Furs and Furbelows

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 12181, 4 July 1925, Page 15

Furs and Furbelows

AN INTERESTING LETTER FROM PARIS

(From PAULINE OOURLANDER, for the “Times”)

A great many suits for “useful” wear are offered in Paris. The coats are short, the skirts are short and pleated. and are worn with beige or cream silk jumpers, beige stockings, and brown kid shoes. Small rihbon ot plaited straw hats generally accompany these coats and skirts, and many varieties of charming walking sticks. There are malacca canes with the owners’ monograms on plain silver tops; there are polished ebony straight sticks with ivory knqbs and tinted monograms or designs. For town, there are lovely Chinese lacquer sticks in rod and blue, and black and gold; and there are others with less definite decorations in faded colours and Western designs. PLEATS AND PANELS Skirts that are not entirely pleated may have pleated panels inset into the sides or front; or they may have a shaped flounce or panel in front. Pleated side panels—quite narrow ones—are sometimes surmounted by a shallow pocket exactly the same width as the panels. Fine needlework adorns all the more elaborate blouses and frocks, either in the shape of drawn thread work and lingerie stitching, or of embroidery. It is a most important feature of the new fashions, and one which needs very careful consideration, as well as a goodly portion of our dress money. The favourite wear amongst the women who flock to witness the tennis in the south of France is pure and spotless white. Here and there are spots of gay colour in the shape of a hat or a sunshade or a coat; but the general impression one gets of a tennis audience is virgin white. FROCKS FOR THE TENNIS ENTHUSIAST Some of the prettiest frocks are made of reps. One I like especially has a long, straight line from the square neck to the hips. The straight line continues at the back, but it is interrupted in front by a full panel attached to the bodice by a trail of thick white embroidery. A long, narrow scarf of the reps is also embroidered at each end in white. With this are worn white shoes and stockings, a small round hat,, and a loose three-quarter coat of white duvetine, unlined, but embroidered on the inside. A’WHITE CREPE TWO-PIECE A charming tuhe-lilce frock is of white heavy crepe-de-chine, quite straight and sleeveless. Had I not been told that the chemise frock is no more, I would certainly have called it a chemise frock 1 About two inches from the hem is a broad row of cropped white marabout, and, apparently growing out of that, a trail of embroidered peach blossom, of Japanese design. The white crepe coat comes exactly to the marabout, which, therefore, becomes a trimming to the coat as well as to the frock. v SIMPLE FROCKS AND SUITS Worthy of mention is a suit of cream Kasha, with the lower part of the sleeves. the hem of the dress, and a line down each side of the coat of red and black check silk. With this are worn cream stockings, and black patent leather shoes with red 1 buckles. A simple frock of white crepe has a rather high neck from which a black mousseline de soie kilted frill falls diagonally from the left shoulder to the right hip. A hip pocket likewise has a kilted flap, and two more bits of kilting decorate the long tight sleeves from elbow to wrist. Marocain underskirts are worn with pleated georgette tunics; the pleats are set into embroidered yokes, and there are generally short, simple sleeves. NECKWARE NOTES Scarves are as much worn as ever. They mav be strips of chiffon or crepe hemstitched or hemmed with a thin line of another colour; or they may be elaborate embroidered affairs of lace or tulle or georgette. Here and there we meet a frock with a neat high collar and a businesslike tie. Hardly any day dresses' have very low necks.