PARIS IN A MIRROR

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 30, 5 February 1927, Page 16

PARIS IN A MIRROR

FASHIONS AND FANCIES

(Written for "The Post" by " Germaine. J').'

PARIS, Bth December,

" The dressmaking salons arc' full of surprises just now to the unaccustomed visitor. I can't quite make out whether British women are advancing or not when they elect to spend a whole afternoon watching frottks displayed on the forms of audacious' mannequins, and willingly pay. a- guinea for a cup of tea and a seat in a salon draped with grey crepe de chine and delightfully illuminated by mauve lights. Many Englishwomen were, in fact, present in the salons of a-well-known.rue Royale

Man-couturier .the other day, anii;'the admiration of many "of the "guests was aroused by the boldness of the colourings of .some of the new models, and tho slightly pervorses charm, of the decorations. . ' -'..-' '■'"

Befreshmcntsv were served by negroes—negresses I meaii) Buby, Em;erald,_ and . names^-and '■ whose costumes .•■gave~;.rise ;to';-genora"l' admiratroiir-HoTe-tiiai' flve^'huitdrecl guests were»pre.sent^mong .whom ■were"; to be 'remarked' the "most', notable of Parisian personalities. Tho list of guests is too long, ;but among the many interesting persons present, I saw the-Maharajah, of Karputala, with his lovely Spanish wife, the little Japanese actress Anieka Wan, the wellknown dancer Catalan,: Sem, the caricaturist, ancl a^nostof :6theFs. -. -■ ,S. TAircrETJli MODELS.^ ' The models.which received th'e'grcatest amount of approval were, Eouge, an evening gown of velours and Spanish lace; Domino, dancing robe of black satin .with skirt of tulle embroidered _ with black, and white pastilles; Ariane;" robe.-'arid cape of navy blue velours garnished with silver and cerise, velvet trimmings; Eepentir, a tailored cbstume-fantaisie, of rust-col-oured cloth with gilded designs. I: must, also, mention other inodbla of interest: Eetour dcs lies, Pevefs, Fleur'au Mal,: Petite Amie, and Java. Ido not cater for men's fashions, but I must just mention the fact that the man milliner who .gave this interesting • entertainment, and who., professes himself a fondness for colour, wore, with con-siderable-grace, and chic, a velvet costume, colour violet-eveque, set off by a slight motif of< cold silver. This innovation, which required a certain audacity, should be followed by those who lament the flatness of tho masculine costume! . ■ •. ■■

SYMBOL QE ROUNDED PERFECTION.

This is a true statement. Tho circular movement, the circular flounce, are often used to create an. Wiginal

line across the lower part of the skirt. The skirt, length is shorter than ever, and there' are very few belts, to./be seen. An. exception must be made to the very wide, brilliantly-coloured belts of suedo which can' only felwofn, however, by the slender. '

A certain dressmaker in Paris, the Enclid, the great gwmetrieiftn of the dressmaking world, has initiated the

intricate cutting and piercing of garments, that gives them ease, flow, and flutter, within an irreducible., simplicity of outline. This same artist has contributed greatly to. the inodo of neutral colours (which .give ' such an air of simplicity), of one-colour garments, of the, ensemble, of the aboli■tiou of trimming, and the use of selftrimming. Others have added shoulderknots with streamers, and knotted girdles, that give another flutter to the animated mode. . . OWE OF THE NEWEST • TENDENCIES.. One of the newest modern tcudcucies in the mode, one -which will have much to do with its being so'strongly marked a period in the history of fashions,' is. this geometrical cut.. There are garments cut like a picture-puzzle, into triangles, squares, and more complicated geometrical shapes that fit together in a most intricate way, to form an extremely simple and flowing whole. ' ■ "Jabots," petal skirts, tube-like frocks' fitted subtly, by triangles and godets, handkerchiefs drapery, square skirts, berthas, etc., etc., are examples of this complex picturesque puzzletype of dress, the seams of which,' accentuated in numerous ways, give a Cubist air to the gown. A drawing of some of these models would look not unlike the famous Cubist painting, "The Nude Descending the Staircase," a crash of splinters, and wildly involved geometrical figures. GREY IS A RESTFUL COLOUR. Grey suits, grey dresses, grey hats and gloves, grey shoes and stockings, all these are very nice and enormously distinguished, but the enthusiast must remember that there are pitfalls. Nice as the right grey would look on the right person, the wrong one is not merely unobtrusive, but it will accentuate every bad point of her who rushes into grey, where angels would wear—any other colour. The dowd must sheer ofl£ her natural, tendency to choose it, as she would naturally sheer off : silk stockings, for what she calls "every day" wear. But to return to grey. It goes by many charming names this . season, especially in French, names like gris argente, gris cendre, gris fume, or more solid v English ones, such as mole, and smoke, and elephant's breath. Now what are these greys? Let me explain. There is silver grey, which is charming for a fair woman 7with:, fair hair and an amiable expression. There is bluegrey, sometimes called'" steel, vary pleasant for aome women to wear, and very unpleasant on the others. There is the pinkish grey, which has this dis-

advantage, that it "pinkens" as the day goes on, and looks after a-fort-night as if it had gone wrong in the wash. Finally, there is green-grey, which is apt to become drab and unbecoming, as it looses in the sunshine,

the right balance between the groen and the grey. And I think that is all' for the grey chapter. Quite enough, n^st-cc-pas? . ". . •