LONDON AND PARIS FASHIONS.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXI, Issue XXIII, 3 December 1898, Page 737

LONDON AND PARIS FASHIONS.

LADIES’ BLOUSE BODICE

Modes were never so elaborate and complicated as they are this season, and if the truth be told they have seldom been less attractive. Naturally the creations of leading modistes are smart and bewildering. The cut is good, the trimming applied with some idea of artistic design, and judgment is displayed in a choice of materials and their ultimate combination. But a great many of the costumes that one sees are a heterogeneous mass of every known fabric

and trimming. Among the fanciful but really tasteful creations that exist, however, may be classed the smart gown from Paris, composed of tancoloured poplin, which is here sketched for my readers. The skirt, full from the knees, with the flounce effect now de rigueur, has a novel tablier arrangement of black guipure lace,

which continues beyond the waist, forming a low-pointed corsage into which the full bodice is gathered. The neck opens with revers and collar of the lace over a vest of white satin thickly lined with alternate rows of gold and black (silk) braid; and the sleeves have puffings of lace and similar braidings of gold and black.

A SIM. LE HAT. Surely there must be many hundreds who will like to use this in some sort of way as a model by which to arrange their new summer millinery. Here the shape is simple enough, turned up slightly at the edge in turban fashion, and the colour of the

straw may he black, white, blue, green, violet, or tan, according to fancy. The pretty bow so gracefully arranged on the left front may be of shot ribbon in any colour that combines artistically with this straw foundation. Roses, and roses only, should form the trimming, and in any colours readers may choose, red, white, or yellow.

Every indication that has so far appeared points to continued and even increased favour for the blouse. The model shown is eminently stylish, and makes an admirable garment for spring. As illustrated, the material is a light costume cloth in a medium gray, the deep collar, revers and waistcoat being of cream white, with fastenings of white braid which includes threads of gold, the smaller revers and high collar being of velvet in currant red, and the chemisette of white mous-seline-de-soie. With the gown is worn a hat of grey velvet and plumes ■with choux of white mousseline under the upturned brim. The foundation of the blouse is a fitted lining made with the usual number of seams, and which closes at the centre front. The blouse is fitted by shoulder and underarm seams only, the fullness being arranged in gathers at the waist-line The chemisette and collar, which closes at the centre-baek. are attached to the lining at the right side and hook over on to the left. The waistcoat is included in the shoulder seams and stitched to the full fronts beneath the revers, so that it and the blouse close together at the centre-front. The sleeves are two-seamed, showing only slight fullness at the shoulders, and are finished in points that fall over the hands. The high-flaring collar is cut in sections and makes an effe. five frame for the face, and at the same time is chic and novel. To

make this blouse for a lady in the medium size will require one and three-fourths yards of forty-four inch material, with five-eighths' of a yard for vest, collar, and revers. CHILD’S WRAPPER. The loose, comfortable gown that can be worn as a nightrobe when the nights are cold, or slipperl on while waiting for the morning bath, fills

an obvious need. The little wrapper here shown is so designed as to fill both requirements, and may be of inexpensive outing flannel, of the fine Scotch sort, or of heavier eiderdown, as one prefers. As illustrated, however, the material is French flannel in stripes of soft gray and pink. The full, straight fronts and baek are hemmed at the bottom, but have the fullness collected in gathers at the upper edge, where they are seamed to a short, fitted yoke' The yoke, which is double, has shoulder seams onlt’, but is closed at the centre-front, the opening being extended through the full front to the waist line. A straight band of the material is stitched firmly to each edge and the right side, through which the button holes are worked, is finished with a narrow frill, showing an embroidered edge. The sleeves are one seamed and are gathered at the arius’-eyes and again at the wrists, where they are finished by stitched bands and narrow frills. At the neck, falling over the shoulders, is a deep collar, which is cut in points, and edged with a frill like that which finishes the opening and the sleeves. To make this wrapper for a child of six years will require four yards of twenty-seven inch material.

BRIDES. BRIDESMAIDS. AND WEDDING GUESTS.

Weddings can hardly be said to be peculiar to any one period of the year, but if there be a particular time when nature herself is in accordance with rejoicing and festivities it is in the summer. It certainly is the time when guests can do highest honour to the occasion by gala attire. It is only during rose-coloured day of early youth that a wedding is surrounded with a halo of romance: to those who have opened the world’s oyster ami found ‘life as tedious as a twice told Tale.’ it spells clothes with a capital C. Time was when wedding attire was hedged round with rules and regulations; now the code is relaxed. Formerly black was tabooed, whereas now it is worn, and worn often too, at the smartest, of weddings. It was considered unlucky; as much a bird of ill omen as Edgar Allen Poe’s croaking raven. But though nowadays it is a ease of 'please yourself, wear a tailor-made coat and skirt if you like’ (not that you will look nice by any means), still, if you will be in style, your wedding garments must be sumptuous.

Fashion has made but little alteration in the costume of the bride: that is, wherever possible, she wears white satin or white poplin and orange flowers. The return ot the fichu makes an artistic finish to gowns whose owners cannot afford real laee. for the fichu can. and often is. made to-day of filmy chiffon. Where the bride has a pretty figure, her gown is often hollowed out at the throat like a baby frock and is a relief to the eye after the high neck dressing of every-day people. A few brides

have discarded the large shower bouquet in favour of a few sprays of tlowers loosely tied together, occasionally even these are abolished to make way for a handsome prayer book. The bridesmaids should be all in white. 1 think, with or without a note of colour. But it is essential where a colour is worn that each bridesmaid should adopt it; a patchy effect, arrived at when one wears one colour and another another, is deplorable. The style, too, should be as uniform as possible, and therefore whatever inode is fixed upon should be one that will be becoming to all. Guests now often carry bouquets, and this disposes satisfactorily of the question what to do with hands; a parasol is seldom wanted at a wedding, and few women have sufficiently good carriage to look either graceful or at ease with unoccupied hands.

On the trousseau itself 1 dare not enlarge. I have, as it were, only skirted the edge. Reason and economy point out the folly of an expensive trousseau when fashion changes so rapidly. A summer bride wore a white ivory satin gown trimmed with orange blossoms and made with transparent yoke and collar of silver and pearl embroidered lisse. At the back was a turn over collar of chiffon edged with Brussels lace, and the sleeves were transparent. The skirt, edged with frills of kilted chiffon, was veiled with two flounces of lovely lace. The train was draped with chiffon scarves. Her bouquet was lilies of the valley and myrtle. She was attended by four bridesmaids, two children carrying her train. This bride travelled in a dress of mauve faced cloth, the skirt finely tucked at intervals from the waist to the hem. The dainty bodice was also tucked and trimmed with guipure lace. The bodice was turned back with cream satin, edged with little frills, and the vest was edged and frilled with lace. With this was worn a smart coat to correspond, strapped with satin, with revers of the lace and a number of finely cut steel buckles and a straw hat to match, with pale mauve wings and deep velvet bow on the crown, the brim lined with drawn chiffon and turned up on the left side with dark violets. The bride’s mother was dressed in a dark shade of mauve moire trimmed with chiffon and jet; she wore a black sequined bonnet, ornamented with mauve heather and a black osprey, and a black brocade cape trimmed with jet, lace and chiffon.

Another wealthy bride, still away on her wedding journey, wore a dress of white accordion-plaited chiffon over white silk with a girdle of orange blossoms. Her veil of Irish lace was fastened with a diamond brooch, and she carried a bouquet of white flowers. The bridesmaids wore dresses of pale yellow silk with white fichus and sashes. This bridal finery is an example of the extravagance of the few. but their costlv gowns will give hints to those mere restricted in purse. DIVIDED PETTICOATS. Divided skirts for evening wear in satin or silk, frilled with lace, chiffon or kilted mousseline, are dainty new women garments. They do not look very different from ordinary skirts, on account of their deep frills at the edge. Some women prefer them to petticoats, as they can be made seanter without causing the outer skirts to hang badly, and allow more freedom than the present day underskirt. which has to be made so tight around the hips to suit the close fitting dress skirt.

Sailor hats are as universally worn as ever. A number have a stiff feather at the side; again scarfs of veiling are loosely wound about the crowns, as if they had been carelessly raised from the face and allowed to rest on the brim. The latest hats of the season are good sized toques, worn well back from the face ami turned in some odd fashion. Charming hats are built of fancy straw and mousseline de soie ruches. A recently imported model is white straw, separated by ruchings of white mousseline de soie. It is tilted very high on one side by a huge bow of black velvet, and a fringe of cherries falls down on the hair from under the brim. Coiffures are much more simple than they were earlier in the season. The hair is slightly crimped and left quite loose all around. At the

back is worn the universal circle or bar pin to hold up the stray locks. Side combs are also worn, not so much for their effectiveness as for their usefulness. Little stray curls are seen again on the forehead, and the coiffure is arranged high and narrow on the crown of the head.

The new toques are larger than those of last season, but the difference is most noticeable in the width from side to side. It is the ambition of the woman who would be fashionable this season to be slender, so all her garments are fashioned to further her efforts in this direction in case nature has been too generous in her proportions. Sleeves are small, and the tight-fitting bodice is coming in again as a proper accompaniment for the sheath-like skirt.

White caster gloves in two-button-ed length are worn with most frocks and tailor suits.

The demand for lace is so great that the price on many varieties has gone up, and it is almost impossible to supply the demand at any figure. In Paris the heavy laces are all the rage, especially the Irish crochet and Maltese patterns. Flounces of Irish crochet are applied not only to the skirts of foulards, crepe de chines and taffeta, but as well to India muslins and organdies. Many of the flounces measure sixteen inches. Naturally in so heavy a lace they are not frilled very much. They are usually applied to costumes cut princess, which is cut almost seamless and it is absolutely plain around the hips, with no plaits at the back, where it buttons closely half way down. The skirt flares considerably at the line of the knees, where the lace flounce is applied sometimes in a straight line, but more often in shallow scallops. An alluring model of yellow crape de chine, built over yellow, has a flounce of Irish crochet, through which glints the yellow satin foundation. The front of the bodice blouses slightly, and over it is worn a short bolero of the lace outlined with a narrow ruche of white mousseline de soie. Revers of the yellow satin finish the jacket fronts of the bolero. They are edged with the white mousseline de soie ruche and four large rhinestone buttons. The collar band is of emerald green velvet. An extremely ultra costume, composed chiefly of lace, is very like a man’s dress coat in outline. It is cut with the entire baek of lace and follows the figure in front like a bolero. Other lace coat effects extend only half way down the skirt in the back. Tailor made jackets have revers of Irish lace, and foulards are embellished with bands of the insertion on the skirt and sleeves and bodices.

Ducet’s latest trimming for light wool gowns is what is known as Peking silk. Blaelc and white combined is the favourite of the moment. Jacket revers are lined, not faced, with this silk, and they are finish’d by a cord covered with the silk or else several rows of cord are used to trim the revers. This striped silk is used with good effect on a gray canvas. On the skirt are used three rows of silk covered cord to outline the polonaise effect, and the jacket is finished all about by a scalloped edge, which is completed by a cord. The striped silk lines the jacket, and the blouse fiont is of yellow, black and white plaid silk. White duck and pique skirts were never so much in vogue, and they can be found readv made in all of the leading dry goods shops in every conceivable ent, with or without jackets, and at a surprisingly low figure. They are tailor made and stitched on the seams and the jackets are jaunty little boleros with small revers. Excellent hanging skirts can also be found cut with the bias flounce put on with -i cord. It is well to purchase a skirt an inch or two longer than is usually worn, as most all duck and piques, whether linen or cotton, shrink when they are laundered. These cool, clean looking skirts are not only now worn with washing blouses, but they are as well worn afternoons and evenings with fancy blouses of muslin, lace and silk