LADIES' COLUMN,

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 83, 9 April 1910, Page 11

LADIES' COLUMN,

i London lasliion Notes* SOME OF THE FABRICS. (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, 25th February. Although we aro hardly v C t within coo-co of tho first day of spring, rumours aro rife as to what is going to happen us regards our clothes for the summer, and as to what will bo tho materials worn; many of them aro alroady on view in London. Not any one of thorn probably will lw* wanted for outdoor wear befor» May at tho earliest, to thoy are obtainablo in good time. Doubtless this e\CiHisivo display of up-to-dateness is induced by the tact that people who go out a great deal into society really woar summer materials all through the winter monthn, with fur coats as protection. Everything has a silky tendency— no matter whether it is muslin or crepon or cashmere or linen or zephyr, the surface shows a tendency toward silkmcss. Somo of the muslins uro m> delicately constructed that they look as if a gentle breeze would blow them away; they are vory airy and fragile. A good many of these aro woven in stripes — colour and white — of medium width, many more are patterned a la pompadour; to far as at present shown, large designs are absent from dress fabrics. The crepe surface is a novelty of the season, and it promises to be extremely popular; ever so many fabrics show this crinkled surface, and the majority of these are made chiefly of silk. Crepon is soft, it falls into graceful folds, and such folds are inseparable from the favourite designs of the moment. For people who don't care for the crepe surface there is plenty of choice among perfectly amooth materials, including voile, ninon de eoie, net, lace, silk muslin, and to on. 1 Next to the crinkled tendency of th» ' material-surface, one is struck by the pro- j valence of tho shot effect. There is not ; a solitary material of dr«i»y nature which does not at times show a shot arrangement of colouring. Chiffons are •hot, so are all clauses of silk— including •yen tho moire, whose official designation then is chameleon moire — and co are velvets; alrcadi there is a furoro for shot gauze, which will be used for entire dresses, foe blouses, and for trimmings, also for the transparent evening wrap, for which thrro is not much need now, though perhaps it will be acceptable in the warm dayr of tho opera seafcon; itt addition to shot gauzes there are patterned ones. Materials {or tho evening toem to bo growing more filmy every week, and perfectly fascinating are many of the embroidered gauze* and shot-silk ninons; these light materials are really essential to tbe presont combination of drapery and alimness. Borne people don't earn for shot materials, neither do thoy for the uso of layer upon layer of different colours by which a shot ettect it produced, but not even tho most faddy can take exception to the uso' of gold or Mlvor tissue or not veiled with laco in black or white. Very many of the dinner bodices art thus arrangod, and the Might glitter through the outer veiling hae much to recommend it. A black season » looked for; some relief it nccdod, and nothing could bo moro eimplo and in good taste; it is soms> years sine* black ha* had the following that it expected for it in tho oarly future. SOME SILKS AND THEIR USE. Spunella, that delightfully good-wear, ing silk with lino twill, is uiod for shirt blouses; its lasting qualities appear to be •ndloss, its patterning* are tho neatest of coloured itripes of quiet proportions. Taffetas ailk;, plain and shot, are being usrd for entire dresses, for blou-cs, for tailor-cut coats and skirts, and for long all-enveloping coats of loose fit. INFLUENCE OF THE "BLUEBIRD." Maeterlinck's charming fairy play is ctill holding l<ondon enraptured, and "Blue-bird" trinket* aro a feature of tho moment. Mora importantly, its influence ha. cxteuded to the design of a whole dress. This was of black chillon, iriratncd with slanting line* of old cream lr.es; it was p.acod over a foundation ot «ta-blue satin, which faintly showed through tho black ; there was a scarf drapery about tho knees of black chiffon line* with blua cbittoti, finitbing in a pr^nl bow in front. The bodice ot black, orcr blue and silver, had its low-cut corta/re draped with lace, and right across the front was a (light of blue birds, worked in chcnillo and silk with black I*C- and touches of tiher in tho outstretched wings; on tho »k.rt at one oidc war a large blue bird to correspond. Tho Blue-bird fancy i* far moro worth d* tclopinent than is tho momentary mad crazo for the Oiantecler. , FLOWERS. Quit* novel aro flowers, usually roses witn attendant foliage, made of fine creamy lace. Tho ross is wired >;itu tho desired ihapo, its laco petal; aro placed one over the other, and tho laco iqaye^ are an exact copy of nature. Just while they are now, rncso lace Qower»prays are moro eesn as evening dress garniture tiiau on nnlliuory Tho latter department is excellontly well supplied with all that it ueods. alike a; regards the tpecies chosen and as to llio material of which they aro mad 3. Of course the rosj easily loads ths way, but in addition there are beautiful spring flowcro, including sprays of itawUiorn and doublo may, m colours ranging from pure white, pin* tipped whito to deep red. Tho wall flowers are very rtal; the primulas mmlq ot velvet in palo colours arc attractive, get into voivet foliago in faint green. As for tho rose, it h obtainable in every kind of fabric, including cambric, mil; muslin, soft aiik, filk and vcl- | vet combined, and spotted inuelin. Some of tho foliage is mado of the same material as aro tho flower* and of similar colour; at other times tho rose arc set into brilliantly glossy dark green foliage. j Voliago of pink spotted mudlin does not I convoy any censo of reality or natura'ncsa; neither docs that ot ccrhe-toncd cambric; yet each ccomr. to accord v/cil in it* own tpocinl surrounding*. Roses | aro of all sizes, and in all stages of i wido-cwukenosji; somo aro so tiny that a button tL'cnu largo ugumst them ; theso are mussed thickly togetuer in deep bands and ura placod round tamo of the gigantic hats of lino black chip or crinoline; iv tin., way tho floral bands of cense or pink or umber constitutes the sole trimming; where tho brim is lifted high at ono side the roso band forim itself into a groat true-lovers' knot on the outer side. As a rulo flowers are used massed closely together, neighbouring pctali overlapping the next flower, l'oliage ir, comporativcl> iiiealdng, littl- used. Toquot wholly of flowers— big paiuks perhaps, or roses, or primulas— aro without relief -hvo a clump of plumage at one side. Many of the rose* are mado of metallic gauio, with foliage to correspond, but thcie are lev likely to bo in demand at time advances. Brilliant splathcs of ceriso are very prominent in the millinery world, especially on black — if tho colour is not introduced by means of the flower- w root h, it is obtained by meant of groat spreading bows of cerine velvet. For the presont period the colour looks cheerful and seasonable. There aro innumerable beautiful Malmaison carnations, to cay nothing of reallooking camellias, and great bouquets of \iolcts, the pansies are generally of a rich blue— moro indigo than navy— with iollow centre. Tho accompaniment of tho hat or toque on which any of these flow ore flourish must be a bunch of the same tucked into tho drets or coat, artificial Dowers thui are jutt as frequently worn in the morning as in the afternoon, and niaiiv of the up-to-date milliners are making it their busmen to send homo the drcas spray with each hat. Those trifles are not always cheap: there are some artificial buncho* of violets for the dress which cost 10s 9d ooch; tho bunch is largo and it i« scented, but tho prico rather takes one's breath away. It is ouo ot the little extravagance* of the moment, and it is, of course, ono worth tho \endor'» advocacy. There nro some toquet with crown of fancy tullo — esprit net or Greek tulle, tho latter is known by i«e wido mesh — set into a border of satin; tho trimming consists of a singlo roso built up on loops of tulle or velvet, tho latter of a deeper tono than the tulle; rotes aro cleverly fashioned of satin ribbon, and thn variations of shade aro ingoniously worked in; but the*o flowers are more suited to drett garnitures than for millinery purposes. ,

THE TOQUE. As a iulo the toquo is largo in tho head ; it is worn well back, and i* practically all-enveloping; some of tho models fuifgest tho beehive outlim. Thorn is one typo of head-dross— l don't know whsthor it is a hat or • toquu — ii hat plenty of high crown, but it quite without brim. It ir known cs tho "Alaaco" because it is trjinmcd ot the bad; with a big Alsatian bow of wido satin sash ribbon The ribbon passes straight round the front of tho ehnno, forming .» eeveroly smooth band. When thin nigh-crow ned shape is worn with i backward till it i* suggestive of the Parsco hcnd-drep». Tho band and bow of satin ribbon mny bo r«ried bj the use of lilt lcte»t Wind of ribbon, which consists of an intcrwua\a of gold tinsel with colour — result, of course, is a shot ; there are man.> very charming result-, nnd co far froni being thouy, the blending produces eoftnes*. Bright aro the toques mode of lnco or of metallised tullo in gold oi silver; thevs material:- -«rf iwirtcd and folded, and set into a border of laeo in gold or silver, copied from Chantilly or Baveux pattern'". No trimming i» needed, but a elustor of purndi-o plumage* is often placed p.l, ono side. Although tho tullo i» not heavj, The finished toque is rather weighty, as Uia wire foundation must bo solid pnd inflexible: all drpends upon tho shapo being kept faithfully.