FRILLS OF FASHION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9273, 27 June 1908, Page 3

FRILLS OF FASHION.

THE ORNAMENTAL BACK. A little while ago the back of a hat was far more important than the front (says a writer in the " Argus "), and now the backs of gowns are to be extensively trimmed, while the fronts are designed on quite simple lines. The illustrations depicting the very newest gowns show that in some cases the backs and fronts are as distinctly diffejrent as some of the grotesque dresses at a fancy ball.- It is just as if the wearer could not make up her mind as to whioh etyle she preferred, and so the front of the bodice has the appearance of studied simplicity, while the back is quite intricate and splendid. This new departure is not confined to dresses alone, for it is very evident in respect to tailor-made garments that are being worn at the present moment in London and Paris. The front of the coats are neatly cut, and fitted with plain, masculine-looking waistcoat, while the back is adorned with a heavily embroidered collar, the elaboration of which does not extend to the front beyond the< shoulder. In evening coats the backs are treated in most fantastic 6tyles, and cords and tassels are used as decorations under almost any circumstances. Bashes and buckles enter largely into the scheme of backtrimming, and the former as often as not are not merely girdles, but start from the side seams of the bodice and are carried up or down according to the individual build of the girls who are to wear them. Then, again, buttons run riot, and are employed to adorn trimming itself. Taking it on the whole, the new importance of the back is a fashion to be hailed with delight by the woman who is not so slender and graceful as she would like to be, and the new doctrine, " Take care of the back and the front will take care of itself/ 'is being preached on all sides. BLOUSE AND SHIRT. " The blouse is going out of fashion" is an oft-told tale. But it never goes. It merely suspends animation for a brief hour while changing its sleeves to a pattern that fits the arm more closely, or arranging that the mode kimono shall replace the style cross-over and so on, in its advance with, the fashions of the time. The blouse is (says "The Gentlewoman") too often oonfouncied with its second cousin the shirt, or, to make the American amendment, the shirtwaist. We borrow their nasne for it even, as we borrow their Gibson pleats. The shirt-waist is essentially a thing American, nobody wears it so well and with such correctness as our sisters "over the pond." The distinction between blouse and shirt-waist is that the former is dressy and trimmed to distraction, while the latter is severely plain. Though the jabot of frilled cambric or muslin is being a good deal worn just now with the shirt-waist, its one "really and truly" proper accompaniment is a stiff white collar, and any one of the dozens of pretty silk ties and cravats being ehoAvn in the shops just now. For the blouee, whatever the material of which it is made, the one and only collar finish is a high baud of lace coming well up behind the ears. Though the numerous de soies, such as mousseline, peau and chiffon-, jire much used, the most popular blouee fabrics are filet net and lace — filet net glorified with cretonne insets or emblazoned with gold in the shape of braid, tassels, or fringe danglements; the lace requiring no adornment other than its own filmy beauty, often boasts silk-edged vestettes and sometimes a few very good enamel buttons, more to introduce a touch of colour than as a matter of decoration. One o'clock is the border line 3hat separates the shirt from the blou*&. The well-dressed woman would i» more drear) of wearing a lace blouA*at the

breakfast table than of donning a cotton shirt for wear at a smart lunoheon party. HAT-MAKING. Hat-trimming has few terrors for the average girl. She may go to a shop for one or two hats in the season, but her millinery for mornings and general wear is usually of home construction. In these days, wnen one can buy readymade bows, wired bandeaux and gathered linings, it is (6ays an Australian journal) possible for the most unskilful to turn out a wearable hat, but ' a great many girls are not satisfied with those bought auxiliaries', which certainly do not tend, towards originality ; they prefer to make the whole hat, and. so be sure of having a shape which suits them, and which can be made to fit comfortably. For beginners it is absolutely necessary to make a wire frame first, for it is quite impossible for an amateur to form a hat out of a straw plait without a foundation. This frame can eitheT be bought or made — with the aid of a pair of tweezers and a tape measure liberally used — for nothing is more impossible than an uneven frame. Having selected or made the shape, it should be covered, with net or tulle before sewing on the straw. This should be begun in the centre of the crown, working in ever-widening circles, till the whole crown is covered, then taking the plait down the sides and round the brim. Each edge should slightly overlap, and the stitches must be perfectly even and lie rather close together. Nowadays straw is used extensively not only for shapes, but for trimming,. It is uefsi to make bows, rosettes, flowera and fruit. The great art in working straw into these forms is to dampen it first, and then work it quickly before it has time to dry. To moisten it sufficiently, dip the whole bundle into a basin of cold water, and then press the plait in a dry cloth to wring out the moisture. This makes the straw not only more pliable, but prevents it from cracking and breaking when being twisted. In making the straw leaves which are worn on morning hats, the edges must be strengthened with wire, which prevents the leaves curling up. Use silkcovered wire to match the straw, and sew on to the border with firm, even stitches, carrying the wire down to form a stalk, which can be covered with a twist of the plait. In making 6traw cherries or other fruit, use a round button as a foundation. Some people build over cotton-wool, but this is unsuitable, as it is apt to work through the plait, and if it gets wet it becomes flattened.