Paris in the Mirror

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 50, 28 February 1931, Page 15

Paris in the Mirror

Paris in the Mirror

N PARIS, 31st December. Fashions this season have changed from their age-old purpose of conforming femininity to tho beauty-pattern of tho epoch. They are undergoing a personality building campaign. French dressmakers who make theso styles say that personality in clothes is woman's defiance of the machine age. They can't get the women "who come to them to-be dressed to conform to any standard pattern. The women aren't taking their fashions in gross lots any inofo'L They want clothes built to the measure1, of their personality. More than that, they insist that theso clothes add to their own special stock of personality, even ths most practical of garments. Some of the far-cited pessimists claim that this'bolt from'the standard* fashionfold ia a sign of the fall of the fashion empire. Be that as it-may, tho new idea' of chic, is one'that is personal to each woman; and riot* a standard brand. It is similar to the masculine revolt against tho Hercules idea in . their clothes, as demonstrated by the abandoning of paddod and pinched coats, and skin-tight trousers., Women, too, are ae'eepting their own natural allotments in the way of figures, prizing this as part of their peisonalily and playing up to it instead of trying to look like a lot.of human sheep.

BASIC RULES TO GOVERN YOUR NEW SILHOUETTE.

It's the . women • themselves, and not the couturiers, who are responsible for the increasing variety of styles; they simply refuse to be crushed into the same general mould any longer, and they reclaim the right sartorially to intensify their individual charms without,being considered freaks.

Anyhow, wherever the praise or the' blame -lies, the change is here, so I must come down to cases and tell you about the new figures you may choose from this winter. First of all, let me lay down for you the invariable basic rules that must govern your new silhouette, and then we'll pass on to variations. You must have broad shoulders, tapering down. to an effect of slender waist; you may have Venus hips, emphasised by swathed or fitted effects, or your skirt fullness may start high; longer skirts give a longlimbed (or, if you prefer, legged) line. Your wide shouldprs are furnished to you by the '•'alMmportant sleeves that are widened at the top in some manner or another.

REAL LE<J-O'-MUTTON SLEEVES.

I Real leg-o'-mutton sleeves are being shown by a number of creators. And, though it's mean to say "I told you so," just refer, if you can still find them, 'to; my articles in last April and May, and you'll find I foresaw them, ballooning upon the horizon. But don't be afraid that you'll be forced into i leg-o'-mutton sleeves. There are lots !■«£ gfches wajw. Some eoutonera use

square shouldered Raglan cuffs on evening as well as day-time coats, many I courturiers use tricky kimono cuffs, others make drop shoulder yokes. Dolman sleeves have come back strong. These are particularly logical for coats, "as they give the necessary space to the puffed or ruffled sleeve of the frock below. Fur epaulettes are another amus-! ing solution of tho shoulder line. They are used by gome dressmakers on tailored jackets, and they, are.also used to outline arm-holes of evening frocks.

THE BACK MOVEMENT.

important fashions of tho season. The draped and tied back skirts of 1880 inspiration are coming out in society this winter.Tie-backs lead to the bustle, as we all know, and this type of frock has a strong hold on the imagination of the Paris fashion-makers, and /every season or so one of them pops-up with the 1880 line, which nobody has taken very seriously up to now. It is true i that no more than a bow marks the spot where tho bustle once puffed and billowed, and very often nothing at all is placed behind tb« waistline. The tie-back movement to ichieved by fitting tho skirt in front and letting it.1 flare at the back. That's the way it's done in Paris for day line, and some-, times in the evening dresses as well." All the slimming princess-effect of this famous paßt fashion is achieved, together with tho billowing out behind and loft by the wayside aTe the distortions of. pinching and; puffing that make such a dress undesirable in our modern epoch of clothes —comfort above everything. In short, the old .fashion is made new. No other line "that is to be found in this winter's fashion so sets oil supple slenderness. •> ,

CONCERNING PEPLUMS, TUNIC BLOUSES, AND THE REVIVAL OF THE OVER-BLOUSE. T.oaf vonr rvo -warn nil VP.TV milrth np.r-

turbed'about our waistline,;*'highly" being tho appropriate adjective. This year the ultra-high waistline is being definitely lowered to just above the top of the hip b one. Parisiennes say that - they find this 'place most generally, b'ecom-i ing. As a consequence we find a general falling off in the tuck-in blouse that has proved so unbecoming to many figures. A short over-blouse, belted at 'the natural waist place, if it suits the wearer's figure, or slightly below it, takes the place of the tuck in, except perhaps with regard to the severe tailormade. Sometimes tho problem is solved by tucking in the back and putting a bit of the blouse material below the belt and over the top of the skirt in front only. Tunic blouses are being madoto drape *ack and tie at the back of the waist-line, an 1880 inspiration. Peplums from the coat belt, capes, and godeta are three kinds of back flares that are frequently seen on the smart winter coat. As winter advances, a great, deal of chic moves around to the back of the, coats as well as dresses.

FEMININE HAIR CUIS. ' ■

Bobs are going to be more distinctly feminine this year than last. More hair round the face and a lot moie on the neuk —even a curl there —-will supplant tho masculine cu,t of last year. The "feminine bob" is tho' latest bob. In general, it may bo described like_ this: no hair on the forehead, the hair being pulled back Pompadour style. Its lino, however, sweeps one sido with a deep dip over one eyebrow. Follows a littlo curl on the cheek, cither with the ear covored or not, depending on the facial type. On the other side of tho face the hair dips twice towards the car. On tho top, it is flat and without curl. On the back of tho head there is a wavo followed by a single upward curl on the nape. This curl may be two inches deep. In fact, the new_bob is designed to give a more. feminine feeling and to display more completely the charm of woman's crowning glory. Make-up is on tho decrease. Hardly any rouge, a whiff of powder, cheeks will be paler, lips will be Cupid style,;eyebrows thicker and longer at the ends.

THE EVENING POST. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1931.