MY LADY'S DRESS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22778, 14 January 1936, Page 15

MY LADY'S DRESS

A LETTER FROM SYDNEY Dear Phillida, —Children’s clothes change surprisingly little with the passing years. True, the Victorian child wore flounced skirts and long pantees—a miniature replica of her mamma —whereas her present-day counterpart romps in infinitesimal frocks and pants which are as short as her legs will permit. This change, however, ha s come about very gradually, and while grownup fashions change and develop six times a year* children’s fashions, making allowance for change of season, vary hardly at all from one year’s end to the other. Consequently it was with considerable interest that I attended a display of children’s clothes at a Sydney salon which caters for the younger generation only. Here I saw the very latest in play clothes, party frocks, christening robes and underwear, not to mention a collection of tailor-made coats, bibs, bonnets and booties all of which bore an unmistakable stamp of individuality. In a field which gives little scope for invention —so thoroughly has it been explored—this designer offers a number of original ideas. There are sets of petticoat, dress,

coat and hat for extra special party wear, and there are bibs which continue to the waist, where they widen in a belt-band to the back and tie with a ribbon which has been threaded round the waist. An original and charming frock design has three box-pleats which fall from the shoulder back and front. This is very attractive when made in green linen with turn-down collar and cuffs of _ white and with a climbing spray of gaily-coloured embroidered flowers on each pleat. My sketches show a few of the clothes I saw. The frock worn by the baby at the top of the page was made from the sheerest white voile. The neck and tiny puff sleeves were edged with frilled net lace, and the waistline was threaded with pink satin ribbon which tied in two bows at the front. On the skirt the same ribbon was twice threaded under a hemstitched band and again tied in two bows—one at either end. The hem was plain and hemstitched. The bonnet worn with this frock was made of the same sheer voile and trimmed with hemstitching and rows of the same net lace. Her little companion is enchanting in a handmade batiste dress with tuckings. handembroidery and real lace insertion. Butterfly bows of blue satin ribbon perch on either shoulder.

On the children at the bottom of the page we see from left to right—first of all the green linen dress already de-

scribed, then a demure coat of soft cream woollen which is lined with crepe de chine and has turn-down crepe de chine collars and cuffs which are quilted like her mother’s. A row of tiny covered buttons goes from neck to waist. Floral Liberty lawn makes the dress worn by the last little girl. Collar and cuffs are of -white organdie banded with pink and pink organdie makes the stitched belt. Bands of white organdie with embroidered pink spots are inset in the skirt. The hat worn with this frock is a mushroom-shaped straw which has a pink and white organdie ruffle round the crown.

One of the most enchanting frocks I saw -was a pale pink fancy weave voile spotted in white. Ruffles of net lace edged the skirt, collar and cuffs and insertion joined the sleeves to the bodice and the bodice to the frilly skirt. Under this frock went a pale pink plain voile petticoat, also made with a frilled skirt and with the same net lace edging neck, armhole and hemline. A tailored coat of matching pink silk and wool material was lined with crepe de chine and had tiny turn-down collar and cuffs of wdiite georgette which were embroidered with pink rosebuds. A poke bonnet made of the coat material completed the set. Play frocks made of Liberty Shantung in tiny floral prints and toy and animal

designs were heavily smocked at the shoulder and waistline. These were rather low waisted and look particularly well on the three-year-old. The smocking is lined with net and made with a lastex stitch which stretches. For the most part all play frocks have turn-down collars and tiny puff sleeves. Many of the sheer voile frocks for babies under 12 months had hemstitched hems and hemstitching in applique designs on the skirts. Nearly all were exquisitely hand-embroidered. There were also numbers of frocks with real lace round their hemlines and real lace round neck and sleeves. There was a christening robe with ruffles of real lace down the front tnd real lace insertion in both skirt and bodice. Pale blue and pale pink baby ribbons were threaded through the waistlines.

Nightgowns made from nun’s veiling and lingerie flannel were tucked and handembroidered in white. Some tied with sashes of the material and all came well down over the babies’ feet. Some of the white babies’ dresses had pale pink petticoats to be worn under them. Baby shoes were made from quilted satin lightly embroidered and there were infinitesimal coat- n / d. /? hangers covered with pastel w ruffled georgette.