ENGLISH FASHIONS

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 124, 26 May 1923, Page 18

ENGLISH FASHIONS

RETURN OF QUAINT MODES,

No woman need be discontented with the present mode 1: it embraces all sorts of good things, writes the Hon. Mrs. P. W. Forester.- Neither is the practical element missing, ai;d at the same time it should satisfy the searcher after the romantic touch. Fabrics alone recall all sorts of quaint visions. Piquant ladies of Louis days seem to reappear in their taffetas with swaying flounces of lace. Demure Puritan maidens, attractive, too, in their grey cashmere and kerchiefs, or collars of fine linen, have returned■■.to us clad in. kasha-cloth and wearing the lace fichu of fame. The vogue of the Second Empire is often suggested in the modern redingote and os-trich-plumed millinery, whilst the revival of such materials as peau-de-soie, faille'j moire-antique, printed crepe, and alpacca as associatedvwith the more austere types -of the 'sixties and the 'eighties, are amongst our latest fancies. I But to-day the progress in dyeing, manufacture, and manipulation of fabric has put an entirely different complexion on I the sartorial scheme. Taffeta and silks of thickest substance manage to be light in weight and so supple that the dress artist will fashion them to any vogue, while the richest and most violent hues i can 'combine in perfect harmony. In [ fact, no hard and fast law can be laid i down for the current mode ; the cun- I ning expressed* in the make-up of the model never fails to suggest the lines of grace, whether they be of bouffant or ' classic draperies. The fact is that the long slim silhouette is so desirable, and so difficult of really successful attainment, that moderi] women are too wise to depart from it. The dress designers certainly do provide two distinctive silhouettes. Young people can do and dare more in the region of "fantasies" than the older women. ■ They can even indulge in draperies perilously near to the "bustle" period 1 with impunity, or adapt the apron and tunic with success. But the bell-shaped skirts are rarely very successful even for slimmest youth, nor are they convenient. On the other hand, the three or five-tiered flounces can be so ingenit onsly arranged as in no way to detract from the height or. grace of th.c wearer. ( The change in the waist line all makes for the general good. While worn fairly low on coats and coat-frocks, it reaches its normal place again on dresses, but its position should naturally be decided in accordance with the proportions of the individual. Some women look very well with the short coat drawn in round the hips with a wide band, and others with the half-length coat cut to react just below the hips, with a band of its own fabric to tie like a narrow sash at the side; but the variety in coats is so large that, women can really select any style that suits them. The long coat-r-in very thin and fanciful fabric—will be worn this season. At its best it will be left simple and hang nearly straight, perhaps caught together by a ribbon or fanciful clasp. Many charming models of the redingote will shortly appear. NOVEL FANTASIES. . ■ Each season La Mode provides a new craze. The latest is the apache scarf or kerchief of brilliant colours tied in a loose, careless knot,, made in printed crepe, foulards, or cotton. These fanciful scarves look their best when worn in the country with a jumper or woolly coat. A practical idea is lo have a neat little hat to match, similarly decora^. Perhaps the prettiest notion"is a garden umbrella made of the same bright cotton stuff. Large pocket-shaped handbags, too, are really useful accessories for a long country walk or bicycle ride. Fancy leather is also utilised for these utility bags, but best aye the summer cretonnes and the floral fabrics that constitute an air of gaiety. ■