LONDON FASHION NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 1514, 9 November 1912, Page 6 (Supplement)

LONDON FASHION NOTES.

I It Oil OUR OWN COBRKSrOXDKST.iI , i fiest fruits of AUTUMN - j NOVELTIES. ; London'. September 27. | Tut. new autumn fashions are now begin- „ ning to make their appearance in the metropolis and those who had hoped that the , beloved straight line would come back ' for vet .another season will Ik- sorely dis- . appointed. The pretty straight lino has 5 gone completely, and the queerest of old- • lushionc-d curves are making a, bid for popularity. However, these new fashions must not > be taken too seriously. They come from : the very best dressmakers, but, for all ' that. most of them are in vulgar par- • lance, just, '"try-ons." whether they will 1 become the season's styles will not be known for some time to come. According 1 to all reports, both fashionable Parisiennes > and fashionable English women are very ■ loth to give up the graceful straight line. What is most likely to happen is a. sort of i compromise. The " plain tight skirl will not be seen again in anything approaching its original form, but its influence will ; be very much in evidence on all draped skirts. This means that panniers will not be much worn, if at all, for aJI draperies will be kept, below the hip line and very | Hat, so as to preserve the slim straight silhouette as much as possible. Three typical gowns may be described among the host that are now making their debut. They are. a tailor-made, an afternoon gown and an evening gown. All are sufficiently striking 10 arrest, attention, and all show the new curved line in place of last year's straight up and down appearance. The tailor-made is an extraordinary design. Over a tight narrow skirt of grey and blue striped ratine (tho stripes going horizontally) comes a curious upper skirt of the same material lined with satin, and having tho front and back pieces cut longer than the aides. These are folded back, laveuso fashion, the back piece tip to the waist, and the front piece somewhat higher so as to form a, quaint, little bib. Broad cords arranged right across'the top of the corsage and down the front of the under- ; skirt give a certain military appearance j to the dres,< The Afternoon Frock. - ! The afternoon gown is scarcely less re- 1 markablo and also has a. double-skirted i effect. The whole dress is of grey satin, arranged in rather wide box pleats" The i underskirt looks very skimpy, and the narrow appearance is accentuated by a sash of gold embroidery, which is draped round tightly just above, the knees, and effectu- '[ ally keeps the box pleats from spreading ; out. 'I he pleated overskirt is cut up at j the left side, and is long enough to par- ] tially cover the gold .sash. The corsage is very simple. The box pleated front is j Moused slightly over a very deep corselet-! waistbelt of gold embroidery and a nar- j row band of embroidery is taken straight, i across the front and back of the corsage j from shoulder to shoulder, finishing with I crossed and tassel led ends 011 each arm. j The sleeves are long, plain and slightly j gathered. This sleeve is without doubt, i the sleeve of the season as far as indoor j frocks are concerned. 1 A Quaint Dress. j The evening gown—the third of the three—is very reminiscent of the past. The j old-fashioned lace berthe. the unfamiliar j polonaise corsage, and the straight lace j llounce on the skirt all suggest a. fashion of long ago. In this dress the skirt is of white accordion pleated mousseline and the curious gathered polonaise is of black charmeuse. The satin is arranged in fl?t folds that define the figure nearly us far as the knees, at the sides and back, but in the front it is cut with a deep point. It is bordered with a narrow band of ermine, and from the edge depends a long frill of lace. The same lace forms a deep berthe that completely covers the top of the arms, j and the Y-shaped decolletage is prettily 1 outlined with fur ermine. It is a quaint ! dress, and on a ! tally beautiful figure it j 1 would look splendid, but I doubt if many j English women look their best in such a style. Dainty Petticoats. j It- was a foregone conclusion that so j soon as the dress skirts should begin to i grow, under petticoats would once more j take? their rightful place among the most. ' important, items >.f feminine attire and j these are already appearing in many ex- j (.optionally attractive guises. Some of the most, important petticoats for morning wear are carried out in black and white checked glace silk, with one deep flounce, made up on tin.* cross, so that the lines of the pattern run diagonally. Others again, that aie more economical in the end than those which are made from glace silk (which is only too often of doubtful durability) are carried out in alpaca- and trimmed round the hem with one deep silk flounce or several narrow ones, so that when the dress skirt is lifted the petticoat appears to be made entirely of silk, fcloft satin flounces ran be arranged 111 the same way, while in the case of evening underskirts some pretty effects are obtained by arranging kilted flounces of flowered ribbon on a foundation of soft white satin.