The World of Fashion

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLII, Issue 21, 26 May 1909, Page 68

The World of Fashion

<By

MARGUERITE.)

Return of the Three quarter Sleeve. FASHION* WHICH UH. MODERN BRIDE ADOPTS. IS the short sleeve coming kick again to favour? The question is creating a great deal of apprehension among women in general just now. jbut it is n t one which can be easily ,helved or ignored. As regards the tailormade costume, the new sleeve has not even been mooted, but in some of the afternoon gowns, the sleeves have been Curtailed a little below the elbow, making the long glove a necessary item, ■nd finished—as it used to be two jammer seasons ago—with delightful little old fashioned gauffered flounces of lace. NEW SLEEVE WITH VANDYCKED CUFF. Naturally, the woman who owns a ■lender wrist—the most charming and

one of the rarest '’dons” of Nature—is enchanted with the prospect of the coming change, but not so her less favoured sister. The latter will, however, find comfort in the fact that at any rate for the present, we can take our choice of the two—the long or the short —and still keep our peace with Mme. la Mode, but whether we shall be able to do so as the seas n advances is by no means so certain. One of the Parisian conturieres who is still given over entirely to the long sleeve fashion, has recently launched a novel ruaiiehe for a bride, whose beautiful gowns represented one of the wonders of a week or tw ago. The sleeve was by no means so collante as usual, being put in a little full at the top. while it increased in size as it neared the elbow. Thence to the knuckles of the hand, its place was taken by a long tight, and stiffened cuff of old Venetian lace, while it was so tight as to fit like a sheath round the arm of the wearer,/ the beautiful lace being repeated again' in a tablier on the front of the gown and in the long filmy veil which draped the bride like a summer cloud. NECKLACES OF ARUNGE BLOSSOMS Another pretty scheme where bridal attire is concerned, which will probably be adopted is that of hollowing out the guimpe of the gown, round the column of the throat instead of introducing the high neckband surmounted by its dignified ruff. The border is then sewn with a serried row of orange blossoms plucked from their parent stalks and placed cheek by jowl with little waxen bads breaking the symmetrical line. This forms a charming floral necklace, which is matched by the triple fi’et of orange blossom heads—sewn in the same manner to bands of pure white velvet ribbon—which nestles among the soft curls and waves of the parted coiffure, and is caught together on each side just above the ears with a single snow-white velvet Annunciation lily and a single diamond glittering like a dewdrop in the cup of the blossom. Myrtle is, however, more often substituted for orange blossom nowa lays than heretofore, the rich, glossy green of the leaves and the little white flowers shining like stars among them, p.oviding a most becoming crown with which to deck a bride, and contrasting with the simple pearl white of her gown and veil. Among the trousseau gowns which have been ordered lately a great deal of attention has been devoted to jewelled effects. The tunics of new evening dresses are trimmd so lavishly with mock jewels that the couturiere is turning her workroom into a species of Aladdin's cave with a store of emeralds and amethysts, pink coral, and pearls. These are bound to supersede to a great extent the glittering paillettes of last season, and what is lost in -parkling effects is gained in t ie beautiful soft colour schemes and the richness of the ensemble. Enormous cut amethysts are the favourite stones in this connection and are often allied to large smoke grey blister pearls on a gown of silvergrey satin and ninon. Coloured gowns in the palest hyacinth blue and pink have tunics of coarse gold and silver net sewn with gems, while even in the case of the black gown which is becoming such a favourite with the modern couturiere. there are gleams of silver shining like moonlight through the meshes of the black, a high black satin corselet skirt being oftentimes completed by a corsage of silver tissue covered with a veiling of black tulle, which is gathered closely over it. In such a gown a blonde looks triumphantly at her best, while the redeeming touch of silver prevents the necessity of putting it on the Index where the brunette is concerned. TRAINS LACKI) WITH SILVER CORDS Many of the trains are the waistline between, while numbers of this season's examples will be slashed up round the hem in one or more places and laced together again with silver cords arrang-.l in a lattice work or ■a .th pearls or macre beads. The combination of macre sequins and pearls is essential.y a scheme for the debutante in taese days when embroideries axe by

no means placed on the Index where girls in their teens are concerned, the soft multi-coloured gleam of the sequins making a lovely touch of relief to the snowy whiteness of the gown. JU Fashionable Wedding Gown. Most brides have abandoned absolute simplicity where the wedding gown is concerned, and in ordering the conventional scheme of glistening satin and lace, the almost übiquitous embroideries of bugles arid pearls have nearly always to ba weighed in the balance and decided for or against. No good couturiers however, is content with a mass of rich embroideries of the most elaborate description, and so many yards of rare old laee, unless a note of decided originality is introduced into the scheme, and in the case of the bride here sketched the scheme of decoration is a particularly happy and distinctive one. OSTRICH PLUMES WORKED IN PEARLS AND BUGLES The corsage is scooped out in front, and bordered with a curious and most effective design of curling ostrich plumes worked in silver bugles and milk-white pearlo, the fronds sweeping over ths

shoulders and being brought so low on left side as to hold the folds of the train in place a little below the waist, while a deep fringe of pear-shaped pef.rls and bugles strung together fall below the liroderie. The same embroidery follows the line of the tunie where it is slit up on the left side, and has the effect of connecting two sides, while the c rsage is caught in deep ridges under the line of the pearls. Above the satin are soft folds of rare old Honiton lace, mellowed to the rich tint of clotted cream, which disappears under the corsage and reappears again in the form of a panel on the left side, while the lace is surmounted in turn by a drapery of net, hemmed with Honiton applique, which takes the place of the guimpe, and is drawn into the form of a “ V ” in front, the hanging curtain sleeves, which open up the centre, and are fringed with pearls and bugles, being fashioned of the same, over rucked under sleeves of Honiton lace. ORANGE BLOSSOMS, HEATHER AND MYRTLE, A posy of orange blossoms, white heather, and flowering myrtle, grouped together in apparently careless fashion, is tucked into the front of the corsage, with long trails of buds and leaves falling from it almost to the hem of the jupe, while the tulle veil falls like * light summer cloud round the wearer.