FRILLS FADS & FOIBLES

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 400, 7 July 1928, Page 21

FRILLS FADS & FOIBLES

Special Feature supplied excluisvely to THE SDN, Auckland, by The Central Press, Fleet Street, Dondun.

Vogues and Vagaries

(By

Madame Jeanne Varrez)

It Is doubtful whether the little light-weight, full-length coat, for wear } over any number of “odd” frocks, has j ever received so much attention as j now. Though in many cases these [ useful garments are almost exact rel P* l 9 a ® last year’s models, straight I a “d tailored, with the exception of a I sh f^!, ly wlder sleeve at the cuff and | f. trine more suggestion of swing in | the cut, there are points that make j tor novelty among other examples of the newest models. They are cut more loosely, and they show collars either of the military variety or finished with a scarf of the coat material. Some models show em* broidery of the same colour as the coat, put on, however, with consoling restraint and discretion. A welcome reassurance* as last season saw some embroidered coat effects that were anything but restrained! * * * Very misleading is the air of engaging simplicity that characterises the newest tailor-made suits. A short I jacket and a plain wrapover skirt of navy gabardine, for instance, are patterned all over with lines of white stitching about one and a-quarter inches apart, a device which imparts infinitely more subtle smartness than is attained by the use of orthodox white-striped navy material. The handwork tells! This suit jacket links in front with a couple of buttons a prevailing mode—and is worn with a white satin waistcoat blouse and a navy and white hat. There are less costly suits devoid of decoration, but depending for success on perfection of material and cut. Stockinette three pieces, by the "way, are still shown everywhere. These are plain, save for the junipers, which either have embroidery worked on them or are fashioned of embroidered material. In jumper materials, once again, a vast amount of metal thread is used. A typical smart pattern consists in woven zig-zag lines of gold alternating with colour. Such a jumper is characteristically allied to a neat woollen skirt of neutral tint, with a short jacket to match. Accessories en suite are more indispensable than ever if one would be ever so modestly in the mode. Silk stockings of a shade known as light

; oak are the correct wear with the I prevalent two-pieces in finest tweed, | most of which weavings they suit j admirably. Definitely grey weavings I are best suited with grey silk hosI iery and lizard shoes; the last very

plain and neat this year. And of course the glove accompaniment to this sort of outfit is the orthodox plain washing chamois. * * * Charming little .black satin afternoon coats show the new scarf collar

| in self material, tying in a very large ! j bow at the back. This is quite one of i the smartest coat touches in evidence j in the important collections. * * * j Some of the printed fabrics in floral ; ; designs are arresting both from the ! point of view of nature and of art. 1 They are either one or the other; I Avonderfully natural or fantastically j artificial. Each has its individual charm. Scarlet poppies are a very | new note, for instance, for an evening gown. On a grey and green back- : ground they patterned a chiffon frock ! —matching poppies falling with the graceful hip draperies at one side. Wistaria—this in the natural category, like the poppies—patterned a black frock. Here again, sprays of the same flower were pendant from one side of the waist-line. Under the fantastic heading come hollyhocks, blue, orange and green, making a bold design on the skirt of a crepe frock ! with a white bodice bordered and j draped with the hollyhock-printed | material to match. Both are and na- ! ture inspire marigold motifs in I o.range and red—on a beige lace back- ! ground. ; Once away from the usual routine, : the world changes—or she thinks it I does, which comes to the same thing.

In reality it is only her mental perspective getting back on to the rails. She may feel a little lonely at first, but by degrees she confides to herself, with a certain pride, that she is not such an utter nonentity as she believed. Quite intelligent people like

talking to her, quite charming people j put themselves out to be nice, and her power of vision enlarges. Things are so new and mysterious that she is obliged to talk and express opinions and the world becomes such an interesting problem that she cannot be bothered to remember that last week Mrs. So-and-so said something calculated to wound her deeply. Nothing Mrs. So-and-so says really matters, and those financial worries—well, it will all be the same a hundred years hence! Whatever the holiday, costs it is well worth it. After four or five weeks spent in ! these surroundings, she returns home i with a pair of rose-coloured specta- ! cles fixed firmly on her nose, and the j knowledge that she can conquer the | world if she will! The family appears I ideal, small things no longer irritate, | she has too many new interests to brood over imaginary wrongs. ! Try it.! T.L. Fashion is consistently faithful to the coat-and-dress ensemble. Nearly all the outstandingly chic schemes for day w-ear are in this useful category. Colour schemes are studied with exquisite care and down to the last detail. One colour is used in varying shades, red being typical of the clever amalgamations of two nuances. Other favourite ensemble themes include blue, green, black and white, black and beige, or black and grey. The black and white alliance comes easily first among the smart afternoon toilettes. A skirt of black silk marocain is successfully allied to a top of fine white silk pique, the line of the dress being straight, with long, tight sleeves and a deeply slanting neckline cut very much to one side. A wide band encircles the waist, and a row of crystal buttons runs from neck to hem at one side. For wear with this model is a specially designed coat of black marocain—full length—lined with white silk pique. • * • At a representative dress show one noted that every dress, w-ithout exception, had a coat to match. For novel decoration, a navy dress had a white bow at the back of the neck with ends hanging to below the waist. Its matching navy coat was white-lined en suite. A frock of black taffeta covered with fairly large beige spots had a very wide suede belt fastened with a large suede-covered buckle at one side. T u this case the black taffeta coat ..s beige-lined. There is a definite vogue, by the way, for these wide suede belts. They are worn on any type of dress, from the sports frock to the important afternoon 1 gown. Wide belts of the dress material itself are also modish. In the case of evening dresses, the wide ceinture takes the form of a swathe. This looks particularly well in chiffon or georgette. Undoubtedly the suede belt is the most correct and smartest finish to the morning dress in some light woollen material, or for the afternoon gown in marocain or crepe de chine.