Fashion Forecast For Spring Brides And Wedding Guests

Southland Times, Issue 23610, 10 September 1938, Page 17

Fashion Forecast For Spring Brides And Wedding Guests

At a recent Paris wedding the bride, Mademoiselle Francoise Besancon de Wagner, daughter of Madame Maggy Rouff, the wellknown dress designer, , wore a flowing train-tip veil in finest white silk jersey. This break with tradition has aroused considerable comment and criticism and though many spring brides will doubtless remain faithful to tulle and lace it is certain that this interesting lead will have an influence on wedding styles. The jersey employed was an almost sheer fabric little heavier than the finest silk stocking. The veil was draped over a medium high truncated cone structure built on medieval lines and hung in clinging folds over the shoulders and out to the end of the twoyard train. The dress itself was in heavy mat silk jersey, designed also on medieval lines with a clinging body movement, soft front draperies, and wide bell sleeves. The high, draped neckline formed a deep boat-shaped pleat across the throat from shoulder to shoulder. The bride carried a single artificial madonna lily on a very long stem. The eight “demoiselles d honneur wore Velasquez “Infante” dresses in heavy white satin broche featuring deep sheer yoke effects in white tulle and charming little pointed caps in heavy Persian embroideries in gold braid and sequins set into a band of sable. _E a , c “ bridesmaid carried a single artificial red rose on a long stalk. This use of artificial flowers at a wedding has excited as much comment as the jersey veil. ■ The bride’s mother, Madame Besancon de Wagner (Maggy Rpuff) wore a ground-length moulded gown in ruby red velvet relieved by a high Russian toque, a cane and muff, in leopardskin. It is usual in French weddings for the bridesmaids to take a collection — starting with the bride and bridegroom, the family, and the guests of honourdestined for the poor of the parish m which the wedding takes place. The pochettes used for this purpose are frequently designed to harmonize with the bridesmaids’ dresses. At this particular ceremony they were embroidered., in gold and sequins matched to the little pointed caps. Each bridesmaid wore elbow-length white kid gloves and white broche satin

shoes. Most of the guests wore long light sand-coloured gloves in suede. This is evidently the new shade for glove wear this coming season. Lace is very fashionable this season and lends itself to the formal wedding picture. Black lace used with pastel lace, either pale pink or pale blue, ifi very effective. The older woman has the advantage this season of colour schemes that become her; all the fuchsia shades, all the orchid shades, all the hydrangea shades; grey-blues, night blue, royal, grey, turquoise, touches of cyclamen. Younger guests can go all out on the formal tailored afternoon suit theme, developed in any of the fashionabla new silks: surah, twill, tie-silk, foulard, reps—in plain or printed versions. In the printed versions, considerable novelty is obtained by the' use of reversible prints, one way, being used for the jacket, the other for the skirt. Or touches of the reverse side can be used to line back revers, pocket flaps, cuffs. Jabot-fronted blouses in sheerest lace, tulle, organdie, are worn with these suits.

For formal dresses of the wedding guest type, a large range of delightfully youthful prints are shown this season: multi-coloured effects in insertion lace prints, broderie anglaise' prints, bow-knot prints, floral stripes, wallpaper prints. Also, a very new range of heavy tulle prints that make up delightfully for dressy afternoon wear. Mainbocher shows an important group of printed tulle dresses designed on his new “school girl” line, with full, bloused bodices, wide gathered skirts over taffeta foundations, full bishop’s sleeves. A more sophisticated style and admirably suited to wedding wear is sponsored by Worth. This consists of a knee-length tunic coat in light-tone, lightweight woollen—turquoise or coral—fitted closely into the waist, the flared basque bordered with black or silver fox and worn over a plain wool dress. This is a useful idea for halfseason weddings. Flower and ribbon-trimmed hats are in the lead this season, and offer a generous choice to the prospective wedding guest. Particularly indicated are Agnes’s tiny straw shapes trimmed each with a single giant flower—an enormous pansy, a single full-blown rose, a lily. Watteau shapes, with flat, flower or ribbon-trimmed crowns, are suitable, too. And then there are the new veiltrimmed shapes becoming to all ages. A tiny shape trimmed with a flimsy wisp of two-coloured cyclamen tulle that veils the face, turns over the left shoulder, and falls to the waist at the back . . . could anything be more appropriate to the wedding guest with an obligation of smartness to fulfil?