PARIS IN THE MIRROR

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 68, 17 September 1927, Page 15

PARIS IN THE MIRROR

(Specially Written for "The Post" By "Germaine.")

FASHIONS AND FANCIES.

PABIS, 20th July. The end of the Paris season has been brilliant, and now we are all standing, like the sweet peas in the poem, "On tip-toe, ready for flight." We shall carry with us the memory of that wonderful Grande Semaine. There was such a company of brilliantly-dressed people at Longchamps on the Grand Prix day, as has not been seen anywhere during th% season. The '' drags'' was plus chic que jamais, and no one pretended to look at the polo at bagatelle, where we went when the races ware over. Dresses were airy, and fairy-like, all patterned and gay. Every hat matched the dress it went' with; and shoes matched them both —the ensemble, as a matter of fact. "Women are evidently pleased with themselves, and those about them. They liked looking at each other's clothes, and talking gossip under the trees as they pretended to drink tea. The men were very well turned out, but they looked bored. Even the gallant custom of stooping to kiss a woman's hand was robbed of its ceremonial charm, by the way in which it was done. The mental attitude was that of a man who carelessly offers his left hand to a passing friend. PABIS ENTERING SUMMER SEASON. Now that all this gaiety is over, Paris is entering into her summer season. The residents will let- themselves get slack if they can, but tourists keep the Parisians very occupied when they aro supposed to be holiday-making. They fill the restaurants and the shops, and

"do" the museums and churches thor-. oughly. Everyone who can, is going away, of course The families go to the sea with their children, elderly people go to take the waters, and tell each other all about it, over the nasty morning drinks. The only people who are quite sure, though, of being taken away from Paris for a change, are the "mascots." They belong to tho uort of ladies who never stay in Paris during the hot weather, and, 60 tho monkey, the pet dog, and the doll can be sure of a trip to somo holiday place, where they will smell the sea or the fields, and refresh themselves in tho silence of wide distances. NOT MUCH NOVELTY IN BATHING . DRESSES. There is not much novelty in the modern bathing dress. Woman, wears, as she,always does now, her sober black or navy-blue, tights, with no nonsense about them. This sort of thing has not altered for years. Some women, tho philanderers, still have a. pleasant dip now and then, when the sea is like shimmering silk, and the sands of yellow velvet, and they wear fantastic bathing dresses with a dash of' chic thrown in, in silk and taffetas. Then there are the fish-scale bathing dresses made out of opalescent paillettes, with

a "cajoule" to match—very theatrical! But they,look well when worn by the right woman. THE NEW BATHING^WBAPS. The new bathing wraps are weird and wonderful things, which do not look as if they were intended for a life of usefulness. The latest and weirdest and most wonderful of all is the Spanish shawl. It looses a great deal of "Spanishness," thanks to a commonsense foundation of Turkish towelling; but it makes up for it, with brilliant flowers, and long, black fringes, in wool. What it wraps, and how it does it, is to me a mystery, but I don't doubt that if is plain-sailing to those extra-, ordinary women, whose great purpose in life seems to be the wearing of shawls. The type has, as a rule, magnificent shoulders, and lots of temperament. It wears a priceless "Chinese" thing at the opera, a magnificent Spanish affair to dine in at home, and it will adore to wrap its shoulders and its temperament in the latest, pseudoSpanish, Turkish-towelling, production at Deauville. THREE DISTINCT FASHION ZONES. We now see the dress day broken into three distinct zones —the morning, the afternoon, and the evening. No longer is there to be any over-lapping; the sports costume belongs to sports, the afternoon calls for distinctive attire, and the evening gown is what its name signifies, and not a compromise that can bo put on' as well for late afternoon dancing. The first attack against the overJapping gown, came as far back as February of this year, when the "shows" presented sleeves, on all day-costumea, except those designed for Biviera sports The last displays made a broader attack, a more persuasive one, in prorenting well-defined modes, for the three dress zones. Morning gowns, according to the dictum of the moment, are not to be recognised after midday; afternoon toilettes belong to the second zone; and evening gowns have no relation to anything worn during the day. Most of the dressmakers are adepts at' the type of morning costume generalised under the name of semi-sport. And, coutjurieres are making an amusing use of leather lacings on gowns of this type. Another interesting featuro is the close hip belt, with side extensions, which finish the blouse top. The tight, rather high, hip effect is the most successful of the various silhouttcs that have emerged from the season's collections. AFTERNOON MODELS. The afternoon models seem to be a wise and most charming compromise as to what should be the successful costume for this- period of the day. For the costumes of this kind, materials such as georgette, with stripes or small geometrical patterns, is much'in vogue; crepe de chine, also, is used with much success. Some of the new afternoon gowns are made with high, straight chokers, holding a lace turnover, not quite flat to the collar, but tacked down in informal fullness. In some cases this is, finished with a tiny bow in front. Wide side jabots in thin materials are much seen, in afternoon gowns. For evening wear, youthful dancegowns in many coloured' tullo are to the forel One seen has a happy colour combination in many'shades of mauve, emphasised by a side ornamentation of dark red flowers.