THE WORLD OF FASHION

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XL, Issue 16, 15 April 1908, Page 66

THE WORLD OF FASHION

By

MARGUERITE

Given a good dressmaker and a good figure, nothing could well be lovelier than this dress of egg-shell blue cloth as soft as satin, which has been sketched on this page. The long and lovely lines of tne skirt are so arranged as to give a slight suggestion of drapery at one side, while the bodice is draped most becomingly below a little curve of Irish crochet lace and a very deep and quite transparent chemisette of finely tucked white net. high, of course, at the neck, and finished with just a mere thread of gold. A fold of satin, a shimmer of gold, and a narrow edging of the Irish lace combine to outline the bodice folds, and there is a touch of lace, too, on the elbow sleeves. © © ©

Vl\ ID EFFECTS IN COLOUR (-OM BINATIONS. No longer is the tailored street suit designed principally for practical knockabout service, necessarily a cheerless costume, calculated to depress the wearer whenever she dons it. Although the serge <>r cheviot or tweed mixture may be of darkest brown, green, blue or grey, a tom h of vivid colouring and considerable distinction may be added by the use of a few yards of gold or silver cording or braid, pipings of contrasting velvet at throat and wrists, or silk collar, curt's and pocket Haps. Navy and royal blues, always popular ami serviceable colours for severely tailored coats and skirts of moderate* price, lend tlu*mselves more readily than do most shades of contrasting accessories. With theni are employed reliefs of white*, f&stc) green, black, tan or red, though to reverse the order and to trim garments of these colours with navy or toyal him* would be against the rules of

colour harmonies. Blaek, on the contrary, which is relieved with blue, white, green, tan or red, makes an exceedingly smart trimming for any of those colours. Semi-tailored broadcloth, which are worn at fashionable concerts and afternoon receptions throughout the winter, are developed in cream and ivory white, Nattier and Copenhagen blue, Frenc.i and rose pink, pastel greens and mode tints, from biscuit to golden brown. With anv of these a suggestion of black is most effective, and with many of them the dusky note is strong, for quantities

of side-sewn soutache are used on both skirt and coat in addition to collar, cuffs and waistcoat. The ultra-fashionable evening gowns of the moment are made in three distinct parts, the long plain skirt of satin or velvet ent en corselet at the back, and showing almost a normal waistline in front. Then there is the tiny cross over bodice of richest embroideries and most costly lace—golours and materials, moat

pfrobalfly, forming a contrast to thq skirt. Finally, there is the transparent over-dress or tunic—rich in paillettes and inerusted with lace and motifs of fur! The combination is marvellously effective when carried out by a masterhand, and in such gowns as these a pretty woman looks more than her prettiest! It must not be supposed that the stresses I am now describing at all resemble tea-gowns, for they do not; they are picturesque without verging on the “artistic,” and they are not in the least

This figure represents a lovely silk frock in a quaint shade of biscuit taffetas. The front of the skirt, the undcrsleeves. and the bodice trimming are of the new filet net in a pale shade of Eau de Nil, embroidered in biscuit tones, vieux rose, ami dead gold, with an outer edge of very dark green. On the bodice is a touch of dark green velvet. The parasol is of dark green silk, and the biscuit-coloured chip hat is trimmed with a shaded vieux rose feather.

of the order of neglige. A marked peculiarity of the tunies which are rapidly becoming so fashionable is the manner in which they are shaped down almost into a point directly in front. Sometimes this point makes its appearance at the back also, but as often as not the front is very long, while the sides and back are comparatively short. I have seen this outline making its appearance in several of the new modato Mt after-

noon gowns in chiffon-cloth, the tuni<S|| fashioned after the manner of a slceVqs less coat. - The fashions in mourning have undergone a very great change since the wOns derful improvements that have beert made in erape. In the first place, ifi has been successfully waterproofed, and is no longer extravagant wear. Their the soft finish crape is particularly well adapted to the picturesque and artistic gowns of the present day. Instead of the gowns being trimmed with folds and volants of crape, this season entire Empire and Princess gowns will be worn of this soft and graceful crape, which falls in such delightful folds. Simplicity will be the keynote of all mourning garb. For. millinery, long, soft-finish crape veils will be used to drape the large and small! shapes, and will fall in two long ends below the waist. Paris and Vienna havq taken up this crape, and it is extensively used for all articles of mourning. c,

The striped tweed suit sketched on this page reveals in all its peculiar fascination one of the new long, basqued, cutaway coats to which so many of us will swear allegiance this autumn. Homo dressmakers who avail themselves of tho pattern that can be supplied will like to know that a perfect fit is achieved by carrying the dart seams right up to the shoulder, the curve thus wrought serr«

Ing to effect the desirable rounded aspect of the figure. ' . / , s - At the back the basque is slit right up almost to the waist, in fact, the whole cut is strongly reminiscent of a man’s morning coat, a model that doubtless served as a basis for this becoming notion. ' ■ ~ . * ’> . The natural waist* line is observed both hack and front, and nothing could pos-

sibly be prettier nor tend to show off a good figure to better advantage than tae curved fronts that close, singlebreasted, with buttons and button-holes. The coat should be so fitted that it has an equally pleasing aspect whether worn open or closed. Nine yards of double-width material will be required to materialise the .whole suit.

The accompanying illustration will suggest an effective combination of the black ©repe de chine and crape, the entire lower part of the skirt being of the latter fabric, which is utilised again for the bolero and the turned - back cuffs and the elbow sleeves. The dress itself is made in Princess fashion, with braces of crape passing over a soft fulness of chiffon, and this style will be specially becom-

Our artist's sketch will show you a very smart version of the new coat and gkirt costume, which I would advise you to have made up in b r °wn cloth. The Accompanying blouse is in brown erepc de chine or ninon de soie with some ivorytoned lace on the yoke and at the sleeves, while brown shoes and stocking* help to make your simple costume Very smart and distinctive.

in cashmere embroidered with a rose design, lace vest, sleeves and cults.