FASHION NOTES FROM LONDON.
(Fbok Oob Own Correspondent.!
LONDON, July 2. Already, l>efor>e -we have had more than three days of summer, the summer sales are the excitement of the hour. Goods of light and cool texture have to be got rid of, consequently shoppers are in their element, and * they are making purchases in the hope that the next few weeks will be blessed by a heat-wave.
~-A Novelty. —
There is a new coat which is rather a wonderful garment, for it opens and buttons under the arms and is sleeveless; and the mere novelty of it commends the coat to those who like something fresh pretty frequently. At present it is made in fine, silky Shantung, with handsome braiding all round the outlines, and esupeoially down the sides, where the buttons and buttonholes are to be .found. Dressmakers and tailors do more than toy with the "eleeves-and-bodice-in-one" arrangement. Sleeves and back and front in on© piece 6O that the whole bodice consists of but two pieces, indicates the plan adopted not only in some new clotih costumes, but also in threequarter coats, the skirt portion in the latter case being separately added. There is good reason to suppose that this particular fancy will find a number of adherents. Good cut and good cloth are indispensable features of the scheme.
— Latest in Skirts.—
Panniers and semi-panniers of all sorts, hip-trimming, hip-draping, and hip-swathing of all Jdnds— suob are going to be the leading- motive in the dress development duringthe second half of the year. The late models from Vienna and Paris aJ readyturned out for the immediate present lend the strongest support to the prophecy ; some people expect that the long-foretold return to the polonaise pure and simple will not long be delayed. However, the waiet has now reached its proper position — and that is a comfort, but one does not wish to see a return of the pinched-in effect as • seems to be indicated by certain new styles. Although tilie outline of the figure at present is compact, some sort of trimming or folds of material round the hips is characteristic of many of the late dresses. At the Fajr of Fashions, which has been in progress this W43filc, one o£ t!i« Iteclfei-n. «32?gs£m^s iisucl a skirt s&t in deep kilts, with a broad hash iolded round the hips and knotted behind to faLl in two ends fee the edge of the skirt; the bodice was almost unnaturally long in the waist, and extremely tightfitting ; it looked as if it had been built upon the lay figure. Its steeves were tight, though rucked, and they were of elbow length. Sparsely-draped pannier tunics are tc be sesn, with narrow plastron in the middle cf the skirt, all tucke and embroidery. Ever 6o many dresses in thin materials are made en Princespe so far as bodice and \\ aist are concerned ; round about the knees the fulness begins, introduced in some sort of swathed draping which is tied in a bow at tha back of the skirt, midway between knees and ankle ; the whole of the back is •entirely plain from the neelc all the way down to the ankle drapery ; the dress genelally looks too well fitted for the wearer to be able to sit down with any comfort.
—That "Touch" of Blaelc—
The black eatin waistcoat is a feature of the up-to-date dress. It forms belt and ■wai=tccat in one, and is noticeable as an adjunct of dresses of painted muslin, 6ilk voile, or other light materials. The deep t>oi-(: of black shows up the delicate tints to cor.-^idei-able advantage. At times it is repeated round the hem of the ekirl, as, in tne ca-e of a cream-tinted silk cashmere v.jth gold and oxydkod embroideries in long lino= ; hfie the black fratin v>aietcoar was pauly hUkl-ca on tlie chc-st bj a band
of cashmere covered with the embroideryw and carried across the front under the small black satin lapels of the waistcoat. Again, a bkek scarf is chosen to go with a light and dainty gown, but oare must be taken that the black does not form itself into close and heavy folds. Thore are scarves of black gauze which are lightened by an embroidery in oxydised silver 'n a slender linaalong the edges. There are, of course, numerous scarves which are. not of black — each week their variety seems to extend* Black velvet flowers are asked for, and are willingly supplied by the milliner, who will arrange them on a hat of white, perhaps in conjunction with a white blossom here and there. In direct contrast to the black velvet lilies and irids are tlie flowers made of spotted and plain muslin ; these are' generally of white, though some of them are faintly tinted pink or yellow. Hugo Leghorn hats are fa*vourita subjects for the display of black velvet flowers, all of immense size- "Without a '"touch" of black the dressmaker, the milliner, and the tailor would be at a sad loss. Black velvet ribbon, so long worn clasping the neck, now forms bracelets -pinned with a small brooch, in the old-fashioned way— if the brooch is antique, so much the batter A length of tulle in wMte or colours is worn by the girl who goes in for ths picturesque; she ties it closely round nor wrist with longends falling from a tigut little bow. Another bracelet idea is a circle of flowers suob as forget-me-nots or botton-roses ; these are worn over the sleeve, if a longsleeved dress i 6 worn, or over the gloves if the toilet is for the evening.
— Fashionable Tunics. —
For wearing ovei plain satin gowns Tn almost any colour the long tunics in net and chiffon are liked, while the beautiful embroideries which adorn so many of them help to render them doubly attractive, also doubly costly.
— Evening Clcaks. —
Wraps of all kinds for the evening are expensive items of the wardrobe in this luxuriant age. Nowadays, the possession of a beautiful cloak means as much as the possession of a new frock, if not more, due to the fact that with the wonderful and ethereal afternoon gowns, richly embroidered, for outdoor fetes, satin wraps are worn, as well as those of 6ilk or cloth ; so that a cloak is often the hardest-worked garment of the wardrobe. The satin of to-day is so soft and * amenable that it lends itself much better to the loose indefinite mantle than it does to ' the long pac coat, and all the evening wraps are of the burnous type, usually of soft satin. Important variety of effect is obtained by the gorgeous colourings of the embroideries with which they are trimmed.- Apart from the evening wraps with sleeves there are numoers of other graceful opera cloaks made in circular shape, on the now familiar burnous lines, with draped hoods in the middle finished with long taseels of gold or silver cord
— Day Coats. —
One of the temptations of this 6uramer is the fascinating separate coat, ready to be slipped on over any dress. It may bo made of laoe- or of embroidered silk, with sleeves that are large and easy to slip off and on. Coarse-meshed net appliqued with glace silk is used for it, too, and through the meshes the dress beneath . is visible ; the transparent coat, - usually, even if it is of lace, is made to match the colour of the dress beneath. The- transparent coat seems most frequently to accompany the foulard dress, which is more and more frequently met with. Every colour is pressed into the service of this silk by the manufacturers, and pretty are the silver greys sown with white pois, the soft powder blues, almond greys, hyacinths, mauves, and lavenders, and tl.e rich chestnut shades and currant reds which have lately put in an appearance; foulard silks are trimmed with bands of self-coloured soft cloth, the trimming matching the groundwork rather than tha spot
•— Here and There.—
Bronze kid is in request for house slippers, and it is likely that white stockings will be worn with them. At present, however, shoes and hosiery must match, or at any rate they must be in harmony, and harmony is only looked upon with favour when stockings of the two-stripe variety are worn ; otherwise shoes and stockings must be quite alike. Home embroiderers are working plain stockings with patterns |jof their choice, using sprays of flowers as a rule, interspersed with lace medallions on the instep. Ribbed effects in stockings are liked, and those of eilk in two tones produce this result; grey and pale violet go together, so do black and white, pale blue and dull green — in short, the combine, tions are innumerable. ! Silk gloves to be worn with short sleeves are embroidered up and down the arm, and are also inset with lace medallion*; or, for another change, the silk may ho woven in an openwork fashion like the silk mittens of several generations ago. The gloves are worn to fit over the arm without wrinkles, and are made in all the new tones and pastel shades The embroidery is generally chosen to match exactly the silk, though contrasts are admissible. A novel effect is produced by a border o! cambric or eilfe flowers arranged on a sku-t each flower being- picked from ike parent stalk and applied to the material of the gown, while the stems and leaves are embroidered in shaded silks to form a definite design. The effect is quite surprising-,-as the flower-head stands away from the dress material in the most perky manner. Marguerites, poppies, and cornflowers were thus introduced on to a dress of white silk muslin, the green accompaniments beint* worked flat into the material. French eailor hats in coarse, brilliant straws, with low crowns and very wide brims, make useful river and seaside bate, trimmed either with many loops of velvet' ribbon in some contrasting shade, or witK draped scarves of soft silk, patterned with Oriental designs and colourings, and- drawn; at the side through large buckles made of straw. ft Fashionable ostrich feathers are really" worth possessing; many are about a yard in length, and arc full and broad in proportion ; they arrange themselves gracefully, on large picture shapes. Thank goodness at last some really becoming picture shapes are being revived. Other ostrich plumes, not so long, are worn, rising high in the" air from about the " crown of the hat. Theee have fronds a quarter of a yarc?lonsr — quite weeping tips — and are marvel" lously light and feathery A strikingly, unusual hat at Ascot, was of black strati of peculiar shape; from the middle of it* crown appeared five big white O6tricp feathers, which fell over on tUfe _ rinr ht pide.
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Otago Witness, Issue 2892, 18 August 1909, Page 74
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1,791FASHION NOTES FROM LONDON. Otago Witness, Issue 2892, 18 August 1909, Page 74
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