FASHIONLAND.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10440, 20 April 1912, Page 4

FASHIONLAND.

[From Otth London Correspondent.] March 1.. Primroses, in little yellow bunches, are being sold for the first time in the streets to-day—dainty sharers of honours with, generous bouquets of violets, snowdrops, hyacinths and daffodils. Within the shops spring's energy is at its height. Something new, aftor the lassitude of the winter, appears evory day. In everything in the larger departments of dress shot silk rules. Last week whole costumes were fashioned of it. Tliis week there are scon dozens of shimmering underskirts, come back again, and numbers of indoor gowns of soft materials have yokes, boleros, tunics or some description of trimming fashioned of shot taffota. It doesn't take a sage to predict that before tho season is out we shall be a*/ frilly and as puffy as wo were years ago.' Even silk gowns made in a semblance of coat and skirt style are finished off with narrow frills already. Blouses, too, aro all of shot silk, though some few beautiful ones are of one soft material veiling another. Such a, ono I saw this weok that could easily he copied. The top was of pale grey fine tucked net, ornamented with pale grey and mauve. French knots in silk, and the foundation was of mauve ninon. Black velvet is again being used for trimming light blouses and some very pretty ones aro of light coloured charnietise, with a narrow band of black velvet perhaps round the top of tho neck and down tho front, and black buttons or French knots completing the scheme.

T'lio great voguo for lace and net, shown so suddenly ten days ago on coats and skirts, has spread now to I)louses. Everyone should be glad of this since there aro very few women whom it does not become. The newest way of trimming a ghot silk blouse is to have a loose yoke of very fine tucked white net. This is not joined at the shoulders, indeed docs not extend to the shoulders hut only in two bibs back and front. Ths fact that tho bottom of this is not tucked makes it into a sort of gently niched frill. It i 3 joined to tho hloiiiiQ at tho neck and has a liijrh collar.

Silk fringes appear on tho rovers and cuffs of many of the newest taffeta, coats and skirts.

Tho last few days have seen a perfect avalancli of new colours descend upon us—some as misnamed, though as beautiful in themselves, as the delphinium I di'jw attention to last week. "Flamingo," for instance, is quite a soft shade of pink rather of tho coral type. " Sahara " is a beautiful golden brown, and bears no resemblance, to those of us who know its interminable seas of sand, to tho real Sahara. " Wood Violet" in a most delicate and lovely shade of palest amethvst. "Limpet Grey" is rather a hard colour —light in tone, but of such quality that it woiild hear no other '-olour with it. "Cornelian Green" is a light reseda and is a very pretty delicate and spring-like colour. Green, by the way, _ is expected to bo 0110 of tho principal colours of tho season, hows which all possessors of a good complexion, whether their hair be dark, blonde or red should welcuni'.', since :i ]l theM) it becomes. Yot another fashion rossurrectwl will

please- the homo milliner, viz., that of veiling masses of flowers in tulle. Tulle, in all manner of light colours, is evidently to be very popular—a good many brims aro .swathed in it both on top and underneath. Tamo' Shanter crowns, with no brim to speak of, are amongst the newest models in fine silky straw. Some of those have thick bunches of hyacinths, blue bells, etc.. underneath.

Bnsqued blouses appear again this season. One of these I saw this week destined for wear over a navy skirt, was very effective, and was of silky navy voile, embroidered in red silk end coral beads in a Russian design. It had a little vest of fine cream lace, and cuffs to match. Burnous wraps for ovening wear are vory crracoful and rich-looking, fashioned of tho new shot silks and lined with white.

A handsome gown for a matron, shown in the AVost End this week, had a foundation of black charmeuse with n tunic of black net heavily embroidered with stool beads and opening over one side of the skirt just sufficiently to show a panel of emerald dull silk. Steel embroidered net on tlio bodice covered a horizontal panel of emerald across the deoolletage. Crystal buttons appear on many shot silk afternoon gowns and also on coats and skirts. On the latter they are generally sewn on with bright coloured silk. Silver shoes made of cloth-of-silvor harmonise better with delicate tinted evening toilettes than footgear of any other description. Generally these are ornamented with paste buckles. Low black satin evening shoes with a tiny pink satin rose at the instep are very dainty innovations. Boots and shoes generally show a little but not any great change. Coloured suede, velvet and cloth tops to boots are still to be popular, and these tops have altered in that, instead of reaching to the enamelled goloshes, thev now extend, on each side of the ankle, to the sole. No longer, therefore, however ardently she may desire them, %>& these dainties for the economical woman, for the cleaning of suede or velvet has not the simplicity of kid. "Walking shoes are nearly all cut quite low at the sides, and, indeed, low at the Instep. Some of tbe most up-to-date are of black patent leather with narrow Vandykes of white kid all round the tons. Travelling slippers of very soft coloured kid. lined with wool, can now bo bought, for both men and women, in flat cases, into which they aro made to fold neatlv.

With the first sign of spring, coloured stockings, in nil manner of light tints, have appeared, so they aro apparently to be popular, if not fashionable, once more. Whether it is exactly do riguour to appear in these for street wear and with a, dark costume above is rather a vexed question—there Is a certain air of unconvontionalitv about tho idea that doesn't appeal to some sticklers, who contend that'coloured hosiery, save in midsummer, when the wearer is in a light gown, should be worn only in the houso or on the tennis lawn or golf course. Such a question is always best, of course, left to individual wearers. Ankles inclined to be at all thick should shun the attractions of even silk stockings in light colours, and the plump person .of diminutive stature will do well to remember that dark shoes and stockings will at least not draw attejition to a lack of inches. To a gown of coarse holland, tussoro or grass lawn, or any rather neutral tinted material, pretty coloured stockings lend a touch of piquancy if the colour is carefully chosen to harmonise with bolt and tie. Lace stockings, the fronts composed of filmy black silk lace, specially designed for showing the Cupids, rosebuds, sometimes a complete picture, are now on sale. Others have lines of narrow black insertion. How these dainties faro in the tender mercies of the wash is not apparent.