Ladies' Column.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 390, 29 October 1903, Page 2

Ladies' Column.

—p.'ij*-**

fashion:and things feminine^

Bt MISS ADA MELLER [All Eights Bhbbrvhd, 1 I

a PEBrrr house-bobe, J aHE growing appreciation'rer tea-gown has led to many smart dresses being built upon teagown lines, although to all appearance they are bodice and skirt in two distinct parts. I have already written, however, about tbe new all-in-one dress, so it is unnecessary to go into details again. The tea-gown in its acknowledged form—the loose or semifitting robe~ia never permissible at dinners and social festivities; but the empire dross fills its place on these occasions. Thi modern princeqse dress is, oddly enough, rarely seen'at soirees, although it is, of course, introduced by in many beautiful forms; but fancy ließ all in favour of blouses and skirts just now, or, for stately wear, of draped bodices trimmed with

lace and chiffon. For home wear on quiet evenings a simple neglige or teagown is a boon to a busy woman. A model worth copying is illustrated in this column. The dress, suitable tor any material, is arranged with a full front tneied at the neck, and mounted into a band of lace insrxtiolft another band crossing the tuuks lower down I .' SOver the shoulders is a collar of tucked muslin frilled with lace and headed- by a band of insertion that is continued into a long Btolo cascaded with lace. This is a novel and pretty feature of the design. The sleeves are caught below the elbow with bands of insertion, and fall in natural flounces, edged with lace, to the wrists. The gown fastens at the left side, beneath the lace stole, but the opening is not continued to the hem of the skirt.

A BACQUE COAfe -=-. Although the eSafc and skirj; costume prevails, it is necessary for every wardrobe to be provided with an independent coat as an extra wrap, and many are the coats shown this season in light and dark cloth for this purpose, some of them made with single capes, others with double and treble capes, each one, perhaps, "piped with white or pile-coloured cloth. The fashionable stole is introduced or simulated on coats in sundry instances, and is occasionally of the coat material, at other times of cloth or silk of a contrasting colour, while again it is,, to be met with cut from embroidery ,of Oriental colouring and.design. Another style in '*. cloth coats shows the material cut all over

in flounces, as it were, and the bell sleeves

finished with' triple flounces. The palest shades of grey and fawn are worn, and putty coats are among- the smartest of the vogues. A simple model of a sacqus coat that looks well carried oub ia light cloth is sketched herewith, "stole collar might be of the same material «3 the rest of the coat, closely stitched, or of cloth of a coatrasting colour. A pale blue stole collar or a putty-coloured ,coat is a favourite notion , just now, and,' one that would work out well on the model illustrated. Another soheme is a stole ollarof brown glace silk 1 on a light fawn coat. The triple capos and double bells to the sleeves are finished with Btitching, which might be of the coat colour or in harmony with the stole collar. FASHIONABLE BELTS. Next to lace collars, high belts ate the most unpjrtant items to be reckoned with among what may be termed the etce'eras of the toilette. The' smart little toque coat that prevails, extending no further than the waist-line, sometimes scarcely bo far, is responsible for bringing into fashion again the corselet belt, for it is deemed corect that the glimpses of the waist that are obtained from beneath the looseness and shortness of the coatee shall reveal a high eeinture Bhaped to the figure. The corset is particularly becoming to stout figures, aud in any case is to be praised, tor it keeps the. waist trim and shapely, and averts any -unbecoming •bagginess' that is frequently perceptible at the waist when üblined; blouses are worn. The newest ceintures are drawn to a point in front, and knotted in the ' most wonderful way at, the,'baok, where they are. arranged in a long narrow bow, the upper loops extending -much above " the waist-line. The belts;'WO" -usually boned to give the figure* the dip in, and the curve at the back of the waist is sometimes accentuated by moanst* of a loHjg steel buckle, or one of the fashionable art noveau buckles, beat to the natural curve of the .figure. Sometimes the bait is Swise-shaped in fronts with a point top and bottom.,