THE WOMAN'S WORLD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12044, 14 August 1902, Page 3

THE WOMAN'S WORLD.

A DARING EXPERIMENT IN FRUIT TRIMMING.

Could anything be more daring than the uses to which fashionable modistes are putting the products of'orchard and .garden? The innovations ■ with which they, delight. to dazzle us are generally worth mentioning, yetseldom '■ are.', we permitted to chronicle one quite so unusual as that of to-day. . ,■;,.-' ''.',...,.'.. . ; Last year.the foliage ; hat, with its brilliant lined berries, paved the .way for the: later confections massed with" luscious-' looking • cherries and grapes. Even these appeared rather startling at first; but the idea is tame enough when compared with the latest development in fruit ornamentation, the blackberry gown. • Boldly conceived and artistically carried out as it is, the originator of the gown has certainly succeeded in producing a novelty that is as charming as it is striking. Not every day does one see a frock of this kind, having the corsage literally, covered with natural-looking blackberries, and this particular variety.of■ fruit represents the latest fad in gown ornamentation. -While the blackberries are the most striking feature of the gown, the rest of it deserves more than a passing glance. In stvle it is a sweeping Princess, perfectly cut and showing few seams. ."■' Those which are necessary in order, to ; make ■ the curve at the waist are'cleverly concealed by the incrustedlace patterns. .'Suede cloth, an' exquisite- and almost indescribable- shade, which suggests sparkling champagne, forms the body of the. gown. ~, '~. * ■ ;-'■ The bolero effect is of solid filet mesh, fitting smoothly oyer,,.the shoulders, and with,the upper portion of the sleeves to match. .Upon this dace are- fastened lifesized i blackberries, made" of .rich jet, ; and these ornaments are put so. close together that * the corsage appeal's studded . with them. - - • ."•*'■-'-■•' ' •• ■•;• •'.■;■;

A < gilet of lace ; incru.sted chiffon• 'about 3in wide reaches from throat to below the waist, where" the material blouses ever so little, and then extends in ,a pointed tab of lace. A flat collar of blaek' ; moire encircles the standing one ?of lace and chiffon, aud the: ends are concealed beneath - large jet cabochons. Thick clusters of lusciouslooking .blackberries and; more ■ of it-lie jet discs' border the 'gilet on both sides and emphasise the fruit idea in a very charmnig way.:' Besides the solidly "incrusted caps on the sleeves, there'' are bands ot lace crossing below these which are prettily ornamented with blackberry pendants. ■* More fruit appears'on the-hat, which was designed especially to accompany this unique frock. : ■:. In,shape the hat is quite'flat, with.abroad, rolling brim that is immensely : becoming to the wearer. . It is covered' with." spotted white silk net. . ; "

ETHICS OF THE DRESS ALLOWANCE. Mr. Micawukr (writes " A'. Society Butterfly., to M.A.P.) must have been a firstclass moralist; certainly his dictum on economy will echo through the ages. It runs as follows: " " Annual 'income/ £20; annual expenditure, £19 19s 6d; result,' happiness. Annual income, - £20;' annual expenditure, £20 :0s ' 6d; result, misery." This statement forms a: concrete, essay on the drawbacks, of debt, and applies with equal exactness to the woman who spends £1000 a year on her dress, or to her less fortunate sister whose allowance is hunted to a? humble • £50 per : *annum. My experience of life is, like Sam Weller's, extensive and peculiar';", and it has been my lot to play about with dress money of both the .above-mentioned : amounts— representing comparative poverty, and the other an • equally, comparative affluence. * or. after all, what is riches in Cornwall or Caithness, proves a miserable pittance in Chesham Place or Carlton House Terrace. But in either case, it is possible to avoid debt:; and this from no sort of virtue, but simply from the observance of the following rules: (1) Pay ready money for everything. (2) IS ever spend anything : without well considering if the article in question is a necessity. Will it be valued 24 hours' after purchase? (3) Always -leave a margin ; that is to say, always live within your (4) Keep accounts; even the record of a penny account book acts as a check on one's expenditure. The secret of true economy is trouble-taking ;■'■:■: laziness and -extravagance are apt to go hand in hand. And this last axiom leads up to a' topic of: the moment—nothing Jess than the summer sales.