LADIES COLUMN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12272, 16 May 1903, Page 6 (Supplement)

LADIES COLUMN.

LONDON FASHION NOTES.

[WRITTEN SPECIALLY FOR. THE NEW ZEALAND

HERALD.]

London, April 11. There are still plenty of contradictory statements regarding the correct length of fashionable skirts. For instance, information comes from Monte Carlo that quite short skirts are very much worn there, and that the new costumes for the summer, brought out by the recent warm weather had, for the greater part, been skirts not reaching below the ankles. This was much more than many people expected, for the majority of fashionable dressmakers have been discouraging the idea of short skirts, and doing all in their power to turn would be wearers against them. Now, however, even in London short walking skirts are to be seen, and veiy neat they look too, but, of course, daintily-shod feet are very necessary. With long, dragging skirts too many women have been careless about their shoes, thinking any shabby old things would do, as they were not visible ; but in that a great mistake was made. The majority of these " trottoir" skirts, as . they are called, in France, are fitted into a shaped hip yoke, which may either be plain or trimmed with flat strappings, the skirt itself being set into pleats or kilts, and always arranged with as long linos :>sr possilbe. Lines quite to the hem from the yoke er from the waist are regarded as compensating for the lack of training material, as these lines give height to the figure. ' - ■•.;

Fashions that are recognised at Monte Carlo are generally followed everywhere else sooner or later, and probably such will be the case with short skirts. But on the other hand, it is said in another quarter to be quite a« erroneous idea to suppose that short skirts are to be general this season. With these short skirts, by the way, it is considered necessary to wear a specially cut petticoat, made with a shaped flounce, so as to keep the skirt out at the back. This is considered necessary, mainly because pleated skirts of tweed or thickish material are unlined. Save that these short skirts are worn occasionally for morning wear, those who favour the long, trailing skirts are loth to admit more, and maintain that fashionable skirts arc to be as long, and as sweeping as ever, falling on the ground in full, well-cut folds, generally finished at the back with a broad box pleat down the middle, as fulness of some kind is now to be preferred instead of the quite plain back. Another type of skirt back is that arranged in accordeon pleats, which are set.in very narrowly at the waist, and gradually branch out in fan-like fashion until a wide train is simulated at the edge. These graduated pleats form a much more graceful train than the tail-like cut of some skirts a short time ago. Years ago these pleated backs were the fashion, and now their return is regarded as certain.

There is, however, no getting away from the fact that everything will depend on the attendant circumstances when the question of long or short skirts is to be decided. Thin materials of flowing variety are pretty sure to be made long during the coming months, as will all skirts for dressy occasions. In the way of trimming they are usually extremely elaborate, and gaugings, strappings, tuckings, pleatings, and open stitcheries are all the rage. Quite a change from any of these, however, is the revival of ohney-combing, introduced in some of the new model dresses, the upper part of the honeycombed. Of course, like gauging skirt, in the form of a hip yoke, being honeycombing is only suitable for canvasses and voiles and muslins and other materials of equally light texture, and although it is a little early to indulge in these just yet, we hope it will not be long before they are all the rage. But friezes and homespuns and cloths, which used to be the tailors' .special materials, are quite thrown overboard by those gentlemen, woh are devoting all their attention to tailor-made costumes of flimsy stuffs of almost every type. One new feature for the skirt, which is set in pleats all round from waist to hem, has the fulness kept down at intervals by strappings of —one down the middle of the back, one down each hip seam, and one down the seam on either side of the front width— which are dotted for half their length by tiny fancy buttons. The raison d'etre of these strappings is usually to . restrain too great fulness about the hips, especially as, unless fualtlessly cut and pressed, the pleats are apT.to bulge at times, especially if at all strained about the hips.

SHORT-SKIRTED COSTUME. A short-skirted costume is shown in the other sketch, with a rather nice braid trimming admitting oi inlets of velvet, which might be the least hint darker than the cloth or precisely matching the cloth.