FASHION NOTES FROM LONDON.

Otago Witness, Issue 2921, 9 March 1910, Page 73

FASHION NOTES FROM LONDON.

(From Oub Own Correspondent.) January 28. It always happens that wher the weathef is coldest and least inviting, the shopkeepers sieze upon the opportunity to hold a Great White Sale. The supply of goods and the variety astonishes one; everything of colour is hidden away, and the whole place is white, the windows being filled with household necessities and wearing apparel all of pure vyhite. But at this time of year lingerie dre6ses do not appeal particularly, neither do the myriads of lawn blouses. Judging from present indications the one-piece lawn?embroidered dress ough* to be quite the right thing to buy for the coming summer, but at the • moment, the unlined, limp, frook. is not inspiring. • Embroidered Irish linens seem to be attracting many buyers, chiefly in white. Undoubtedly this is the time to buy, for prices are ridiculously moderate, but there is always a risk that by the time summer comes the early purchases may be ou' of date. Materials are', a better investment than made-iip dresses and blouses.

Materials for Early Need's.— Possibly it may be some months before English people will require aiiytnmg lignt either in weight or colour; but both these I characteristics are always looked for by those who go to the Riviera at this season. Even at this early period it is plain to see that shantung silks, of heavy weight j and strong wear, are going to be used by tailors again this spring, in biscuit shades : as well as in all-white, this clas6 of silk will ' maintain; its position established a year ago; it is firm and it is strong, and withal it is smart in appearance, yet it is not , weighty to wear. For simple coat and> skirt costumes, too,' the French tailors are j using moire velours, the walking skirts being simply pleated, and the comparatively short coat's being arranged' to fasten ;over on one side with three large buttons of i sparkling jet. The Russian blouse is going to find many patrons, made just now of shantung; later it will be made of linen; This season's shantung of substance is to ' be had in rich colourings as well as in : . black, white, and cream. Its special qualiI ties make it adaptable to the most simple of tailored costumes. Coats and skirts will ' not by any means be the only uses to which it will be put, for many people have already i chosen dresses of it, to be worn with con--1 trasting coats or small cloaks. The Russian j idea is managing to force its way into.proI minence, although it did not arrive till St I I late in the winter; but it has come in | modified form, almost without its kangaroo pouch of which every bod j\ grew so tired a I few years ago; the up-to-date Russian j blouse-coat is infinitely more becoming: In place of the full pouch there is " only a very slight arid becoming fulness .which is becomingly drawn under a belt, the latter j coming to a point in front arid defining the figure in pleasing manner. ] "Drap suede" is a delightful make of fine ! cloth—almost as smooth and soft and effective as satin. Of it some of the most ex- ' pensive Riviera coats and skirt 6 are being j prepared, ohiefly in ivory-white, with skirts | pleated at the sides so as to give a straight panel effect across the front and the back; the coat will probably be drawn in at the i waist in Russian blouse style, with stitched i belt of the cloth, .finished at the back with flat bows and loops of white satin ribbon. White costumes are remarkable for their all-white purity, taken as a. whole, but a few daring tailors, doubtless feeling their way, have brought out some ~nodels_o£ white drap suede fitted with narrow waistJ coat of brilliant scarlet or orange, with a tiny band of the same to finish the slaves.

Length of Coats.—

Speculators are busy, but really nothing is yet definitely known as to what is going to be the correct length of the coat. There are plenty of long ones, even in white cloth, but there are many othere where the length is becoming less; the basque of the Russian* coat does not do much more than coyer the hirjs. Those who are wedded to the long silhouette are not at all jirbil&nt afe the prospect of the return of the short jacket. Pockets are a feature of "some, but very little is allowed to be put inside them—everything still must to a certai. extent be sacrificed to "la ligne." The" pockets are long and narrow, but many of them are going to be stitched up to prevent their being used; more generously inclined tailors will leave an inch or two of unstitched space, which will accommodate a handkerchief before it is unfolded- or a railway ticket. In, some cases the pocket is only simulated by the' presence of a band of trimming and a line of stitching. Whatever ma;> be the length of the coat, the walking skirt is still sensibly short, and is usually pleated in. some way or other. A few are drawn in a little round the feel and bordered with a deep hem of satin > ta match the colour of. the costume material. One model of pale biscuit cloth had a skirt of this description; the aaterial,' fairly full at the waist, was drawn in under a hem of biscuit satin, made sufficiently short to clear the ground by some inches. In not

a few cases the coat is long; enough to reach to the top of the satin, hem on the skirt. Coats are not all so plain as they have been —large-sized revers characterise some, so do gauntlet cuffs, but a collarlesc neck even with these other prominent features present, is by no means rare; the effect is strange and unfinished, but it is new. So also is the model, made of cloth or serge, whose short and fully-pleated skirt has eaci pleat closely stitched down for more than half the distance between the waist and hem, the pleats thence, flowing out with freedom; the coat is rather short, and is pleated very much in the same manner as the skirt, but is drawn in at the waist like a Norfolk jacket, under a stitched belt of serge or cloth; at this season of the year collar and cuffs of fur are nost appropriate. —A Novelty in Paris.—

A particular kind of cape is mentioned by a writer in Paris. To the outer view it is quite sleeveless, and reaches barely to the waistline. It is stated that these capes are quite " inevitable starters in the race for fashion this season." Until one grows accustomed to it, the cape gives the mannequin quite a matronly appearance. Here is a description of the model. Made in a heavy cream satin-faced cloth, it carried a small coat collar in black ribbed silk, and fitted in a wonderful manner closely over the shoulders and slightly in under the arms. The effect, in fact, was almost of a short, full coat, and this sleeved appearance was gained by the bands for the arms at each side. Beyond the black collar, the cape had no trimming; the fastening was in front, by means of two jet and silver clasps. The prospect of wearing such a wrap does not appeal at first. For Present Wear. — Velveteen is having a great vogue, whether for tailor-made coats and skirts or for indoor dress; quite the latest make of velvet has a texture even softer and finer than " velours chiffon " of a year ago, and it is , obtainable in the most beautiful colourings. Numbers of black velvet dresses are seen for evening wear, made on rigid Princess lines, with a little bugled trimming or crystal trimming inlet into the V opening at the peck. There is a new evening shade of green which is delightful in velvet;- it is called "luminous crreen," and looks extremely well in combination with silver or crystal; and there are such numbers of trimmings wherein both or either enter. There is also a new oolour whioh has a tendency toward copper. It is called " Lanneton," and finds representation in velvet as well as in silk gauze. Velvet will always be more or less in demand. There is no abatement in the demand for wool-backed satin, which is wanted for all occasions; and we ■ _ a-re threatened wifch a mew heavily-ribbed silk—ita rib as large as a heavy-weight Cheviot serge. It does not sound particularly attractive, yet it is on the list of coming fabrics; and although it looks solid, it is described a 3 being capable of falling into soft folds in the skrt. It is something of the same surprise as the moire silk, which nowadays ie anything but the harsh fabric as of old'. It has to be felt before the change can be realised —it is unapparent to this eye; —and the same thing, seemingly, applies to the new heavily-ribbed silk.- All through the winter house dresses have been made of the most airy of summer fabrics, including crepe de chine, ninon de soie, silk eolienne and silk voile; and the same things are most favoured for evening wear. To the list might be added tulle and silk filet net. All these soft fabrics are wanted, and all the newest dresses made of them show lots of fulness introduced about the skirt. It is seldom that the extra material fiilds accommodation round the waist, but it is introduo&d into the skirt by means of panel effects. Crepe de chine is used more than ever as an evening material, and there are so many thickness-ss of it. A t the moment the thinnest weights are chiefly for. It is on record that for dinner wear a few women are patronising heavy tapestry silks, which can be had'in all colours, nd which have a magnificent effect when made in the plainest style, with a heavy girdle of Renaissanoe embroidery and a touch of the same broderie at the hem. A certain amount of this tapestry is turned into stylish tea gowns, cut square at the throat and fitted with long wing sleeves, which are cut with, the shoulder and fall almost to the hem of the gown. —How About Sleeves?—

Slight fulness round the top of the armholes is again being encouraged by the tailors, -who, in addition, are talking about bringing shoulder capes back into fashion, to say nothing of strappings. But as a rule l the dress sleeves are going to be fairly close-fitting. Those worn on the stage—where all the most up-to-date changes are quickly to be seen—are. as tiffht as possible, giving a horribly cramped and narrow aspect to the figure; there is no easy fullness round the armhole, and the entire arm seems to have been poured into the sleeve, which usually comes well over the. wrist However, the ordinary person who does not care to be extreme can have a little fulness if she choqsss, and slight ruckings for the entire length of the arm are worn when the materials are thin. Indeed, one of the most noticeable changes in 'the sleeved guimpe—yoke and sleeve combined —is that of sleeve, which is not any longer rigidly tight, but is given a certain amount of fulness at the elbow, introduced with rather sudden eflbct from a perfectly fitting upper portion. Now that slightly fuller coat sleeves are going to be allowed, in addition to more shapely outline, the English woman ought to look far more attractive than she has done for two years past in the long straight-up-and-down coat which has been allowed, no fullness anywhere, and whose lower part has generally been so tight that walking has been rendered most difficult and the effort unsightly. —ls the High Dress Collar to Go?—

Forecasters of fashion seem certain that the summer will see stylish people with bare throats, in direct contrast to the two-year-old boned high choker, headed' with deep frilling. It is- quite expected that every bodice will be finished round the throat with a shallow guimpe of lace minus a collar, or, if there be any attempt at upstanding finish this will consist merely of a quilling of net sewn inside the throat-cut last guimpe. Some very much up-to-date girls have discarded the upright collar already, in spite of the winter season.; their throats are bare, and there _is a Peter Pan collar of embroidery to give a finishing touch, —Some Coming Colours.— All the winter our hues have been sombre —rich, but perhaps almost too dark for a gloomy London winter. The puce, the navy, the smoke-ares', the aubereine. the crow's-

ving blue, and 1 various other dark blues, the intensely dark greens, and « certain rich but almost black purple ail ha~e looker nearly black by night Sapph're iXU©, especially in velvet, is sumptuoas yet h is not bright or effective nmder artificial lights, but this has not been regarded as a drawback bv those who have beer, mingling it with biack for evening, wear. There haj been so much, black worn both by day and by night, and it has been trimmed m many instances with crow's-wing blue or some other colour .nearly as sombre as itself. Henceforth we' are to wear palei colours and tones more perishable. So fa> the;' have not arrived in London, but laris <z preparing tailor-mades and day dresse* inrt evening dresses for the Riviersr at.o elsewhere. It is recorded that such snadee as almond pink, powder blue, artichoke pwpie, delicate violet, an occasion*:' ros*; ton» not too deep, several good grays arid- A few medium greens, are among -She v>hyurc which the French tailors are bringing into use. and the material they are working upon consists largely of satin cloth. Presently they will ring the changes with silkand satin, while any amount of crepoi is going to be combined with cloth Nets avid chiffons have been dyed to match the ri*w toned fabric* taking the plac6 of the more sombre* winter colourings Of white thera will be plenty seen, but yven- here there are various degrees of whiteness som< tending toward' the pearl tint others toward ivory, others are almost suggestive of faint grey, and there is one degree which is known as parchment With- the different degrees of white ; i wili be usual to intro duee a faini colour as trimming', arid' fchij is where the scarves ot ehiffoti and dainty silk and ninon will often come in. ideally and not infrequently with uncommor effee-t. —Continued Prominence or 1 the Scan It seems as if every other gown foi fche Riviera depends greatly upon the scarf for its special style. It is mentioned that u. glove-fitting gown of pink pastel velvet was absolutely without trimming save for <* scarf of black ninon round the decolletage, a long narrow scarf of the same material edged with silver embroidery was irapejft over one shoulder, brought across the front of the bodice and gathered lightly at the side ol the waist by a silvei and diamond buckle: thence it was left to float down the length of the skirt. The skilful designei in Naw Zealand must needs still cudgel hei brains for novel arrangement of the scarf and sash draperies as these will be greatly to the fore for some time to come. The more unusual the result the better some of her customers will be pleas.ed Scarves have grown larger anx ricnev., some of them are now nearly two yards wide and quite three yards long. They are often of heavy net. lined with silk, embroidered in the new work, which conr 6ists of wool or thick silk laid on a pattern and caught down with iinsel threads. The fringes are often, of heavy .chenille, and the edging may be of fur. The importance of a scarf on. a certain French evening dress may be gathered from the following written description;—''Cut very high at the waist is the semi-fitting Princess gown of flame-coloured satin charmeuse. . \ long scarf of marvellous gold chiffon is draped from one shoulder in such a manner as to form by its own clever folds practically the whole of the corsage, including shoulder straps and decolletage. Another long scarf of black chiffon, gathered just below the bust, falls in flowing folds down the front of the skirt, and is looped and confined at the right side with the end of the gold scarf, which extends from the left shoulder dowr. the back to meet it. The ensemble is wonderful purity of line, without any suggestion of austerity. The desire to embody these long scarves as part of the modern gown has been, I think largely responsible tor the death of the puffs and frills which broke up in such a terribly inartistic manner the continuity of the 'W so essential to pure design."