LONDON FASHION NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2812, 5 February 1908, Page 73

LONDON FASHION NOTES.

(Fbom Ora Own Cobbespondent.) December 20. Muff-chains continue to be in demand by all who us© muffs — some of which, _ by , the way, are of such gigantic dimensions that they are internally fitted .with three pockets, respectively for the reception of the purse, ifae handkerchief, and the powder-puff. Among the novelties in muffI chains are those Worked in fine goid, inI set here and there at intervals, with a little monkey or & p.ig, whiob has an en-, gaging tfay of becoming entangled with everything with which it comes into x contact. There are other tittle designs inset' into-othex muff-chains, and it is- considered . smart to have one's puree studded with j*"wels to match those -which decorate the chain. ..Jewellers are recommending.^ the "chain" made of strong, black-water&dt-rfl*, 1 bon, brightened by diamond ornaments/ lit every few inches.- "'" ' v , Prominent among' other dress Trifles are hair ornaments, jvjiieh have perhaps neveg. been &o ; poputeur as they are at present, or in such .great -variety. Prominent among them, is the loose ' plaat of isilver ribbon which is worn in- the front .of the hair like a filet, and is caught -on each side with a tiny cluster of wibite dog' violets with silver leaves, a little silver tassel depending>l on either side. Frosted, orchids i and gardenias from which spring clusters lof floating feather fronds fere noticeable, Wihile French people seem to have a-famsy' for littles, flat tranches of ribbon-work floweirs - carried -cut, i& the* palest • tones; , -which are laid against the waves of the ■ hair instead'^f being placed -upright."' Then • there are .wired flowers of all kinds, made, \of coloured tinsels, some of these being . e'hot ; ' all are sewn with diamond dewdrops. Quite the most simple art-aikgemeirt of all is the plain black velvet ribbon which passes round the clusters of curls -which crown ' the hair. In some oases bunches of silver ferns are preferred to feather decorations, > the kinds chosen including the light ana ; delicate maidenhaiiir. Plaits of soft white i satin and silver ribbon, woven and inter1 woven, form a circlet to clip over the crown of curls .wtioh .every" wotnap of fashion; we&re now, and are finished j on either side with little butterfly ribbon bovra. Although the models of gowns as nowworn have not really changed much since last season, the trimmings we now ccc aTe decidedly different. The special fadsof the hour .used, for trimming purposes include for, embroideries, soutache, and gold and silver galoons — these last being 1 speciallj for evening wear, few it -would apparently now Toe almost impossible to see an evening dxesa that had no metal trimmings. The xage for gold and salver in »M tones and all colours is remarkable. Indeed, many evening" "dresses are made of .cloth of gold or of Silver, trimmed -with embroideries, galoon .motifs, and incrustations of other tones of gold or stiver. Lace, net, tulle, Tibboaß, flowers— *iall these are now made of gold and silver tieeue- for evening we*r. But even the metal itself is different from, the metal worn some seasons *%o. All gold aJid silver is woven on c. background of -some colour, so that blue; pink, green, or grey silk woven with metal is threatening to become almost > too general.' Galoone

of metal embroidery, with a background of tinted tulle, are most fashionable, and attain fabulous prices. For evening wear, angle sleeves in lace or chiffon, hemmed with pearls or tiny tinsel braid, are very much patronised, while to give an '.nstance of the popularity of "sparkle" for the day time it may be noted that some of the latest _ Paris fur coate sire much 'braided, and inlet not only with coloured eilk passementerie, but also with spangled and shaded "beads representing the hues of the fur. "Very usual axe trimmings of fur, for ell occasions, arranged chiefly in the form of bands round the skirts, or, if the fur be flat, then it is eeen^ down the front bseadth as well. Buttons, large or small, are _ a favourite trimming for 6kirts. Flat braid, bra.id.inpr witli eoufcaehe and bias folds, are still much used; some dressmakers bring the trimming right to the front, while tfthera prefer to 'frame the vary narrow front breadth on either eide. Evening 1 - skirts look pretty, opening on an Under-skirt of lace frills, and cloth skirts open on velvet panels. Tunics, casaquee, .and over-skirts - generally are coming rapidly into; It is not always necessary to have two skirts, but one apparent underskirt can, be arranged -by; having a piece of the drees material on the underskirt or slip; +he second skirt, whioh is ' thte skirt proper, is raised or cut out to -show the underskirt. No rule is laid down -with reference to ' sleeves for evening wear jvet at present ; hence there pjtentr of variety. The transparent rucked tulle ' sleeve of so fine & quality- ar to foe almost invisible, especially when of pale pink or flesh-colour, is still a great- favourite, while munil-erß of the gowns for "full dress" occasions are 1 almost without sleeves at all, wiith the exception of a couple of flower motife caught with a fine lattice-work chain- of. imitation gems; one model evening bodice had nothing more in the wav of "sleeves" than- a couple of ostrich plumes worked on a foundation of satin, curlinisr aver the upper part of jthe arm. On the subject of sleeve* for all occasions one writer remarks : "The flat, tight-fitting sleeves do not prove becoming to slender women, and for this reason quite a number of capelike arrangements — collars, revers, and fichus — have been adopted. There are, however, more styles of sleeves than one. The rules otf fashion have been made elas^ tic by picture dressing — we wear what suits us best, and borrow it- from the past. Many of ,the cape or fichu bodice trimmings form %the upper portion of the sleeve, and a full lace sleeve is worn underneath. Sleeves of ehifßbn or lace are gathered over a tight-fitting lining, and graceful, slightly full sleeyes are confined by spirals of velvet ribbon. Sleeves' are also composed of a succession of graduated folds. The split-up sleeve inlet with lace is most useful for renovations: The .three-flounced lace sleeve worn under "the kimono • sleeve is too pretty"' to -go> out in a. hurry. In some evening gowns the wide b*etelles, fichu,- or bodice trimming falls low over the /shoulder and forms almost all the sleeve the bodice can boast of." Chiffon, sleeves 'over silk, with vests or yokes to correspond, are much used and they possess ijhe advantage that they do not soil so quickly as lace ones. On far jackets, on mantles, on smart visiting "gowns, not to mention tea-jrowns — which are as elaborate as possible this winter — the richest and rarest embroideries are seen. Embroidered buttons are also a novelty. Gowns that are trimmed with embroidered galoon in Eastern designs are also provided with large passementerie buttops that are embroidered to match the trimming of the <gowu_. Thus we see large buttons^ made of black satin, richly worked in floss silk of most subdued tones of crushed 6trawberry. pink, pastel tints, pale lemon, etc., according to the dress they are to adorn. Coloured buttons on black dress are so eccentric at first sight that one hardly expects they will be generally adopted, but tiny gold buttons are a characteristic of many of the tailor-made garments, arranged in rows. Included \ among the new buttons are those of' mahogany and carved and inlaid wood. Tf 'striped materials are not quite so prominent as they have been, a striped effect is frequently obtained 1 by means of the various methods of introducing trimmings and embroideries. In -the case of some of the Princess evening dresses in soft satin, long lines of tiny silver laurel leay<*? are intro<lW*d in cotmles Hire thp stiff arrangement of an Empire wreath, and extend in perpendicular form from -ihedeoolletastealmoet to the hem of the skirt, covering the seam and producing a pekine atroeanuice when seen at a distance. Certainly this season fashions have reached a. hrch standard of taste in most respects. Never 'have furs been more *ttraotive.-Or most beautifully >rut r . ' Ma.nv of the cloaks and'- coats are finished delightfully with lace, guipure.' embroidery, or whatever else "seems suitable. But one cannot pretend! f that clothing of fashionable type is reasonable in price, for 't is just fhe reverse, even hats and millinery in all its branches beinsr much more oostlv then it has even been before. Some novelty ie constantly being introduced, and things quit« new in style are never cheap 8t finst. If they— or imitations of them — do become so later on. aR a rule they get so common that the fashionable peonle require something quite new aerain. The Urge French flowers made of feather are looming in some of the most up-to-date London shops at the present moment. The geranium is a type of flower much in favour at the moment, alwa-ve in a rich and warm colour, mingled at times with pune white camellias with their wazen petals embedded in bright gloeey leaves. Geraniums are also seen in combination with hats of tail/less ermine, or even with sable; the ivy geranium ie included as well as the more or3inarv types of the flower. Very _pretty and simple are millinery ruches and rosettes of frayed-out silk ribbon, which take the place of feathers; their softness makes them becoming, but in light colours the life is not a long one in a London winter, for the fluffy edges soon grow grubby. . Small shaves in hats are still making 1 a gallant fight for first favour, but Ac a. rule the large shapes are most popular, , though the s smaller* shapes are certainly makiner considerable headway.