LONDON AND PARIS FASHIONS.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XIX, Issue XIX, 30 October 1897, Page 605

LONDON AND PARIS FASHIONS.

fHE Leghorn hat is still a power in the land o f fashion ; not Hopping as in its primitive or bread - and - butter days of yore, but artfully nipped up here, and pinned in there, and ultimately looking very “ chic ’’ ami picturesque. I was particularly fascinated bv one I recently saw at an afternoon At Home of the Lady Mayoress', when clever Mrs Jack Johnson told the story of the Children's Tribute to the fund of the Queen’s Nurses, and looked very nice while so doing.

This special Leghorn hat was very large, the brim undulating becomingly round the fair face of the wearer by l>eing pinned up here and there, as my sketch in Fig. 1 indicates : two bouquets of very i>ale pink roses being placed underneath, one at the side, the other at the back. Round the crown was a band of Leghorn-coloured velvet, studded with diamonds, terminating in fan bows, while three or four ostrich feathers of the tint of the velvet completed a most distinguished looking chapeau.

There were many specially charming and smart toilettes on this occasion, though the gracious hostess herself was in mourning, unfortunately, for a relative lost in the terrible Paris fire.

At a noted milliners I have recently seen some pretty things. < >ne hat of black straw there, which is specially delightful, has the brim trimmed at one side with manyrosettes of black tulle, on the other with many rosettes of white tulle, and from the centre of these comes a straight osprey with a curled piece waving towards the back over a white ostrich feather, and lieneath the brim is a bunch of white carnations tipj»ed with mauve. Delicious is the only word to properly express a hat of violet straw, draped with mauve tulle, with masses of many hued convolvuli lending their decorative" influence. A charming little toque is formed of black, trimmed with red glace and poppies.

My second sketch gives a useful and pretty instance of the ever-in-reouest

juvenile overall. It is conq»osed of |<owder-bhte foulard, has a broad shoulder collar and Cavalier cuffs edged with white guipure lace and ties! by a long white satin ribbon. The hat in this sketch is of chalk-white crinoline straw, trimmed with white satin ribbon and a big rosette of cowslips.

White is very fashionable wear for children just now ; in fact, one sees almost as many tiny mites white clad literally from top to toe as in Paris. It is a charming mode for the little ones; but, oh : the washing it entails in a town like London!

The spring patterns include several fancy washing materials in light pink and white and other mixtures. The cream Scotch winseys are excellent, ami the fashionable cords like corduroy are greatly in demand by those who dress well. Some of the new cream stuffs have very silky surfaces, with brocaded designs. The flannels in cream tones, shrunk and unshrinkable, make the l«?st of tennis gowns for summer, and many Ixiating, cricket and tennis suits are lieing made of pure wool. Dark blue serges with line stripes, white and coloured, are singularly useful, as also a long range of fancy Royal serge, and white with coloured stri]>es. Indeed, summer serges are hard to beat in the matter of general service.

M hat a pity the bolero cape has already liecome so common. < Itherw rise it is a nice little garment ami rather a handy one too. tine of the most serviceable ami yet not hackneyed confections to l>e adopted at present is a shoulder-ea[>e attractively arranged. For after-lunch wear, this kind of tippet is perfect and quite the thing to don when the sunshine thrusts itself defiantly in every corner to show up all the dust and defects of our heavy winter clothes. Here is a design to lie easilycopied in three or four summer materials. A plastron -cut in one piece with the * cornet collar is composed of some jet black satins covered with handsome cream guipure. This work is wide-meshed ami fashioned with an important flower ami leaf pattern. The girl's face emerges from a very soft and fussy ruffling of deep ivory taffetas and black lisse “ en suite ' with the wide full flounce. Where particular care is needed is in the placing of the hooks and eyes, which should l>e duly concealed.

An otherwise delightful mantle is often spoilt bv the display of these necessary • evils. \X ith some of the new tailor-coats, a huge black satin bow, handsomely

buckled, is worn instead of the lisse or tulle throat rutiles. This fashion, how ever, only suits a certain style of face-the face that can stand the uncompromising hardness of a starched shirt, or the rigid lines of a riding-habit corsage. The final illustration is a walking dress in fawn-coloured mohair canvas embroidered in gold and coloured silks. The vest is of fancy silk with fancy buttons to match. Satin straw hat in fawn with mauve riblwn and feather. Muslin dresses are the height of the fashion for summer ; some in blue, pink, or mauve French lawn, some in white, all made with a frilled flounce at the hem and horizontal rows u|«>n rows of insertion let in above : the white being worn over coloured silk slips, and sometimes handsome muslin embroidery replacing the lace, divided by rows of tucking. This is a return of the fashions of from thirty to thirtyfive years ago. Butter-coloured muslin is

enUovtd with uurh oe par* while. v”.’t a«-»* kiitfog* are «>ce visile *4 ■-■ - _ - ~ „ --. •*. sme-S*%er» kuix* -naeaa-ler thrbxigh • <i- * aev- • f row*. aad foeg*H • :ue d» aa* 1 '•Ka-iiae* zhe fe*Co*Mß* an* intermix e»l wish Many women are bo*y working evening _?-wn*. "aa*i tJxee who an* d*m in;aed to emtotilrr ar. easire misfit I**id< th«rir rinse «.wi ha&s trrate*! in she <v*e *tvfe_ -*r prettv ’e-fo*. which are . .’’e with their fo*:***-’”.* of tfower* or Empire wreash*. at inter* uti*while the white *atie waistrvxc.* emh«*x*iere»i in the *cyle are as pretty ithey well ran he- ia*i «>**« a zresat many t**xr>i* if they are noo*nt ready direct from l K arv<