LATEST FASHION NOTES FROM PARIS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12282, 8 July 1914, Page 2

LATEST FASHION NOTES FROM PARIS.

(Specially Written for the. Oamarg MaII. by a Parisian Expert.) PARIS, May 1914. Fascinating Cowns for the Coining Summer. Fashion no longc-r seems to ic-cognise any hard arid fast divisions between the seasons. All through the year we wear our l'urs nowadays, merely substituting white fox and ermine for the darker skins during the summer months, •wink*, as a trimming, even on the smartest of dance and dinner dresses, touches of fur will l>e seen this season. It is a charming. eccentricity; this melange 01. fur with filmy materials, and one that is not new in itself, but the way it is done is certainly a mode-of this year. Hitherto we have" seen narrow bands of l'ur—now we see ; broad, collars of it, laid on across the .shoulders. It is aiso to be seen in broad bands on the lovely coats that are.being worn, and it lias, of course, appeared on hats: in .fact, a touch of ■_ fur on one's most dainty chiffon dress.is a good thing .to see. ■ Sunshades in. Japanese or Chinese silk, - .will be seen .when the.days get hotter, and little erepon hats are still more popular than ever they were for inorning' wear. Delicate toned jnousseline and-net hats are worn.in the- afternoon always, with the transparent etonvn, through which one sees glossy coils of hair. Tailor-mades in chalk" colours, beige, mastic, and cream are being worn by- some iof the best dressed. Parisiennes, and violet velvet or tulle toques or hats, or cherry coloured hatSi look well with' them.. Most of-ihe white lace or chiffony dresses have a wide waistbelt and sash of. colour, and in millinery there is more colour than we have, seen for a Jong time. Gay-coloured coatees over lingerie frocks look charming, an i plissee skirts are quite in vogue. The effect of'all this colour is quite delightful and very good for one. Too much neutrality tends to morbid feeling, we are told, and when the weather is" grey, a bright coloured jersey, or a gay little hat are pleasing things to see; But a woman should be careful not to have her colours scattered, it should all be compressed into the one thing, whetner it be jersey, cloak, coatee, or hat, but never let the colour be carried out in patches over the whole toilette. .

A Few Hints Concerning Color Schemes. It is rumoured that a certain set of artists in Paris are combining with ultra fashionable modistes, and drawing up some rules and regulations regarding colour schemes for different women. They probably realise how, if women would only take to heart some of the simple rules outlined, tliey would derive infinitely more satisfaction and comfort from their gowns. "If women woidd only suit the colour to their type!" is tile wail of the French modistes—a wail that might well be taken up by other modistes in other lands. For instance, the prettiest golden-haired girl in the world can be made to look actually homely by wearing a vivid emerald green, which turns her hair to an unpleasant brass colour, while a sallow-skinned, toneless creature can make the pale blue of her eyes stand out effectively and strikingly by weaving the correct shade of blue. If the brown-haired, grey-eyed woman, with a touch of colour in her face, would adopt the purple and violet shades, purple for the paler, and violet for those who have clearer skins—she would find herself presenting a striking and effective appearance. The black-haired women looks striking in primary colours of the richest, strongest, vividest shades. As for the girl with the Titian hair, creamy whites right down through all the shades of warm tan, ecrus, and browns are the safest and the best. If her skin is very white she may. wear most shades of grey, from the palest to the darkest, and all shades of green that are not too vivid. Our Shoes.

Even where our shoes and stockings are concerned, colour is lavishly employed. Nothing, to my mind, can be more captivating than a pail- of cherry-coloured cothurnes worn with white silk stockings. With a black and white dinner dress they afford just the right touch of colour, perhaps reiterated at wrist and throat by a narrow band of moire ribbon of the same shade. Shoes are lavishly embroidered with paste, and the lesser gems, even the heels being inset. Gold and silver heels are for evening wear, and scarlet for day, and on the stage one sees heels a-glittr with diamonds —very seductive in the mazy dance. Hosiery is not far behind shoes in this fantastic trend, and stockings of every colour of the rainbow embroidered with peacocks or butterflies or flowers on the instep, are not uncommon. I have seen some with spiral sequin snakes worked on them, while stockings with real lace panels inlet are extremely beautiful and costly. The Role of the Tuck. No matter whether a simple tailored suit, or a. more elaborate costume is required, it consists of three pieces—the coat, the skirt, and the blouse. The last mentioned is of a particularly diaphanous character, and is a decided contrast to the skirt. The role of the tuck is most important ; for instance, two tucks, three or lour inches wide, run Horizontally acioss the skirt in front, and then emerge into a panel at the back. Then, a Conceit which is especially effective with cotton dresses, is for the tucks to encircle the entire skirt, and to be left unstiff on the r.'ght side, so that a pretty little drapery is the result. - The Obsession for Flounces. Although the skirts are not very much wider, a certain amount of trimming is noticeable above the knees. For instance, a dress of a fancy cloth material would have two flounces of blue; the blouse would be white with touches of blue embroidery, that is easily done at home. Then the scheme would be completed with a single coatee., which would be of blue silk. A coat that would look well with this would have a rounded decolletage. A few insidious crinolines and panniers are appearing in day dresses, which are now much wider at the top, with flounces on the hips, which, however, are dispensed with at the bottom, giving a somewhat Oriental effect to the feminine silhouette, especially if it is accompanied by the revived bolero. • The eclecticism of the present fashions has brought about an extraordinary mixture of all sorts of bygone fashions which are worn simultaneously without any transitory stages, and one ;is just as likely to see the long, full coat with the basques, such as the ladies of the "Frondeused to wear, as the- pert, and coquettish little bolero of which an admirable idea- may be gleaned by glancing, through the columns of "Punch" about the 1830 period.

The gown which is shown in the accompanying illustration, is intended, for sunny summer days, and is of special interes"t. since it embodies several new ideas, Which will be very characteristic, of the season's fashions. A novel gown this, in white embroidered ling-eric-,, the tunic is arranged in two-tiered fashion, the under-tier a gathered flounce while the skirt is absolutely plain, with the exception of a pretty "La France" Tose, which is embroidered at the hem. With this gown a smart little hat- of dark green Tagal straw is worn, finished with a. wreath of very pale pink the waistbelt' being of the same delicate shade, while, a pleated muslin frill, arranged in the form of a Medicis collar, gives a dainty finishing touch to, a very smart little toilette. An Evening Coiffure. There;are two distinct types of hair'dressing nowadays, the very low and the very high. The latter is for evening wear, three different methods oi treatment being in vogue, and in each case the hair, -if not cut in a. small fringe, is softened round the temples and brought rather low, so that much of the forehead is hidden. Waved Styles. One notes, too, the popularity of waved effects this vear. One is always a little sorrv when the waved coiffure-gives place to plain swathed head dresses, and although some of these have a. wide band of. hair swathed round the head like a tight bandage, the hair is sometimes waved, nevertheless, as a preliminary. ' Light and Shade. The waves of the coiffure of to-day-must- be deep and wide apart, so as . to bring a rich effect of light and shade into the scheme. On some of the fashiona*ble coiffures, there is no supplementary coil of hair, the hair being waved all over, and mounted over an. invisible frame, with a wide jewelled comb, or pin set in the centre.