LONDON'S DRESS PARADE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20112, 24 November 1928, Page 6 (Supplement)

LONDON'S DRESS PARADE.

DEEP COLLARS AND CUFFSDROOPING SKIRTS. [special to .v.;:. unnALD.-corvr.iGnx.] LONDON, Oct. 5. This is dress parado week in London, and tho devotees of Dame Fashion arc spending each afternoon—and many mornings—viewing endless displays of beautiful frocks. Tho autumn . fashions are very lovely, alluringly feminine, but with very few exaggerations, for tho designers have learned tnat it. is useless to create poetic extravagances that yro totally unsuitable to modern life. Tho tweed suits and ensembles remain fairly short, all hough tho knees should 1)0 covered, but all afternoon and evening gowns ato longer, or give tho illusion of added length by dipping panels or sloping lires. Tho long tweed coat and skirt to match mentioned last week is an established model, and all tho dressmakers arc making n feature of this charmingly practical ensemble. Y\ ith tlieso are worn jumpers, belted at tho normal waist,, or blouses tucked into the skirt, which is cut with vokc and belt to finish the waistline. Tho flare seems to have ousted tho pleat from favour, for even in the weightier materials, necessary fullness is generally supplied by a flared skirt, or flarod flounces, or godets. Although wo are anticipating winter weather, many of tho coats have scarf collars, with only fur on the cuffs, and, in some cases, no fur at all. Again, one finds enormous collars and deep cuffs of fur on the velvet and velour coats for afternoon wear, and several have deep flounces edged with fox skins that sway and swing with every movement of the wearer's body. I have chosen ft wrap which attracted a great deal of attention and which would bo equally charming for evening wear or to cover a race gown. It was cut on capo lines, fitting the shoulders and breaking into a very full flounce, the wide collar extending all down the front and round tho flounce. Note the way it is dragged round. tho figure—that is the only way ono must carry a wrap of this sort if one would create a chic effect. As usual, some of the smartest dresses were in black arid black and white, and tho touch of ermine is ft featuro of many of the afternoon gowns. Wino red and bright bines arc fwo very smart day colours, and some of the crepe and crepe satin dresses carried out in these two colours are practically unadorned, except by incrustations of velvet on tho reversed surface af the material.

The vivul Channel red and an even brighter lloyal blue aro being used a great deal Sfor evening gowns. I have seen these two shades many times in lace, chiffon, satin and velvet, and with tho exception of jewelled buckles or shoulder straps, they seem to dispense with ornamentation, "relying on their flowing lines and vir.tl colouring for distinction. The plain satin gown is an important feature of everrng modes, and I am enclosing a sketch that T have made of one in deep creme satin. The clinging bodice, flared drooping skirt, and bow trimming are all new notes, and the absence of any exaggeration should commend this model to many who are looking for something leallv new. With this gown sunburn stockings and satin shoes to match seemed essential, and the ropes of pearls which have returned to favour in spite of their over-popularity a few seasons ago. Backs aro tremendously important this season. Tweed coats arc cut with yokes across the bafck or inverted pleats., or strappings, the front often remaining quite plain. Afternoon fjocks have collars that arc the merest outline in front, but fall in deep points almost to the waist at the back. Or scarves that tie in the middle of the shoulders and hang nearlv to the hem of the gown, or incrusted designs of lace or velvet that are often the only decoration of the dress. With evening dresses it is the same, onlv even more so, for a great number of 'these are simply draped toward the back, where, with low-cut decollete hanging panels arid swaying flounces, they concentrate all the attention.