FASHION NOTES FROM LONDON

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 5, 7 January 1928, Page 10

FASHION NOTES FROM LONDON

LONDON, 21st November. Tho modern girl has become quite inured to the criticism of her elders regarding her casual skirts and still more casual manners. She must then have felt like hugging the learned Judge who recently espoused her cause, declaring that he admired her healthy dress, her frank, friendly companionship with the male members of her family, and her readiness to share the ups and downs of modern life with equal cheerfulness. With all respect to the aged, one sometimes wishes they would not express their disapproval of short skirts quite so heartily. Crinolines and bustles were all very well in their day, when women were only meant to look like flowers or powder puffs, or something equally perishable and dainty. After all, if they showed no log—which, by the way, was always called a limb! —they certainly exposed the whole lovely line of the shoulder and arm, so what is the difference? The modem

girl is a real person, not a hothouse plant. Her knowledge of hygiene would not allow her to wear a trailing skirt, and how could she golf, drive a ear, or even mount a bus in the voluminous skirts of the past? The fight for sensible dress has been long and hard. Freedom of limb goes hand in hand with freedom of mind, and physical stuffiness has a dangerous habit of affecting both the mind and spirit, so let us keep our short skirts for general wear and leave tho "fussy dressing up" for the evening. The short skirt and winter weather certainly raise a problem of just what to wear in the way of protection for the leg. Pink silk stockings do look cheerless, especially on those unfortunates who have a. habit of splashing themselves to the knees before they havo walked a hundred yards. For some reason, high boots in tho ordinary sense of the word have been completely taboo amongst fashion experts. Personally, I think a really well-fitting kid boot to the knee wants a lot of beating for giving a smart appearance in wet weather. We have had all styles of Bussian bofats of late years, and many of them spelt disaster to ono'a smart appearance. That terrible hiatus between the top of the boot and-tho hem of tho skirt looks hideous. For cold, dry days the nicest things this season are tho " above-the-knee" gaiters made of closely-woven woollen stockingette, with sham buttons going up the outside of the leg. To keep these absolutely trim and taut they should be held up by suspenders, and very jaunty they look on a crisp morning when the wind is playing tricks with one's skirts. On a truly wet day there is nothing to beat rubber. .The new high rubber boots reaching nearly to the knee and fastening snugly with the smart zipper fastening makes a wet day almost enjoyable. These boots havo been made in grey and beige so that one does not need to look dowdy to keep dry, and a sponge will remove all the mud stains in a minute. The vogue for tying every available fastening has spread to our coat collars. If they are of fur they tie under our

chins with a satin or cloth bow. Often these coat collars are detachable when the bow is usually tied at the side of i the neck, the ends going over each ' shouldor. I am enclosing a sketch which is the | last word in coats and would look equally well in summer materials, for one wears, fur nowadays, even in midsummer, and luckily the fur is in such a position that it would not make one uncomfortable on the hottest of days. The collar is very new, being a triangle of the same black material as tho coat, sewn on ono shoulder and knotted at ono side. The wide, looso sleeves are good and the fur is Canadian red fox. You will, notice this fur is not on tho bottom of the coat but about six or seven . inches up. That is an important point about fur trimming this season: they are rarely on the edge. A very charming fancy this season is for a mother and her very young daughters to dress exactly alike at parties, and it is a very pretty idea while they are quite tiny. Recently I saw a charming trio receiving their young guests at an afternoon dancing party. Tho very youthful mother and her two small girls of seven and nine years old all had tho same brilliantly fair hair, which was enhanced by the simple frocks of jade-green velvet. Each frock was sleeveless, with a tiny square neck turned back with lace collar, and the simple bodice put into a full-gath-ered skirt, while a stitched belt with a jade buckle encircled each waist. I don't think the older daughters wish tho fashion to spread. Sometimes in these days of young, energetic, and tremendously attractive mothers, the daughter would be glad of a littlo more distinction to emphasise her own youthful beauty as against her mother's, churm and experience. RUTH SIBLEY.