THOSE LITTLE ITEMS

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 354, 15 May 1928, Page 5

THOSE LITTLE ITEMS

IMPORTANT DRESS DETAILS : By DORE CHARMON When a woman sets out to review ; and enlarge lier wardrobe to-day sbe ; sets about it in an entirely different | way from what she would have done, ! say, a couple of years ago. There Is, j definitely, a new point of view about ! dress. Smart women never, never j rely upon their frocks alone to create \ the impression they want. ,It is the day of the little things in the dress world. This great revolution binds together all the separate pieces of ad- j vice that designers have long since | been endeavouring to make women j accept. The frock itself is only a ( background. It is not so much clothes as the accessories that are so import- [ ant at the moment. Of course, the j frock must be of good material, well cut and well made, but, without its own particular “trimmings,” which are put on and taken off every time it is worn, it is incomplete. Their Proper Place Accessories are now divided into morning, afternoon and evening sections. These must never be muddled, and, at the moment, I believe it is a more heinous offence to wear your morning jewellery with your afternoon frock than it would be to go to bed in your evening gown! This is the way to build up a hundred per cent, appearance. All accessories must harmonise with the dress, but designers have weird and wonderful ideas of harmony. The most striking colour contrasts are looked upon with favour. Morning jewellery consists of such stones as cornelians, opals of all shades, jade and coral and providing you don’t mix the stones, you may load yourself as heavily as you please. You may wear six or seven bracelets and as many strings of beads. Ear-ripgs, If any, must also match, to say nothing of the monogram on one’s bag. I

Afternoon jewellery is a little more ambitious. Pearls, I may say, are as dead as mutton. Now that a perfectly imitation pearl can be produced for something under a halfpenny, the craze is all for imitation diamonds which (momentarily, at great exexpense) have been made to rival the brilliance of the most wonderful African stones. They should be worn unbacked, set in fine silver chains, and I am convinced that before long they will be as popular as the pearl has ever been. Chains of crystal or of old French paste, buckle and brooches and bangles to match are worn in profusion. Cut Steel Gold jewellery is also smart, although as a rule It Is only worn with black. Cut steel is another novelty which is a trifle eccentric, but more than chic. In the evening the very simplest dress may be chosen, for, with so much elegant jewellery at one’s disposal, it would be sheer waste of money to spend an enormous sum on a gown. As a matter of fact, I think this vogue for “trimming” a frock every time one wears it will lead women to buy fewer and plainer dresses. Emeralds, sapphires, rubles, diamonds, reproduced in tremendous imitations, are linked on fine chains and are sufficient to dazzle the dimmest eye. There are shoulder brooches, long ear-rings and a dozen or so bracelets to match.