The World of Fashion

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLII, Issue 1, 6 January 1909, Page 50

The World of Fashion

(By

MARGUERITE.)

The New Year is a well-establiched fact. while the turned-over new leaf bears upon it the imprint of such virtues as charity, an selfishness and economy. All the world of femininity has apparently gone “princesse” mad, judging from the numbers of short and long, simple and elaborate one piece frocks being turned out by the fashionable and near-fashionable modistes. Thea* frocks are deceptively simple in their designs, for while they are briefly described as ‘■‘little batiete frocks with gored upper and deep flounce,” that flounce contains most of the batiste employed and is •madt up of a deep hem and two deep tucks ent re deux, with Valenciennes insertion. The upper portion of the flounce is trimmed with two rows of lace arTaaiged in shallow points and gathered on to a band of lace headed by embroidered muslin in fine floral effect lines separated by a wide openwork wheel design. Vertical bands of the same embroidery. separated by narrow lace insertion. form panels from the shoulders to the top of the flounce; there is a lace bib yoke and pointed stock, ami the puffed elbow sleeves of embroidered muslin have face . frillings and band cuffs.

Rather simple frocks on the same order as those chiefly of fine linen,‘emibroidery and lace are developed from the bordered batistes in rosebud, violet and forget-me-not patterns. The border is horizontally employed for the deep flounce and its heading, and vertically for the paneled upper portion, the coloured lines separated by insertions of imitation Valenciennes lace.* Allover Valenciennes forms the yoke and collar and trims the puffed elbow sleeves of the bordering which runs vertically from the shoulders. The whole world of fashion has capitulated, hamlrs down, to the little snowwhite pelerine of the thickest crochet, which is to be worn with all descriptions of summer frocks in every variety of style. This is neither a dolman—whose popularity has been foretold more than once —nor a stole, while it is as far removed from the long lace coat as it well can be. It is cut 'behind in rounded form, like a cape, fitting smoothly over the shoulders, while the long fronts, which fall almost to the hem of the skirt, are immensely wide, so as to necessitate their being drawn into deep folds and fastened on either side with a huge barbaric brooch or a single flower-head. A serried row of thick,

soft little crochet balls, like tiny snowballs attached to minute stems of white cord, outline the little wrap all round. Another delightful addition to the white gown will be the muslin coat lined through with the softest white silk, which is bordered all round with trails of pale pink roses and buds cut out of some old-world chintz or cretonne and applique to the coat in question with gold thread worked in chain stitch. These little wraps will be made after tlie fashion of the tiny sac coats of puce and purple silk which our grandmothers wore in Second Empire days, as

a set-off to their voluminous hooped skirts, modified to suit present requirements, while in some cases tiny mantelettes entirely fashioned of flowered cretonne, patterned with roses, hollyhocks, pinks, or lilac, will be substituted for them, and will present a very gay and "“summery” appearance, being simply trimmed with ribbon-work and a huge cretonne buckle at the back. White parasols lined with cretonne, and hats of snow-white Dunstable straw trimmed with cretonne pompons edged with

paille, ■will be not infrequently allied td the pelerine in question. There is, however, always plenty of room in the summer scheme to exploit the coloured gown in addition to ita snow-white rival, and it would seem as though the vogue for pale soft dove and mist grey, with brilliant eplashes of colour such as are supplied by embroideries of almost Oriental magnificence, will be pre-eminent. The alliance of slate grey with parsley green will likewise be high in favour, while never has taupe enjoyed a larger meed of popularity than it will this season.

The Coat of Lace.

The lace coat, which is another feature of this season’s fashions, has no mor® constant admirer than Madame Te.trazzini. The great singer has a fondnes® for white gowns, which for outdoor wear are invariably covered by handsome coats of point d’lrlande. Although many of the most handsome designs of the lace coat are three-quar-ter length, the little coats or coatees,

•Wtiich are made in one piece, except the •leaves, which are frequently merely epaulets, are very effective, while another new pattern in the lace coat ia •hown In the cutaway. These coats are very economical because they may be pressed into service in so many ways. Made with loose hanging sleeves, they can be worn over various simply-made frocks, or they may be the means of beautifying a dinner gown or hiding the deficiencies of an afternoon gown a little out of date. Another novelty- in the lace effects is the over-blouse, which is sometimes so constructed as to appear like an outside garment. One of these garments of Baby Irish lace is turned away at the fronts in revers, faced with embroidered chiffon. The sleeves are puffs of the Baby Irish, reaching to the elbow, with under-sleeves of the chiffon, niched and finished at the wrists with three frills of narrow lace.

What May Be Done With Scraps.

is wonderful what can be done witt scraps of lace and ribbon. Cuttings of piece lace are wired with fine wire to the shape of butterfly wings, perhaps edged with bebe ribbon, and the lace lit Mp with tiny sequins and beads. These are for pretty hair ornaments. Sometimes a row of small sequins make a glittering edge, or a wing of silk will be surrounded by a frill of narrow lace. Many jabots of plain lawn or linen are made into really costly dress accessories by the scraps of lace and embroideries that might more than easily be thrown away by even an economical woman. Medallions of embroidery down the front of a blouse will entirely change the appearance of one which, having seen

good service in some interesting shade, alters, its colour by a simple home dyeing process. The embroideries may be dyed to match or not according to fancy, thus leaving to the neck-wear the monopoly of the white trimmings.

The Reign of the Ruffle.

Although it has but recently made its appearance here, in Paris the ruffle is “ le grande monarque de la mode”;, for England it is making what may perhaps be best described as a furtive bid for approval, but in Paris it has carried everything before it. To be truly in the mode of the moment the ruffle should match the gown worn. Thus for a taffeta chiffon, flecked with pin spots of white and piped in a wonderful and beautiful way with cerise panne, the rullle provided en suite was of black tulle,’mounted on a band (further adorned by a cut steel buckle) of cerise velvet; and for a white and black striped mousseline de soie, superposed upon smoke-grey chiffon, the ruffle was of grey tulle. “ To every neck its ruffle ” seems the sartorial watch word of the moment. But then your true Parisienne is far too wise to indulge in a mode unbecoming to her particular type, and where the mentor is unduly fat, or of the undegenerate kind known so cruelly and uncompromisingly as a “double chin,” she adopts the “ruffle Henri Quatre,” and thus, while contriving to be in the height of fashion, cleverly conceals her own defects. Again, the possessor of what I have wittily heard called “ le cou Sargent,” after the great English painter, will enhance her beauty with a ruffle “ a la Reinc Elizabeth,” and these finished with a buckle and long ends of pleated cambric, are

quite the latest dictum of fashion with regard to the ruffle. Let it by no manner of means, however, be supposed that the Parisienne has exhausted her armoury in the types named. I here still remains “la rucho col Jacobin,” and this, consisting as it does of a band of satin matching in hue the gown worn, with a neck frill and ends of pleated white lawn, is the most vastly becoming of any; but then your Paris sienne wears her ruche col as she does everything else, with a difference, and to sport it in season and out of season, and to wear it, becoming or unbecoming, as does her English sister, is something she would never dream of doing. For that reason the reign of the ruffle, with its many becoming modifications to suit each and every face, is likely to be a long one, and the wise English-woman whom in its primal state it does not suitwill do well to find out the special modification best suited to her beautv.

White Spotted Muslin Posed on Purple.

Owing to the brilliant weather of the last few days, cool attire has formed the principal theme of conversation among dressmakers and their clients. One of the prettiest of the many frocks I have seen was a matinee of white spotted muslin, with a hip yoke of bro(ierie Anglaise, into which the muslin was lightly gauged. The bodice and skirt were made all hi one and fastened down the back, and the former to match Che latter, had a collarless yoke of broderie Auglaise. Worn over a purple slip, with a knot of artificial purple orchids at the waist, this is to create a very elegant appearance. It will he worn, needlless to say, with purple stockings and shoes. J

Sheath Bathing Dress.

The sheath bathing-dress has been seen in fashionable resorts where , men and women bake the water together and bathing is more or less of a dress display. That it is graceful and chic Cannot be denied. It has the graceful outline of all the Greek robes, of which the Directoire gown is merely a modernised adaptation. But it has forsworn modesty. It reveals every line of the figure with shocking frankness, and has the inevitable slit at the side of the skirt which must be there, because no woman can sit down in the Directoire gown without splitting it. In one such costume which attracted much attention the skirt, or knee length, fitted closely, except on the right side, where it was split to nearly the waist line and laced with a white silk cord, disclosing a pair of silk tights of the same sea shade. With the tights were worn sea-coloured silk hose and white sandals.