IN FASHION'S REALM.

Otago Witness, Issue 3442, 2 March 1920, Page 57

IN FASHION'S REALM.

WEEKLY UP-TO-DATE DRESS NOTES By MABOCERiTa They have got to cabling dress items. Of course, it is quite old in the northern hemisphere The last one up to the time of this writing spoke of the crinoline —Paris has revived it. As my last few budgets will have shown, the news i 3 stale. The crinoline was revived last October, and was in great wear, especially for evening, on both sides of the Atlantic in November. At tlie same time.it was often in the simulated form. That is to say, the dress was bunched out, but with an underskirt of a kind of orthodox character. The why and the wherefore of all this baffles me. There is always a reason, and it is generally to bolster trade. Would Crinoline compensate for guns in keeping the steel works going? Then there are the Turkish trousers. The same cable speaks of them as coming to rival skirts, but I expect this was a mere man's work. The crinoline would not reconcile itself with such. What, I expect, is meant is the pantelette. The crinoline and the pantelette £o together, especially on dressy occasions. You would think from all this that I believed that we should bow down and worship. Not necessarily so. True, the universal adoption of semi-fcrinoline styles ioc certain occasions—evening, I repeat —■ in the _ northern hemisphere will leave us no option but to follow partial suit. But I oan see well enough from my oversea exchanges that there will still be plenty of

variety provided for those who do not wish to be extreme. To emphasise this I have selected as my four pictures this week just those modifications that serve. A very favoured style for autumn will be the dress that is quite walstless, with an extending skirt which, incidentally, is balanced by the extended sleeve. The blouse section will be of the loose jumper kind, and there will always be a sash of some kind. Really our own good pastors and masters, when they start denouncing the fashions, are very urbane: Consider what the learned president of the French Society of Hygiene na.s had to say. He does not whisper, nor yet shout. He fairly roars, ©very -word a pellet to strike the target of conscience: "Unless something is done to curtail the utter extravagance of Fashion's everchangine upectacle, the continued existence of the Aryan race will shortly find itself seriously threatened. I say this in all sincerity and after the most careful study, and reflection. Moreover, I can back up my assertion with documentary proofs." He goes on "physiologically," but it is not necessary to rer>«at that; and then touches the. health side—usual subject, coughs and colds. But with what thunder: "Fashion forbids to women sufficient clothes for the preservation of health. .Striking on unprotected throat and chast, piercing through filmy corsages and featherweight undergarments, polar blasts and icy draughts chill her to the bone twenty times a day, attacking every vital organ .and bringing in their wake bronchitis, grippe, pleurisy, pneumonia, tuberculosis, peritonitis, abdominal

rheumatism, and a host of other ills which often terminate on the operating- table, where, finally, all further hope of nativity is lost forever." And then the pursestring side: "Economically speaking, Fashion threatens the continued propagation of ir.vnYmd. Despite the filminess and inadequacy of the current styles, they ire exceedingly expensive. Only the rarest

Bilks ? linens, furs, and jewels are *aa fait. " In a -word, the cost of it in all directions threatens the men of the house with ruin.

You cannot stop this kind of thing. They used to talk that way in the days of the Normans. I am half persuaded that they did so in the days of Solomon. To be just, Toraen do not dress as declared—• nothing- like it. Taken as a whole, they do not wear such flimsy things as alleged, and do not incur any more coughs and colds than the other sex; and all round they do not spend as much as insinuated, nor. in my opinion, as much as their lords and masters. And if they wero to dress in the drab way these diatriljes suggest, civilisation would come down flop, because itwould take the props from under the bulk of tho primary industries. Wool largely, cotton ever 60 much more largely, and silk nearly wholly—without Fashion" what then? And as for tho fur trade, the diamond aJid pearl industries, the lace industry—we!!, 1 hardly have the patience to continue.

I have spoken of the side drapings. They are a compromise to get the wider effect, and will be seen greatly in autumn and more so in winter. Who, then, would quarrel with this —who could? But start right and so with the blouse, one' of those delightful sandwich-like "overs" which come together under the arms, and here in very artistic fashion. And with one of the new sleeves cf course—the bell, and shaped. As for the skirt, it is charming, with that cascading side which reveals a reverse in contrast. A style like this has many usesday rnd evening together. -

A popular and esteemed authority says: |'There is no doubt about it, that there is very little bodice of any kind required on gome evening dresses. The dressmakers have evolved a diverting way of making* tho skirt appear all-important. To-day most of the trimmings appear on the jupe in lieu of the corsage. "" With the plainness of the bodice it is perfectly certain that women will have to hold themselves gracefully in order not to look insignificant; but that is as it should be, for we shall see more individuality of stylo. The passion for frinj-e has not left us, but it no' longer has that ugly, ragged appearance, for it is now all arranged in loops. It varies from one to six inches in length, and can be had in all colours. It has a pretty, old-fashioned appearance, and is being used on hats and scarfs, as well aa for dress trimmings." With respect to fringe, I have inspected a large number of oversea catalogues containing the styles to be. And I see that there will still be many opportunities for fringe, and that all examples' given indicate very long fringe. In fact, I have before me at this moment a model of the autumn decree in which tho tunic is wholly of ■fringe, weighted, as I expect, to hold it in, position.. Incidentally, fringe will go with tho new fashions better than with the old, because of the traditional association. But there will be fringes and fringes, and one fringe will.be chenille. At the same time, as fringe- is a very decorative feature, nothing is surer than that it may easily convey "raggedness." For myself, 1 always view it with an eye of doubt. Hero you have a further autumn style. Aa previously remarked, width will often be achieved by means of an extended pocket, only the pocket will be part of the

dress. 1 gave an example before, and here is another. With it I may draw attention to the decidedly pretty collar. We are always- more or less concerned over colourings. Those to be will be gay. ; We shall see many reds, and some of. them j quite bright; many yellows and many of > the tints that lie between. They are the ] warm colours, but not necessarily the onlybrilliant ones. The gamut of brilliancy is only run by mentioning all. Thus we shall see many bright greens, and also bright blues, though not in the ascendency. Even the subdued shades may have life in them—browns forsooth, dove-like shades not too grey to count as greys, and yet even grey itself. Colour will manifest itself in dress, but even more so in millinery. With respect to millinery it may be safely asserted; that the autumn range. will outclass anything we have seen for that season for quite a time. Here is another pretty treatment—of j course, in relation to a frock. The blouse ; is simple and yet with a rather distinctive revcr, and the sleeve is that same on*

again—the kind we ba.ve coin« to lore and will not readily abandon. The sash.- id again a feature to mention—it will play; ~ such a very important part in the new modes. - You will observe in these Must ratio no i trimmings that suggest something. And ■ they do, as in every case they are fur* There will be an immense run on fur for .; trimming purposes—not for the purpose of '. extr&vagance, but to avoid it. Collars will be relieved with a fur border some tone* off the cdg«, and cuffs will be borydered in countless instances in the sarnal way. but to it. Even skirt hems will btl fur-trimmed, and likewise the pockets on ; skirts; and, passing to the small etceteras, we shall see fur buttons and fur motifs., the latter, by the way, having one goo<j| place on the ends of the sash, Even fm» girdles will be seen, and that sketch with I

the hand in one pocket has just such an addition, even though, without this assurance, you might take it for something else. As for millinery, fur will bo in tremendous evidence, as in this department, of course, it finds its element. There are 80 many ways of employing fur in millinery, and always with good effect. Evening toilettes were never more beautiful. The evening wrap is much more voluminous than formerly, and silk of many bright shades is the most popular fabric employed for the fashioning thereof. The circular cloak is much in evidence, enveloping the entire gown beneath, which is only disolosed "when tho action of movement parts tho cloak* in front. A deep round yoke of silver or gold brocade may have a vivid-coloured silk gathered thsreto, very full, a deep hem, or a fringe to tone, finishing the bottom. The outside hem, left unstitched, but fastened down at intervals with buttons, is another finish. Long, loo3e stole ends both back and front, fastened into the yoke with the silk and having tas&eled ends, _is also the mode. Wraps of this description are very similar to a clergyman's gown, with and without sleeves. As the autumn seta in fur collars and edgings will be seen; also wraps of velvet and plush. A quaint and pretty hair ornamentation for evening wear is much adopted by girls of all ages just now, a revival of past ages, of course—the narrow velvet, ribbon, or gemmed band encircling head and forehead. The effect is decidedly fascinating.