Dresses of the Week

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17015, 13 April 1923, Page 10

Dresses of the Week

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“ STEL LA"

“ Rigging up in bows and things is woman’s ruling passion,” is somebody’s sententious remark which never goes out of fashion. Clothes make the woman, always, and summer dies to the anticipatory music of autumn; music telling of new modes and scrumptious hats. AH omen regulate their years by the clothes calendar. Few can name -the •dateg of the commencement of the sea- | sops, but everybody knows that round i about tli« eud of February or the be- ' ginning of March is the time to think ; about garments that are more likely ito keep out the wind than scraps of ! muslin and voile. i Ihe coming season of warmer gar- : mentis is particularly kind to the lady j known as •* svelte, and the girl built lto the tall willowy pattern. Every- ! thing is draped, and almost everything | ,s built slab-like back and front. Sonig- ! times the back only i, s flat, then all i the draperies are bunched up in the ! middle of the front, j Ihe hip-line is the waist-line, and the body-line is straight. More than ; ever is the skilful corsetiere necessaiV; j there must be no bulges if you would j wear the up-to-the-mmute gowns with ! elegance. The waist-line is not always ( defined by a band or belt; frequently i the frock is gathered to the lett side j and finished with a big buckle, the ] gathering faffing in the form of uneven i draperies to break the plainness of the ■skirt. j Aio.st of the new suits show few startling changes. I lie best features ol recent modes are preserved on account of tlieir simplicity and becoming lines. A r et the new two-piece suit is a two-piece with a difference. The one-piece god'll has spoilt women so much that they have emphaticaJly refused to go back to the old style coats and skirts with the skirt hanging a heavy weight from the waist. So now to the skirt hap been added a bodice, so that when the coat/ is removed a. complete frock in all its beauty is seen. Or else the blouse worn with the skirt is akin to a loose jacket or smock. The Coats for these two pieces are the fashionable hip length, the bottom being trimmed with fur. corrugations of the same material. Wonderful embroidery. or suede punched in divers patterns. Fur is first favourite, of course, because collars are high, and there is no more attractive finish to a tailleur than a choker collar of fur. Manx- of the coats are skilfully 'cut

so as to he reversible, and one- model gown caused magpie effects to be raised to the heights of superlative beauty. The suit was built of black velvet - draped skirt and silk bodice of black and white feathering a short epaulette sleeves. The hip coat of velvet was | lined with ermine, the end of the high collar was finished with a fan-like [ spread, and the bottom was fastened with a big spike-like buckle. When | the coal was turned inside out, lo [ and behold, the beautiful combination | made an entirely different gown, i Sieves are the newest note on the ; bodices, and mnrocain still retains its favour. Alany .sleeves are finished on the shoulder with tucks or hues of embroidery to suggest epaulettes, and the wrist end is very often so much cult that one loses sight oi the sleeve altogether. Big cavalier cuffs, sometimes reaching almost to the elbow were much seen at a recent show. A little afternoon gown of jade blue mnrocain had puffed and smocked sleeves of printed silk in the same shade; puff sleeves reminiscent of the days when the dunce’s cap was the smartest thing in battery. Sleeve* can be short or long, but the more originality you can squeeze into the folds the better they will Lie. A gown of navy gabardine, the joined to the tightly-lit ting bodice in corrugated pleats finished with a red lacquered buckle, had narrow sleeves of gabardine to the elbow, then full sleeves of black cire satin gathered into the wrist. A sensible ankle length i«» the prevailing fashion, though the hem which dangles midway between knee and ankle still has many followers. The extreme length, which aims at sweeping the street instead of allowing the municipal council employees to do their work, is not favoured except in ail occasional afternoon gown One of the smartest frocks noted at the i-aces was composed of fine navy serge, bound with cire braid, dipping at each side so as to show back and front an underdress of navy satjn. The bodice opened over a vestee of mustardcoloured brushed wool, and the mustard vfelpur hat which wa* also worn had as solo trimming a large quid across the front. Among the woollen knitted frocks, one particularly striking was of light jade green marie with a very long enpe. The skirt and capo were both banded with mastic, while the finishing touch was supplied by. tli£ enormous tassels of jade and mastic which terminated

the ties of the cape. A jaunty hat- el mastic panne velvet, with the fashiona*°le broken brim, supplied the smartest finishing touch. Particularly handsome was a dress of ruby red serge, the draped skirt bordered in soutache in vermicelli embroidery. The cross-over rover front, which bad a narrow collar ornamented with embroidery, was fastened at the ! waist with a girdle of the cloth orna- | merited with braid rings. 'I he set-ih j sleeves had wide wrists clone with tlie embroidery, supplementing two bauds j above. Ihe hat was a large, almostj a Gainsborough, shape of black panne | velvet, finished with ruby tinted heron | plumes. An original note in sleeve design wa* : struck in :i hand one gown of slate j S r< \ v crepe <!c chine. The skirt was | drawn up to wand one side and foil into ! cascaded line* at the left side where j it was caught at the waist with a big j novelty buckle. The side fastening ; °n the bodice was defined wi* h noveltv j braid in double row. the bateau-shaped neck being outlined in the same fashion. The long sleeves were arranged j irom elbow to wrist in loose tucks that i were released to form a hanging j flounce, ard the wide hat of grey j crinoline straw was trimmed with black ! ospreys. j "Effective and unusual was the triraj ruing used on a frock of dull brown face-cloth. The skirt was plaided with grosgrain ribbon, the intersecting corners being marked with small steel nailheads. This ribbon trimming ornamented the lower part of the -iighil..bloused boilii c and the termination of j the bell slot ves palest yellow silk t. arrowing towardsthe cloth belt, where it was tucked under a hi in a long silken tassel, which iell just below the skirt hem. A Hindu turban of brown silk was finish'”! v ■:h a touch of contra si imr embroidery in the front. 0 ? niie-green kasha doth. ;« simply usual notes in its ded.n. The long skirt had a I'ast.'iium ■!«••• one side the front with galilith buttons-, and th® jacket h g_• - - I tfon, had • h nai - row braid. This was repented about the sleeves, topping lh*» ruffs or dark green satin’. The ■ i r of satin, the rovers being fared vitl7*the cloth. Steel nailh -ads . • •: ?• • -d aUov«» the sleeve cuffs am] the waist v a< define*i bv a 1 Tie swat! turban of green tul’o was. trimmed with ii pleated wing at the left side.