Paris- in the Mirror

Evening Post, Volume CXIV, Issue 92, 15 October 1932, Page 9

Paris- in the Mirror

PARIS, 24th August, Everywhere in Paris one sees the most elegantly, dressed women, and the city is gay with them, as with a flight of tropic birds. Pretty women abou.id everywhere, and in the evening they are most beautifully- dressed. The frocks are made of such soft clinging materials that it is hard to believe that they are not of some wet stuff that sticks to the figure. One recalls with a feeling of amusement, the damp muslins of the Directoire. More and more gowns are being made in many pieces. There are floating portions in the form of aprons in the front, while scarves in chiffon or tulle, or in tho same material as the dress, arc everywhere seen.

The pretty idea of a tight scarf called "serre tete" wound around the hair, will perhaps become popular. It is certainly, very becoming to some women, whether with, or without a hat.

Many arc the lovely women who cover with, a Pierrot cap ,in various colours, wonderful hair that has been | dyed some wonderful colour by a most wonderful coiffeur. I should like to see this style adopted for wear under large hats in various contrasting! colour-schemes, such as black under a light hat, or red under a dark blue one. A lace cap under a. black velvet capolino was worn at the Grand Prix de Deauville by a Trench actress whom it suited to perfection. LACE DBESSES IN RAINBOW TINTS. Lace holds a front lank place for evening gowns at t_he Paris Openings. Models in this fabric are shown, in infinite variety. They are equally pleasing for debutantes or matron.

There is an apparent preference for white—luscious cream, and ivory tints. Delicate flesh, pink, bright Ted, vivid green, dark blue, and brown are the recent shades used by Parisian coutu-

riers. Laces of two colours are combined in some interesting evening gowns. The skirts of these lace dresses conform to the fashionable silhouette. They are closely fitted at the top and flare at the bottom. Some are of amazing yardage. The skirt of a frock seen at a recent fashion show— a black chiffon dance frock trimmed around the bottom with scarlet lace mitred to form deep squares—is fully six'yards in width.

Black lace frocks are being shown in new and exceptionally chic models. Skirts arc long and full, gathered to a plain yoke, or fitted snugly round the hips with the aid of bias seaming. Some have deep flounces that are lifted in the front or on one side. An amusing detail in a few of these filmy frocks is I|he horsehair facing that stiffens and holds'out the ruffles. The

Written for "Tho Post" by Germaine.

softly, fitted.bodices- of: black lace gowns are .often.enriched with fichus, cape-collars,..ar ..scarf arrangements. Not a few Jiav.e.lace, jackets which render them, practical for many occasions —without, they, are informal, with them, they become, .ideal" hostess gowns. STYLES 'FOE BRIDES. All-white weddings, with / bride and bridesmaids alike, outfitted in wedding satin are the last word in Paris chic. You can tell tho bride—sh« has a veil on—but otherwise, the dresses are cut on similar patterns, and veils this season are going in for variety. Many a fashionable bride last winter has worn a veil that hung from a harness of pearls or orange-blossoms, this harness covering the head and the veil beginning somewhere around the ears. It ends, according to the bride's fancy, in trailing cascades of tulle or lace, or somewhere about the knoes, .like the Veil of a vestal virgin^ Lace-trimmed, all-lace, and all-tulle veils, are the three chosen varieties. There are many gradations in white satin gowns—dead-white, plaster-white, oyster-white, ivory-white, and snowwhite. One bride' last season abandoned white for ice-blue, and.another wore tho rose of hope. Bouquets are being carried as usual, by our most particular brides. Eeal lilies, sometimes a big bouquet of them, and, often, just a stalk, are in the lead in bridal favour. ; Orange-blossoms are used for decorating veil and frock,' rather than for the bouquet. Some brides carry an ivory prayer-book and . omit flowers, others carry little muffs of purest white ermine with veils banded with the same fur. A bijde in the last winter Beason wore a cloth of silver gown, with a bouquet of artificial silver lilies, having velvet stems and leaves. : ' DETAILS OF FASHIONS. . This season we are- either vastly untlrapcd or else voluminously' veiled from head to foot. Dancing in pyjama trousered bodiceless frocks, or fluffy frills and lacy ones, we .display one phase of the outline of August, 1932. An evening frock may be of stuff so seemingly solid and "sensible" as black velvet. But, so elusively slender are its proportions that the 'nuance' of its presence only accentuates the. miles of white skin, that in its own modest, retiring way, it serves so exquisitely to show up and off. But even a velvet dress may be light you know, for is anything in the world so perfectly beautiful/ as a chiffon velvet gown?

Immense black ostrich feather fans are in. They are often mounted, on tortoiseshell. A feather fan to play with.is always a graceful asset. Beaded gowns are being shown, and a lovely one is done in beads in purple and pink, black and emerald, or grey, and peach, blue, mauve-blue, navy-blue, and red. Lace sleeves, and neck-yokes are placed on some frocks, and on one afternoon dress the whole of the back is made of lace to match the sleeves.

A jabot may be a trifling incident, attached to the upper part of the frock. Yet, of whatever length and whereover placed, it contrives to add a distinctive note of arresting attention. The jabot has firmly established itself, and is assured of playing a large part in the new dress schemes. ' '

A pretty fashion for evening is a narrow velvet or tinsel ribbon passed high about the throat, the very long ends tied under one ear in hanging loops to fall over the shoulders.

Collars are varied and will start and end unexpectedly. Peter Pan or Etoncollars of stiffeneded muslin or linen, are seen on dresses. A large one, of starched muslin, is copied from that of a nun. . .' ...

Pique is a material which comes to the fore both for trimmings and dresses.- Frills trim quite a number of over-blouses.