PARIS IN THE LOOKINGGLASS

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 90, 13 October 1923, Page 18

PARIS IN THE LOOKINGGLASS

(Written for "The Post" by -"Germaine.")

PAKIS, 15th August.

There are douhtless many other beaches in France that are beautiful, but surely there is none that smiles with such gaiety as the beautiful golden sande of the "Sables d'Olonne." The "Sables d'Olonne," without its beach, would be like Maidenhead without the Thames. It is the essential part of its being. To escape the terror of the "Fete de l'Assomption," we ran down there last week. There was a delightful freshness in the air, very different, from the stifling heat experienced in Paris. At the Sables d'Olonne, it is customary to go down to the Plage about noon, and for one brief glorious hour the beacli becomes the centre of the fleeting world of this fascinating seaport. Bee-like, this elegant invasion swarms to the edge of the sea, where hardier spirits remove elaborate dressing gowns, and, greatly venturing, enter the gently-breaking waters. The others, albeit many of them are clad in bathing costumes, laze on the sands, idly digging with their hands, listlessly talking to the more aged who recline in deck-chairs. A few spaces away the family of "Madame" disport themselves on the sands. The air is rent with the piteous shrieks of the young—f/om the lips of those children who want to go into the sea, and of those who don't. Treading his way with difficulty among the deckchairs, prostrate figures, and piles of discarded towels and bath robes, comes the familiar figure of the übiquitous photographer. He is followed by the newsboy hawking the latest newspapers. On the duckboard behind, a neverending procession of men and women is parading, like so many peacocks. There is the Eussian Prince, whom ,we have already seen at Monte Carlo and Aix-les-Bains, and who is said to have lost a King's ransom owing to the depredation of Bolsheviks and croupiers. There is the American actress, whose matrimonial eccentricities have been on the lips of everybody for days. And there is ths elegant Spanish, marquis, talking gallantly to half a score of pretty women, as only Spanish marquises can.

THE TWO-PIECE FROCK.

The Parisienne has a great fondness for the two-piece frock, which is so enormously becoming and so chic—so much smarter indeed than a coat and skirt and blouse. I've seen a ruat-red crepe de chine frock of this kind. The coat, which showed a loose cape effect behind, was buttoned high up to the throat, and had a belt that tied loosely in front. ■ The skirt was quite plain. But when the wearer took off the loose coat, a gown of more than Oriental splendour was revealed. There was v crossed-over blouse of Chinese embroidered silk, in reds and greens and yellows, and the very full red ninon blee-vea were cut in a style that I haven't seen before. I am also acquainted with i loose jade-green coat, in a kind rf very soft supple cloth, faced'on the revert, and lined with navy blue satin. All the seams, moreover, are over-sewn with green wool, as a concession to the new craze for embroidery on even outdoor coats. Another quite plain wrap-coat I greatly like is in a black lightweight doth, the sleeves and the emoiecement being richly embroidered in white silk in queer Chinese designs. Here's scope for the industrious. If the nimble-

fingered choose to embroider their own coats, there's no saying what they won't save in their dress bills. I give you the tuyau for what it is worth.

BLOUSES THAT DECK A PARIS

SUMMER,

Each season, before the "openings," the fate of the blouse is much discussed. Women state with fearless assurance that they will wear no more blouses, exclaiming: "Who would wear a blouse? Only our maids. With Vhe present mode of one-piece frocks or of a tailleur smartly completed by a gilet, what need of a blouse?"

Nevertheless, just as soon as the parade of mannequins begins at any one of the houses in Paris, we succumb immediately to the blouse, and more than ever shall we do so for the autumn season, for the collections which are already on view are really marvellous. Materials may be of different varieties, but georgette crepe is much used. It ia stitched in an openwork pattern, as daintily and easily as though it were plain lawn. Some of the blouses are long-waisted, draped about the hips; others have the appearance of Louis XV. waistcoats. The waißtcoat blouse is made in such a fashion, that th» front oi it falls outside the skirt, although, the

! back is tucked away beneath the belt, _>rother : cf-£earl buttons are used eto fasten it, such buttons as fastened its ancient predecessors, and pockets are suggested by very fine embroidery which also runs up the front and around the collar. White Organdy is admirable for the waistcoat type, on which embroidery may be done on white silk. The cuffs are small and turn back, as they do on men's shirts. Another favoured material is linen lawn, in natural colour or in rose-de-chine. HATS AND THINGS. Flamboyant hats in tulle in all the colours of the rainbow are in rogue. A tulle hat of brilliant green tulle, and trimmed with cornflowers and primroses (whoever knew before that primroses and cornflowers bloomed at the same season?), is as delightful as playing truant from school on an April or August morning. Less flamboyant ajre the toques of white and pm-ple velj vet grapes. These are the toques to wear in a pensive and repentant mood, when one does not feel quite so young as the day before yesterday—a toque for the "morninp after," so to write! Roses and roses are everywhere, crowning fair and dark tresses alikeentire toques of them, wreaths on large ■ ''capelines," single roses nestling under floppety brims, and against a cunningly contrived curl—a rose attached to a slim waist by a black velvet ribbon! The rose that "lights up" a black taffetas frock, roses at the. ends of black velvet "saiyez-moi"' ribbons. Roses of all colour, in jade, and a darker shade of green. In orange and violet, they are extremely alluring. White and red, mauve and black, black and white and blue roses—the combinations are endless, of course!