HAPPY-GO-LUCKY DAYS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 21030, 14 November 1931, Page 6 (Supplement)

HAPPY-GO-LUCKY DAYS.

SPIRIT OF ECONOMY. SILVER AND DIAMOND BUTTONS. [SPECIAL TO N.Z. HERALD.— COPYRIGHT.^ LONDON, Sept. 28. In the happy-go-lucky days of loose, straight frocks, women forgot all about their figures, but with the new fashions they are already realising that nothing is so destructive' to chic as an undisciplined outline. Even the best designed dress may become a failure if the wearer leaves her corsetry to chance, so it seemed a. fitting prelude to the dress show season that the opening display should be one of foundation garments." We watched the transformation which the modern corset artist can work on the " wrong " sort of figure, for it is not so much size as a curve in the wrong place which wrecks a smart frock.

The corsetier of to-day is much more concerned in skilfully banishing an unsightly bulge than producing a small waist —after all, it is "line that is so important. Already I have seen many hundreds of new models, for the London dress parades are at their height, and now I am beginning to wonder if they are not all slightly over-obsessed with the all-brown fashion. An English winter with a of dull days can be sufficiently sombre without adding such a procession of dull-col-oured clothes.

Tt may fit in with the spirit of economy which is already pervading the fashion world, but I sincerely trust that there will he many brave spirits who will cheer our eyes with the greens, yellows and reds which are fortunately shown in every collection. Brown is a lovely autumn colour, and indeed it, can look very beautiful on a sunny summer day. It is only when one sees too much even of a good thing that one is apt to be critical. Fortunately, some of the brown outfits have smart colour contrasts to enliven their sombre appearance. One brown sports suit had a knitted jumper in stripes of brown, yellow and white—the narrow stripes going round the figure —that came just below the waistline with an upward curve iif the centre front. This line finishes many of the new blouses or jumpers and seems a happy compromise between the " tuck in, which does not. suit mature figures, and the hip-length jumper, which is not so youthful. . 4 A little jacket, made in startling travelling rug " plaid—-in brown and yellowy beige—was exceedingly smart, worn over a brown dress and lined and faced with the same brown material. -j A brown satin dress had a deep yoke and sleeve tops to the elbow of rust red crepe, and this was worn with a brown coat that had a high collar of brown Persian lamb. One feature I noticed was that nearly all the dark brown coats are trimmed with dark brown fur, and that colour contrasts on brown ensembles are confined to the materials.

Reds, which T trust will be popular, are shown in many terra cotta shadings as well as wine and deep raspberry reds. One exceedingly smart ensemble showed a, long coat of rust red with high collar and pointed trimming of black broadtail fur all down the front. Beneath this was a dainty little dress of the same coloured red with a, close-fitting coat that was trimmed round the basque, small collar reivers with a narrow edge of this broadtail fur and belted with a black leather belt.

This type of dress is exceedingly smart for in-bet ween-seasons, and if the real fur is beyond one's means, the broadtail fur fabric is just as smart and most people will think it is real.

Buttons figure on many of the newest outfits, often supplying the note of originality. One sniart tailored skirt in brown cloth consisted of two straight panels back and front. These were buttoned together down the hips half-way with flat, bone buttons a. little larger than a shilling, and then the panels were left free, revealing a slip beneath. A sports coat of creen and beige tweed had a. tiny turn over collar and was buttoned with groups of four buttons to the waist and then belted. With this was a three-cornered scarf of green plaid silk, edged and strapped with bands of t.weed and tied carelessly round the neck at any becoming angle. Gold, silver and diamond buttons are used on evening bodices. Some cling closely to the figure, looking like the frocks of tho -" gay 'nineties," with many frills on tho skirts which rustic round the ankles. Black and white remains as chic as ever, although it is not shown so incessantly as usual. Very youthful was a frock of black woollen fabric with deep collar and tinv bow of white glove, kid, and gauntlet and narrow belt, also of white kid. For afternoon wear a black velvet frock had deep shaped gauntlets aiVl small col-, lar and vest of white Irish lace. This also had a white belt and was worn with a. folded toque of swathed black and white with three cute ends sticking out at one side, and, of course, perched in the new fashion at an angle.