Ladies' Column.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 448, 17 November 1904, Page 2

Ladies' Column.

LATEST LONDON AND PARIS FASHIONS, By MISS IDA MELLER [All Eights Reserved.] i IT is not only .clothes that give to a I woman the appearance of being well-d-essed. Much depends, also, on tho.'way ia which she holds herself. The fact has been impressed upon me very strongly of lato owing to the arrival in England of a large number of American women who, as usual, arc over for the season and are once more emphasising the contrasts that exists in the matter of deportment between Englishwomen and American women. The latter hold themselves so particularly upright that their frocks are seen to special advantage ; whereas in the general carriage of the Englishwoman the shoulders are not polled so sharply back as with the American weman, and in this little point alone, that of holding the shoulders square and well back, rests in a large measure, the art of wearing a dress successfully. We must all have come across, at one time or another, tho woman of commonplace* figure richly clad, but who wore her clothes so ill that it was not until we had been in her company an hour or so that we realised she had really good materials about her, and that her frock must have cost quite a large sum. There are women who never look smart, no matter what they may have on; and others, again, who impart a grace and a prettiness to the simplest gown and impress you that thoy are beautifully dressed when perhaps a mere eighteen pence a yard h.'i,s been given for the material worn. Since greater attention has been paid to physical culture, debutantes wear their dresses far better than they did, and have been taught that the shoulders that lean forward and consequently mean the sunken chest, considerably detract from the pretty effect of a dress. On the stage personal • carriage is, of course, most important to the actress, and the effect she is creating. If she cannot carry costume she is handicapped to a considerable degree, especially when gowns and stage-mounting are reckoned hardly second in importance to tho acting itself. On the whole, it rests more with the power of the woman horsolf ' to show off her'dress to advantage than with expensive stuffs to produce greateffects; though there are, of.-course, exceptions, tc-jevery rule, and someof the now niaterials' are so exquisite that fqm cannot

conceive thoy could db aught but -beautify - * on whomsoever they were worn. • -., _ '_« A BLACK TAFFETA GOWN* The material of the season is undoubtedly ; ' taffeta, of the new supple quality, for wb; - cl there is quite a craze ; and so far as designs are concerned those of the EarJy'WP Victorian period carry all before them, nowjp": modified, now replicas of those that have"■■_..;. been. In some cases a suggestion only of ;;. the old-fashioned mode is encouraged, whilo other gowns arc. rather extravagant, editions of those that havo gone before, and. in consequence the wearers are overburdened with a superfluity of material, frills and furbelows. Truth to tell, the . modes of the thirties were not particularly distinguished for beauty of design and outline, and save for the fact that fashionmakers lcvo to resort to extremes, it would be difficult to account for the reason that prompted them to decide upon a revival of the dress of the period. But their efforts are frequently crowned with success, for the really artistic drossmaker takes into consideration tho need cf modification when suiting tho ISiJO dressstylo to tho twentieth century woman. The commonplace dressmaker, on tho other hand, with no artistic instincts to guido her, is incapable of adapting with success; hence, it comes about that the Early Victorian modes, as worn to-day, arc both graceful and becoming and quite the reverse. Tho gown sketched, intended to bo made up in black taffeta, is suggestive of tho Early Victorian period, but steers clear of any tendency towards exaggeration, which is so very trying to tho average woman. The toilette is designed with a full skirt trimmed with threo littlo ruchings, and the bodice and sleeves aro arranged on the upper part with oldfashioned cordings and gaugings that pass over the shoulders, while at the waist there is much gauging that takes the 'place of a belt/ The bodice opens in front over a yoke ar.d centre-piece of guipure lace,

black or ivory, as preferred, and is studded with four antique buttons, the sleeves, which are very full, concluding in gauged and corded cuffs with attached frills of lawn or lace. The same design would be effective if carried out in brown taffeta, or navy blue. The black taffeta dress, bowever, is really the most useful of its kind, and always looks well and serves an infinity of purposes. As no elaborate garniture is employed, the dress sketched need not bo an expensive luxury, while at the same time it represents two of the most fashionable ideas of the moment, namely, taffeta silk and the early Victorian modo in a modified form. A CHOICE OF BLOUSES. The ways of the blouse defy description. All sorts of ingenious ideas are expressed in the bodices of to-day, and the work.putinto them is amazing. Insertions, incrustations, embroideries, applications—these arc some of the means employed to decorate the blouso of the moment, to say nothing of tucks and gaugings. The gauged blouso is, indeed, at tho top rung of the lad Jer of fashion. A pretty example of a blouse of the kind is sketched herewith. The gauging is arranged in pointed lines, and tho effect is handsome if cording is introduced. Crepe de Chine or soft silk or satin, voile or muslin, would be suitable materials for the blouso, which receives a pretty addition in a couple of straight

stoles made of laco motifs or medallions* •£• one stole being wider than the other. l J^fet jf »4_. sleoves, icorded and gathered at the top > finally drawn into deop, shaped cuffs ofiiisf. f-, The second and sirnplor blouso sketched is . made of spotted delaine, box-pleated to a square yoke of bebo velvet and hairpin -.-.._ embroidery. The cuffs correspond. This is a pretty, simple, style for a blouse without lace. Any of the new white-ground delaines with a black or coloured spot would make up prettily.,jfi the way suggested, , The black spot isfavourtd to a great extent by Parisiennes, ancl always looks smart. Another thing wtjich: the Frenchwomaa thinks highly of is;'a tou,eh of black with a cerise, champagne 1 or putty coloured frock,