MY LADY'S MIRROR.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 6383, 4 December 1907, Page 5

MY LADY'S MIRROR.

NOTES ON FASHIONS. MILLINERY ANT) FROCKS. Tim Parisian ha.? Uio reputation of being tho beat dressed woman in the world. She has so been described by admirers of every nationality, and o*s thorn her own sex, the credential is important. But—there are exceptions, rg 1 see that a visitor to Paris has quite different views. Jn her opinion, tho Parisian is not well dressrd, because her tftyle* are exaggerated. .She is, in a word, got up to the point of theatrical ek-ganev. Hor.go.vnß are too uecorative, her gloves ami shoes, especially the latter, too Tin ring and' bat i.s invariably either too small or too large. ‘‘See the Frenchman/' says the faultfinder: “even lie is extreme —highhe led boots, flaring coat, laige Rowing tie, ana rings on his fingers. If this is tho case with tho man/ what must be expected in that of tho woman r He garments ore exquisite, of course-, but she looks like an advertising picture; artistic, beautiful, and, in this sense, attractive, but fitter to appear in counterfeit presentment on a fine showcard than in real life cn tho public highway. ’ Apparently views are the result of individual bia*. for or against. Tho fashionable Parisian is the most modrih woman, alive, and this acknowledges it; but exception is taken to this very fact —sho is on the pinnacles, and is, therefore, extreme by way of contrast. 4 . Probably there is this ho bo said, if she wasn't at tho acme, then someone else would be, and whoever that favoured mortal was it would bo possible to write of her in. the earn© strain precisely. All dressing is relative, and what appears to ono flection of tho community as the limit may easily appear to another aa dowdy and out of date.

For example, and I go for it to the very pit, there is said to be romo trouble with the authorities in charge of the aborigines of New South Wales, because tho costumes designed for the ladies of "King Billy’s’" court have offended their good taste. The trouble io not a new one, as T think X reed something of the same kind before. The "gins” object to being made sights of. with plain skirts, flourbag blouses, etc., and the lubras turn up npses at garments which would be aeclinod by a graven image. Just what. they_ want ten’t .snid, but probably they kimono costumes, and floral millinery, just like tho. favoured ones of tho colour elect, which is no colour at ell. Experience has shown that tho women of Ashanti rvr th© .South Sen Islands—wouki it br» right to write of them ns tho "fair flex”? '-are as anxious for finery as the women of the finest metropolis on earth. Thu*. In South Africa, the native women will load themselves with jewellery, genornil> made of bras'*. nml on some of the islands they will cut a wonderful apffarnnee it nnv joker their way a box of European finery whether designed for ono sox or the other. When you rise above the poor savage in this way, you find os your next step, sav Ceylon, where the humblest women will, fairly smother themselves with rings, bangles and bracelets. Thon to India, and so on to the highest, culture after all being very little eke than barbarianisml refined. Strangely enough, some of our own most pleasing fashions have ns their source the mo-t primitive people, if only we are willing to go back. On© could, if one had the time, tek*' 1 item by item, and run it back to actual 'barbarism, from which the id a* h?vo been drawn, and modified generation bv generation. The parasol, tho fan, and even the veil, cam© from heathen source©, to eay the ‘least of it; and even the kimono, which has the pride of place now. is borrowed from Japan, and although Japan is on top now, it was very different when tho kimono startedthere.

Millinery h*»s many styles just now, and none perhaps is so supreme a-s to be given a first place fo the it! count o p tho mt The present model is a turned no toque, which is a pleasing variation from the chocHe. It is a silk crinoline very handsomely treated with quilted ribbon overset with bows. It is a question if two shades would be allowable, but probably the richer' and better effect will bo gained by one. A wing either side gives an air of great smartness, this old Roman idea in applying wings being as taking to-day as when first evolved. Tho hat sets on a thin wreath of small and compactly placed roses beneath which the hair is arranged as fully and luxuriantly a* possible. The crown of the hat is covered with silk tho disposition of which will b© supplied by any tasteful reader. Such' a hat is becoming to a youthful wearer and will go admirably with a stylish linen frock.

We need not. counterfeit plumage m our millinery; why butterflies? A West Bnd firm, it appears, a<ked themselves this question, and settled it by agreeing that the necessity is imaginary. Hence, real butterflies—dead, naturally—are the latest novelty in bab. decoration. The finest butterfly known is the electric blue butterfly of South * America, but don't think Tnaff this is cheap, as I note that a good specimen is worth

from 7s S 3 to 10sT ♦ Such a "fly” looks charming, it is averred, in a hat of blue flowers or pl-nmee, the colour being as nature made it, and practically imperishable unless handled. But the 7s 6d butterfly is not at all the minimum, as there are many "flics” of Home origin, brown and black, blue and crimson, also red-brown and gold, which are very pretty. When trimmed on to hats that set them off, they are. said to be delightful, and some proof of their elegance is certainly given' in the assurance that the flowers with them ipust be very choice, or look common through the contrast. It is easy. I understand, to treat a butterfly eo that it will retain its colours for . years, and not decay.

I should like to eee the Press Exhibition thnt is to- open in London next winter, which means, I suppose, next month or so. I note that it is to be a show of the finest costumes, hats, and ling'-rie possible to the manufacturers of Paris and London. The leading houses will exhibit, and the manufactnrers of fabrics exhibit with them, and when it is mentioned that the value of the goods will exceed X 200.000, it will be realised what fine things wHI be shown. The affair is to be known as the "London and Paris Press Exhibition," and it will be a complete display, not only of the finest costumes of the day. the fabric* that are popular, etc., etc., hut will hare as one of its attractions looms at work on the latter to show the nublie just how the things axe made from the raw material. Well. I hare seen a loom at work, and I think it one of the most

,f ecmating triumphs of human invention. But this wonderful exhibition will show much more—machines at work making velvet, silk, ribbon, lace, embroidery and other choice items. Truly an <ducation for all who will have tho privilege of witnessing tho process.

hibbon belting is ve’-y popular, and i for young girl* it is beyond all question the very thing to enhance the effect of a nice frock. Pink and blues, and particularly yellows, may be worn and very great taste may be shown in the Wt y they are made. With silk belting, wo must, of course, wear buckles, so that the att ntion of the expert has been given to this department with more than oidinary success. Bast year there were pquaro plain buckles of silver, and in some cases they becaip* too large. This year it io hard to particularise, for there are oo many attractive examples. Mothor-of-pearl will be the newest •‘material/’ and those' will appear uith lat© summer frocks and continue into tho autumn. They will be variously coloured, and appear in square and oval shapes, Tho best kinds will be set with Rhino stems towards the outer rim, t.oro making ,a merry # little twinkle without being too obtrusive. English society has set a fashion, in rings for morning wear. Better, 1 should cay. that it had revived a fashion, and a very acceptable on©. The ring is of plain gold, something like a wedding ring, but it is set with eight, three, or'five stones, the faces of which ar:> level with the surface of tho metal. They are variously deoenbed* some calling them Gipsy rrn-gp—which is old—and others going cue hotter, end calling them blouse rings. A ruby may be worn between two small diamonds—that is th© best etyle; but an emerald between two garnets is popular. Tho latter seems to ha a nqycl combination. aa given, but you can easily see the effect would be very acceptable. It is said that tho bouse ring is quite unostentatious. and this may bo believed. But then the bloufle, where it nas tho recommendation ct morning wear only, is also uncotente-tiaus, albeit in ray opinion op© of the most erogant garments over dreigned. For simple lines it would be difficult to improve cn the model—on© of light cummer materiel or linen at your discretion. The linos are, in my opinion, beautiful. The coat being the feature and evidencing very rare test© in tho treatment. hitting the figure rather freely th© garment is single breasted and full hip length, tin© collar being cut low and having an added beauty on that account. The manner of the. straps is the choicest thing on the coat, two jiifit taking tho figure curve, though : over po slightly, and turning at the

depth shown. A square inset of colour gives a very pleasing touch hero, and serves moreover to throw the turn into relief. A sympathetic effect is 'easily obtained in front, and the collar repeats th© application with a margin. A plain cuff either turns or depends from the ©leevo, which has a shirtlike fulness. The frock ie simple, up-to-date, and suitable for practically any wear, from picnic to afternoon function, while it is an ideal stylo for morning use.

Different women will spend J5lO in different ways, and get very different results in value. I have referred to this before, but J return to it because a particularly dressy friend, who is noted for doing a deal on a limited allowance, exhibited before me the results of ,£lO expended in her own special way. It all went on dress and millinery, her other belongings being sufficient, and the result of a kind of scientific mapping out was that she possessed herself of quite a little wardrobe for the money. First with the millinery. She spent 35s on a hat, and 10s on two shape© and material, out of. which she fashioned two ordinary but sufficiently nice extra ones. This meant £2 5s Now for the dresses. One. linen, lac© and embroidery she got to order for .£3 Ids, and she also had a linen coat made to go with the skirt as a change. This cost her 10s, making a total outlay, with tho hats, of jEfi 5». Then sho bought two skirts in good woollen goods, one plain and one striped, and gar© 30g for th© two. This made £7 15s, and, of course, left £2 sa. Four perfectly plain blouses, made on the shirt principle, two white and two figured took another 30s, leaving Iss. Of this 7s fid went for gloves, 5s for a fichu and 2s fid for two ties for tho blouses. "By changing about/’ said she, "T can get the result of more than half a dozen, costumes. In fact, I can get as many as nine, and the hate, gloves and tic« are thrown in/’. I thought the little lesson a good one, and so decided to share the information. I have known women, and so no doubt have you, who, needing a wardrobe, would hare sunk the entire -£lfi on a single dress and hat, the result being wasteful and grotesque. It is wasteful to spent money on little when yon can get much, unless, of course, money is no object. And it is grotesque because a woman, if seen too often in the one costume, a kind of dress caste. Picture my friend in one of her nicely-made skirts, and with on© of those ©hirtelik© blouses, perfectly laundered, and therefore delightful. Picture on© of the self-made hats, a smartly tied tie, and neat gloves, and that aa nice a morning picture as you can want. The afternoon display will explain itself —the pretty linen dress and th© fjood hat, the dominant feature.

Speaking of simplicity, I bow a photo, the other day of * summer dress by Paquin, of Paris. It was of linen, and the skirt was quite plain, save for \ band of embroidery either side of an extending front panel. The blouse was the undergarment of a coat of the came, out with the severity of & man's ©eat, the sleeves short, with a turned cuff with tie embroidery, and embroidery coining down each aide of the coat in in each a. way as to suggest, with the skirt, the embroidery curves from shoulder to foot. It i© difficult to express in cold typo how very elegant the custom© was.

but I have shown its simplicity. The wearer wa» dark and pretty, with an abundance of hair, and this was mopped up under a clocho hat, smothered with plumes. Tho ensemble was delightful, and to my view represented the quintessence of elegance. In this I am not decrying ornamentation, but tho note is sometimes valuable which strikes for simplicity, "lest we forget” that this is always charming, whereas the elaborate may be that or not.

Simplicity is the hall mark of much of the best drcaring of tho moment, despite the fact that ornate treatments were never more ornate. Tho gown of which this is tho more important part develops in any light cummer goods, pre-

ferably ns plain a* can le. .The skirt is quit© simple, though, if desired, the embroidery may be applied in a Grccx pattern on a high flounce line.. The blouse ■£ tasteful and pretty, two yoke® of embroidery giving it a very nice appearance. Epaulette© of tho same arc the natural complement, and the blcoto hang© with a draned effect as shown. Ihe vest is of silk or lace, aa preferred, the former being specially nice treated as the attjMmiggccts in the horizontal hnw. M'lth such a costume a bat of this charactei is ideal, tho plumes being as. shown, or if desired a little more free. *

I have referred to butterflies in mil-linery-real butterflies, cured, and applied as though they are.ro rcrting there. Bnt the bnttM - . 1 ! r is one of nature s mo.-t artistic shanes, and I saw an evidence of it on a hat a few days ago. Ihp hn--,vns clcohe-ffli,apC'<l and worn pcnectlv straight. Either eido was a. wins, and she front was -ibaon eo fashioned bb to portray a hugs butterfly head oo.vt,'. If von have tho picture of one by you look, at it, but it must be a flat view. Tho wing, spread from the head parr to the greatest, and tho sub-wings boh‘iKi rise like a half-roosttc. Tho ribbon had ’-.eon moot carefully carried out to simulate tho design, and tho result was a complete success. The body might also have been of ribbon, but it irm t. In-,-toad it war, an upright, elongated hucklc, almost like a bar, and the nboon woe evenly bunched within it. X formed the impression that tho hat was tno uork Oi an artist in the miihnery department, as it teas much in advance of amatouj' ability.

We are so accustomed to parasol, the bottom lino of which curves upwaro point to point, that any pronounced variation in this, way seems rather strange. Yet the Parisians have boon carrying parasols which strike out into original paths in this particular. Open a parasol (in your imagination, of coarse) H»d picture tho hem lino carried up from tac point of ono bar to six or seven inches above tho poiut of tho opposite bar; tlvoi. from the latter a cross-piece going, in the opposite way. Tho effect m to give Lie open parasol a r.ig-zag border line, the points, of eourfo. taking tho diamond end. Variation!? arc provided where the hom to scalloped, so that tho open effect is to (rivo a line of inverted crcseonts, tho sides rising equally from the bar. The limitations in parasol designing are reallv no limitations at all. The more artistic are embellished within and without. and ono is lost in admiring their beauty. Still the style mentioned suggests a departure, though a very pleasing one.

Grandmother reticules are made of broderio anglaiso. valonoienncs, clnny. and other types, and are the very prettiest possessions one can have. The lace in all cases is mounted upon coloured silk, .and the month of the bag is drawn up by moans of coloured ribbon. Oldfadhioued shade© are chosen, each as baby blue, lavender, and finger brown, and the new reticules are intended to bo worn, not by grandmothers only, bnt by girls, who will carry them slung upon the loft wrist. They ar© far prettier acoempariimonte lof & two-dock frock of some track delicate fabric as Shantung nf chiffon i-han th© leather, brocade oi bead, bags upon which women have eo long pinned their affections.

A nun’s veiling frock for a little girl of charming character appears b©low. It is a cheap creation, but not to be discounted for that reason. The bodice is in perpendicular pleats, and the cape collar is a bit of a novelty, th© division

suggesting one-half for on© sleeve and on© for the other. Lac© trims this and little embroidered rosettes provide a very excellent finish. Th© shirt pleats from th© lines of tho bodice and opens fully in the prevailing smart style. A dainty little sleeve, full and short, sots into an equally dainty, cuff, with a row of lace above it. Hats of the character shown are ideal for children, and arc complete with a lining of chiffon or silk, and a swathing of silk on top, with a bunch of the material cither side.

Cuff and collar sets of plain linen embroidered are not neaily as popular a© thev ought to be. I can't understand what the objection is to the laundered cuff and collar worn with an ordinary dress at home 1 ha **? been told that one reason is that it is "housemaidy/* hut I think this is rather narrow. So far ao condemning a pretty fashion on that aoonnt, women m the very best circles in England and America wear both aprons and caps, and think the style good, which it is. Of course they differ from "housemaidV' aprons and saps, that goes without saying, but then'it is a concession to what is homelike and beautiful. The embroidered linen collar and cuff for home wear gives

an air of freshness and domesticity to tho wearer, which is hardly so well obtained bv anv other accessory of drees. Some of’the collars have their own ties attached, in tho form of crossing tabs, but a tie can always bo applied. I. have been looking over a number of very chaste sote. some of them particularly taking, and the thought suggested itself, which has just been expressed.

Embroidery applications seem this year to take on "figure outlining” more than I have known before. A straight piece from collar to foot will go down the front, and either side an equal extension will outline tho figure in a rough way. That is to cay, each band will start from the Rhoulder, at the sleeve-lino, curve m to tho waist, and then extent to the foot #it a glowing distance from the centre band. Then from the shoulder a picoo will go down the sleeve to the cuff and you will even- see an addition on the shoulder from the neck to the sleeve. Add the collar, the girdle and the cuffs, and yon will ®co what 1 mean—how the embroidery application takes in the figure form, and suggests the frame of the coctuine.