WHAT IS WORN

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1680, 11 May 1904, Page 27

WHAT IS WORN

FABRICS AND COLOURS FOR WEDDING GUESTS. THE SUPREMACY OF THE VEIL. LONDON, February 6. Wedding bells • cleave the air with tlieir merry sound, and next week wili

reach, a climax of right royal olamour, for then Princess Alice of Battenbcrg, Trill go to the altar, and in her week

miany other great and small will take place, owing to' the fact that Lent begins oil the 17th. and is not the ohosen season for marriages. To discourse beforehand_ upon the gowns to be worn by a bride and her maids is. in the estimation of "every true woman, to brush the gilt from, the gingerbread. The chief actors ?u the ceremony usually desire the secret of their habiliments to remain untold

) until they flash upon, the gaze of all ; observers at the eventful moment. | But concerning the robes o-f the

guests, who never realty reap the benefit. of their well-thoughteut attire, which cannot be seen to- advantage either n the church or at the crowded reception, :t few generalisations may be permitted. For a February wedding chiffon velvet and crepe d'e chine are the ideal fabrics. Plain cloth is too suggest ; ve of the practical side of existence, whereas the materials just named are completely picturesque, and toilettes made of them are useful afterwards as gowns of ceremony for ordinary social ©vents. There is a new ivory colour termed parchment, which is one cf the most fashionable and beautiful shades of tan now seen —a shade that agrees to perfection with a-brown fur such as sable or mink. It and pastel blue are both to be seen at a groat wedding next week. Materials and colours of this description, it may be sensibly argued, are only for the wealthy ; tor the loss amply dowered woman the canvas cloths are admirably suited for the purpose, and so is taffetas, which makes an excessively smart toilette. Blotting-paper pink and turtle-dove drab are two appropriate shades for a hopsaek dress; the taffetas ones are best, and most picturesquely expressed in shot shades of grey, bronze green, and the many browns, among which gingerbread and Havana are the latest dyes. Havana, is a more subdued edition of the genus brown than gingerbread, and not quite so now.

It is. perhaps, unnecessary to add that the short trotteuse costume is quite out of place at a wedding. The gown that sweeps the floor all round is the ono of the correct length. The walking skirt will bo retained in favour by tire women for pedestrian affairs, though fashion, it is said, has already turned the cold shoulder upon it.. One of the sketches shown to-day reveals a very beautiful toilette d’oecasion as the Fi*ench call such ceremonious robes as a guest's wedding frocks. Carried out iff brown crepe do sol© and panne velours, of a darker shade, it is disposed; after this fashion; the crepe delicately overlaid with lace of the same tint, forms, except so far as the pleated frills at the wrists and the chemisette are concerned, the major portion of the bodice, the- deep hip tablier upon the skirt and the broad bands perceived below it. The rest of the toilette iS cf panne velours of a. rich chocolate shade, which accords well Avitii the Havana of the rest of the robe. Special attention should be accorded to the crepe scarf that is passed over the sjhoul'dera and] slipped through ivory rings in front, terminating in loose ends finished with ivory and chenille ornaments, for these air© most decidedly a feature of the pretty scheme.

The veil, onco so inconsiderable a detail of the annual dress expenditure, is quickly assuming a very formidable •price O'wing to the prominence' that is being given to it by the milliners as an adjunct of the hat. Some hats look all veil, and no hat is complete' without at any rate a drapery of gauze, that answers to the name of veil though to call it in antique parlance a fall would be to describe it properly. For of a truth the that is draped as is the one shown in the sketch is by no means a protection to the face, but simply a fall or flounce of airy tissue arranged with careless grace over one side and at the back of the hat. Some very beautiful veils are now being made in Ireland in the centre of the Limerick laoo industry; they will wash like rags and are in great request among smart motorists.

The latest form the. veil takes is a drapery flowing down the back of a tiny toque. S ! uch a toque seen tlje other day was merely an Alsatian bow, one mass of sparkling steel paillettes mounted upon gauze. A steel grey veil falling from the back of the toque far below the waist was the sole trimming this peculiar but fascinating little piece of headgear was given. It was quite to be expected that the Alsatian bow, which hag made quite a furore for itself as an ornament for the hair to be worn in the evening, should extend its influence as an outdoor head-dress.

One of the most noticeable novelties at present to. be .found in .the coiffeur's category of charma is the Pompadour,

puffed out at the bides, but so arranged that quit© a depression is noticeable in the centre, leaving the head flat at the top. This gives the coiffeur a chance of arranging the beautiful Juliet cap upon her client’s head. It is made of sparkling gems of many colours, or is perfectly whit© when carried out m pearls and diamonds.