LONDON FASHION NOTES. HOME INTERESTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2565, 13 May 1903, Page 63

LONDON FASHION NOTES.

HOME INTERESTS.

March 27. Bear Emmeline,-- Judging from present appearances tho floral toqne is to cccupy a very prominent place this spring, and tlitrc 3.T2 several varieties of it. Some of the new models are covered entirely with small flowers, which now, however, are not closely massed together, but each bloom is rshown to its full extent. Some of these toques, made of delicately-tinted hyacinths, are decidedly pleasing, and this -variety usually is quite without foliage as a relief. There is another type of fioral toque-, however, which i 3 nearly all greenery, frequently of geranium leaves, with just spraya of the flowers in rich solours at one side. Still another kind is composed of rose or poppy petals, each petal, made of silk, being sewn separately on to a wire shape. This spring the artificial flowers are very beautiful acd the most boomed! type at present is the fuchsia, ■ some of whose blossoms are of giant size, and are very handsome* and real in appearance, notably h» red aoad white kinds. They are made of eilk and are rather expensive just now, aa

anything new usually is. Clematis still Lj much to the fore, made usually in rich velvet of mauve or white, but a new colour lias just come out. It is a bright cerise, and shades off to light pink, so that sprays of these important-looking flowers in varying tomes are very effective and handsome, and make mcsfc imposing garnitures for evening dress. I don't know whether forget-me-nots shading- from rich red to light pink ■arc familiar to New Zealanders. They are a novelty to' me, and oven now I have seen them only in the artificial florist department; but they are decidedly taking, each little flower being made in velvet, and all tho va-rymgr degrees af colour being introduced in the one spray. Another dainty fiower, in size between the forget-me-not and the clematis, is the periwinkle, albeit "of the dwarf family. Lovely clusters of this flower are just being shown in beauful shades cf its natural "blue," some being slightly deeper in tone than others, and it is also" to be had in white, with the pretty green foliage aa much reduced in size as the flowers it accompanies. All kinds of spring flow-e-rs are making way now, acid one of the first is always -ifac. Of this there are beautiful clusters in white and im all shades of mauve, and these are always largely used by milliners on their early spring models. Violets and daisies and buttercups and cowslips, in every imaginable colour under the sun, are employed for floral toques, pressed closely together without any foliage, though at the left side a relief is introduced by a sort of flat pompom made of tho leaves of the flower, or if the leaves of the- particular fiower of which the toque is made are too massive, then ivy leaves are used instead with good result ; mignctnett© is rather nice too up a relief where something green is required. One of the most delicate tynos of toque has a foundation of white tulle, which is then covered with the softest and fluffiest fronds of ostrich feather or marabout. White guelder roses are included among tho white flowers vised by milliners, and the soft balls falling carelessly over the brim look rather wefl when not overdone in number, and these balls do duty for the mantilla scarf, which some of the milliner? are making their own. Grapes are still in favour. in^ various shape* of purple as well a* green, and the brownish leaves are veined with purrjle; they are used ou shapes of velvet- or straw. Also, <n the way of fruit, I have seen sprays of feue-looking strawberries made of velvet, with a few of their white blossoms and greec foliage in-te-ropiTsed. Snowdrops are pretty little white

flowers which tha milliners make much use of — indeed, there seems uo end to variety in every direction.

It sometimes looks as if some of John Itcech's hats are to come back again to fashion, with their flat crowas and long ostrich feathers floating back from the face, with the tip of each resting on the hair behind. Another decided change in shape is that the round turban is being superseded by an elongated toque, and everything is being done to give this new shape a good chaaiee of success. It is made in straw of various kinds, and in. chiffon. The brim of this toque is turned up sharply at each side, the brim in front is rather a peak, and at tho back is cut off fairly short to show the hair. Up to the present thia shape is little seen, but its merits are being expatiated ur.on by fashionable milliners, and thai it will become- general sooner or later seems to be regarded a3 a certainty. But it is not at all possible to say that any one shape is, or will be, more fashionable than another, for more and more is it becoming the> thing for each person to have her hat or toque designed and made specially for her, and the resultant variety is simply amazing, so it is hardly surprising that no tw-o shapes look alike. To sum tip the position regarding the shape of hats, I think I may gay that no hat, provided it is becoming and picturesque-, can be looked upon aa fashionable at the present moment. At the Fame tim;> it is quite- likely that we si-all see fower of the stiff Hucsar shapes.

About the majority of the latest hats the cistir.ctiv* . characteristic seems to bo ftatiiesa of crown, and some of the toques n>-e mere plateaux of strive, without the slightest indication of a crown, but these aro not tho mosfc becoming shapes. Most have a crown cf some description, though in the great number of cases its dimensions ar«> not largo cr bigh. Mauve and blue is a

ccmbinatioa ff coljuts I have come across several times lately, the materials being respectively straw and chiffon. Of course, the tones havo to be well clic&en unless a discordant result is de-sired. There is one combiaatiou which is perfectly awful — namely, purple and scarlet, and yet there are botfie who seem inclined to patronise it. Navy blue straw with scarlet trimmings is advocated in. some quarters for present wear, and there are times when the result may b» pleasing enough, though generally rather daring. Mcsfc of the straws used now are> eoft and fiexible se ribboa, though some are coarse and ictehy in make, but light in weight. Ons make of crinoline straw is inclined to be notchy, and hats of this arc often formed of alternate rows of the uctchy crinoline and rows of pleated chiffon. Mixtures of black and white are much to the fore in the way of trimmings, amd thia effect is still often obtained by veiling white tulle or chiffon with fino black lace, which sometimes is spangled with jet bugles of great length. Usually nowadays ostrich feathers, which are used to tremendous extent, are loft without curl, but are luxuriantly thick, and so have a very wide and spieading appearance. Sometimes only cae enormously long fratlier is sufficient for a big hat, but very frequently two are u?rd, arranged in all manner of ways — sometimes placed on top of- tlio- crown with the sterns pointing in front, the fluffy ends falling behind. Ostrich feathers are most often sern. though there are some made of marabout, and I have heard of en© feather which was formed oi baradifce plumcG. Wings are still liked for useful hats, and these are always dyed pigeons' wings. No birds now are killed merely for the sake of their p!uma<re. Burnod straw is a pood deal to be sp»n for useful wear, simply trimmed with rosettes of ribbon. Ribbon*, by the way. arc r.norrnoiwly wide and aro of soft, bright-sur-faced silk. Some cf the new cues vro shaded ; some are figured with spots wihch are very large at each edge- and gradually diminish in size til! they disappear nltnB other by th<? timo tha middle i.s reached. gemo of the deiiqns are very tasteful. otli-TS are suricus. and some are dcoidecHy outre, and one wonders what use will be made of th*m. Th? de^.i^ns are too crote.=quo and startling ea<\ the colours too paudy for millinery purposes, and if u-ed for sashes they cculd be seen mikfl away. Milliners aro using a great deal of Ip.ce just now, generally in whi 1 :-?, cren-rn. or black. ?.nd sometirru"i the Ires is tlveklr swn with bugloa which dangle against each oflior, so cl<*' ) !y are they fier. Indeed, a? many as 500 vere said to have been ?efc en. one hat brim alone. It i* expected that the rpnp-fles used will incr.-we in size until they are extremely large There is seme talk abcut the immediate revival of the bonnet — the demure little FriiUK-ss shape which was so fashionable some 20 year.) ago for even quite young girls. Quite a. sensation was said to have bsen caused La Bond street recently whe-i a beautifully-drepsed young lady, wearing a bonnet, stepped out of her carriage, and I wa? to!d the oth?i- day that a prominent London firm is making bonnets and w'ling them as fast as they are ready. The «i»ap9, I hear, will ecmetim.es be bread in front, recalling the contour of the coalFouttle of the early Victorian shape, cut short at the back, however. Whether the bonnet will or will not b°> taken to by young people this sea c or. remain? tc be spen. 1 am inclined to doubt it. — Yours truly. ZE-M.TA.