LONDON FASHION NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15482, 13 December 1913, Page 6 (Supplement)

LONDON FASHION NOTES.

Troon OUR. OWN coniiF.sroNDENT.il The Latest Silhouette. London, October 31. Sunt a short time ago it is that we were assured of returning sanity in woman's' dress, with a total abolition of all that was bizarre. And yet what do we find at the moment? To the less ambitious' in the matter of dress it seems that the latest styles are still quito bizarre and freakish and unusual. Some of the ; dresses of the moment, seen in Paris as j well as in London, look as if they might, have been made for anyone but the; wearers, and the makers of these dresses are not tho last to admit the fact. The Correct Line. The true Parisienne, it is on record, "wears her smartest table d'hote dress for the theatre—that is, unless she is going on to a party. And these high evening dresses are very characteristic this autumn, for they aro entirely different from any we have ever seen before. The bodice is not really high at ail, in tho true sense of the term, for a very rudimentary and scrappy lining of pink eatin with a wisp ot lace and fur aro tho most solid parts about them. True, there is tho kimono of- chiffon, which covers the shoulders in a transparent and . half-hearted taslnon, but this is all. These are, however, the very popular alternoon bodices ot the moment, and nicy are worn in the evening for the smartest theatre wear. All the skirts aro caught up in front, and in addition are : slit as well, the entire fulness encircles tho hips, and the drapery is still drawn tightly around the ankles— tight, in fact, that wero the skirt not slit one could not walk in it at all! The correct silhouette is a perfect oval, beginning with the one point at tho feet, broadening out to the widest round about the hips, and tapering gradually off again to the sleek, little, tightly and smoothly coiffed head." Thero is more than a suggestion of the peg-top" brought about'by the manipulation of drapery; and these skirts, for day wear and evening wear, are carried out in the softest of charmouse, in the quito new thick taffetas glace, in broche . satin, in gauze, in crepe de chine, and in ' tullo as well as in velvet. Every class of , material, indeed, is used when the peg-1 top skirt is the one desired. These skirts , aro cleverly arranged, so that as tho ankles are neared tho skirt width' dwin- , dies away to nothing, revealing either a! dainty jupon of kilted net or more likely ! a peep of silken stockings inset with real lace, and of attractive footwear in satin I or brocade to match the gown, adorned back and front with sparkling jewels, j some of which aro firmly embedded in the high heels. I

The Crinoline Tunic. It is not always bv means of bunchedup drapery that width is obtained in the region of the hips, for the alternative is the Persian tunic, the tunic, that is, that is wired round its edge to stand away altogether from the figure and from the skirt that is under it. Tho silhouette thus produced is anything but becoming, for there is a marked contrast between the width all round the middle portion of the figure and the fearful skimpiness that confines the' feet. However, it is no use objecting, for apparently the Persian tunic is tho tunic of the autumn, and its influence has, spread to the basqued coat that forms part of tho tailored suit. In the case of the* day dress and the evening dross this tunic is often so full that it stands out all round like a ballet-dancer's skirt; it is quite a short thing, and it is not compulsory for its length to bo tho same all roundindeed, it is often longer at each side, than it is back and front—but vagaries as to its outline are allowable; all that is necessary is to guard against its length growing too long. In the principal dressmaking ateliers of Paris are to bo seen tunics of the ballet-dancers' type, made of every kind of material, including velvet, cloth, and tulle. j