Ladies Column.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 367, 21 May 1903, Page 2

Ladies Column.

T '

. i «pi -&** — FAJS&IGN %ND THINGS KIMONO. IMWHEBE is very little douh't that the Jbf'JK Japanese costume ia fat more comfortable than English dress, and it is, moreover, extremelyTgraoeful and becoming when properly worn. Bat Jtpanese kimonos, picturesque and comfortable as they, are, can hardly be UnMiinJously adopted by Englishwomen; nevertheless, tbere is no reason why an adaptation of the kimono should not be worn for neglige purposes. Already, io fact, there is quite a v.ogue for Japanese dressing-gowns and*"-" dressing-]aclets, vjmltecand-embroidered •fiamnelwaad siikß being pressed" into the servic'e" and fashioned oa the lines of the garments wbrri by ;the charmingjlittlft-':women of Japan. The full-length sketch in this column shows a design for a dressinggo wn or breakfast-gown modelled on the lines of the kimono. ' It could be made of Japanese crepe or fancy flannel, being bound all round with quilted silk. The .Hmono sleeves should.be lined with something pretty, either plain or quilted \silk, /which need only extend, to the depth of the cuff; the rest of the gown need not necessarily be lined, though it is usual to line dresßiog-gowns from; the neck to the waist, The colour cf the quilted silk must, of bourse, contrast agreeably, with the rest of-the gown. Japanese red would be a g< od leading colour for winter avear. The robe fastens with flat buttons (sewn to the left front) and but ton-holes (made ina ; fly-l«p beneath 'the rightifrorit) and a cord with taesels girdles the waist>The long, straight -lines of- the kimoao are

generally, acknowledged to' bo far more becoming to the figure than tha gatment ■ with' : a riip'ped-in waist,'' The design sketched! combines a good deal of strictly modern English fashion with a suggestion of the Japanese, the arrangement at the neck being, of course, quite the/most fashionable mode of the day. The bell or kimono sleeve is, again, at the tip-top of fashion. fp K UoH v«* fa vtovil.' -. ",' TWO CH aBMING BtiQUSEStf I: alluded at the beginning of my -chat torfth^.,favour,.,shown, to tucks in connection., with ishirts, and; ,c|| the decorative bio ase takes on of trimming. An, instance of a muchtucked blouse,' but perfectly simple withal, is shown in one of the figures sketched in this column. The modsl-from which' the deeign is" taken was made of white; china crepe trimmed with ' string-coloured guipure lace, and. the soloed that I decided" tb pies on/ the. idea to others. A blouse of pipk or blue china crepe looks equally '" well made 'in "the style il'ustrated. Of course'soft Japanese silk or woollen crepe would also make' up delightfully in this way; the style is so ! simpler"'but io-"pretty I .* u iei«lKd

~wosJtf> 'yrh& he£ needle . 'couidleasily make ttie blouse herself; The 1 tucks should be'as fi ae':as p-ssible—they willwell repay the troublerrand need, of cpuTskUo bejperfectly even,and the] lines to hi kept straight. Bands of guipure elaep'fche sleeves at the elbows, whence crepe/ tacked- 1 from the shouidera, •falls free until it in' caught at the wrists fin Sulfa of.,guipur&. tThe illustrated woikai out Welkin vj»w»teen, and sjhows'a and original Way of trimming the upper 'pari' of a 'bodice. The fashionable threaded effect w arrived at bylueans of a tante<i*lft<J6};Boar|E j passed thron|h the velvefceeny wbipfc i* slashgd up forjthe gfdftjfg hanging Btole-fashion. !,A small yoke of lace and armlets and cuffs "en - suited give furtner light relieif toJfche of. the velvet, and h'elp to produce, charming blouse. j The sleeves are pleated on the: upper part, the pleats Veiug rither wide apart. \A "•';: ; ' ,?