Dresses of the Week

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17351, 16 May 1924, Page 9

Dresses of the Week

Written by

“STELLA "

Nothing extreme is worn now. The shininess of satin do eoie, the lacquered sheen of ribbons and braid trimmings, the new shades, rust, paon, geranium red and petunia, suggest that the principal changes are in fabrics, colour.; and ornamentations, and not in line. The simple outline prevails. The long draped t rocks an i the severe “ tailor made ” emphasise the slim silhouette, which we must all try 'to possess. Wo must fight strenuously against any tendency to increase our avoirdupois or so arrange our toilet as to give the flat, slight figure which is in vogue. A tall woman walking through the Squar.* the other day achieved an appearane of great slimness very cleverly. He; dress was of grey silk jersey cloth, verlong, in fact, to the ankles, and very narrow, and the line from neck to hen; was unbroken by any suggestion of waist-line. The necessary fulness merely folded in on cither side, a long grey crochet silk collar hung in long lines from the neck-band. The sleeves were very long and narrow. Her hat was of plain black panne velvet with two while ospreys at the back. Vive la simplicity! but simple frocks are not necessarily inexpensive. What we save in detail we spend on beautiful materials. The lovely metalled effects, die shot taffetas, satins and velvets, though they need no adornments to enhance the beau tv of their textur? and colouring, cannot be bought for nothing. The colourings of evening dress materials are exquisite, especially in the delicate pastel shades, and in tho many beautiful woollen costumes which are now almost a uniform, one sees the richest colourings imaginable. self-colours and combinations of colours, expressed either in stripes or jin the new cross-stitch designs. A ( lady going shopping from Papanui early j one frosty morning this week gave the impression of great cheeriness. She j wore a tangerine hand-knitted costume j The coat was banded, collared and j cuffed v’+h a border of ivory, tanger- | iue and dark brown. The vest was Lof cream knitted silk. Her hat was j of tangerine velvet with a bunchy bow

on one side of ivory and brown ribbon. The same colours wore repeated in a knitted silk bag, and even the basket which she carried for her purchases was made of strands of orange and brown woven into the cane. All shades of violet and rich rod* and blues. are seen and yet in a riot or colour one remembers the distinction of black and white. A very striking tailor-made costume was noticed on a visiter from England one day this week. The skirt was of a very large plaid in blacks, greys anil white. The rather long coat was of black cloth with long revers. a high hat of grey felt with a large choux how of grey satin ribbon and a grey scarf completed a very smart ensemble. It is said that there is nothing new under the sun. The latest novelties are, at- best, but revivals, and they create a full effect without really being full. They are seen on skirts and also on coats. On coats they give 1 fascinating flare. At a dance this week on uncommon black marocain frock was worn by a tall fair girl showing this new trend of fashion towards hello u need or tiered skirt. There were three shaped flounces, each one edged with a little bouillonce frill turner under. Each flounce was drawn up or. the left side, the upper one finished off with a handsome blue ornament. Another rerival is the epaulette of loca on evening frocks. At the Pi Margaret’s Old Girls’ dance this week a sweetly pretty old-world frock warmuch admired with a tablier of lace over coral-pink taffeta-, and t ; ny little silver lace epaulettes on the shoulders. At the same dance a pretty, tail * fluffyhaired girl from Fenrlalton wore a slightly hooped skirt of palest pink mousseline d«\ soio, embroidered with tiny sprays of pastel-tinted flowers. The bod-'ce was tight fitting and pointed in front. Ono of the most striking frocks ai another ball was a dark blue tulle ove» satin entirely covered with a bead«< scroll design in shades of gold an. copper, giving on effect of incomparable radiance. Another handsome

gown. worn by a young matron, was of petunia and silver tissue striped material, rather wide stripes, which shaded off into each other. A dance* wearing a beautiful black sequinned tunic over black satin afforded » striking contrast, and several black gowns looked well. To shingle or not to shingle, that is the question at Home at present, lut in Christchurch we have not got further than to bob or not to bob our hair. There is no truer saying than that a woman’s crowning glory i.s her hair, and it seems a pity to cut. it short and a j>ositiye sin to ate doing. It must be very trying to any style of beauty. If the style exer comes here some husbands may encourage it if they think it will tend io decrease the time spent in dressing. “ Shingles ” —it sounds like a disease -ugh! but we must confess that bobbed” hair is very becoming when weU curled or wared. Jt suited a pretty, fair girl at a dance on Monday admirably. Her frock shot mauve end pink taffetas with the hips, a lovely spray of velvet flowers in mauve and pink ot the waist, and at the Orchestral Society’s concert on Wednesday, where the ladle* of the orchestra all wore black, it was the lovely veilow go id and the red-gold ” bobbed ” hair of two violin if if v-liioh caught tlio eye and relieved the sombre effort of so much black. From hair to hats is a natural step and a step upward. Hats are going to have high crowns. Nous avons dit ’ end crowns will grow higher and higher as tho brims become ‘ { smaller by degrees and beautifullv less.’-* They will be trimmed with clusters of feathers at- one side or a high ornament standing up in front. Veils are either very long and voluminous, almost scarf-like, discreetly concealing the neck and vastly* becoming to tno no longer young, or they are very short, mere frills of lace just covering the eyes, in an alluring and coquettish way.—l hie me to buy tho most voluminous to be found.