FASHION NOTES FROM LONDON.

Otago Witness, Issue 2914, 19 January 1910, Page 81

FASHION NOTES FROM LONDON.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) December 3. There is still a marked tendency for tho hat of- the day to be worn set far back on the head. If it is not really worn far back it looks.like it, as the crown is expressly made with a distinct backward bulge or sweep. A good many shapes 'of hats' and toques alike are still wide enough to hide all the back of the neck and the coiffure too. . ’ The majority of shapes turn up femewhere in the brim, but no two sfeenr exactly to turn up at the same angle or from the same starting point, or even, from the same sidn. The tricorne shape has its own

cornered shape ia in considerable request—in felt, velvet, fluffy beaver, and plain smooth silk beaver —notably in black, trimmed with gold or silver cockade rosettes, or with one long ostrich feather, which is attached to the shape by an oxidised buckle or a cabochon ornament in bright jet. More trying is the bicorna. with front and back bv-n sharply upturned and attached to the crown, with decided points over the ears. There aro a good many people who wear the lucerne, but not always with success. It is a. trying shape, more -especi ally so if of exaggerated dimensions. Then there is (be picture shape, whose brim is slightly rolled up at one side, or a little toward the back. The next gradation shows the side brim turned sharply up, oteu towering higher than the crown. Noxr. one finds the turned-up brim attached closely to fcno crown, with flat, effect at the side. _ Another variety is almost minus a brim in front, but ort-e gradually develops from 1 lie sides until it is quite wide behind. Tms brim turns itself up all round. The Henri IT model is of the high-crowned typo, almost brimless, made entirely of velvet, softly folded, and finished on one side with a jewelled clasp. There a.re tricorne shapes of icit, with the upturned brim of velvet in contrasting colour, simply bound round the edge with gold or dull silver, and finished with a. cockade. The fluffy beaver tricorne similarly is seen with the upturned brim of velvet. White and black thus combined arc becoming, simply banded with oxidised silver lace, which has a bright copper thread running through it. Some Millinery Materials. — Fluffy beavers continue extremely popular in all colours, usually plainly ti mimed. For the moment their rival is smooth silk beaver, hike a man’s tall bat, chiefly in black, piled up with lowering masses of ostrich plumes and dipped feathers. There are felts in ail varieties —firm and soft — and in all colourings desired, but if people are not patronising beaver in one of its varieties they are going’ in for shapes ct velvet or long-haired plush, or beavercloth, or fancy silks. All these- mateiial hats are made with full crowns, and these afford scope for the display of embroidered designs worked in coloured silks. hen there are shapes covered with Ottoman silk and trimmed with the same, also cf moire silk, similarly treated. There is a new variety of millinery moire. It is made of lacs, and is as transparent as not. It is laid over an intense colour, and so composes a brim, or a crown, or a whole hat. There is great scope for variety now that it is fashionable, for- brim and crown to be of contrasting material. Satin is a material which still is wanted in the formation of shapes, so- is black silk. Some of the millinery velvet is gathered closely, the folds being -drawn near one another. Ready, almost more than any other material, the milliners aw using fur either for entire shapes or for trimming purposes, combined with velvet or felt. There are some pretty hats with crowns -of felt and brims of fur, and a. contrast of colours is encouraged, A delightful velvet model in old rose had a large soft crown -of the velvet sot into a wide and spreading and picturesquely turned-up brim, which was bordered along the extreme -edge with an outlining of mink-tail. A -band of the same fur was placed round the* crown, and into it. at intervals was tucked tiny clusters of small pink roses. Useful are the toques of dark fur—black fox is having a great vogue—made after the Cossack pattern, strung across with loops of jetted beads, caught at one side with a. cabochon of jet. Fur toques are in request by tinkers, -and roller skating is the fashionable occupation this winter. Seal-dyed musquash is responsible for some -of the most delightful winter toques, and the most pleasing of these are made to rest easily on the head. Others, of course, arc of the all-enveloping pattern, big enough to cover up the cumbersome swirl hair-dressing beneath. Seal-dyed musquash lined with tailless ermine makes a dainty toque for anyone who can wear white so near the face. A bow of fur finishes a band of the same after it has encircled a big picture hat of velvet, while bows of fur, by the way, are a feature of evening-dress trimmings, chinchilla and ermine being - the greatest favourites. The sombrero bat of seal-mus-quash is gartered .with a broad band of heavy embroidery, and finished at one side by a heavy aluminium crochet rose. Silk and silk cashmere hats lined with tan washing leather are considered to have attractions of their own. and for knockabout wear there are sou’-westers made of every colour that was ever thought of. the trimming consisting of a plaiting of the brightly shining leather thongs. For reception wear velvet shapes trimmed with a handsome buckle or an ostrich plums are everywhere seen, though corded silk shapes trimmed with fur havo a newer appearance. Brilliant and trying oro bats made of nothing but gold or silver tissue trimmed with swffthings of the same, into the middle being tucked a small cluster of gold or silver berries. Judicious trimmings of oxidised tissue can look well, but entire hats without softening relief have a garish a-ppeararww. There are rosettes of metallic net, used as a finish to hats of velvet or beaver or veit, and these look well. So do quill-shaped ornaments of it when placed amid congenial surrounding’s. There are not many feather quills used, though there are numbers of gigantic wings, yzhich are so spreading aa t-o envelop even some of the biggest. of the bats. Each is either of two colours or shaded. Very attractive are quill-shaped ornaments made of fine chenille attached to a background of net, wired to shape. They have- a rich appearance, particularly in the dark prune shade, which is so immensely popular. All colours arc to be had, but so far they belong exclusively to the swell milliner. They have not yet degraded themselves to the “shilling-three” standard. Among the novelties in hat trimmings just- now are wooden beads and bugles, dyed to match the colouring of the velvet or satin on which they appear. These are threaded on string, and are used in festoons. Coloured beads and bugle-s made of satin straw are attractive. They arc on a background of net, and, of course, meander about in elaborate patterns, picked out here -and there with a little something t-het sparkles. Then, too, there are jetted millinery insertions and others, which give prominence to beads and sequins of silver and gold. On the- fur toque a favourite trimming consists of a bow of coarse openmesh net block, white or colour, generously sprinkled with large silver 450 is. Two or three silver cords are looped across the front and attached to the bow, the twisted

fur background. The fez, having for its only trimming a large bow of coarse mesh tulle matching the fur in colour, is an oftseen model. ’ Silk, fur, lace, flowers, and plumes arc combined in some of the light and elaborate models of the Louis XFI type, and in contrast to such conglomeration one comes across innumerable monster eh-apps which are absolutely uni rimmed, save for a band of braid or a single unobtrusive (ornament- in rosette form. Rosettes, by the way, are everywhere, being used to any -extent by milliners, dressmakers, and mantle-makers, and often they make an unexpected appearance from a wholly unexpected position. Feather turbans arc not absent imm the milliners’ list; they are appreciated because they arc light in w-cwgnt rue o\-r------bc-avv turban of swathed, velvet, winch looked as if its mission was to extmgmsh altogether the entire head- of the wearer is Loss fashionable now than the Henri 11. model made of shaggy beaver_ with an important-looking crown and a little brim slightly curled' at one side-. Quite frequently a couple of aviation wings made of bullion wire and net are considered a sufficiency _ of trimming placed conspicuously at one side where the hat s brim is lifted. This -effective- hint of trimming is all that a fluffy beaver hat requires, aapecially if the hat is of a pretty colour, such as pa.rm.-x violet, Isntillo green, cloud grey, kingfisher blue, bronze, or even the more useful mole and deep plum-colour. The Gainsborough shape is in again, and it is extremely becoming when properly worn, the correct set of the hat being a strong element of success and one too often neglected. A Theatre Cap.— Supple damask is numbered among millinery fabrics: it has a blurred pattern of indistinctly defined (lowers, and has a -shimmering effect, for different shades of one colour are introduced into its construction. and there is -ini addition just a suspicion of gold or silver of other metal thread. This material is capable cf forming the- most graceful draperies and full crowns —the _ by the bye-, will shortly be employing it for the tunics of toilettes over velvet or satin underskirts. Quite a late form for the use of tim damask is that of the theatre cap, made after the pattern of the Revolution headdress of the late 18th century; it is something like a sunbonnot and is found to be a suitable covering for the head going to a theatre and coming home, also for restaurant wear; the shape -of the head is outlined with a band of fur, in front there is an upstanding bow of galon, and the part that protects tine neck behind is bordered with fur. - Coloured Furs. — New Zealand people must not bo surprised if they happen to run across recant arrivals in their country v.na.ring toques or trimmings of fur in such colours as pink, reseda., pale green, sky blue, emerald, or cerise—or, indeed, of any unusual colour at ail. It will not moan that new animals with coloured coats have been (discovered, but merely that fur has been dyed in all the shadings -of the rainbow, if not in more. At the moment Londoners are- mad on .rinking, and these new coloured furs, whether as toques or trimmings, or necklets, or muffs are being pushed as “suitable for wear when skatin.” Another Hat-pin.— The doublo-hoaded safety hatpin is the latest notion, and a. very sensible one, particularly as the- pins are made of such excessive length that the business end pokes out far --beyond even the most spreading crown. Tbs second head is affixed to this business end after it has been driven through the hat. _ Motorises will find the use of these hatpins » comfort, a-s they tend to keep the covering firmly attached to th-s head. The second head is of si miliar design to the head proper, but is usually of smaller size: anything can be had. from acorns to cockle-shells and Teddy-bears. —Haro and There.— The “sash-brooch” k a very essential modern trifle; it is used' to hold in position any union of two halves of a. sash or scarf. Therefore, it has no stated position ; it has to adopt itself to- the vagaries of the sash and scarf and drapery, all of which arrangements meander about just as they think they will —frequently , with effect. The waist is the last place where one looks to find a sash—far more usual is it to find it artistically draped round about the shoulders, or even near the knees. Some are worn in military style, draped from one shoulder to the hips, and there knotted and held in position, by a large “-sash-brooch.” long fringed ends finally fulling to the hem cf the dress. Sashes arc generally cf soft material, including chiffon, satin and jetted tulle, while tbs one-time much-worn oeohmere scarves, worked with .Chinese Sowers bordered with deep .silk fringe-, are being revived. The velvet neckband, fastened in front with a flat bow, through which is slipped r. diamond • slide, has returned to favour. A band of rich embroidery or buglo trimming, of narrow width, finishes the top of the- neckband sometimes, just as one would wear a band of velvet; either looks nice. So does a lattice-work edging made of steel or aluminium of gold’ be-aids. Metallic effects ia ribbon are- still liked’, so are moire’ -ribbons. Bands of both are placed round the- knees of some of the skirts, hampering inartistic-ally the movements of the wearer. Bands of metallic ribbon, also bows and rosettes of it, look pretty placed on an underdress and sparkling through the transparent overdress. Beads are everywhere; they now outline the edges of wide even jug sjoaiwes of strong silk neb, with very open- mesh: a pattern of flowers usually followed. This class of net lends ’ itoel-f with success to the introduction of bead and' intricate silk embroideries. There is a new -shade of reddish-pinkish-mauvo which becomes anyone with a good complexion. There are- many curious dyes of blue in which purple, or red, or black are mixed. Black is in request for day and evening occasions, and black net with lines of copper is a novelty, so is copper-hued not lined, with stripes of black jet. Corintho is a rich shade of purple tinged with red. Useful for London wear is elephant-grey. Of true- greens there -are- few, though there are many tones of a greenish hue that defy exact description. One of them is of a rich priviet tone. Black peau-de-soie is replacing satin for the roll-collar of tailormade coats. Colours -for promenade wear are all subdued aijd include raisin, chicory, tilleul, mahogany, fir-green and dark QI'ILB*.

■U o>Lul„ no ooluhT, th© soi L satin brocades will take the place of sdfsatins which have so long been htcert. But, of course, the flowered varieties do not lent themslves to draped and simple effects as do the self-coloured fabrics. -