ILLUSTRATED FASHIONS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2356, 20 April 1899, Page 52

ILLUSTRATED FASHIONS.

Dear Emmeline, — The windows. of the most prominent London milliners remind one more of a fantastic flower garden than of anything else, so crowded are they with every sort of gay headgear, some trimmed with artificial flowers, such true copies of nature that one unconsciously sniffs for perfume, and others adorned by plumage of every kind and sort of feathered thing, the latest favourite being the owl. I always feel a great condemnation

for those women who use the plumage of wild birds as trimmings for then hats and bonnets ;

there is very little difference between this and the Indian's chain of scalps at his waist. Is it not a strange thing that -.vomen, who shriek to see a spider squashed or om earwig slain, should wear, with conscious prid... and *asy vanity, the plumage of there wile! birds, whose useful little lives are ;ruelly and unnecessarily

taken away by men for their sport and hea- , thenieh, delight? Jf fantasies of feathers we > must have* there are scores of birds who^e

death is a pre-arranged thing, whether we use theii plumage or not — why not keep us only unto those? Have you a lace shawl which was given to you by your grandmother? Because if you have, now is the time to use it. Nothing is so fashionable ar the lace tunic — in other words the lace shawl, — and the most modish woman of the day knows herself well dressed if her gown be draped with on© of these. Generally, the best way of arranging this is to gather it on to a narrow waistband, letting^ the points fall down the front. In this way it can b> worn with any gown — as a loose over-skirt — for use when one wishes to appear extraordinarily smart. My last picture shows you the fashion most in vogue, in which the lace shawl carries out the tuuio idea which is so prevalent in every style of dress. This dress is of soft Liberty blue satin, the lace over-bodice strapped across a newly-pleated vest by little bauds of black velvet and buckles. The pretty lace sleeves are caught together by small rosettes of black velvet, and the waist is encircled with it. On one shoulder is a clump of William Allan Richardson roses. Lace skirts, lace hats, lace costumes, all will be worn in the near future. A passing word as to sleeves. All evening sleeves show the top of the arm, the usual plan being a shoulder strap and then an elbow sleeve, or mereJy a scarf of lace tulle or muslin dropped down on the arm. The sleeves of day gowns arc rapidly becoming very tight, and foi this 1 grieve, as tight sleeves, besides being vory uncomfortable, are injurious to health. But the magic word lace must not banish all others from my mind, especially as I have had drawn for you two of the prettiest hats I have recently met. The first is of tancoloxired felt lifted \ip on one side with a large chou of mandarin yellow velvet and two very good black ostrich feathers. And here a moment's digression 011 ostrich feathers. Unless you can afford the vory best, don't wear any, a 3. second-rate plumes are very terrible, and give a hat a striking resomblanco to that worn by 'Arriet. I often find quite well-dressed girls otherwise indulging in the painful over-

eight of wearing second-rate ostrich feathers • — poor, thin, and wiry-looking things. To return to our muttons, or rather oui hat 3: The other hat, or, more truly, toque, is of ruby velvet (a favourite shade just now) trimmed in front with white wings, of which the feathers are pailltetted. Itr is rather a relief to see a toque of plaip velvet, for nearly all the velvet used is tucked, piped, or gathered, in innumerable ways A very spring-like toque I met to-day was of brown straw, in tho crushed and dented form approved of at the .moment. One side was tied up with brown ribbons, and at the front appeared a big bunch of yellow cowslips. Toques of brilliant turquoise-blue velvet and bunches of violets are seen a great deal, and the mode is to wear them well over the eyes. I predict that flower hats and toques will be seen everywhere on smart folk thiß season, neither will there be any fear of these becoming common, as only the very best flowers will assist at theit creation.

Here is one of the latest types of the tailorbuilt costume drawn for you, and let me assure yo\i that this dsess worn by women with a good figure, as I saw it worn, is wonderfully becoming The vest and underskirt are of cloth several shades lighter than the coat and skirt, and over these the skirt and coat fitted with admirable precision. The claw-like points which form the fastening of bodice and of skirt are quaint and new, machine stitching being the sole ornamentation. The buttons are of silver, and the lining is of «oft pink satin.

The hat the lndy wears is of grey felt with large shoux of black velvet, with a band passed through a silver buckle. This proved a lovely costume, and becoming to a degree, and yet how well I ran imagine a wonmu crowning such a costume with ruin by donning a pair of vioiert orange-coloured and dog-skin gloves. A truly English mistake. Our boots should, always be an important item in our toilet, and more so ihan evei jut>t now, when high-iieid skirls are necessary. Do let ipo ad\iF»- you to spend all. you can possibly afford, for you may re*>t a-soured nothing repays itself so well ; and what a finishing touch it c r>air of well ehocl fcofc ! Brown boots and

shoes do not look well in London. 'Remember '• trees double the life of all your .boots arid shoes. — Youis truly, COQUETTE;