PARIS IN THE MIRROR

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 54, 5 March 1927, Page 26

PARIS IN THE MIRROR

FASHIONS. AND FANCIES (Written for "The Post" by - "Germaine.") *■ PAKIS, sth January. ■ "Paris," said somebody the other day, "is chaotic, but inspiring." Perhaps it is. When people hit off a place or a person in a couple of adjectives. I stand respectfully amazed. It seems to take such a lot to describe anything at all adequately, and whe you have exhausted yourself and tho language, the result is the sort of impression best described as above— not quite, though Only too often-, it is quite easy to be chaotic, without being in any way inspiring. .

Incidentally, this is how the world of clgthes strikes one this winter of our disgrace—disgrace, that is, if it goes on as it has begun. It is chaotic, and,'to a certain extent, inspiring. Inspiring, because when you do see the wood for the trees, its quality' is all that could be desired, chaotic, because the designer people will insist oh multiplying ideas at an alarming rate. Sticking to the point has never been one of their virtues, and nowadays it is all the -lore difficult, because, nobody, not eve;n its perpetrators, is very sure about that point. ' JANUARY IS INTERESTING. What makes January really interesting is that this is the time for rumours about the things that we are going to wear in the spring. Of course, they seldom materialise, but it is the exciting tilings round the corner, ■ which might happen any day—even if they never do —that add so much to the zest of life. By the time spring" does make its appearance, and things turn out more or less as they were, we have forgotten all about i .0 rumours of adventure, and settled down quite happily to lifp as it always was. Therefore I don't believe a word of the stories about'the waist in its normal place, or even in its. abnormal one, somewhere

under the arms. Nor about • the allround bunchiness of the future skirt, or the unusual height of the new sprimhats. As a matter of fact, from news gathered from a very sure source, I pan affirm that crowns are going to get considerably lower. And a good job, too! Not one woman in ten looks nice in these very high-crowned narrow-brim-med chapeaux. , THE PARIS COLLECTIONS. The "Openings" have begun. And the more I see of tho collections, the more I realise how absolutely impos sible it is to describe accurately the new models. It i a a ij very wel) to say that a gown, is built o-n long straight lines, that a coat is full in the front Tho reader may got from this an impr rsion of the silhouette, and realise that there is no fulness in tho one, and much in the other, but there are all the little indescribable details left unmentioned, which, after all, are tho most important part ox a Parisian model. The seemingly straight one-piece frock, on close inspection, will be found to have clever little stitchings at the waist, vhieh shape it to the figure, or inserts in the front of bands or motifs of various shapes, made of the ma terial, used on the bias, whie take away the absolute plainness of the frock. The coat may be decorated with a border of Pitching or the entire giruient may be made of bands of the material, running different ways of the_ goods, which would scarcely be noticwible across the room, but make all th. difference in the fall of the gown, and are expivssive of the modes to come. - EVENING FROCKS FOR THE RIVIERA. The evening frocks thai' are being seen on the Riviera :Ins winter are very interesting. There is nothing obvious or banal about them. They smile, they are never hilariouj. Neither are they morbid nor aggressively modern They are, indeed, the sort of dresses worn by intelligent women, with a sense of what is beautiful, not only in clothes, but in everything that surrounds them. Very fine lames are much seen m the evening-frock world. They are soft and pliable, but look like sheets of gold and silver. Simplicity of cut is the distinguishing "eature of -these dresses. It is a simplicity, however, that is not easy of achievements. That little "kick" that suspicion of fullness, that, looks so simple that one almost feels that one could arrive at something very like it oneself, is a trap for the innocent!! Itemembcr 1 is, readers, and remember also that only the skilled can get at the best results. It needs the artist to get the right line, yet_ that apparent simplicity lures the optimistic amateur dressmaker on to destruction. And there are often yards and yards of beautiful material ruined! The pity of it!