THE WORLD OF FASHION.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXIII, Issue XII, 16 September 1899, Page 508

THE WORLD OF FASHION.

MARGUERITE

The t x»et whose ideal of feminine dress is Ixuwd on muniinn. laces, sweeping folds, and flowered silks will Mew the coming season with satisfac-

tion. This reflection came to me when making a tour of those departments of the warehouses which are devoted to ruffles, frills, lace, and ribbons. These will abound as never before in the history of clothes. Never l ave s-ueh exquisite gowns been seen as those designed for this year's fashion. And they are graceful frocks. t-«: with their clinging skirts ami trailing draperies. The idea of softness is suggested everywhere. The material ■ themselves are dreams of loveliness.

I'or several seasons the fluffy picture girl has been missed. In her ::la.-e has been seen the vigorous athletic girl in short skirt and stout boots. But the midsummer girl of 1599 is to be verv wise. She is both picturesque and athletic. I hough she gains her roses and her vigour from her out-door sports, yet she is more liewitching as a fluffy picture girl than as an athletic young person. Her gowns, which are many, include the smart tailor-made. But the important part of 'her wardrobe, which she is planning, is of laces and silks, and roses ami chiffons. The result is that there never has been such an attractive summer girl. As I have mentioned before, lace is to play a prominent part this season. and tunics, bodices, and hats of this dainty material will be much in evidence. Among the novelties in this line are coats or blouses, which are to be worn over plain bodies. Iteing made quite full ami drawn in around the waist, with belt of black velvet.

The summer muslin blouses, with transparent lace yokes, struck me as being very pretty and dainty, as one could be worn over different coloured slip bodices, thus providing changes of toilet. Some mull muslin blouses are made with alternating stripes of tiny tucks and Valenciennes lace insertion. and look very dressy. Boleros of lace are to be worn for ornamenting the bodices of summer frocks. Plauen or guipure lace with a silk finish are perhaps to be the most jxtpiilar laces of the season, ft is especially adapted for coats and blouses. For softer draperies Mechlin and Valenciennes lace are to be

used, Long stole ends of lace are to fall from most of tbe spring and summer bodices, giving a touch which is entirely new. The wise girl will spend a great deal of attention on her cravats. *her Im ms. her boleros, and laces. © © © THE NEW KOLFhO. THE SKI KT ASSUMES A LESS EXAGGERATED ASPECT. Grey is again one of the most fashionable colours in Paris, and relieved with a bright and yet soft tint in a ronicasting material, it is very lovely.

and more new than the altogetber-g'-ey toilette of last spring.

The dress illustrated here was sketched at Auteuil one Sunday, the favourite day for races in Paris. The exceedingly new little hodice was made or grej cloth with applications of black velvet embroiderer! with silver. The modestly-sized revers were of rose-coloured velvet, and the Itodice was closer! by the brandeltourgs anti silken cords.

The skirt was rather simple, but had trimmings composed of bands and scallops, as the illustration shows. The black straw hat was simply trimmer! with black feathers, and a rosette appeared in front.

Two stylish costumes for girls from Bto 10 and 14 to 16 years old. (oat and skirt in electric blue cloth, trimmed with fancy braid or cord.

with elegant collar of finely-tucked muslin and insertion. Costume in blue serge trimmed with white braid and gold buttons; front of bodice of soft white silk, finished with bow of ribbon.

A NEAT COSTUME. Blue is distinctly as much Liked as ever. and the illustration developes it with the new trimming, called pates. I hese folds or bands are in this ease former! in black silk upon the skirt, and to compose a vest on the bodice. Above them, on the bodiee, a collar and chemisette in cream lace are expressed. This dress was seen at Auteuil, and might almost be called an English tailor-made costume, such as the belle Parisienne is very much bent on exploiting at the present time. The tr-que was a mass of feathers, relieved at one side with large bunches of hortensia. ® ® ® A BOUDOIR WRAP THAT WILL BE A LUXURY. A loose gown in which to be thorough- comfortable is the Eldorado of every woman during the hot months. Happily the doctors and scientists are now on the side of the woman who lounges sometimes. What they have to contend against is the girl who is always on the go, and -who will never allow herself a moment's respite from the weary round of hard exercise and social enjoyment.

Take a quarter of an hour or thirty minutes for repose, says the medical man. before going out in the evening, and your appearance will be enhanced tenfold from the tired look it had after the day's campaign. There is then no apology needed for introducing you to such a pretty idea as the boudoir gown shown in this illustration.

Primarily designed for patterned delaine. this model is equally well adapted to spotted or patterned nainsook, with frills of soft washing lace and a plain self-colour for the facing-back of the deep collar, and also the cuffs, or bell-shaped sleeves. Tt would admirably account for itself if one of the inexpensive silks were used, and in this fabric there would be plenty of wear ensured, seeing that such a garment is not intended to be hacked out, but is for the gentler usage of the boudoir.

Despite its superior shapeliness, the form indicated is really one of the most simple construction.

This week I am again illustrating some pretty little “notions,” as the Yankees say, for neck decorations, which may be very acceptable at the present season. They are very simple and easy to make at home, and as very often there may be pieces of silk or velvet that can be utilised for the purpose they could be made very inexpensively. No. 1 is a little sailor-collar arrangement, which is a particularly useful idea, and would make a pretty neek finish to any blouse. The lace collar has ends of soft muslin or chiffon, fastened over with a rosette. No. 2 is another pretty neck arrangement made of soft washing or glace silk and lace. The long silk ends are vandyked and finished with two rows of gathered ribbon, while the lace ones fall from a knot made sailor fashion with a frill above.

No. 3 is a pretty little bow and collar for the neck, made of tartan or check silk, eut on the cross. For this the plain ties which are to be bought in most linen drapers; the one end could be used for the collar portion, which is made over a stiff foundation, and lined, while the rest would make the loops in front, and the. addition of the ends of lace, as seen in the illustration, would make quite a pretty little affair at a small cost, and the ready made bows have the advantage of remaining fresher than those which are tied each time.

No. 4 is another neat little arrangement. which, made of glace silk and lace, would form a pretty and becoming finish to the neck and front of a summer blouse. The ends are made double, and edged with narrow cord or ribbon and a full lace frill. In No. 5 we have a verv smart lace

front, without the belt, which would do to wear with a plain bodice if one wished to smarten it up for day or evening wear, i ne collar is of crossway velvet, of a becoming colour to the wearer: while the buckles in the centre of the neck and the front bow

would probably Ire found among some old treasures of this kind. ® ® ®

The craze for lace jabots and cravats calls into play many little diamond and pearl-headed pins, and of elegant jewellery of this description we ean hardly have too much disIrosed about our person. The single string of pearls round the throat still holds good during the daytime, and rococo brooches and clasps are being much sought after. The turquoise enjoys great popularity, both

FIG. 6. on account of its pretty colour and of the luck it is supposed to carry in its train, and the tawny jargoon is prized for its novelty. Fig. - 6 illustrates a couple of fronts, the one in V-shaped gatherings of ribbon and chiffon, the other with a transparent lace yoke, with under part of rows of Valenciennes ruffled lace. ® ® ® This figure reveals a pretty spring bodice edged with narrow white silk braid and fastened at the bust by a small silver link over an under-bodiee

of tucked white silk. The waist is tied with white ribbon, and the skirt lias a simulated tablier of scrolled white silk braid. At the back of the collar is a stand-up frill of whie lace. ® ® C THE GOLFING GIRL. THE "LATEST" IS AN INGENIOUS RE V ERSIBLE COSTU ME. One of the season's novelties in the way of sports costumes is the reversible golf dress, which is made of cloth, with two entirely different sides. For instance, a dark blue plain cloth has shepherd's plaid on the other side. The skirt is made with strapped seams that look as well on the plaid side as on the plain side, so that all the wearer has to do when desiring a change is to turn her skirt. The jacket is similarly arranged, and is either dark blue, with cuffs and revers of plaid, or black and white check, with dark blue trimmings. A most sensible coat for the girl who is devoted to sports of any kind, be it cycling, golf, tennis or croquet, is shown in the sketch. Its merits lie in the fact that it is a very light

weight garment, that it is loosely built and eminently practical.

Originally intended for alpaca, there seems to me no limit to the possibilities of this coat in different fabrics for different uses. In holland or linen it would be excellent, and what ean be Iretter for summer showers than a light woollen waterproof fabric? It is eut with a certain amount of skirt fulness, contrived by means of shaping and not by gathers or pleats, and at the top is a truly sporting pointed yoke. The neck is finished by a straight, upright band of double stuff with interlining, and let into the upper end <>f this is a turn-down collar with a facing of velvet of dark linen. ® ® ® Amongst many becoming chapeaux we sketched from the millinery ateliers, we noted some very Iteeoming shapes of very fine chip and Tuscan straws in black, with straw-col-

oured or pink edges to the brim. These were mainly trimmed with "airy-fairy" bows of black tulle or chiffon, roses and fancy pins. An ex-

ample forms our subject in the figure. The brim-l>order in this ease was straw -solour. the black tulle liows of "fan" ami "butterfly” make were stabbed by two gold-headed pins, ami bunches of crushed pink roses were grou|*ed with the black tulle Ixvws. ami under the left side of the brim. These picturesque hats are worn (as nearly all are just now) tilted up on the left side.