IN FASHION'S REALM.

Otago Witness, Issue 3336, 20 February 1918, Page 51

IN FASHION'S REALM.

WEEKLY UP-TO-DATE DRESS NOTEA

By - Maeouebith. i AdTancos from Paris ehow that the autumn frocking will be simple with straight lines, and tho length to tho ankle or a shade more, but not to come ovor the instep. Skirts in such will be plain or bunched, with an egg-like silhouette from tho front, and as the season advances widths will bo reduced till once moro we have the slim figure. And this has been dictated by economy. Two materials will be frequently employed in the way described in my previous budget—light to a coat length, dark for the rest, and© the "uniting line fanciful moro often than straight. The sleeve_ will bo a modified bishop, and a favourite the bell cut over, a lung, closo cuff. Coats and skirts will be plain though not actually severe; the coats loose fitting, fairly long, often with box-pleats from the shoulder, and so suggesting, with a belt, the Norfolk. And skirts will be pleated, but more frequently than not only. at the sides, and then tho pleats of rather generous width. Finally, as to collars, 'the chief will be khaki—that is to say, it. will be tho leading one. It will be a tremendous fur season.Furs are not wanted for war purposes; henoe as much will bo made of them aa possible, especially as trimmings. And aa the season-advances fur in this form will be seen on everything, even tho lightest materials one can wear and that can be made to carry it. Thus we shall have fur collars and cuffs, fur belts, fur pockets, and even fur dress extensions—"sides" lee in for a depth of a foot from tho hem. And fur will border coats, and so on, as surely never before, albeit last winter gave us a fair idea of the scope. From what I gather autumn will be distinguished for" this feature, and when winter .comes it will bo a fur season —so much so, indeed, that without some evidence of it on the outdoor frock we shall be out in the cold in moro things than the weather. And, of course, there will be furs and fure. Long-haired furs are discounted with slim styles. What is called for is the pelt that is close and fairly smooth. When wo depart from dress to 'touch furs in relation to stoles and muffs, etc., well. I foresee a season that will savour of the jungle. With these things in mind, now is the time to look your fur possessions up to note in what order they are. Though furs are' expensive, thank goodness they can alwavs be oreserved. The skirt being of such, great ance, I havo ventured to give two "thumb--nails"—one showing the plain skirt with a tunic and the other the ' "egg-shaped, nearly full on, and partly to show the side, respectively. And, touching the' latter, I shall have something moro to say men I come to the third sketch. You will oi>-

servo.that the skirt with the tunic is very heaviiy bordered, and this may be of velvet, or, to be more in fashion, fur. For- such is just one of the uses to which fur will be put—to border tunics and also skirts themselves. The other skirt gets its shape from the fact .that it is draped, the sides festooning in a nest of two or three, and which I shall refer to further on. Coming to millinery, the change will be at once radical and startling. The top hat is to be revived —a veritable man's hat, but with a, flat brim, and this will be --.' reminiscent of both with the English and the French variety. The English top hatI refer to the masculine kind —used to be curved outwards towards the flat character, though latterly there has been an inclination to have it straight. And the French, of course, has for long been eemi-conical, and is so still. These hats will be of hatter's satin with a band of fur, though from what another has said Paris-has been endeavouring to soften their severity with a plume. All I can say is that I should like to see them, and I suppose I shall Then, so please you. Paris has been a'f> tempting what only Paris would dare—to provide a top hat with the least dent about it as though someone had saluted it with a' stick. And the designer has had the audacity to call this a La Hibernia. But it is America that is going to set the pace in millinery designs for autumn and winter. Having come in so gallantly in the war, all the talent oF'-Pans has been employed .to produce shapes that will savour of that country's military headgear. First and foremost, you may not know that the President has a bodyguard that wears a hat that is something like the cocked hat of a British nnval officer, but the line of , the crown, ma*'ng an arch from back to front, carries an immense roll of what, m the picture, looks like fur, but isn't. This will be one of the styles. Then the soldier wears a hat with a high rounded crown and a flat brim, and the crown is deftly knocked in on four sides, so that the top, if we could view it from above, would suggest a cross. This will be another of the°styles. Finally, there will be the backwoodsman and the cowboy and goodness knows how many ether varieties, and all the crowns will be high. In fact, whether the design is suggestive of America or not, the high crown. will carry all before it. And as for trimmings, everything will be as scant as possible, though here and there* feathers will bo used, and when

ihcy are it will be the ostrich. To sum up, the strong millinery note is a high crown, and a brim as you may please to have it, wide or narrow. And so that you will not become too elated. I may quote someone 'wwting from Paris, who says that many of the shapes will be found rather trying. I am not the. only one who gets Paris advices. And so by way of endorsement of the dress part I am annexing this: " The new dresses can already be generally summed up as being very narrow, very .short, and very expensive—all of which are results of the war." This is the second of the autumn list I am going to picture, care having been taken to select a mode that is not too radically different. There are several features to emphasise, and I shall take them working down—tho Chinese sleeve, for such is the name it has been given; the trim little peplum, highly suggestivei of a kind of jacket-coat; and the long panelled tunic, this hanging in sections, one, two,

three, four, five, and then a break, such being at the back. .For the most remarkable feature of all is a draping there, '■which I have just indicated—a fancy ■which might, in my option, be very well discarded. The penmanship shows what may bo done with a braid-cord, which has a very striking effect in this rendering, looking for all the world like so much quilting. Finally, the tunic is embellished with velvet, or, for a more fashionable choice, fur, and incidentally I think this might bo repeated with the cuff with some advantage. Another borrowing: "Underwear is now very often coloured. You see coloured linen, coloured lace, coloured satin, and silk for culottes and bodices; and every garment is made short. It is all extremely aain'ty and soft—the _ underwear of the moment, —and unless it is made at home it is very expensive. That paritalon-jupon in silk or linen, either pale blue, pale rose, pale lemon, or heliotrope, has quite taken the place of the two or three garments which used to be worn, and it is only in -the' dressing gown or the matinee that the Parieienno is inclined to be flowing and fussy. Even in these the straight, Easternlooking robe with bands of embroidery is more in favour than frills of_ la.ee, for in undorwear. as in all else, it is embroidery which is the fashion this year." And, in connection, this from another, euch being direct from Paria: "A tour of the shops is not complete without a look at the lingerie, which is daintier, more truly Parisian, than ever this season. Coloured lingerie is the latest craze, and silk as well as flimsy muslin and lace is used for these exquisite creations, most of which are in pale shades of pink." Once more I have to emphasis© tho fact that Paris is not in sackcloth and ashes. I como now to a rather important skirt. Go back to the little models and note the one on the right. I said that tho extended contour was tho result of drapings, and here you see how they are carried

around at the back in another adaptation of the same idea. The dotted line is for the centre, to show you that it is a half back and half side view together. The draping is very artistic and will distinguish some of the autumn frocks. With such a long season before me I must bo careful in order to spread my notes, and to pass the film over the screen progressively I may remark that in epito of the limitations which autumn and winter imposes on tho home-worker, there will bo ample opportunity for deft domestic hands. Though a few writers, _as I observe, eay that embroideries will be limited, I am advised to the contrary; but they will be in place or more restricted, and then of a rather different kind. It is braid, that is going to do the great work of embellishing —good braid, most applied, and that means that unless you are an artist you must work from a pattern. But I cannot see why, with so many draughtsmen to command, originality should not be possible. The sentimental girl brings out her album., and 'tells her admirer who can draw to decorate a page. Ask him, to turn his attention to a scroll of original pattern to the scale desired, and it will servo a more useful purpose. Then buttons are a very good standby, and I observe in ,'the catalogues many ways of applying numbers. Everyone should keep a buttonbox —•something I advised long ago when choice buttons were rather easier to get.

This is a very useful design at this juncture,) and so I have gone to pains to give it correctly. It is a beautiful conception—the swathed fronts in a now form, and that is with the break to provide over-

hanging tabs. These may be finished with a button or tassel or left as you see. Then I want to draw attention to the sleeve — a pretty one of the mandarin kind over a long, close cuff, with a line of small buttons. Chefoo laces and insertions are handmade, and procurable at the most astonishing prices—in fact, they run from a few pence up. A particularly attractive lace has a fern leaf pattern. The oddments, are many, and all are more or less choice. Pins and buttons —what an array when wo get to tho bargain counter! But ribbons! I thought everything possible had been done, but I see a coloured glace silk ribbon embroidered with white chenille and silk designs oh a coloured ground, and that I think is a novelty. The flower counter is another favourite resort; and what superb little evidences of art and taste I Everywhere one turns in the well-appointed establishment one sees an extraordinary array of beautiful things. And the truth is that tho war, while not shutting out the old sources of supply, has opened the "sluice gates" of others, and it is.. as though La Mode had suddenly discovered, a new world.