VANITAS VANITATUM

Ladies' Mirror, Volume 4, Issue 3, 1 September 1925, Page 9

VANITAS VANITATUM

[lt is usual to find the unusual at Booth's, Christchurch.

A RE there to be two types of women this Spring? According to Fashion’s prognostication from Paris there areboth chic. Style has definitely split into two branches the mannish style of dress has been on its way for some timeat least ever since women began bobbing her hair. But up to the present any extremes have been merely the exhibitions of the eccentric. This season, if we take the not’on from the couturiers’ creations of Paris, the mannish style is to definitely arrive. From what can be judged, it seems quite possible to be mannish and still be chic, and have, moreover, a great deal of company. However, one can still be feminine and chic. There is now no overpowering volume of opinion behind either mode. Paris indeed is evidently wondering now whether her traditional flou is having its last season of existence, or whether the mannish style is only a whim that will pass away with fashion’s fickle whims. London has apparently decided in favour of the feminine style, because at Royal Ascot this season the mannish types were almost completely eclipsed. This reversion to fenr’nine modes and bright colourings is not to be taken altogether as fickleness in fashion, but more the way person-

ality is expressed by the “Younger Set” of English society. Youth is, and must be, continuously changing its mind. It is the only way to learn about life and the best

way to be ready to face a calmer future. The girl who takes to a set style of dress when she is twenty is hopeless. She will probably burst out into folly when she is thirty and be

laughed at. Besides, a grain of folly helps to keep her young, and, as the French say: it is wisdom to kill the little pig when one is young. 'C'ROM the advance models to be seen, the frock mode is to be an extremely versatile one. Variety of line, fabric, colour, and trimmings will make it so. The ways of achieving width at the hem, without sacrificing slimness; the latitude in neck and waistline, the ways of sleeves—with emphasis on long sleeves. The scarf, the flowing tie, the side ruffle are much in evidence, and their presence is welcome enough after several seasons of the unrelieved neckline. A CELEBRATED couturier, re--C*- viewing the present fashion in dress, makes some very pertinent remarks in an article on “The Beauty of Commonsense in Fashion,” which appears in the latest issue of the Woman. He says: “I think, personal prejudice apart, that clothes have never been more beautiful and practical than they are to-day. For several seasons we struggled with the straight line, that we instinctively felt was the right one, but we made it hinder freedom of movement. Women were accustomed to

the fallacious idea that fashion is necessarily a little ridiculous, so in order to look slim they consented to hobble. Now they have grown out of that point of view. Dressmakers have discovered that the straight line that conceals slim, supple folds, includes cleverly-cut godets, and permits severe, flat pleats, pleases women because it is becoming to them, and enables them to walk and dance gracefully. AFTER all, it is only a matter of -Fa commonsense that a woman who can move freely, unhampered by too voluminous or too tight a skirt, has everything in her favour. Her mind is at rest once she leaves her dressing-room, because she has not to stop and think whether she will be able to get into her car without splitting her skirt or pulling it up above the knee. She is able to indulge in all kinds of healthy occupation that were impossible a few seasons ago without a specially made costume. She has a sense of being rightly dressed, and I am firmly convinced that this sense stimulates a womans’ brain as well as her health; makes her feel fit and energetic; and it adds to her satisfaction to know that her dress is practical, for women do not like to look ridiculous

when they can be smart and at the same time follow the ordinary rules of commonsense. ABOUT the healthiness of a natural waist-line surely everything has been said. I always think our mothers and grandmothers must have been extraordinarily strong to survive all the tortures of tight-lac-ing which the fashion of their day forced them to undergo. Certainly the question of health apart, the straight natural line is very much more beautiful, and it allows a woman to do a great many things which she looks beautiful in doing. Can there be any comparison, for instance, leaving out the question of skill, between the spectacle of a woman of the ’nineties trying to play tennis with her full, long skirts

and tight waist, and the vision of Mademoiselle Lenglen, dancing and leaping about the court in her practical, one-piccc pleated dress that never hampers a single movement? LACE has invaded the daytime mode. In the past it has been usually a "‘dress” fabric, but so impelling is its beauty that it has entered in a tailored role, making slim line frocks of smart elegance. There is a generous use of dyed laces in both afternoon and evening models. A frock of rich crepe uses lace for the yoke and short sleeves — all in one piece; and the inset godets that provide fullness. And the lace is dyed to match the frock itself. Lace may provide the apron front; the jabot; the long sleeves; the flounces of the frock of crepe or silk. It has many uses. AT Ascot this season Englishwomen, and more especially the social leaders, emphasised their de-

sire to return to the feminine style, and Youth particularly revelled in a riot of colour. The weather was described as glorious, and never before have so many bright-coloured dresses decked the lawns. Flowered chiffons, shaded georgette, patterned foulards, bright taffetas, flesh-colour-ed organdie, and all shades of crepe-de-chine, silk reps and kasha were to be seen. Hats, too, were bright and smiling; and so even the shoes. pICTURE hats have been threatening for some time, and, according to the latest fashion papers from Home, every woman just now is possessing herself of a large shady hat for summer gala occasions, and never have the millinery modes shown how becoming these picture hats can be. Made of crinoline, soft lace, or georgette and in colours to tone with the general dress scheme, they form quite a bewitching frame to a pretty face, giving to one’s eyes an expression of mystery, just as the small rolled-back brim of our ever-useful felts makes us look piquante, even though we’re as demure as can be! Many of the large crinoline hats are lined with soft felta dainty idea this, because felt as an underlining to a brim can be every bit as softening as georgette. Shaded effects form the newest note in hat trimming, some of the hats being adorned with bows of rainbow tulle at the side.

Just as the large hat has come into its own again, so has the tulle scarf. Somehow a soft crinoline hat simply asks for one of these fight, flnffylookign scarves to go with it—it

looks so much more summery than an ordinary crepe d? chine or marocain scarf SATIN shoes for walking are the very latest craze in London. They are much in evidence this season in the Old Country, where, by the way, they are having much sunshine and fine —which is a change. Satin shoes to match , one’s frock is the vogue. They, of course, have much more substantial soles than the usual satin evening shoes. Kid shoes have largely taken the place of the formerly übiquitous black patent. The black soft glace are almost as glossy as patent leather, but so much more comfortable. SUNSHADES are much in evidence in England this season, and are sure to become popular with us as Spring advances. Some of the sunshades are very pretty in floral chiffon, with plain chiffon frills at the ends; others are made up of graduated frills of taffetas, and even the very plain ones have ornamented handles. What ‘Paris Says — Pistache Cjreen is the ashton able shade — sports zJhfodes are in "Vogue EARLY Spring fashions as reflected in the models of the notable Paris couturiers suggested an effort to bring up the waistline to its normal position (or as near it as possible), but it now seems that Dame Fashion refuses to consent to the alteration, and at present the waistline has no definite place, and you can have your belt anywhere or not have one at all. The importance of sport in the life of modern woman is now so indisputably recognised by all that every leading designer features sports models, which are at present contrary to the expectations of many, not too masculine and plain ; but elegant, yet simple, and of the kind that can be worn equally well for a game of golf, a day at the races, or a lunch in town. In fact, what we call a sports frock at present is a simple little thing which we wear all day long and on all occasions.

The usual form taken is that of the two-piece suit, which is made either in kasha or crepe-de-chine. The colours in vogue are white, pastel shades, bois-de-rose, beige or green, while the indications are, that

as the weather gets warmer, a great deal of red and yellow are certain to be much worn. The illustration dep’ets one of Premet’s simple little frocks which is ideal for the beach or walking. The skirt is widened by groups of pleats, and distinction is obtained by a simple trimming of buttoned bands. For golf an attractive garment designed by Jean Patou is suggested as shown. It consists of a green kasha skirt and a silk blouse, over which is worn a woollen sweater bordered with crepe-de-chine. The tennis frock by Patou is of heavy white crepe marocain. Originality is shown in the red leather belt, which is placed at the normal waistline, and is, moreover, tight.

Hats undergo many changes in a season, and one has hardly time to recognise some new shape before another has taken its place. The small, close-fitting hats still continue to dominate, but modistes incline to favour some “capeline” models, with wide brims, which go well with the soft chiffon and crepe frocks for spring and summer. Reboux, who is the acknowledged leader in hat fashions, shows some large taffeta or faille hats, which are finely gathered or coulisse, the colour deepening towards the brim. Flower trimmings adorn some small “trotteur” hats, but they will be particularly profuse on the big shady hats, and will either match or contrast.

London (fashion ‘Declares for Jdace as the Jfitest A SCOT is the great pageant for A Spring fashions, and one of the most notable features this season was the reappearance of lace. Never have laces been lovelier than they are this year, and never have styles been more suitable than they are just now. The uneven hem line, the flared skirt; these look their best when carried out in some filmy material and lace is the chosen material of the moment. Lace is so decorative in itself that it needs no superfluous trimming. Beige, coffee, and a darker shade of brown lace are much in evidence this season. Any of these are an admirable background for a brilliantly coloured flower at the waist, and can be worn with flower or featherwreathed hats, and, more important still, lace is quite the most suitable

material to wear with the picture hat with which we have been threatened for many months past. At Ascot the picture hat had its chance, and under the best possible conditions. It is, of course, not everyone who can wear lace successfully. For those who prefer it there is chiffon and georgette encrusted with lace medallions and wide lace insertions. These give that lacey touch which is needed.

Sydney flavours the Ensemble’ CJhe (complete Shfarmonious Outfitfrom Cfip to Cfoe p' VERY fashion feature in the A- 7 “ensemble” includes the blouse, which contributes to both variety and economy. It is easy to substitute one blouse for another, giving the costume an entirely different aspect.

Any type of ensemble has its own particular style of blouse. Usually we have the long tunic blouse, the tailored blouse, often in casque effect, and the jumper blouse. To the first group come the very long costume tunics that are really dresses, though much less expensive. One may wear them over a slip and so achieve a dress, when they are not in use with the skirt of the suit. They employ attractive fabr'es and trimmings and are, for the most part, colourful in the popular printed silks. When these blouses are seveneighths length, as they usually are, if the coat is long, they have flounces, flares, godet inserts, jabots and fancy necklines, and all the whimsicalities of the dress mode. The shorter blouse depends for its popularity on two separate ensemble fashions—the tailored suit, with short coat, and the sports dress in two pieces. For the former there will be a tailored blouse, though it

will not tuck into the waistband, but fall straight over it. The “shirt” or jumper part of the new popular two-piece ensemble, is shorter than the tunic, but rather longer as a rule than the tailored blouse, although both compromise occasionally, and adopt the hip-length fashion. The jumper is worn with a separate skirt that either matches or harmonises, or more often than not the latter has a slip or bodice top. fatest in dMillinery 'HE early Spring models in hats A were very severe and mostly shaped on hard lines. Latest fashion notes from London indicate that the exaggerated styles are doomed. Most women who hurried to buy new Spring hats were disappointed with their shopping, because the early hats were by no means becoming. They were exaggerated by high and severe outline, and too mannish, being mostly designed for shingled heads. Now, however, the leading millinery houses have more or less settled the fashions for Summer. The freakish, high, very hardlooking models have been superseded by softer-looking millinery. The hat of the moment in “Fashion’s Highway” is decidedly the neat, round, felt shape, with a broad effect at the crown and a tiny brim. At all the smart dress parades in Paris and London hats have been shown in felts so lightly made and so well ventilated that their weight is negligible are lighter to wear than many a straw. But don’t think straw hats have gone out of fashion—they haven’t. Bangkoks and rough straws are carried out in all shades. Some daring milliners have introduced the all-gilt hat, which has a more or less brass helmety effect. This kind of hat, however, is hardly likely to catch on, because they are hard-looking and very difficult to wear. The semi-picture hat seems likely to come into its own again. Never has the vogue for the hat to match the dress been greater than it is at present.

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SUZIj HATS 167 Hlanukau Road (opp. Parnell Library)