Paris in the Mirror

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 71, 20 September 1930, Page 19

Paris in the Mirror

Written for "Th» Post" by Germaine.

PARIS, 23rd' July.

BEACH SUIT MODESTY.

Modesty is a keynote of the latest typo of beach suit. It is so modest, in fact, that to modern eyes accustomed to the fresh revelations of the majority of these costumes:it seems a little indelicate. This is because the "shorts," concealed below a smart little skirt of shantung buttoned at one side, resemble nothing in the world so much as a pair of old-fashioned knickers with a blouse top.

They are rather wide, and straight almost to the knees, over which a quaint frill falls, which very effectually covers them. , The result is that, although a woman would readily apyear on tho beach clad in the usual

shorts, or even trousers, the same woman, if she wore the now suits, might feel as though she had accidentally come out with a garment lacking. Still, they aro decidedly ah amusing novelty, one .of several which was shown in one of the last collections. Another was a cart-wheel beach hat, usually in a vivid colour to match the beach suits. SPORTS CLOTHES TRIM LINES. 1 The ribbons and' ruffles that adorn other kinds of clothes have no place iv the wardrobe for. active Bportis. This is one point of the,mode that has not yielded to- the wave of fuss and femininity. Changed it has,'to the extent of adopting fitted lines which replace the old, rather shapeless silhouette with a much trimmer one, but skirts are still short, and trimming is" a restrained matter of tucking, tiny bows, appliques

and the like. Sports clothes are meant for business—the pleasant summer business of swinging at a golf ball, or playing tennis, or of lining a neat four drive to the corner where your opponent is not. Consequently, the best costume is the one that allows the most freedom for action for any sacrifice of becomingness, and the best accessories are your favourite tennis racquets and your favourite clubs. The shirt-and-shorts combination is the most-dispussed idea in 1930 tennis costumes. . It was worn at Dcauvillc, but will it actually appear on tennis ■ courts in other centres, when women's tennis gets under way—which, by the way, it officially does to-morrow, with the opening of the championships of Saint Cloud in the Bois de Boulogne. ' Bemembering the furore caused b3' the bare-leg fad, one wonders! SOPHISTICATED TENNIS • DRESSES. Of course, tennis dresses will be worn by thousands, and these have travelled a long way from the schoolgirl middy blouse and pleated skirt effect that prevailed not so very long ago. They are quite sophisticated, they are fitted or belted, at the natural waist, and they scorn the exaggerated sun-tan back, as a last year's fad, that is over and done with. They consider it newer and smarter to have short sleeves than to have no sleeves at all. White is still standard for tenni%, and mostly for tournament play, but not everyone enters tournaments, and the new pastels are lovely. Pink and blue are leaders, with green and yellow close behind. Never were sports fabrics so varied, so interesting—and so practical! Besides the usual silk crepes there are quantities of models in cotton mesh, shantung, pique, and shirting, all of which tailor well, wear well, and launder beautifully. Lacy jerseys, boucle, and flannel appear in many active sports costumes, particularly for golf and boating. A pretty idea is to combine a blazer-striped linen coat with a. plain linen frock for summer sports wear. THE FASHIONABLE STOCKING. We are in summer, but the fashionable stocking is taking on tones of wintry darkness; No flesh or nude tones, but brownish and copperybeiges, smoky-greys and tans, are the colours that film that decreasing expanse of the smart leg which fashion permits to be on view. These darker stockings are worn in the evening, and in the daytime, and they form a striking contrast with white and pastel-col-oured evening dresses. And shoes! The merest glimpse of the new footgear will convince the beholder that everything is "very sandal. "The cut-outness of evening shoes is marvellous when it is found that they actually do enclose the foot for dancing. Never have evening shoes been more delicate and shapely There is a sandal for the new so-called "Greek" gowns, that is made for bare toes, with its straps and bands of kid fastening only over the instep and leaving the front of the foot free. ELABORATE GLOVES. Elaborately-cut gauntlet gloves are very smart this season for -afternoon wear, and in the evening long suede gloves studded with tiny brilliants forming a. spray of flowers up the back of the arm of the glove are one of the latest fashions. And gloves also stc being hand-painted. This new fashion for gloves is certainly'very smart, but it has.two disadvantages. "Women with small' dress allowances will find long suede evening gloves or smart ganntlei gloves ' not only expensive to wear but also expensive to keep clean. "Women with plenty of money and any amount of jewellery will hate concealing their rings, and bracelets under long gloves, however smart they are. As a matter of fact, fine suede gloves are far more becoming to a woman with small hands than jewellery.