Fashion Notes from Paris.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLIX, Issue 4, 22 January 1913, Page 69

Fashion Notes from Paris.

(By a Parisian Expert.) PARIS, November 15. Anything particularly becoming will be the first consideration in gowns this season, and there you are! Of course, there are ideas upon which special stress will be laid by the dictators of the winter models, but there is no real revolutionary spirit in the dressmaking world of Paris at present. The point in the study of the present-day conditions will be interesting for one with a serious interest in the history and philosophy of clothes. A number of houghs are turning out some charming models. Chenit has come to the front, Mme. Paquin has gleams of inspiration, Callot Soeurs create ravishing gowns, and Drecoll is an artist. Many new names are assuming importance, hut commercialism is prominent in the dressmaking quarters of Paris, and there are those who decline to believe that as French dressmaking has become more of a business it has become less of a high art. Worth the grandson is not Worth the grandfather, although the grandson makes charming frocks of a conservative type. Will all this change cost Paris her supremacy in the world of dressmaking? We dOubt it. There is still the French colour sense, and still tlie tradition. Women are becoming more independent of the set models, and axe keen on individualism in their clothes. A majority of the new models have the normal waist line, but shori-waisted frocks will be worn by many a fashion leader who feels that they suit her best, so tlhc great designers have included at least a few short-waisted frocks among their models. Frills. The plaited white frill, with checked border, which finishes the Dutch- neck is an effective touch, but we shall be desperately tired of these plaited neck frills before the season is over, for three out of

five frocks seem to sport them in one form or another. They are unquestionably pretty, but we have them in lace, in net, in lingerie stuff, in chiffon, in Xnousseline, etc., and the most charming iof inodes palls when too generally exploited. Plaited frilling by the yard is .offered in many attractive forms, and the fad supplies an easily-appointed neck finish. Often the frills are beautifully made by hand, and elaborated with fine embroidery, or real laee. What, oh, what is the woman with the ugly, scran,>y neck to do when all the feminine world

will go with bare throats? Let her hie her to the beauty doctor now, for bleaching and massage, and conscientiously take neck exercises early and late, for the Parisian designers seem to have done their best to eliminate the high collar from the programme. This spells comfort, but it does not necessarily spell beauty. A Dutch nCck frock is hideously unbecoming to some women, and those women will do well to defy the mode, and keep at least a plain shger veiling of lace or net or mousseline over their throats;

but there’s no denying that much can I>C done to make an ugly throat beautiful, and if you will wear low-cut frocks, you owe it to the public to make the exhibit as attractive as possible. Fashions in Millinery.

Never has there been a time when the fashions in millinery have been so varied. There is the large picture hat, trimmed with fur and feathers, as well as ribbon; then there are the First Empire helmets, the latter particularly becoming to the small woman, as they are finished with narrow projecting brims casting subdued shadows across the face. “Necessity is the mother of invention," is an adage which is emphasised by the clever home milliner who recently converted a blaek beaver picture hat into a thimble toque. Naturally the bandeau was removed, and the brim slit at the back; the crease where the crown and the brim -had been united was obliterated by ironing. A fancy feather mount successfully concealed the portion which had later to be joined. Very charming are the new alouette toques, their weight being quite insignificant. In giving you this resume of our winter millinery, 1 must apologise to my dear readers in Auckland for not giving them something more suitable for the exigencies of the New Zealand climate, but I must give a faithful account of our Paris fashions up-to-date; and all these models can easily be made into absolutely charming summer millinery, by substituting straw for felt, tulle for velvet, and marabout for fur. Les Coaleurs a la Mode. Blue and purple are to have it all their own way this winter. We are allowed to choose our own shades, which may be very light or very dark, and consequently everyone is able to join the prevailing fashion. Last spring the vogue for royal blue for feathers and hats became absolutely tiresome, and we are not done with it yet. At a recent smart gathering, such widely different beauties as the young Duchesse d’Uzes and the Princess® Faucigny de Lucinge were wearing blue of various shades, and La Marquise de la Rochefoucauld was altogether in royal blue; while a sensation was caused by a foreign guest who was in a cobalt cloth tailor suit with quantities of pink feathers on a white hat. It. sounds perfectly hideous, doesn't it? 'Twasn’t so ugly as it sounds on paper! An Extreme of Fashion. An idea of how “ history is repeating itself ” in the world of dress may be gleaned from the fact that an advanced modiste is showing a model reminiscent of the dresses worn by Les Merveilleuses about 1790. This dress has a skirt ol white brocade trimmed with skunk, while the corsage is of black ninon with a narrow frill below the waistline. It was not altogether attractive, except from its novelty. It is, however, the

small speck on the horizon that indicates to the initiated that the days of the blouse are by no means numbered. Our Sketch. The pretty little frock illustrated is delightfully simple; and just the thing for a girl in her teens. The foundation is of pearl grey satin, the under bodice and sleeves being almost entirely composed of a very fine mesh silver tissue lace. Then comes the over dress in grey mousseline, of a shade paler than the foundation. The corsage is made on kimono lines, while the skirt is slightly gathered into a wide empiecement hemmed with black fox, as is also the corsage. Chinchilla would also look well as a trimming, and so would swansdown or marabout.