat of rich coriso cloth looks decidedly attractive in v irs cream surroundings; or perhaps, instead of the waistcoat there will be a cellar or coloured velvet cloth or velvet, and a narrow band of ( the same on tho cuffs._ Touches of cerise are often seen — it is one of the leading colours at pro sent on dresfeos u-iid costumes in. whit© and cream, and popular, too, used in tho same manner as the drake-neck blue and green ; a good many people seem to like buff and tabac bf-own allied to cream, but those tones are unbecoming, and are nut at all pretty, though they are so prominent in tho worlds of dress and. millinery this springtide. The majority of coats ana coatees aro edged with silk braid to correspond in colour with the cloth of the costume. A novel idea is thar of fitting a, cream Eton coat with sleeves of thick Irish guipure, finished with cuffs of the serge, while the underarm portion of tho coat is also of tho guipure, the fronts and baok being of the serge.

From all accounts, the fashion in Paris is entirely on the side of veils made of course silk net, with rather a rough web, which supplies a notable contrast to the wide-meshed silk net of cobwebby fibre with which many hats are trimmed. These heavy netted veils are really not becoming over tho face but now that they are chiefly worn thrown carelessly back they make a sort of framo work to the lint and hair. There are, however, other makes of veiling, including the tulle variety spotted with chenille, each dot the size of sixpence, with" a bordering at the edge of heavy chenille patterned in Vandykes. Some veils of tulle have an edge of striped satin, others again have an edge of silk taffetas. A good lace veil is always regarded as a treasured ■ possession, whether of black or white, and the longer it is the berW, for such enormous veils' ai-c needed with the monster\hats still so general, from whoso brims the veils hang straight all round