IN FASHIONS REALM.

Southland Times, Issue 19471, 26 November 1904, Page 1 (Supplement)

IN FASHIONS REALM.

Up-to-date Notes on What to Wear. Our frienda from Paris just now may if they so desire bring us a wealth of information regarding {the 'latest" summer modes: One observant , daughter of Eve who has had theqprivilege of doing the boulevardes recently discourses on- colors in the following words;— -.r' .:■.. -i:. ■„ * -. . . . „ ~ There are not a great number of colours, but a great latitude in regard to individual choice. A Bhade of red which is de'nomiilftted geranium' is very^popular, this being .reproduced in colours full of life and beauty, and fresh and , charming as the tints Of the flowers themselves. In green there ara numberless exquisite shades, with, perhaps, a preference for the soft tint known as artichoke, and the clear soft hue of asparagus green. Violet has lost nothing and gained much in popularity, and beginning with egg-plant purple— almost a plum shade — it runs the gamut of colour tints through all the lovely ranges of violet, wisteria, and mauve, till it becomes a tint more like a pale reflecMon pi ! colour in a mist than anything else. -Yellow takes on as many tones of colour as sunlight seen through the pale mists of early Bpring, and all the rich foliage hues of autumn. It gleams in orange silks and veilings, in clear yellow chiffons and gauzes, in warm rosewood and red brown hues, and in the soft tones seen in dead leaves and bleached grass. Puce colour, too, .s always distinguished and lovely, and all these varying shades are seen charmingly •mingled with other tints, ranging upon the lame oolour motive in contrasting materials. An elegant white chip hat appears, in the illustration, the brim being large and gracefully upturned on the left' side. This is underlined with, lace and the edge is bordered with folded silk, with a dark cord to finish, this being improved by "buttons "of pearls %% fair intervals. The orown of the hat rises

straight up with a fiat top and this is finishedwith atreble band of silk while a brooch of pearls serves to hold a magnificent plume of immaculate white or bream. The plume sweeps over the upturned brim and goes well around the hat which "ties" with cream ribbon with long streamers, carrying pearl 11 buttons " as a finish for the ends. i , /• . . ■■•.; ■■ ■■:•♦■ ■ '■') Touching the new birdcage veil, you want to know how to arrange, it. This is given in a very few words. First, see that the. lower ! edge ol the veil is at the point of the chin, and then draw it up to the hat brim and pin it in the centre. Now bring the two ends together and fasten' these on the top of th« crown, as if you fasten them at the: back you will be offended by the billowy folds at the sides. The proper way is to place the knoi right in the centre of the crown', and pin it there, when other little pinnings and placing* are necessary to get it. to Bit perfectly. After this, you glance in the mirror and smile, as it has been remarked that every' woman smiles when, having put her bat, on she looks in the glass to. see it it is just as straight as it should be, • ? J -'•. • •■'■• -.' ■■: :»..-■:.■ ••'-. :•■•••- ' ' The full skirt in this pretty evening gown is trimmed by three deep lace flounces, each j headed by a puffed band of the material, which in this case is chiffon, although it might be made of almost .any modish sheer fabric. An interval of the skirt is allowed' to show between each flounce, and this sets off the beauty of the fine lrfce and also gives to the skirt that air of quaintness which is so much the fad at present^ The graceful bodice is made upon a fitted lining and soft folds of the material are drawn across the front, the greatest fulness of the front being gathered up toward the decolletage, where very full, short loops of the material and of

black tulle, are confined under a long jewelled frame buckle. The drawing of the fulness of the bodice toward the top causes the pointed gii'dle to be almost plain. The short sleeves carry out the idea of soft folds drawn over a fitted surface, for they are almost fitted, arid inner and outer seams are gathered from the shoulder to the elbow ruffle. On the outer side the fulness is held under a strap of trimming decorated with jewels and terminating in a bow upon the outer side of the sleeve. The folds of the top of the bodice lie smoothly along th_e deoolletage . without any trimming,., arid /it is therefore important that the-color of the gown should be becoming to the tint of the wearer's complexion, since lftere is nothing to break the color jspheme of the gown about the shoulders. A materiaL for a house dress is generally one that is only : distinguished by its cheapness, compared with a. good out-door material. French manufacturers are now producing specially designed fabrics, which, while they are jast.ftH cheap as the other, will represent the best that is procurable under the heading. "Some ., of the first to make their appearance betray the fact that they have been f ftshioned after their' ■ aristocratio. sister-f abricsi but what they can olaim as absolutely original is their patterning-— a departure which might have been first of all exploited for out-door materials. The idea is to imitate an artists- floral sketchinga-r-Hght strokes as though from a charcoal penoil with brush touches of some faint color, as blue or pink in flowers, and green in leaves. It is not easy to describe suoh an effect with mere words, nor yes with any possible pic-

I The more I see of those straw flowers the I more I admire them. Who .was the responr sible genius for their creation, and how deserving of a wreath of bay leaves of the same, from the daughters of Mother Eve? The flowers in their -mere name tell of all that is stiff and uncompromising, but the pliability is such that no one need mourn the materials which have been displaced by the innovation. The flowers are in all colours, but mark it well not in all the colours of nature. Thus the supreme art is still to come which will present the rose in its varying tints, and other flowers in theirs. I have no doubt it 'will . come, and I^trongly suspect without wishing to pose as a prophetess, that it will corneas the immediate follower of what we have already. Some time or other I expect to see the Japanese paper flower in supreme evidence— that paper which is paper only in name, aa.it is so tough that it can defy pretty well any kind of ordinary rough usage. The Japanese are the artists of the world in paper, and can give it a substance which no other country people would ever deem possible. In a land where the horses were at one time shod with paper shoes, anything, I take it, is possible in the direction named. • ■■. . ■ •• • .j»-v' .. ■- ' A very pretty blouse is given, the distingishing feature of which is the handsome lacecollarette. This starts from well below the neck to expose the top part of a silk half-vest and falls to as far as the elbow and below the bust line in front. Through " slashes "in the design a velvet ribbon is passed to tie in ont with a jewelled brooch to assist it, the

length of the streamers being short iorjjret ference, though it may reasonably extend to the waist. The sleeve is full and . deep, hanging, , while a cuff of lace matches £ the pattern of the collarette, a ribbon attachment giving it a still more sympathetic effect. Needless to say all the laceis detachable which means that the blouse may just as easily be worn without it. Open-work stockings are common enough pot toexcite any undue attention, although I don't like them myself. With them there are "open-work" shoes, for by no other term can I describe the footgear which is held over the instep by such frail attachment. The tan boot and shoe may be found in every shade, and with stockings' to match are very becoming for wear with white skirts. The tan pumps with flat stiff bows and Louis heels are popular, as likewise the- patent leather pump and other varieties.' "A Social Butterfly," 'in describing the .possibilities in this direotion, says that ihe welldressed woman of London or Paris will always aim for harmony in her gowns arid shoes, partly for the reason that any contrast is so conspiouous/ Then — "In Paris' shoes of grey and of dark blue, laced with broad white ribbon through big white eyelets, are considered particularly chic; and some beautiful shades of violet, green and red in Russia leather have been remafkftWy . popular. Also white shoes, in canvas or buok- r sKin/are worn with white spats fastened with large white pearl buttons. Even bedroom slippers offer a great variety of choice, those of the Turkish model made in very soft kid or suede being particularly, sought after. These can be had in the palest blues, pinks, and champagne shades, trimmed with a simple little chou of silk of the same oolour. >. ' '■" ,■■■■■ ..• * ■"'■' •• _ ■ ''*'**' I am showing you an extremely pretty evening blouse of. pink satin and chiffon, the . heavier material serving for a frame . for the other which it " binds" in front by means of the tabbing, whioh again buttons in the

manner of the Bketeh. The double sleeves are of blonde lace, which also supplies the narrpw berthe, while large shoulder ornaments are provided by means of sprays o! roses, these being of a matching color and as full as shown, It is a season of roses— roses on hats, roses under hats, roses on blouses, roses as trim-,-ming, roses white, red, and: golden, a veri-" table flower garden in a single toilet. Therefore, something regarding the rose will be read with interest. The queen, of flowers has been written about by all writers who will live, and by the writers of all- countries, since every country has its rose. The ■ Bible makes frequent reference to the beautiful flower, and the old Persians described it as a feminine spirit to which the „ nightingale made love in the eostaoy of its song. While Buddha extolled the lily, Vishnu, the second greatest god, believed in the rose, and is said to have found his wife cradled in the heart of one. The Greeks loved the rose, and the Romans. used to attend banquets with their heads garlanded with the blossoms, whence ! arose the saying, presumably; through the I soft nothings thus whispered, * ' under the 'rose." The red rose is the flower of love in all countries, and also is the national flower of England. Incidentally*; I may mention that a full-blown red rose wasjhe insignia.of . the House of York, and^a full-blown fchitfl one of the House of Lancaster. Hence the War of \ the Koßes, a fierce and terrible struggle which was only ended by the/rival houses uniting in marriage. To-day, the red and white rose settle their differences in 1 tho swson's pretHeßj millinery. •-• ■-■■'- •- ■.:• ,-,. ..■'..":' l^fi^**