PARIS FASHIONS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 121, 14 January 1932, Page 7

PARIS FASHIONS

MISS LEROY WRITES TO HER N.Z. FRIENDS CHRISTMAS IN THE GAY CITY (By Air Mail) PARIS, December 10. Two weeks to Christmas — and Christmas in Paris. I know your festive season is all over, and I hope you enjoyed it, but what more could the worldly wise wish (I really didn't intend the alliteration) but a modest travelling allowance, a kindly bank manager and Paris at this time o' the year. Such a host of things to do, and hear about, and see, especially the last-mentioned. I wish you could devise some sort of lon£-dis-tance telescope to view with me the fashion books, the shop windows, the little midinettes with their mysterious, fascinating little boxes and packages, hurrying from salons and workshops — 'n' everything. Better, I wish you were here to see it all "in the flesh." Long skirts are finding more favour now that even hem lines are' in. Weren't those uneven arrangements ghastly? On Weclnesday the motif was "Up at the back, down at the front"; on Thursday it would be "longer at the sides, of course," and by Friday afternooii heaven and the Lido alone knew which was what. But now that length and evenness are the vogue one must confess the idea is becoming, particularly with the accompaniment of many beautiful shades for the evening — brown, crow-blue, for example. Have you seen them? But what of the morrow? Ah mei — and you. Whenever I see or hear of coming fashions I almost invariably think of "These old shades" of Georgette Heyer's, a most entertaining hook. How the shades of dressmakers in the time of William and George, and Victoria (particularly Victoria) must preen themselves as, gazing from their fashionable heavens, they watch our designers "adapting" fifty-years-old notions that we may dress ourselves in terms of the "new" idea! Shades of the farthingale and the muff, the bustle and the laces. But they're coming (back) . Salons and workrooms are as full of new-old models as" designers are determined we women shall renounce our emancipation by going at least three-fifths of the way back along a fifty-year-old ;road of fashion. And with them will come long gloves, myriads of pintuclcs, close-fxttxng bodices — make no mistake abont it. ' One thing more. Did you ever drihk mate?" N'o", I'm not being Vulgar . because there's an accent over the "E" which makes one pronounce it "matay," and you don't get it at

the cocktail bar. As a matter of fact it is a South American tea which ' Parisiennes, given to embonpoint ; and rheumatism, drink each morning ; much the same as a good many EngI lishwomen drink Glatiber's salts in hot water. The leaf has a chaff-like appearance, is slightly aromatic : when scalded, and certainly is more stimulating than ordinary tea. Possibly cthe last-mentioned quality explains why mate is so popular in . Paris — it enables. women suffering from obesity to "slim" without suffering so badly from hunger pangs. But I must be off — I wish you, sincerely, all that is good.