LONDON FASHION NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14525, 12 November 1910, Page 6 (Supplement)

LONDON FASHION NOTES.

4> " [FROM OUR OW.V CORRKSPOXDKNT.] London', September 30. HAXD-r.VIXTEI) HATS. A w kt.com k innovation has been introduced by an American designer, who offers bandpainted bats as a change from the flower and plume-laden erections women have for so long worn. An important feature of this new stylo of trimming is that it enables designers to study the contour of the face and head, and encourages them to devise something that, will afford outline. The most expensive form, for instance, for a painted hat is that, of an owl. The bird is composed of satin stretched ou a frame that, resembles a. living owl perched on the head of its wearer, in -a way to define it closely. When the bird has been faithfully created, as it were, colour is used. So much attention and so great, artistic skill are applied that a lady who wishes to bo thoroughly in the height of fashion will gladly pay the 20 guineas demanded by the painter as a fair price for his service. A red-breast is one of the 26 different birds from which a selection may be made, and as the little bird with the redbreast would merely form part- of the trimming of a hat covered with pale satin, or indeed, with black, its price is only four guineas. _ Thrushes, pigeons, seagulls, and game birds are free?;- used for this unique form of decoration, 'tnd soma women have actually been courageous enough to choose the wonderful plumage of the peacock. Peacocks' feathers, painted on a black satin hat might- easily be made an exceedingly beautiful addition to a toilette. HAT-nxs. Huge- drasron-fties. mounted on Ions? Dins. '

£<r- uiugvu-iiies, inouiuea on long puis, will transfix the hats of the aiming season. : These flies are w#rks of art, and are cut ' out of coloured and tinted horn. Designers have twisted them into unnatural positions, < and have surrounded the coiled or doubled < fly, by a rim of carved horn. ; As a rule, the ground tone on "which the carving is done, is natural horn in a shade i of transparent grey, on which the delicate j colours show up very well. Butterflies are j also displayed, and, indeed, any sort of < flying winged creature large enough to make i a good-sized disc may be used for these pretty Tiat ornaments." Paste has "Scarcely appeared yet, and al- ' though it is not so attractive as some of , these "big horn pins, it is the very last cry of fashion. Beautiful designs are com- ' posed in paste and cut steel, all sorts of 1 wheels being amongst the favourites. ' I Bounded or [jointed tops of thin steel open. 5 work are sometimes held together by a ( narrow frame of cut paste. This is so fine 5 that' it has quite the appearanace of brilliants, and the pins look exceedingly well 011 the velvet or dark silk beaver hats shown f just now. f. Jewelled hat-pins are by no means lim- £ ited, either in number, variety, or design, £ for something quite new are the pins with c heads of brightly-coloured transparent i stones brought ffom some parts of the con- [ tinent. Those are to be had in such glow- j ing colours as deep red, sapphire, amethyst, c emerald, and flSey look remarkably like the a real stones when they are cut and'mounted. c targe blister pearls, and cut pearl-shell, 2 are freely used, sometimes in fanciful shape, sometimes merely as round or oval plaques. :

Even these are elaborately worked and jewelled. OPERA-BAGS. This season theatre bags are a trifle larger than they were last, chiefly because fans are larger. The dainty fashion of using bajjs and fan en suite still prevails, and in this case both bag and fan are Empire style. Coloured thick Ottoman silk forms the foundation, and the pattern is outlined in little fine sequins, either in silver or gold. Iridescent discs are used and look very pretty. Much attention is paid to clasps, and a good deal of elaboration is spent} on them. Carved clasps in silver or silver gilt are favourites, and a good many of the old clasps of the Empire period, or of a hundred years ago, such as they were worn in England, are revived. Quaint little bags in velvet or brocade are made of the shape of opera-glasses, and should be selected to tone with the dresses worn. A mirror cunningly fixed in the base of the reticule may be useful, but its privileges -ought not to be abused. The new Oriental bags are rounded in shape, and are made of thick silk, heavily embroidered in rounded cord, forming scroll patterns. Rich embroidery in silk work finishes them, and the clasps are marvels of wrought silvergilt. Italian tinted and embossed leather is also very pretty, fastened with narrow gold clasps in the form of serpents. iii i «r

Our illustration shows a pretty gown i for evening wear, carried out in lilac i ninon._ The panel effect in front is of > dull silk of the same shade, and the > "motifs" are worked in silks shading , from deepest mauve to pale lilac.

•An example of the new toque in stretched purple satin, with large bow and jet ornament. .f ~ . ~ i ... V■.