HOME TOPICS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13699, 16 March 1908, Page 3

HOME TOPICS.

SOME HINTS PROM PARIS. ; KVENTNt; SHOES WITH SHAMROCK BUCKLES. Now that the dance season i*> approaching, every item of the ball toilet to' is of serious importance, and the question of footgear by no means comes last among the many considerations of the toilette. Satin shoes still hold the first place, in the affections of the debutante, and these are ornamented with double buckles in oval or circular form, linked together, and carried out in paste or fancy stones. In some ciitics a circle composed of minute imitation brilliants is intertwined with a ring of pale amethyst beads, while dainty slippers in pale blue satin are decorated with an ornament of pearls and turquoises. Another novelty is the buckle which consists of a spray of shamrocks, carried out in French paste, the stem of which is curled round to form a. circular buckle, while a single trefoil occupies the centre. Louis heels a,re still worn, the two-colour scheme being much to the fore both for day and evening wear, and such combinations as pale green shoes with silver heels, or mauve heels with pale pink or oven, with satin slippers in the palest tone of blue are by no means considered too daring for the occasion. Novelties in tho matter of coiffure ornaments continue to increase and multiply, and the French modistes are vying with each other in the originality of their schemes. Leaves are even more popular in. this connection than flowers, ivy leaves powdered with rime and edged with crystal beads being first in favour. Another charming ornament is represented by a chap let of olive leaves, composed alternately of bright emerald green beads and crystals, the wreath being brought into a. sharp point in front, and worn well down over the forehead. The Creek crown, or fillet tho centre of which is tilled in with puffed maroon-coloured tulle, while a panache of chestnut and white plumes or cluster of mock ospreys is introduced on one side is a third scheme which is much to the fore, while green oak leaves with golden acorns, as well as somewhat forbidding thistle loaves in their lovely powdergreen tones, are fashioned of gauze, showered over with diamond dust. Some of the new high-crowned hats are I encircled with immensely wide bands -of broad coarse-meshed filet, almost hidden under embroidered applique leaves and flowers in shades of Japanese blue and maroon dore. . The width of these bands necessitates their being carefully wired, and no otner trimming is required wiHi the exception of a chump of feather fantasies in soft shades of blue and brown, caught with a large Kabyle ornament set with uncut stones. A tendency to overweight the hat in front is shown in numbers of the new models, a scheme which is by no means advisable where a short woman is concerned. In many cases an enormous bunch of feathers is placed exactly in the centre of the front, and is held in place with a little square of satin bordered with a tiny kilted frill, which takes the place of a buckle and is stiffened so as to give it the requisite solidity. THF COIFFURE AND HOW ADORN—— v '— rT"*" ' Change is the fetish or the "fashionable woman, and her coiffure is just- as liable to alteration as her clothes. There is a drastic difference noticeable now in the mode of arranging the tresses, and those universally applauded adjuncts of the coiffure, the chi-chi curls, cluster 110 longer • upon i t-he- niodishly dressed head. • 6 Yes; that is the doom dealt out by the baby year! The chi-chi is as undoubtedly a banished mode as the cloche hat, which will be totally barred by the great milliners of the day. These are revelations that : the first exhibitions of the spring fashions in London will make obvious. Women who occupy the premier rank of elegance are flattening their tresses on the crown of the l'iead, and are broadening them above the ears. Admittedly this is a direct reversal of what was expected, and actually favoured for a short time, but no one is accountable for Fashion's whims, of which this new manifestation is one. Instead of wearing clii-cHis the smart woman is now threading ribbon through her hair tied in a rather flat bow on the i ■summit of her head. She wears her rib- ! bon in the daytime, and makes it an adjunct of her millinery very smart one, too, it must be agreed. The ribbon arranged half hidden, half displayed among the waving strands of hair that are so prettily , puffed in and out. in great undulations upon tho head. Rumour lias it that the Psyche knot will take the place of the curl clusters that once centred the coiffure, but at the present moment there is a compromise effected between the Greek braid and. the pouf, which is eminently satisfactory. \ There is a great distinction and, in. i fact, a touch of real genius in an a range- ! :nent, composed of a cliou of chinchilla, surrounded by silver .tassels, a perfectly beautiful form of coiffure adornment. Girls in the ballroom and at the theatres wear loops of ribbon with tiny clusters of small roses at the ends. The loops are passed over the front of the hair where they present the appearance of a ruche, and the roses fall about the ears. COLOURS FOR THE COMING SEASON. Cerise is to be prominently in favour as a, colour in the spring in London, not only for millinery, but for day-time and evening frocks and full-dress mantles. It is an exquisitely soft shade, and can be relied upon to make a. welcome hint of brightness in dull weather. Puce is to be a serviceable choice, especially when braided with black, and as there cannot be too much braiding massed tipow the mantelet or loose coat, the effect of the puce is left for the skirt to make. Sang lier, the full golden brown shade of the wild boar, is also approved. Quite jus much importance is placed upon the success of the back of the coat its upon the front, and it is profusely braided when braid is made a feature of the garment. Peach, ripe melon, Empire, and hunting green and a large family of browns, blues, and fruit reds are among the colours that are popular at Monte Carlo, and white in tho close company of grenat, the first as a cloth toilette, the second as a. velvet jacket, with a draped cap to match, form a captivating mode. . SLKKV KLKSS COATS IN* VOGXTK. The closely fitting three-quarter jacket, with its cut-away fronts and trim vest, is not to be the accepted model of the springtime of this year. Every sign points to the supremacy of the loose coat and those little fanciful ones that are so pretty, and that form so excellent an excuse for the utilisation of all kinds of handsome lace, embroidered net. fur rouleaux, fringe, and tassels. A charming sleeveless mantlet is made of ■ cerise cloth, embroidered with black soutache, and edged with black satin and fur, worn over a chemisette and sleeves of embroidered lawn, with a black satin hat plumed with cerise feathers. Black fox furs, and a muff to. match, with an enormous taffeta bow upon it, are additional charms. A mingling of tints will bo noticeable in tho newly presented fashions of the. coming spring, and already the modistes are introducing the idea. For her going-away dress ono of the recent brides, Lady Cynthia Crewe-Milnes, wore navy blue cloth, relieved with khaki-coloured chiffon, inset in pleated bands upon the corsage, and pipings of black satin added further distinction to the scheme, as well as 'large satin-covered buttons. One of the trousseau gowns of Lord' Crewe's daughter was a very elegant evening robe of white chiffon bordered and otherwise decorated, with white velvet, and brightened by handsome golden embroideries. The introduction of white velvet is most happy, and so much more novel and rich in appearthan the white satin usually employed.