THE WORLD OF FASHION.

New Zealand Graphic, 1 July 1899, Page 28

THE WORLD OF FASHION.

By

MARGUERITE.

The influence of a Court upon the fashions and society has been illustrated in a mild way during the sojourn of Lord Ranfurly and the Countess at Auckland. The Northern capital has indulged in a season of unusual gaiety — balls, dinner parties, ami fashionable concerts, under the vice-regal patronage, following in quick succession,

while drapers have profited by the disposal of miles of lace and chiffon and hundreds of yards of satins and silks during the last few months. There has also been a distinct brightening up of the street costumes.

At the concert given in Government House on Saturday night Lady Ranfurly was exquisitely gowned in a white moire, with large decided waterwaves; the corsage was draped in the form of a fichu with lovely old lace, the square decolletage being finished with greeny blue velvet. Another charming gown was worn by Mdlle. Trebelli; it was of a deep shade of yellow brocade, a transparent yoke of lace, caught with diamond ornaments, filled in the low corsage. There were many other lovely evening dresses worn by Auckland ladies who were among the audience. Sequins in all shades and jewelled nets were profusely used on all materials. Many of the dresses presented a very bright and sparkling effect.

However, our minds must turn to more useful costumes for day wear. I took note of a stylish gown worn by a

lady the other day, which was of a delicious s'hade of pale grey wool stuff—a sort of light tweed, made up simply, with an open jacket, short and jaunty, and a habit skirt, perfectly fitted about the hips. A silk blouse of pale pinkish lavender was worn with the jacket, and a stock and fluffy bow under the chin were of delicate white silk muslin. Her hat was of yellow straw, coarse and stylish, and it was trimmed wiflh black taffeta silk, twisted about the crown and massed into large wired bows in front, drawn through a rhinestone buckle. The predominant colour at present is petunia, and as it is neither verj suitable for young girls nor particularly becoming we may be glad to

know there are many shades to ehoose • from. Blue is another favourite colour, and a very pretty shade is the pale periwinkle, called Copenhagen

blue. This is most becoming to wearers, young and old. The distinguishing characteristic of the new gowns is that they have, or seem to have, an under-dress. Old styles are in again. The skirt is tighter than ever and does not flow out quite so widely from the knee. A new petticoat has been designed

to suit this skirt. It is pleated and machine stitched to about fhe knee and then the fulness falls in the form of a flounce. This suits slim people only. I have found out a clever little wrinkle, which I hasten to impart to

my dear readers. In this nipping weather our complexions are not all we can desire. Therefore, having purdhased a chenille spotted veil, get some fine white tulle, put it on like a veil, and place the black veil over that one.

The effect is soft and becoming to a degree, and the most biting winds will not make your complexion look ugly under this double cover. If women understood the art of putting on a veil it would be a great blessing; but they do not. They drag it across the eyes so as to create fictitious wrinkles, or let it hang loosely below the chin

in fhe most dejected fashion. An American woman it was who first taught me that one yard of veiling was enough for the largest hat, so I now resist the blandishments of a yard and an eighth or a yard and a quarter. The veil should not be dragged to the back, but only at the sides. It will then place itself naturally under the chin. Fair, florid women, with rosy colouring and reddish hair, should wear blue or violet veils. They can also wear veils of pale mauve, spotted with white, or pale cornflower - blue and golden brown. Black-haired, dark-eyed women look best in white veils or royal blue. They would look superb in red veils if only t'hey were worn once more. ® ® ® Tailor-made toilettes seem likely to be a good deal glorified this season owing to the fact, which we have previously drawn, attention to, that we are to be sup-feminine in our modes. This tampering with the severe simplicity of the tailor-made seems a mistake to us, for it is thereby rendered “neither fish, fowl, or good red herring,’ and it is possible to indulge to our heart’s content in frills and furbelows apart from this one gowun and coat. A particularly natty mode affected by good dressers just now is that shown in this figure. This consists of a skirt of the neat black and white shepherd’s plaid so favoured this season, worn with a black cloth coatee fastened on the left side with rows of dull gold buttons set in threes with a companion row. A high collar*

and white lace jabot complete the neck. With this toilette a very becoming chapeau is worn draped in white mousseline de soie with small black wings. One of Madame Fashion’s weak points is that she cannot leave well alone. Having reinstated lace old and new amongst us—a move to be com-

mended—she is now introducing jewels on the delicate fabric for outlining and accentuating the pattern. This seems a flagrant case of painting the lily and gilding refined gold, which will jar on the tastes of the refined and artistic, and few can deny there is a vulgar ostentation about the piling of one rich thing upon another in the dress extravagancies of this century end, disagreeably suggestive of the nouveau riche.

Apropos of tailor-mades, these are, of course, the ideal wear for some kinds of holiday tripe—where sea comes in the route, much railway, walking, or cycling, for instance. For such gowns and coats cloth and serge are the correct materials now, tweed is taboo. They may be braided, or strapped, or elaborately stitched. The con's may be sac, semi-sac, or . fitting, but to be really smart must be short. For more dressy occasions a chic little velvet coat, sac, just to waist, has just been shown us. This is revealed in this figure. It is black, cut in scalloped edges, and trimmed with rows of jet passementerie. The col-lar-rever is of white silk, with rows of the same jetting. A collar and chemisette of white silk shows at the throat, overlaid with black lace, and is finished by a white silk sailor tie, these ties, for the moment, appearing to jostle even the jabot or cravat, which is an all-important item in modish toilettes. ® ® ® Some of the pretty dove-grey cloth coats and skirts have been worn lately, and have a particularly pretty effect braided with white. Many of the coats are so thickly braided over as to suggest tattooing. A coat and skirt of this description is shown in the

figure. The skirt, it will be noticed, has a sort of caatelaine of braid down either side of the front. The coat is semi-fitting, and is braided entirely over, and fastens with a “fly.” It is evidently to be a very silky season, and some particularly pretty novelties for blouses are being shown in Jap silk (a small raised check in white and endless dainty colours), silk gossamers, and silk zephyrs, in addition to legions of lovely silk foulards and poplins. ® ® ® Since the picturesque days of Charles 1., and the Merry Monarch, the “picture” hat has ever been more or less popular; and within the last few years it has been chiefly more. We are, it seems, to be on specially good terms with it during the coming season, and one, amongst many delightful millinery models from Paris, which we thought particularly charming, we made “a note of” recently and a sketch for this figure. This was a broad-brimmed shape which undulated slightly here and there, gracefully, and had a moderate-sized crown, a little larger at the top than at the base. The shape was entirely covered ( as the velvet hats) with blaek silk, brocaded with pink flowers. Inside the brim was lined with drawn pink silk, the colour of the pink brocade; a bunch of pink roses forming a cachepeigne. A band of cut jet encircled the base of the crown, and held three black ostrich plumes, two shorter ones standing up, pnd a longer one sweeping round the

left side and over the back of the brim. The girl who did not look at least fairly attractive in such a hai as this, must indeed be a hopeless subject for the milliner's art. The “halo” hat will not, we fancy, be so much in wear as it has been. It suits some wonderfully, giving an immense amount of dash and style,

but only some, as it makes severe demands, requiring decided good looks and complexion, plenty of hair, and —refinement. Strings to hats arc still arriving. For cycling, some very smart little cloth caps are being shown, with a long quill run through the left side; the cloth corresponding in colour with the habit. ® ® ® One of the smartest outdoor garments this spring promises to be the Paletot, a sort of Redincote, opening slightly to show the under dress. This figure reveals such a garment, which in this case is built of fawn and brown plaid tweed, with a large shoulder-collar of brown velvet terminating in a very narrow facing down each side of the open fronts, which reveal an under dress of fawn cloth. These coats, or Paletots, require perfect make, and to be a success, must needs be worn by a wo-

man of style anud good figure, so that the chances are they will not be at all general. They are, however, quite the latest cry at the present moment.