WHAT IS BEING WORN IN LONDON.

Otago Witness, Issue 3117, 10 December 1913, Page 66

WHAT IS BEING WORN IN LONDON.

(From Our Own Correspondent.)

There is no bettor way to find out what is actually being worn in London than to spend an hour or so in Rotten Row during church parade on Sunday morning. Yesterday was a glorious October day. Although brilliant sunshine prevailed, there was just that nip in the air which made a stroll through the park a very real delight. London is just beginning to fill up for the winter season, and I found the park crowded with a very fashionable throng indeed. All that is newest in the world of fashion was seen to its best advantage; as often a very different idea is convoyed to one’s mind bv seeing a fashion actually worn, to the idea one acquires when reading of what is new in the mode. One could not fail to notice that the majority of well-dressed women were wearing silk gowns with no other wrap except their luxurious fur stoics and muff. The tact struck rno as a curious testimony to the contrariness of the feminine mind, as during the warm summer months one» invariably noticed that light wraps,

transparent or otherwise, were worn over the summer frocks. The new outline, produced by the peg-top skirt, is apparently quite popular, as many ot the smartest women seem to have adopted it. Almost all the gowns were cut to produce an effect of loose fulness, which was drawn in at the waist by a wide band of the same material as the gown itself. The waistband, or sash, is an important item of one’s attire at preserft, and I noticed that the note of contrast which can be struck by the introduction of a coloured waistband did not seem popular, except in the case where the whole toilet was of black. This is perhaps due to the fact that the “waist” is so wide in the present fashions that a contrasting colour introduced as a soah can easily defeat its own purpose. The majority of the tailor suits ! saw wore extremely simple, and chiefly remarkable for their clear-cut outline. Fur as a trimming is evidently extremely popular, and very charming it appears on that new soft material named duvetyn and on the popular velours do laine. The few wrap coats to be seen were all three-quarter length and very loose in appearance. The armholes were so wide that they practically did not exist, yet the coat itself always appeared quite narrow at the hem.

Our first sketch illustrates a charming little afternoon go\Vn. The skirt is revealed in mauve satin channouse, while the ninoa tunic is shown in green, the Magyar top of which is made of brocade in those two colours. The second sketch shows a very elaborate example of the popular phase of the afternoon gown. Very original in tlie looselyswathed sash which is tied in a knot in the centre front. The fashionable penchant for the tunic is again shown >n this model.