Coatees

Southland Times, Issue 20147, 6 April 1927, Page 13

Coatees

(From Our Correspondent.) London. A fashion that may well last right into the spring is that for the little coatees for the da.'ce frock. Sometimes it is made in one with the dress; at others it is a slip-on affair. In any case it is charming. One of the prettiest I have seen was worn by a tall dark girl at the Cafe de Paris, the other night, when the Prince of Wales was dancing there. The frock was of palest pink georgette with a slightly full knee high skirt bordered all round with vandyks of flat velvet flowers of all colours. The flowers were about the size of the oldfashioned large pansy. Over the very plain fitting bodice was worn a loose coatee, falling a little below the normal waist line, and with sleeves tight to the elbow and then falling into a modified angle-end. The coatee was bordered all round with the flowers, and so were the sleeves. The effect when the girl was dancing was very attractive.

Another attractive dance frock was made exacfly on the lines of a sports suit. The short, straight skirt was of fine black chiffon velvet, and the jumper, made separately’ from the skirt, was of the finest possible ivory white velvet with two slit pockets in it, long, tight wrinkled sleeves coming down in a point over the hands and around neck. The only ornament was a posy of two large velvet roses, one black and one white, poised on the shoulder. With it, although it was soon discarded, went a cardigan coat of black velvet, without aleeves and bordered with white fox fur.

One night I encountered Lady Louis Mountbatten in a black chiffon frock, worn with a low slip, but coming up high at the back. She was wearing a little silver embroidered jacket rather like those of the old-time Hussars in effect. Another coatee, worn by a vivid brunette, was of green brocade, with a narrow border of fur at the neck. This, however, was fastened over to one side with a diamond buckle, and gave a swathed effect round the hips. Another sports dance frock had a skirt of finely-pleated brown tulle worn with a jumper of brown satin very faintly patterned with lines of dull gold and giving rather the effect of stamped leather at the distance. These little jumpers are an excellent of disguising the shabbiness of a dance frock, and so are the cardigans of velvet of a contrasting shade to the gown, with wide armholes and no sleeves that arc being worn.