LATEST LONDON FASHIONS.

Otago Witness, Issue 224, 28 May 1896, Page 44

LATEST LONDON FASHIONS.

(WhiTTHN Specially for the Oxaoo Witnebs bt Our Owk Ladt Oobbbspokdbnt.) London, March 21. The very mild early Bpring weather which we have enjoyed during th 9 past few weeks has hastened the return of lighter, though still at the same time warm, clothing. It is, as yet, too soon in tbe season for all the new goods' to have come to hand, bat notwithstanding this the shops look very bright and gay with their first arrivals, the majority of which are exceedingly pretty, and if those which are yet to come equal those already to be seen, the coming summer will indeed be a season of " beauty and a joy for ever." Doubtless for the next month or so tailormade dresses or coats and skirts of tweed will be most worn, as until about the end of May it is really too oarly to begin wearing anything very summery. Perhaps just at present tbe shades which predominate are violet and purple, partly I suppose this being Lent and also on account of royal mourning. The latest bodices bave short full basque?, which look very becoming on till slight figures. The appearance of these barques is g.eatly enhanced if they are lined with- 6ilk of a shade contrasting with the rest of tbe dresp, with revers or a- little vest, and cuff* to correspond. Jacket seams are for the most part strapped, and they look exceedingly nice. Skirts are still for the most part perfectly plain, well stiffened round the hem and standing out in flutes, A pretty material for summer dresses is alpaca barege. It is for the most part figured with small invisible squares, and has a very silky appearanoe. It looks strikingly handsome when made up, and should become very popular. It is to be had in almost any shade. Chine silk zephyrs are also a novelty of this season. They look quite an nice as a real silk, and are much less expensive. The pattern is small and ladylike, and the tints are beautifully delicate. That too should become popular for either dresses or blouses. Silk grenadine, both plain and fatcy, in stripes and checks and figured, will be largely used this season for veiling dike. 'A remarkably handsome dress I saw was of a beautiful shade of geranium pink silk vq£led with silver grey grenadine. The skirt was perfectly plain, and stood oat in stylish pleats. The body to correspond was made with E yu fronts and large pointed revers edged with geranium pink ribbon, and outlined with silver passementerie. Tbe front was full, with three rows of passementerie over the ribbon, and came down to a point to the waist, where it was finished off with a narrow, folded pointed belt. At tbe back was a small, very full ba?que,lined with the geranium pink. At the ueck there was a ' jabot of white chiffon,' edged with fine i Valenciennes lace of a delicate cream. "The sleeves of the kg o' mutton type were buttoned up the front of the arm to juat below the elbow. Altogether this dress was most stylish and becoming, and not at all gaudy. Plain lustres and alpacas are sure to hold their own again for the next six months. They are too serviceable and economical for London wear to be hastily discarded, and besides they do not retain the dust like a woollen material. A dress of dark blue alpaca was made with Eton fronts and piped with white kid. The perfectly fitting back had a small full ba»que piped with the kid, aB also were the cuffj and oollar. The dress was very simple, and yet exceedingly becoming. Lighter shades, as bluish grey and pink, are delightfully pretty. White and cream kid belts form one of this season's novelties. They will doubtless look very well on some people, but it is not everyone who can afford to have her waist made so noticeable, especially if the belt be* worn with a dark dress to correspond with its light trimming?. Hats this season, as last, have a very marked tendency to be greatly exaggerated with trimmings, especially with flowers and broad ribbons. Of course it is very possible for hats to be stylish, neat, and pretly without being at all overdone, but it seems at present that the tendency lies in the opposite direction. Flowers, chine ribbons, quills, and tulle seem to be crowded on anyhow, and quite regardless of colour. The shapes are mostly laig«, and are of different shados of green, pink, blue, and brown, with here and there a sprinkling of scarlet. The hair, which is etill to protrude as far as possible, is no longer to be dressed on the middle of the head, but right at the top ; consequently, to fit in with this latest freak of fashion, hats must tilt forward considerably on to the forehead, so that that extremely odious style of having the hat right at the back of the head can no lot ger be resorted to, though it might also be worn either right on the head or slightly to one side. Just now heliotrope, violet, and purple are tbe prevailing; colours, and the flowers moat worn are violets and hyacinths, though primulaß and poppies are largely used for millinery purposes, and spring flowers, such as lilac, piimrosee, &c., are now displayed in all the West End house?. Tulle is to be largely in demand for veiling flowers. The effect is very pretty, light, and soft. A hat of exceptionally bad taste which I saw to-day was bright purple Btraw, trimmed with masses of double hyacinths of all shades of mauve, and standing up on one Bide was a large spray of. bright pink full-blown roses, with a few buds intermingled with a little foliage. Another which may be classed with the above was an emerald green straw. All round the crown were six large bunches of polyanthus, one each of the following shades : magenta, pink, green, yellow, red-dish-brown, and pale blue, and standing up on the lefb side was a tall, stiff, plumeshaped mass of primrose leaves. These were two out of many in much the same style, but one a great deal prettier and in decidedly better taste was of a pale green straw trimmed with lilies of the valley, with here and there a little bunch of violets and large bows of white moire ribbon. The trimming was very skilfully and becomingly arranged. Ribbons are exquisite. They are very < broad, handsome, and usually of the blurred 1 obine p«ier. Shot ribbons seem to he eoiog

I out, and they axe being aapergeded by Earga checks fa delicate colours, rainbow strips?, ' and moire. Bond street hafca are of. chip straw, and have whito crowns and coloured brimp, the trimming in nearly ev«ry oaeo matching ths brim. Thao, white crown, brown brim, 'and: brown velvet or satin ribbon ; white crowir, violet brim, and velvet or satin ribbon ox violet. At first sight these ate not very attractive, bat I suppose one will soon become accustomed to them. Bond afreet* hats, being of each a simple shape and requiring very little trimmipg/are bice for morning wear. Bonnet strings are now V6ry long, and are of either broad satin ribbon or of talla When of the latter material they look nice and soft, but I am afraid they are not equally serviceable. Finely plaited straw fa largely used in millinery for bonnets as well as hats. As a rale the strings match tbe straw, bat occasionally a coatissting shade is used. With regard to ambrellap, an exesesiverjt stupid and equally hideous fashion has let irj. Whether it will last any time remain* to be seen, bat it seems impossible to bell«ve that it will "take." Instead cf pretty crooked or fanoy handles, all the netmfc have fruit, each as an apple, « pear, or a clumsy lemon. Others have a duck's or a drake's head, a squirrel, a rat, a rooster's head, a frog, two owls on a branch, or other things equally aboard. These of course are all coloured. The olamsy tassel usually seen on parasols heys given place to a little bunch of silk pompons. TLey match the parasol ia shado, vaiy slightly in rize, and look very pretly. For trimming dresses jewelled passementerie and buttons of every shape and sfza will be most popular. Some of these buttons are very pretty, and are either of paste, stee), enamel, or jewels. Valeooiennes and gnipure lace will be tg-iiti much used, Notwithstanding innumerable rumours to the contrary, blouses will be a* much worn as ever. The fact is they are far too useful to be cast on one eide. Some for evening wear are very nice indeed, and tbe majority bave a short fall basque, and are worn outsido. Here Is an attempted description of n I few which struck me as bei»g very pretty. I say " attempted," because it is really impossible to oonvey in words how beautiful all these things are. The first blouse was a pale blae and white chine silk. It had Eton fronts and large revers of the sarxw, white the vest was of cream silk muslin very full, and terminated at the waist with a pointed folded belt of the silk finished off ort either side of the points with two lioy cream, rosettes. At the neck wan a soft full bow of fine cream lace, the plain, closely -fitting back bad the ehort full basqae, and the sleeves were leg o' mutton buttoned up the front of the arm. These sleeves, as are all the latest sleeves, were rnuoh diminished In size. They were vary far from being tight, but only about half the size of thdfce nearly always difcfiguring puffu wMch were all the rage last summer. In almost the same style, and suitable for anyone in half ■ mourning, was a lovely black and whito graduated striped ruerTeilltux blonflo. The revers were of white tatin veiled with thick cream lacs, the collars and ! cuffs corresponding ; the belt, also of the same, was pointed. Tbe back in this case, instead of having a bacqae, was finished at the waist wilh a large bow of the striped 1 meivdllcux. Tho effect w*B- very striking and stylish. Box pleats bava nob yet gone oat. A pink and white chins silk blonße had a box pleat of pink satin veiled with cream guipore. The collar and cuffu were the same, and round the waist there was a pink satin ribbon tied in a bow at tbe back. A very soft Bengaline silk in pale green had a .liny V shape at the nock of tnoked white sUk. Then from each shoulder, forming a heart shaped yoke, was a pretly desiga in flowers in pearly white beads ; from this yoke fell a fall frill of very fine white lace. The sleeves were tacked all the way up the back of the arm until the puff was met, A green satin ribbon enoircled the waist and throat. One in maizo colour, tbe same material, was in the same style, but formed a square Instead of a heart-shaped yoke. For evening wear a white cbiffon blouse had a full bodioe of white chiffon, with threa rows of cream barred gnipure down the front. Through^ alternate bars of the lac 3 the chiffon was drawn, so forming puffings ; round the neck was a small heading cf chiffon, and was divided from the lower psut of the bodice by a row of pearl trinmicg, The elr>ow sleeve?, very fu'l and soft, were of pale pink chiffon, finished with a row of the pearl passementerie and a frill of deep lace. A cream chiffon covered with pale pink tpaMgled net had very puffy sleeves of eaa-de-nil striped silk gauze. An ideal evening dress for a girl was white satin under net. At the edge of the skirt was a fall flounce of the net in which purple violets were lightly scattered. The bodice, simple and ful), was also trimmed with net, and nestling in the puffings about the low neck were more violets. White satin ribbon was artistically arranged on skirt and bodice. Some sleeves are organ pleated, but more in mantles than in blouses. Tlero is a very charmlrg blouse which had rathor large sleeves organ-pleated. It was of delicate heliotrope satin made with large rever*, whioh were edged with tiny pnffinga of white chiffon. The vest, of white chiffon, was beantifully gathered. A novel but rather cumbersome-looking opera cape was of white satin, covered with purple and whito violets intermingled with leaves. Bound the shoulders they were thick and close as possible, and graduated to points aa the edge of the cape was neared. There was a large white chiffon ruffle round the neck, at the back of which was a bund* of violets. — The wants of the average smoker o£ average means 'in England are now supplied for the most parb by the Continent of Europe, which sends over something like 80,000,000 cigars every year. If your children moan and are restless during sleep, coupled when awake with a loss of appetite, pale countenance, picking of thenoso, &0., you may depend upon ib th*b the primary cause of the brouble is wormi. Mother Gravei's j Worm Exberminator effectually removes those pesta, at once relieving the little sufferer*.