London Fashion Notes

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 124, 21 November 1931, Page 9

London Fashion Notes

Socially Written for "The Post."

LONDON, 25th September.

Although these lato September days are bringing us more sunshine than we have experienced all through summer, people are returning to London quite two weeks earlier than usual.

Even those who went north for the shooting si'em to be curtailing their holiday, and, of course, tlu- usual crowd of schoolboys and pretty young

mothers have been filling the stores ivith youthful enthusiasm 113 they secured lust-minute needs for the coming term. The dress shows are a welcome diversion for returned holiday-makers, so that one often finds the audience as fascinating to watch as the pretty mannequins in their intriguing new

gowns. The lovely Countess Howe—stiU :is fair as a lily, and her daughter, equally beautiful but with Irish hlaek hair — made a charming picture in two new autumn frocks. One in the fashionable brown and the other in the equally smart rust red, with black broadtail trimmings. At this exclusive showing several little black drosses particularly pleased me. One I have sketched was in the linest black woollen fabric, as light as silk or crepe. This had a collar of orniiiip, scarf fashion, with tails on the end. The sleeves were unusually attractive, black to below the elbow, where they widened over a pouff! of white crepe. This was again trimmed by a deep shaped cull edged at the top with a row of ermine tails.

The cape collar was detachable and made to slip over the head, so that the frock -was as useful for the house or the street.

Another black gown in soft crepe satin had a deep apron frill below the hips that dipped back and front; a rather wide "V" shaped band of white chiffon with softly frilled edge outlined the neck, and a half-sleeve of white

chiffon, also much frilled, completed the typo of dress that is so useful for all sorts of occasions.

Woollen morning dresses are shown with either a short coat of cloth or smooth-haired fur, a tippet of fur and a small muff, or a long fur scarf and fur gauntlets.

One of the most original scarves I have seen was in black soft woollen fabric, with., a seven-eight length coat to match.

This scarf was a length of tho material about three yards long, which wound round the neck, and the material being joined at each end and edged with fur. Into the ends the mannequin thrust her hands, so that each end of the scarf did duty for a. muff as well as draping the coat most attractively.

I saw this scarf idea very effectively used for evening. In this case a long length o' chiffon is used to drape the shoulders, and one end had a wide band of fur forming a muff, and incidentally a very decorative addition to any gown.

Tho tippet effect is given to many coat frocks, and added to quite a number of .autumn coats.

Eeville, of Hanover square, whose slogan this season is "Economical, chic," showed an attractive coat frock in pale grey woollen fabric, with, the tippet, gauntlet cuffs, and Robin Hood cap edged with grey Krimmer lamb, followed immediately by a challenging model similar in style but trimmed with the fur fabric instead of tho real pelt.

There is a charming simplicity about most of the new clothes, and although sensationally sounding trimmings are used, the dressmakers this season have been especially clever in giving us novelty that is not bizarre.

For instance, there has been much talk of the return of the bustle. And what do we find? Three soft flounces, a double loop of wide lace, a taffeta bow, or wide sash ends which improve the outline of most figures. The hideous distortion which one associates with the word "bustle" will never return to a world of womeu grown as practical as wo have become since 1014.

The "ruche" is another idea associated with that very over-dressed period of 1880, but I have already seen it shown on dresses and blouses where it just fits into tho scheme and does not look in the least ornate.

A suit of wine red woollen fabric with seven-eight length coat had a high collar and yoke of black sealskin. On removing the coat one saw the exquisite blouse of wine red georgette ercpe edged at the neck, down the front, round the basque and elbow sleeves with soft box pleated ruchings of its own material.

This clever but simple blouse created quite a stir amongst a very sophisticated audience, who also admired a dress of bottle green crepe that fitted the figure to the hips and then flared fully, being edged at the hem, neckline, and round the epaulet capes on the sleeves with similar little ruchings of its own material.

Contrasting waist bands and sashes are a feature of many smart dresses.

One black chiffon dress had a deep band of white velvet diamante studded all over and a diamond clasp.

A broad white leather band finished the waist of a black woollen dress.

Four shades of red from coral to deep cardinal red were twisted into a band round the waist of a black lace gown. These ended in three wido loops and one long end at the back of the gown. A long length of ribbon or velvet tied round the waist of a plain dress, rith smallish bow ana long ends, is another pretty fancy. Gaugings aro attractive when they form the entire bodice and hip of a chiffon dress, which is finished with soft frills to the hem.

Pinking is being used on the edges of tafCctas frills, but even that looks quite right oit the new models, although it sounds archaic.

Muffs are soft little affairs which slip up the arm like a cuff when not wanted for the hands, and are always part of a dress scheme and not a haphazard accessory picked up at tho last moment.

The new fashions are delightful, so practical and simple that we shall be able to wear them for several seasons and remain well dressed, which seems quite the right idea in these economical days.—Ruth Sibley.