LATEST LONDON FASHIONS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1200, 1 March 1895, Page 14

LATEST LONDON FASHIONS.

From, Our Own Correspondent. Regent Street, January 5. In dress as in general decoration or design, the most powerful aid to good effect is simplicity. Keep a simple scheme in either one or the other well in view throughout, and the result will be a clear effect of the most satisfactory description; while over-elaboration and superfluity ends disastrously in chaos ; producing only a sensation of weariness, and a certain contempt on the beholder. In the dressing of children simplicity is, of course, additionally desirable in its fitness to their fresh young beauty, which is cruelly spoilt by much adornment,

furbelows and fripperies. The dress of children has been so vastly improved in this respect of late years, however, that the little ones have had a chance of showing how delightfully piquant and sweetly pretty they can look. A simple childish hat (recently seen at j a ver/ modish West End milliner's) is shown in Fig 1, and consists of a soft brown felt shape, with a pleating of brown corded ribbon from the crown, over about half of the brim ; and another of velvet the same colour above it. On the left side, two brown silk pompoms are placed with two or three up-standing loops of the brown ribbon. The little coat worn with this hat is of brown Amazon cloth, pleated from the neck, and hanging in folds to the hem of the frock, with full sleeves, and a double collar edged with black astrachan. An immense amount of velvet is worn this autumn and winter; and as it is undeniably one of the most becoming materials we can wear, we may congratulate ourselves that it is to take the place of honour once again. Silk velvet is not attainable by the noble army of impecunious martyrs, but they can cheer themselves with the fact that velveteens are now brought to greater perfection than ever, and that a good one not only presents itself as an admirable substitute, but wears extremely well also.

Fig. 2 illustrates an exceedingly pretty bodice of grey woollen crepon, with, a corsage of smoke-grey velvet, edged with

steel passementerie. The lower portion of the'sleeves is also of the velvet with edging, and a border of same, about three inches deep, finishes the bottom of the skirt. The "Anti-CorsetLeague"has recently been much to the fore at the Congress of the Sanitary Institute at Liverpool, and gave an exhibition of hygienic raiment in the interests of the rational dress question. In all the agitations on this interminable subject, the idea never seemed to occur to the "rational'' pioneers that it is the abuse of the various items of feminine attire that excite their righteous wrath, and not the garments themselves, that should form the bone of contention. Fig. 3 is a stylish gown of grenat-

coloured boucle of the new horizontal striped kind, with bodice and puffed sleeves of black velvet edged with jetting.

This design also shows the method just now employed for the revived slashings which have been resuscitated from time to time since the days of doublet and hose. An absurd" fashion has been lately introduced of making one sleeve different to the other. One would imagine this ludicrous idea must have been started in a frenzy of anxiety to attract attention at any cost, and as there .has, the laet year or two, been no limit to the bizarre and outre effects fashionable dressmakers have inflicted on there confiding customers, I suppose this was a last coup to —in the current slang—" go one better." A visit to Drury Lane Theatre at the present moment will show to the unitiated the pitch to which vulgar dressing is now carried, even by those with a reputation for taste, such as Mrs John Wood has been hitherto credited with ; but if all her aggressive toilettes worn in " The Derby Winner" do not dispel thi3 allusion, one of them must at least, which consists of a black satin gown brocaded with huge red and yellow roses, and bright green leaves. This tasteful groundwork is further embellished by one bright red sleeve, and one equally bright green companion to it, both of velvet; a pale pink chiffon vest and black hat with a rainbow collection of feathers adorning it. Koselle.