FRILLS OF FASHION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5656, 29 August 1896, Page 3

FRILLS OF FASHION.

Black kid, treated with gold sequins and turquoise and emeralds, forms some of the smartest belts.

A delightful evening blouse is of black ohiffon Avith bretelles of brocaded white ribbon ; rosettes at waist and shoulder.

Short full capes, lined with shot silk, are to be very much worn, both in embroidered grass lawn and in black striped gauze and brocaded grenadine, with deep gathered frills at the edge. These frills are again bordered with narrow niches of satin or gauze. Black capes in brocaded silk are trimmed with accordion pleated frills of chiffon, gauze or black satin, and have Honiton applique laid on in scrolls or stripes, and the neck, as in all fashionable capes, is one mass of frills, ruchings and ribbon loops.

1 Many velvet and plush capes are ornamented with flowers painted on the material in tones of gold or brown. A favourite design is with the stems running into the collar seam, the blossoms hanging downwards.

In Paris white drill riding habits have become extremely fashionable during the recent hot weather, and in London a few have been seen. The skirt is made like that of an ordinary habit, and it is weighted at the hem with shot tucked into small pockets, with a flap to button completely over them, and thus keep the shot in. In Paris, too, bicyclists are wearing white coats and knickerbockers to match, but the latter have not at all been approved for wheelwomen, though one or two have appeared in them. In addition to drill, the white skirt and coat are in pique, marcella, canvas, and alpaca. This last-named material is used by the mile for summer dresses, £is well as for dust cloaks]j that are both useful and pretty, being shower-proof as well, unless the shower should be of a tropical character.

Lord Meath, in the Nineteenth Century, describes Englishwomen as attending fashionable resorts on the Continent in mountaineering costume, but this is certainly the exception rather than the rule. Great care is exercised in the choice of travelling dress, and already, in view of the general flight from town after the marriage of Princess Maud, there is much preparation for this purpose. Homespuns, light of texture and of tint so undecided that they show the dust but little, are made up into coat and skirt without a scrap of trimming- of any kind. The coat is smart enough, but chiefly by reason of its good rat. The shape is usually an open one, leaving four or five inches of shirt, blouse, or " front " visible fromchin to neck.

Whether for travelling or for ordinary outdoor wear, the skirts of dresses are cut quite to clear tho ground at the back and sides, even more than in front, where it must just touch the shoe if it is to be in havmony with the fashion.

So much white has been worn throughout this season that it is not surprising to find serge in tones of ivory, white and cream colour in great demand. Out of every five gowns turned out of London rooms for the river and yachting seasons, four are white. Navy I>ltio is the colour chiefly -used in trimming these, and the bolero, zouave, or Eton coat is the most frequent form it takes.

Nothing is fresher or prettier than a well-hung skirt of white or cream colour, in serge, canvas, or alpaca, with the relief of one of these smart little coatees and perhaps the lower portion of the sleeve as well. The combination can be infinitely

varied. In some the skirt is blue, with many rows of white woollen braid, and the deep sailor collar is also blue, with similar trimming. Others have white skirts with bands of blue for trimming, and yokes of blue with belts to match. In the niore elaborate there is a front panel of white satin embroidered in gold braid in lines that meet and form a series of points in the centre. Long sashes of white satin ribbon fall over the blue serge skirt at either side of this, and the bodice has a vest of embroidery to match the panel on the skirt.

At the entertainment given at the Polo Club, in Paris recently, women appeared to have made up their mind to look her best, and ' the result wa3 a remarkable exhibition of delightful toilettes. One of the prettiest there had a white satin skirt si godets, the corsage of satin, also cut low, and trimmed with a deep collar of beautiful old lace, forming- the bertho. Drawn up to the neck, beneath a collar band of white satin, was a Marguerite " guimpe " of finely-spotted point d'esprit net.