FASHION NOTES

Taranaki Daily News, 6 October 1934, Page 19 (Supplement)

FASHION NOTES

FLOWER FANCIES POPULAR PRETTY NECKLINE TREATMENTS. » (From Our Own Correspondent). London, Aug. 5. Some of the modern printed materials —silks, satins, chiffons, and cottons—are really lovely with their floral motifs. Light grounds and dark are sprinkled with dainty flower posies and petals, trailing green foliage, large shadow blossoms in exquisite colourings. Perhaps the most attractive are the chiffons and georgettes patterned with old-fashioned field flowers tied into bouquets with narrow blue ribbons. These are made up into simple evening frocks and elegant day dresses With equal success. They are very young, though, and intended more for the debutante than for her mother. Older women will love the leaf-patterned silks for day gowns, and revel in the shadowprinted tissues for evening wear. The youthful frocks mostly have frills or flounces on the skirts, and there is a new “wing” shoulder drapery which looks admirable on the more mature models. It is not only m materials that we find the floral motif triumphant. Posies, bouquets, and collars of artificial flowers are worn with plain suits and dresses, wreaths of flowers trim many of the new hats, and I have seen a girdle of small flat blossoms beautifully worn on a dance dress of cloudy silver-grey chiffon. Another novel note for the evening is the neckline of multi-coloured organdi flowers, the “stems,” made of rolled green velvet, forming the shoulder straps of the gown. Another youthful style this, which might, however, be adapted for the older woman by using silver or gold tissue flowers for the necklace and black velvet stems for the shoulder-straps. . Leather flowers are fashionable; so are shell, metal and feather posies, while some very effective single blossom ornaments are carved from wood. The newest posies, by the way, are attached to clips, to they are readily interchangeable. DAINTY COLLARS AND JABOTS. For a short time the necklines of day dresses were left rather severely un adorned. Now a reaction is setting in, because the necks still remain high and women feel that the high plain lines is not altogether becoming. So some dainty new ideas in neckline treatments have been worked out. There is, for instance, the organdi “bib,” made of a triangle of the material, the front point edged with a couple.of deep gathered frills. This is draped round the throat and tied at the back, and makes the perfect finish for a plain dark-colour dress. I saw one in pale pink muslin on a black wool crepe frock, and a cream one on a Quaker-grey dress--both excellent in effect. This is an idea which the amateur needlewoman could very easily carry out. Then we have the fichu—an old favourite, but not old-fashioned. Usually it is folded over the shoulders and caught in front either by a tiny bunch of flowers or by a cameo brooch, but sometimes —especially with an evening dress—it is draped in front and drawn to the back where it ties in a loose knot. It is made variously of crisp organdi, softer sp'ot muslin, taffetas, georgette, and chiffon, according to the dress it is to adorn. The' jabot collar completely transforms any kind of daytime frock. The collar is edged with a narrow kilted frill and attached to a three-tiered jabot, each tier similarly frilled. One in stringcolour stiffened chiffon _ looked very well on a dark brown stain dress. And I can imagine how attractive a blush-rose-pink one would be on a black gown. As kilting is done by professionals at quite modest rates, this also might be copied by the amateur. DRAPERIES. I mentioned that “wing” shoulder draperies were used on some of the new evening gowns. They were wonderfully becoming, and also “slimming” in effect, so they should please the woman in search of a fashion idea which possesses these two qualities. The “wings may take the very simple form of a long wide scarf of chiffon drawn in folds across the front of the corsage,, clipped on to the shoulder-straps with jewelled or painted buckles, allowed to fall down to the waist line at the back, then caught up again with a bracelet worn just above the elbow on each arm, the ends left to float down the skirt. Sometimes little stiffened chiffon wings are attached to the back of the corsage below the shoulders. This is an idea which you might care to copy, because the wings are merely clipped on and can be worn or discarded as you will. THE FASHIONABLE CAPE. I heard it said a few days ago that a certain dress designer could not bear to turn out a model without its complementary cape or capelet, so greatly is he impressed by the charm of the cape vogue. This, of course, is an exaggeration, but the remark shows! which way the fashionable wind is blowing. Capes of all sizes, from the smallest berthe shoulder coverings to the really long enveloping wraps for travel, are featured at all the salons. And many of the new coat-frocks have their detachable capes which make them look quite different, and are therefore invaluable in these days when expenditure must be limited to one or two of these useful tailored dresses during the year.