OUR PARIS LETTER

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 20104, 24 March 1928, Page 18 (Supplement)

OUR PARIS LETTER

COMING FASHIONS. (By Yvonne Rodier) •Specially Written for the “Chronicle” The big social functions in the French capital at this time of the. year provide a fitting misc-en.-sccne for gay frocks and lovely fabrics, and remind ms once again how far we arc indebted to the great textile, renaissance. Specially beautiful are tho new sat ms, their richly gleaming surfaces gaining sumptuousness of sheen in artificial light. Ball dresses and <1 in nor dresses are lightly embroidered with diamante or coloured stones. Red and pink. are. the prevailing festival hues. At a typical Parisian gath-

ering one noted a froctc of coral satin with full flared skirt and plain-topped corsage with shaped points, back and front, in coral bead embroidery, glitteringly outlined with circles of diamante. Then there is the softer ami subtler charm of the inevitable black and silver alliance, more popular than <’vcr with well-dressed Frenchwomen. One charming ball dress, for instance, was ot' black chiffon, cut with piquantly irregular flounces, the edges prettily worked with silver thread, while a fichu finish to the bodice was caught with silver flowers. White.-and-silver is i-<]ually the mode for the younger J’arisienne. Jeune fillo frocks have their white immauulatencss ceiriturod with big sashes of \ivid scarlet, or .of shaded TK -n moi re. Other ‘‘young'’ colours finding favour in tlie City of Light are a brilliant cobalt blue and a no less brilliant apple green. These are not so crude as they sound, for the surfaces are so cleverly softened as to achieve brightness without blatancy. It is notable that, the jcunc fillo now evinces a decided preference for satin, taffetas, and faille, over the erstwhile all-popular fragile materials. Her favourite decorative motif i.s a silver Hower shot with the chosen colour of her frock. Shawls offer some attractive variations of the old themes. Silver lame is most effectively bordered with black chiffon. Gold tissue has an edge of lace, harmoniously dyed en suite. Fringe i.s still a current vogue both for shawls and draperies. An evening wear craze of the moment is the feather jacket, a gay ami intriguing little, garment that is a notable contribution to the sartorial novelties of the day. It looks amazingly chic when worn with one of the picturesque, di p-at-T he-back skirts. The little coat—which incidentally is sleeveless—curls up piquantly on the hips, and is the very quintessence of i fluttcry feminity. All manner of plumage is pressed into this dainty service of La Al ode, from the long-fronded ostrich to the small, smooth feathers of the bainyard fowl. Scintillating .feather-colours are arranged closely one above the other exactly as on a bird’s back. Linings are of rich brocade or figured silk, and help the coat to fit closely to the figure. 4 4 Canine ” collars are. another novelty. They are used to finish off both daytime jumpers and evening frocks. In the case of jumpers, the dog-collar motif is enhanced by using soft suede for the nockband, with plain metal-buckle finish still further accentuating the theme. Ribbon, however, or a soft band of satin, is in more general demand, fastened on the right side with a buckle of a more feminine persuasion. In the ease of evening frocks, the collar consists usually of a gold or silver slave necklace, to which the dress i.s suspended by a scries of slots. As a rule, there, are four of these loops through which the collar is passed, and which serve as a novel kind of shoulder strap. The material is gradually sloped off to a point at the shoulder.