THE WORLD OF FASHION.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXV, Issue XX, 17 November 1900, Page 948

THE WORLD OF FASHION.

By

MARGUBRITE

People may say or do what they please; fashion may decree, ostracise or abolish. There are practical forms of dress that will hold their own in spite of everything and that nothing can root out. For more than two years past we have been declaring from season to season that the blouse has had its day. that it has gone out of fashion, etc., yet continually returning to contradict us, it rises again and again from its ashes and returns prettier than ever. It is only natural that the tailor-made costume should call for the chemisette, and as long as the tailor-made costume exists blouses are required to go with it. Naturally, blouses, like other costumes, undergo transformations In the first place the sleeves are flat in the upper parts, the fronts have very little fulness, the floating effect

being scarcely indicated by the gore living left free. The back is trimmed but is tight anti flat. The fulness of the waist when it is pleated longwise is divided by means of small gores hidden beneath the pleats when the waist is too much curved. Many chemisettes are made of white, sky blue, pink or nankin pique, with an upright collars broken at the corners, and white satin scarf, or any other colour to match the chemisette, which may be made of cambric foulard or tussore. These chemisettes are classic in form, made with narraw pleats, imitating those of a man’s shirt. The most dressy chemisettes are in taffetas; satin or surah chemisettes are completely out of fashion. Lovely muslin blouses are appearing showing a marvel of stitchery, tiny little tucks and cross-tucks, insertions in squares and devious patterns, and tiny little veinings of embroidery.

most of them put in the seams or between the tucks. The advance models for summer are extremely attractive and becoming, and almost endless in variety. There are severely cut skirts for the tailormade girl, and elaborate blouses for the fluffy girl. The essential points of difference between this year’s designs ami those of last year are the little soft turn-over collars that have superseded the stiff linen collars; the sleeves are smaller, being frequently trimmed at the top and having soft cuffs, which often reach to the knuckles. The blouse is given an added length by the long straight lines that extend from the chin to the belt. These lines are accomplished by trimmings, by tuckings and by stripes. The fronts are full without being blouse. The fulness is broad, but by no means baggy. The blouse is cut so that it extends in one unbroken line from bust to belt, not tightly

dawn nor too full. The blouses of lawn or other sheer fabrics are especially dainty. These are beautified by all sorts of tuckings, hemstitching, insertions, and edgings of embroidery or lace. Many are shown which are composed entirely of alternating bands of embroidery and wash ribbons. For every-dax, wear the shirt blouses of Madras and cotton cheviot will be popular. Old rose will be an extremely fashionable colour in Madras, and it promises to enjoy the popularity of crushed strawberry several seasons ago. The shirt blouses of mercerised cotton are one of the novelties of the summer display. They rival the silk blouses in beauty. They have an exquisite silk finish, and yet launder to perfection. In old rose, Wedgewood blue, silver grey, and daffodil yellow they are decidedly things of beauty. Among the percales intended for shirt blouses may be seen variations of a style that was new last year—a plain ground of lilac, blue, pink, or sea green, with printed designs in black and white. This season the designs take the form of geometrical motives or conventional wreaths, and this class of percales is very attractive. In zephyrs, which are well represented and are of a solid, firm texture, the newest patterns are moderately wide stripes of contrasting colours, decided, but not staring. Red and suede, green and lilac, green and red. lilac and yellow, are among the combinations. In printed lawns, plain, there are rather close floral designs treated in the natural manner. © © © COAT SLEEVES FOR BLOUSES. Fancy shirt blouses with lawn, lace, and inserting are made with coat sleeves, as are many of the plainer ones. The shirt sleeve, if used at all, is cut very small, and the cuffs have rounded edges, and are made with buttonholes for link buttons. For box-pleated blouses of cloth, veiling, China crepe, etc., the plaited sleeve shows inch-wide box-plaits from the armhole to the wrist, going around the arm, and stitched if the waist plaits are. ' © ® With the smart little coat shown in this figure is introduced a hat from a leading millinery atelier. This is of red basket straw, has a fairly broad brim and a low crown. Its decoration consists of a band of red ribbon velvet round the crown, a spread bow of the same in front, and a quantity of poppy buds on either side, the stems all gathered into the centre with the velvet; bow. The coat here is of dark blue cloth; short, shaping slightly to the figure at the back, with loose fronts fastening on the left side.

The square collar rever is overlaid by one—the same shape, it will be noted —of white silk with a dark blue spot, and finished by a knot and ends of the same, the double row of buttons being of white mother o’pearl. A natty little jacket this, very suitable for holiday wear, where it is requisite that inodistical proprieties should be observed.

A stylish blouse of cream serge is set forth in my illustration. It is further completed by a collar and chemisette of coarse lace of a much

deeper tone. Stitchings of black are one of its leading features, and (save in the exigencies of mourning) a col oured tie of chiffon or crepe would be an advisable addition. A mixture of black and white can be always adopted with safety, and for a demi-toilette nothing is more admirable. © © © A VALUABLE POSSESSION. THE WAYS OF BLOUSES ARE WONDERFUL. Pretty shirts for holiday wear the sketch develops. They are still being built with yoke backs, and in. the front too there is often a deeply pointed yoke, and very frequently a box pleat upon which appear fanciful little buttons, of which there is now a remarkably wide choice. Linen collars of the straight or turn down persuasion are again frequently seen, and a neat little tie, often a knitted one, if the wearer is a very much up-to-date girl, is added. ANOTHER DRESSY SHIRT is generally tucked and la<W> insertioned, and often has an exquisite little lace chemisette. One of this kind lately seen and approved was made with a centre box pleat, and at each side, extending from the neck as far as an ordinary yoke would go. were three small box pleats, each of

them tacked down with three small |>earl buttons to match those u|>on the centre pleat. With this a lace stock was worn. Every variety of exquisitely thin fabrics is lieing used for making summer shirts, including chine muslins, glace silk, lace and chiffon, tucked lawn, ami ribbon and lace stripes. Some of the most elaborate specimens have the new fichu fronts or rounded Eton effects. Perhaps tlie m-st novel ideas in the pictured models are the spotted shirt slit up to show a white lawn vest, while the fronts are held together by pointed bands of velvet, and the one with pleats brought over to rest upon a lace chemisette. © © ® The much exploited foulard expresses the smart little blouse-bodice shown in this figure. The foulard is a dark blue with a white pattern, and is cut with a broad collar-rever opening over a collar and front of tucked white silk, and tied by a white silk

sailor tie. The sleeves are loose and gathered into stiffened cuffs, with just an under-edging of white silk. The pretty fancy blouse-bodice still holds us in its thrall in all kinds of materials and it is pretty safe to predict it will continue to do so for some time to come, despite the fact that of late there has been a decided effort on the part of the tailors to restore the tigntfitting. corset-like bodice to favour. We hope this may not succ ed, for

though if may have every advantage for those who have exceptionally good figures. it is most unbecoming to second-rate figures, ami absolutely disastrous to third; while the fancy hlou -v- luulice may be made like charity to cover a multitude of sins, or shortcomings. © © © The skirt, whose lengthy folds sweep the ground, is adorned with insertions and frills of lace, while a short sac coat of lace is slipped over

an under-bodice of pale pink silk and lace, the whole crowned by a widebrimmed hat of muslin and lace, the whole effect expressing an ideal gown whose motif is lace. It is marvellous

how lace of every variety of colour and <ptalit\ exert’* strong influence on onr toilettes, whose trimming it for the most part dominates, and on reviewing the modes of the past years one ran only txomler at. the manner in which its fascinations have been ignored. In hot weather nothing i* s<» voinfoi*hiible to wear round the throat as a tran>-|Kirrnt band of lace, wired to keep it in place, which, whil • being infinitely becoming, protects the throat from getting as sunburnt as is the case when it is left unprotected © © ®