Paris in the Mirror

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 54, 1 September 1934, Page 19

Paris in the Mirror

Written for "The Post" by Germaine.

PARIS, July 11

I have been looking at women in Paris restaurants at dinner lately. They interest me as much as my food. The woman of high degree may not, does not, frequent restaurants, I knowi As a rule she dines in private, but there arc lots of women of less distinguished descent who dine in restaurants. Their husbands look as. if they have plenty of money and they are Trench, not foreign, the ones I mean. The ineii wear lounge suits or morning coats, the women wear simple frocks with coats matching colour as a rule, and the usual little beret with a-jewelled clasp. But what struck me most about the women was their polish. They were all so trim and neat, .so well finished off. Their hair was glossy, and, by the way, how extraordinarily well the hair is cut and waved and arranged on Frenchwomen's heads. There are not many bare-headed women' fo be seen about in restaurants, but the few seen look perfectly charming. • Not a hair out of place, and such nice lines in the waves. Not very much make-up, but what there is of the best. Hands exquisitely manicured, feet perfectly well shod. Pearls are the favourite jewels. The Parisienne seems to have lost the old tradition, that too many jewels worn at the same' time are in bad taste. She still wears one ring in preference to more, but she loads her neck and shoulders with pearls, she girdles her waist in pearls or imitation precious stones, and. clasps her draperies with buckles, she pins her simple little hat with clusters of diamonds and pearls, and decorates her handbag

with jewelled clasps and jewelled motifs. She' is always seeking some new . way, of wearing beautiful and original stones." EVERY SUIT GIVEN A SET FOR BLOUSES. Every suit, is'given a set of blouses, one of which is giddy may be with stripes, dots, plaids, or checks, done in

bright colours. Several belts' on a single coat are one of the new fashion rules. One rope belt is often included, and one belt of leather shown lower in some dark colour that goes with your coat and dresses. Such belts are hand-sewn in heavy, light-coloured thread. Variation in the belt lino is thus assured. '

Colours are replicas of what you find walking in the woods. Red-browns and .dark browns and bronzy-greens.pro-dominate, with high lights of orange, canteloupe,- bright reds, and purplishblues. Dark pure red, almost black, is one that looks promising. Dark blue is going on triumphantly through the summer after a bumper spring season. The new dark-eel grey is getting the O.K. distinction. Keep this colour, in mind for autumn. Another advance autumn hint is purely material.. Materials - f oi1 autumn ■ clothes■ aro those that don?t sag in-all the wrong places, nor pull at the hems, nor; hang oit to undesirable curves, left by a sittingbody. Paris has a whole flock of woollens that are smoother and as; firm as a- wise parent with just enough and not a bit too much. For evening wear Bengaline and other ribbed silks with metal threads.in* the weaves are being pushed for autumn, and so is striped velvet. EVENING STYLES. Where, evening styles are concerned there isn't just one clear, blocked-out silhouette. There are lots of them. Five at least loom largely on the horizon, but-there aro many others. One of the five evening-dress silhouettes that stands out clearly is the modernised bouffant silhouette, with a slim bodice, and / a skirt that billows out all round. Another is the silhouette culled from tho 1900 fashion books—a silhouette that haa sleeves that is fitted and tight down to the knees, where it begins 'to froth, with ruffles. A third-is a slim, easy silhouette from top skirt-hem, with a dust ruffle to make the skirt stand away from the ankles. Fourth of these is the evening silhouette that has plenty of back fullness in the skirt, and is rather straight in front. Fifth "on the leading silhouette list. is ■ the tube-and-flare skirt silhouette, which has a straight, "slight-ly-bloused bodice, a fitted' 'liip-band and a flared, lower skirt. . ! TRANSPARENCE. Effects produced by transparence call for considerable thought in the realm, of evening dresses. ; These effects are obtained by arrangements and movements of'inset sections of the gliding of panels, and pleats, and the successful placing of very thin fabrics over one another. This is a very, delicate and complicated branch of the dressmaker's art. " . The shape of a decolletee, the : way in which the sleeves, are set; the manner of placing the /cape over the shoulders, or a scarf to < veil the throat and slip down towards the bare armsall these axe often results of patient research, guided-by good taste and long experience. -. -,'-, ,'.. They do ~ not' attract attention by any ■ appearance of elaboration but by their naturalness which springs from a sentiment of harmony. '■■ Their simplicity which ■ never thrusts itself upon the observer, is' the-genuine hall mark of a costume designed by a big dressmaker. ' UNDERWEAR FOR FITTED DRESSES. ; Underwear for fitted dresses it cut on the bias. For morning and sports we find tailor-types carrying out tho idea of matching the clothes. These garments consist of "shorts arid a brassiere; Trimmings for these vary from the simple hem, either rolled, or with a line of hemstitching, and a monogram if you wish. Corsets, too, have sucsurnbed to the universal rule of' undergarments. The material is cut on the bias to fit more snugly. Front and back, panels of corsets which' have rubber sides are' out on the bias in a series.of overlapping "V" points. If you'uso a corset-^ahd rare is the woman who, dares the new clothes witho-: one—have your brassieres attached to it. The tiniest of buttons or hooks and. eyes attend to this, and a smooth line is'preserved. . .