LONDON AND PARIS FASHIONS.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXII, Issue I, 7 January 1899, Page 29

LONDON AND PARIS FASHIONS.

EMBROIDERY ALL THE RAGE. The white piques that are fairly inerusted with embroidery in a heavywhite braid are among the handsomest things of the day. I have noticed so many of them lately made in such a smart fashion, with coats and skirts and fancy- blouse vests. The coats are cut square in front to hang down in tabs, while the back is short and saucy. The braiding covers the whole eoat, revers, body, sleeves, and all, and is rich in effect. The braiding on the skirt usually is heaviest and most elaborate on the front breadth, where it extends nearly to the waist, gradually tapering off at the sides, till at the back it is quite narrow. Some of the skirts are made with the flaring circular flounce, in which case the flounce is richly braided all over, and the seams of the upper part are also decorated with braid. An incrnsted white pique like this is perfectly stunning when worn with a full ruffled blouse vest of turquoise, blue muslin under the coat and a hat of rough yellow- straw- trimmed with black wings and black taffeta ribbon. Gray piques, or rather drab ones, are the very latest thing in piques, and are smart. The shade is so soft and becoming that any one can wear it. and it is exceedingly stylish. Never in the history- of dress has white, been so generally used as at present. It is even invading the mourning department. and more white dresses are ordered for ladies in black than have ever been heard of before. Indeed, every effort is being made to break the monotony of the intensely sombre costumes that custom prescribes as first mourning. Dresses of nun’s veiling cashmere, pique, serge and cotton goods are called for every day. These are made up on very simple lines, great care being taken to avoid everything in the way of elaborateness.

Among the summer designs one of the simplest ami prettiest is of fine white pique. The skirt is quite plain, and has a narrow apron, and is veryclose fitting in the upper part and flat in front, the material being quite tight round the hips, and there being no pleats at the waist behind. The fulness begins below the hips behind and at. the sides, and developsinto widehollow pleats at the bottom. The skirt touches the ground all round. The corsage is a rather long bolero, coming down to the waist. It is closed, crossing over from right to left, but there is a slight opening at. the top. The upper part just reaches the neck at the sides and l»aek. The bolero is trimmed with a row of dyed guipure insertion, with rose patterns in high relief; it. is tight in the back and seamless, and taken in in front. The sleeves are tailor made, set in in large pleats, are rather small along the arms, and almost tight below the el-

bow. They are trimmed with dyed guipure insertion four centimetres wide. The chemisette is of white cambric finely pleated. The neck trimming and scarf are of the same material, and the scarf is fastened by a large soft bow of the same material. The waistband is of white pique five centimetres wide, and round, and is stitched very closely- so as to look almost like braid. The hat which completes the costume is of rough plait straw, amazon shaped, with turn-up brim and pointed in front. The crown is flat on the. top, of moderate size, and low. The hat is trimmed with a drapery of soft white faille, with a large bow of the same in front, in which are set two curled ostrich feathers, drooping right and left.

Dainty lingerie is a part of all nice women’s wardrobes. Here is an illustration of a very pretty nightdress made in white flannelette, with a yoke, and trimmed with deep flannelette embroidery. It wears well, and always looks nice. It can lie made in linen with lace trimmings.

The newest sleeve is close, so close that when made by an artist it hugs the arm without a wrinkle and rolls up from the small cuff that overspreads the knuckles clear up to the

armpits. Here, like a smoothly drawn kid glove, the sleeve opens bell-shape around a small puff, which rather resembles a musk-melon in shape, and, if the sleeve*is cloth or silk, this puff is most likely made of gathered or plaited silk muslin. To complete the arms' decoration, a very modest flat epaulette extends from the shoulder upon the puff. A bit of braided cloth, two wedge shaped pieces of goods, or scraps of rich embroidery, form the epaulette, that, is invariably edged with a narrow quilting of material from which the puff is made.