SUITABLE IDEAS FOR GIRLS.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XII, Issue V, 3 February 1894, Page 117

SUITABLE IDEAS FOR GIRLS.

HOSE who have to cater for all tastes can never ’TXn* afford to ignore the lovers of the eccentric. Our artist has recognised this fact in selecting the rv* peculiar little hat which forms the subject of our first sketch this week. The crown seems to be submerged between the two sides of the brim, like a boat in the trough of the waves, and to be sending upwards signals of distress in the shape ofthost tall feathers. The material of which the model of this hat was made is white chip of the finest, the sort that can be bent about in any kind of curve without breaking the straw. The high small crown was trimmed with jet, and the feathers were black. The strings were black velvet. The new autumn hats are chiefly made of felt, and the brims are turned up in the most diverse fashions, sometimes very much like the one in my sketch, and sometimes on one side

only. In fact, a hat may now be twisted about in any possible way, and there are girls with dexterous fingers who turn and twist their hats about and rearrange the trimmings so as to make their acquaintance imagine that they appear in a new one every few days.

Children’s clothes are surely becoming more artistic, more graceful, and decidedly more hygienie and useful every year, and although some of my friends persist in saying that a child is the most expensive luxury, otheisof them assert just as positively that it is quite possible to have children always fresh, neatly and prettily dressed on very much smaller means than it was twenty or even ten years ago. A sweet little coat and hat upon a little maiden of five pleased me very much. The coat was of bronze green Liberty velveteen, slightly frilled in round the neck and hanging straight and full to the knees. The sleeves were also full and plain, caught in about an inch and a half from the end at the wrist, the frill thus formed being lined with pale yellow silk. A sort of fichu, setting flat and cape-like round the shoulders, and finishing in front in two longends, which were tied in a big bow at the neck, was made of soft yellow silk and edged all round with an inch wide frill of the same. The close fitting little Dutch bonnet was made of the bronze-green velveteen, and lined and bordered with a frill of the yellow silk- In this case also tan stockings and shoes were worn. This idea would come in well to use up a last year’s coat, as the fichu cape and the lining of the wrist frills, etc., with new silk of a contrasting shade, would freshen up a half-worn cloth or velvet coat wonderfully. Blouses and shirts of infinite variety of form and colour continue to be the universal wear during part of the day at anyrate, and, as the mornings just now are inclined to be a trifle chilly, it is as well to have some blouses of serge, fine flannel, or some soft woollen material, as well as eotton and muslin ones. There is a material known as Melton flannel, which is rather thicker than fine French flannel, made in a most delightful range of colours, plain and striped. The tint in this material known as ‘cornflower blue,’ is a particularly becoming shade to both blondes and brunettes. A deep poppy red is also very pretty, and either of these colours, made up as a blouse with silk collar, cuffs, and band or frill down the front, to match, is invaluable for the mornings, even if exchanged for a thinner one towards noon. Dark red serge is very popular just now and is generally trimmed either with black braid or with ecru coarse lace insertion. The skirts for the autumn and winter are to be fastened with three buttons at one side, or both sides of the front ; coat basques are to be short for the autumn and longer as winter approaches, and capes for outdoor wear are to be very fashionable for tweed and serge gowns. Some of those made for the moors by some of the leading tailors reach almost to the knee, and are quite plain, fitting tightly round the neck and shoulders, and widening out as they descend. The bodice of the dresses worn under these capes are plain and tight fitting, with much less exaggerated sleeves, and with full basques put on just below the waist line, under a band of trimming. ♦ * ♦ * * * The seasonable costume shown in my second illustration is in cream-coloured serge, made with a double square collar turned back like revers, the upper one being trimmed with black velvet edged on the either side with fancy braid the edge of which runs in little picots. The collar is finished in the same way, and the yoke, ending in two points, one on either side of the front, is trimmed to match. The Dockets and belt are similar, and the skirt has a row ot the velvet and braid about three inches from the edge. The loose bishop sleeves are gathered into bands arranged to match the rest of the trimming. The large hat with fiaring brim is made of cream colouied straw with two black ostrich tips for trimming, a long jet-headed pin, and a pink rose under the brim, resting on the hair. There is a

disposition to make yachting and river-boating dress much smarter this season than it has been for some time. Perhaps this is an emulation of the boating men, who are wearing such very picturesque clothes just now. Their flannels are brightened with coloured sashes, ties to match, and hat ribbon <n suite. A charming get up seen last week

was in cream-tinted serge with yellow Kummerbund hatband and tie, with tan shoes, and sunburnt straw in the hat. In Paris and Normandy well dressed men are wearing black straw sailor hats, so possibly they may soon be adopted here, though equally possibly Englishmen may totally decline to follow this lead. ♦♦* * * * The English river girl is decorative enough when she chooses to be ornamentally attired. An excellent specimen of her was to be seen at a regatta up-river, clad in snowy serge that fitted to the shape, though flowing out a little towards the hem. It was bordered with three narrow rolls of tan-coloured serge, which exactly matched the tint of the shoes, gloves, hat and ribbon, belt, necktie and sunshade. With her was a companion, whose attire was a replica of her own, with the startling exception that all the white was in this case black. My third sketch shows a suitable dress for a girl of twelve to sixteen, in a fawn-coloured zephyr, with bodice, collar, and cuffs in thick lace over pink. A pink silk sash is tied at one side, with ends falling to the hem of the dress. This is a most difficult age at which to dress girls with grace and comfort. The growing limbs are awkward and often either clumsy or painfully angular, and the lines of a plain dress fall in unbecomingly to the undeveloped figure, j A little

elaboration is absolutely necessary in these cases, but it must not be inconsistent with a certain quality of simplicity. This may seem contradictory, but it is not so. For instance, no one of taste can approve of huge puffed sleeves on quite young girls, or quantities of trimming lavished upon their skirts ; but a few additions here and there take away from the unfinished look of the youthful frame. A pretty belt, even, may make all the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful dress on the lanky figure of a growing gnl. ♦•* ♦ * * For a boy of six or seven, and np to ten or twelve, nothing looks more thoroughly suitable in every respect than either sailor or Buffalo Bill suits of rough dark blue serge, with for overcoat a loose, sleeveless coat and long cape with roll collar and lapels, in fact, a miniature edition of a man’s Inverness and a round soft cloth or serge cap. For tinier boys an ideal out of-door garment is a big double-breasted coat of lamb’s wool cloth, or rough napped cloth reaching to the knees, and fastened down the front with two rows of big buttons. Gaiters of the same cloth, bound with soft leather, should reach from the knee to the feet, and a broad brimmed soft felt hat should be worn well back on the head.

A little girl s charmingly pretty frock that I saw this week was of tine cigar brown serge gathered full across the chest and back on to a square yoke of coral pink eamel'shair cloth, with a turn-down collar narrow at the sides, and having two rather long points back and front with full sleeves gathered into a straight cuff band of the eoral pink cloth. For out door wear with this frock there was a circular cape with a second tiny shoulder ca|>e of the brown serge lined throughout with coral pink silk (or tine flannel would look well) and a hat of which the broad brim was formed of flat loops of broad brown velvet ribbon, matching the dress and cape in colour, each loop wired, of course, and imperceptibly joined to the next underneath, so as to hold them in place, and a soft full crown of coral pink silk, with a couple of tiny brown tips at the back. Tan-brown stockings and shoes were worn, and the little maiden looked a perfect picture. Hei.Ol.sk.