LONDON AND PARIS FASHIONS.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XIII, Issue XVIII, 3 November 1894, Page 429

LONDON AND PARIS FASHIONS.

[CONE-SHAPED OF CHAPEAUX.

i?T EALLY with the advent of the 111 M a^ blossom and budding lg==K< t,rees we may consider ourselves fairly launched on spring || millinery wear and there are 11 many pretty novelties now M coming into active use. Burnt Wp, *[ straw for hats and bonnets seem likely to prove in much demand, and is specially stylish trimmed with wallflowers, of which wonderfully good imitations are ®!=.'^si" now made. ' • But rough fancy straws head -s- the list of the new millinery en pailles, chips and fine Dunstable straws being quite in the background this spring. As may be seen in my sketch, the latest fantastic straws assume the most varied patterns. In this fresh model the ‘ cone ’ idea is carried out with fairy skill, the design harmonising with the form of the Tyrolese or pointed crown. As a piquant contrast to the fawn shade of the chapeau, black ostrich tips and moire rosettes have been selected for the trimming. Demoiselles still hold the privilege of sporting strings, nattily knotted, with their hats ; and, in spite of what may be said to the contrary, a pretty May face looks still prettier

encircled by ribbons. For morning wear, sailor hats, with a flat crown and rather broad brims, will still hold good this spring and summer. Except for boating and seaside use, the • cheeky ’ little chapeau, with a higher centre and a narrower brim, and merely a band of ribbon as trimming, is condemned as decidedly bad form. On the first-mentioned hats, which, when decked out, are o nly ‘ sailor ’ in name, we mostly find violets and cowslips, blended and arranged in rosette shaped clusters, the blossom element being broken np by the introduction of upstanding moire donkey’s ears, either plain or covered with jet.

The tulle cravat and tulle trimmings to our hats are alike in favour, and some of the newest millinery is trimmed with shot gauze ribbons with a silk edge. These are very lovely. I have seen them on some of the new hats and bonnets at a large London diaper’s, where one shot with reds and blues on a purple straw with a couple of pink roses nestling beneath the brim was a delightful harmony, and at the same place I also found a yellow straw hat trimmed with accordion-pleated chiffon in two shades of green, with black poppies clustering round the base of an osprey at one side, and a crown made of cream-coloured lace jetted with sequins. Another very striking hat was of dark blue straw trimmed with outspreading white wings and the new grenadine ribbon in a soade of magenta.

Evening corsages made of a different material to the skirt are quite de mode, while smart theatre and dinner

jackets are favourites, not only on economical grounds, but because in these essentially fantastic confections so much artistic scope is allowed. For these coats bright-coloured

satins and lace are generally employed. In my present model satin of a rich daffodil hue is made up, with plenty of black Spanish dentelle, which could, of course, if preferred, be substituted by a more inexpensive kind of lace. A new A SMART THEATRE JACKET. feature is displayed in the shape of the revers, that terminate in a huge sailor collar commencing on the shoulders. Tabbed bodices (here the example is afforded) are greatly worn; more especially in the way of theatre jackets. Sleeves, fulled into the seam, to the very end of the wrist, afford a refreshing relief to the puffed and ordinary manche with tight-fitting cuff's, and the upper fulness put in perpendicularly. With this smart coat a black satin skirt is worn. •♦« * ♦ ♦ The day of the wrapper is past. The fiat has gone forth that wrappers, like bangs, are no longer good form, and, excepting in one’s own room, are not allowable. Smoothly pressed and glossy hair and dainty matinees are the only art. The matinees are very dressy and pretty. As a rule they are made of suiah and light-weight silks, trimmed profusely with jabots of white lace. I saw one the other day of a plain skirt, rather scant, with two flounces of white lacj, and the jacket, which did not fit very tight, came down to the knees and had a loose, full vest of white lace, which was held in place by strings of blue satin ribbon. The sleeves were finished with deep frills of lace which fell quite over the hands, and were caught back by tiny bows of blue satin ribbon. Of course, this was not a very durable affair, but the same idea I have seen carried out in light cashmere, with lace not quite so profusely arranged upon it. They are very comfortable, these garments—quite as much so as a loose wrapper, and certainly have none of the untidy look which was so much to be despised. Old evening dresses can be utilised in these matinees by buying a little more material, for it is not necessary to have skirt and jacket exactly to correspond. A very ingenions woman the other day made one out of a tan coloured silk. The skirt was of the tan coloured silk trimmed with lace, and the coat was of a cheap brocade. Ribbon aud lace were of an inexpensive quality, and yet the whole effect was exceedingly pretty. *** * ♦ * Some women still cling to the shirt waists, with plain cloth skirts for morning wear. They are neat and trim, but somehow to me they always look as a man does when be sits in his shirt sleeves, and they seem to need a little jacket or coat, excepting in very hot weather. Then, too, the cloth skirts are so apt to take any dust that they soon look exceedingly shappy, whereas silk repels the dust and it is perfectly possible to wear about one’s house, even if one has a lot of dusting and household affairs to attend to. Of course, white lace soon soils, but that is easily cleaned and replaced. When the cloth skirt becomes soiled or stained, it is almost impossible to restore its original freshness. But after all, nothing equals a good, clean cotton of pretty pattern prettily made for morning wear. *** * ♦ * I saw some very smart blouses the other day from England, one a pale blue moire chiffon made with a yoke in alternate puffs of the chiffon and lace insertion, the sleeves up to the elbow having rows of insertion. Another was a yellow silk with lace insertion in a V-shape back and front, large puffed sleeves with the insertion running lengthwise.

In the world of fashionable spring fabrics we discover among a thousand and one other delights, light makes of velveteen, sprinkled with gold or silver spots, intended to be combined with a less rich material; delicately tinted foulards, marked with black dots the size of a pin’s head ; and white taffeta silk, covered with black lines. An

example of the latest velveteen is given in my last sketch, a slate-coloured ground being dotted with silver spots. The subtle willow green shade of the summer cloth constituting the overskirt blends particularly well with the dark greyvelours, quite a colour scheme being carried out by the further introduction of a wide cream surah folded waist-

band, and cream lace arranged to droop jabot-like. The dentelle starts from some inches below the back of the neck and falls over moderate sized epaulettes of cream surah. Many prefer this style of jupe to the skirt merely draped on one side. Caught up right and left, and forming a point in the centre, this tablier in no way diminishes the height of the wearer. H ELOISE.