As Paris Goes to the Play

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 545, 24 December 1928, Page 5

As Paris Goes to the Play

Gowns and Wraps Sparkle With Bright Embroideries

New Small Jackets

Opening night at the Paris theatres finds the leading roles taken not by the people on the stage, but by those In the double tier of boxes. To dress these actors-for-a-night fittingly Paris is showing a marvellous collection of new evening ensembles, for, while she has rather abandoned the habit of designing gown and wrap as component parts of an ensemble she goes back to It enthusiastically when the need for formal evening attire arises. In the main, the richly brilliant colours of these evening ensembles contribute no small part to their success, for sapphire blue or glowing prune can no more be ignored than the season’s stunning new shades of tangerine, tinsel and wine reds; nor do even these superb tones obscure the less pronounced new shade of warm beige as it appears in dresses wrought by the magic skill of Philippe et Gaston. Their ensemble begins with a circular cape of transparent velvet in this delicate caramel shade, its charm heightened by a great collar of blue fox cut to stand high about the head in back and extend into a border down each side front. As if this were not enough extravagance in the use of fur, another band is added to the left side in back, falling from the collar straight down to the left hemline, which is cut to a longer point there. Although Paris just now is inclined to frown on gowns glittering with paillettes, she has smiled her approval of the lning of this cape, which is em. broidered solidly with flashing, sparkling gold paillettes. Not to be outdone in originality or splendour, the gown is of a pale gold brocade, made of a single length of the material drawn around the figure to the back, where the ends fall in a pointed train to the floor. Jewelled shoulder straps hold the swathed bodice in place and

follow the deep V of the black to the waistline.

Historic Russia has contributed much of interest and colour to this season’s evening ensembles, her influence being felt particularly in the sleeves of the new wraps which, by the way, are generally their most arresting feature. Lanvin's coats are all very exotically Russian in feeling, made in tangerine or scarlet, and embroidered lavishly in gold and black, with just enough of white to accent tones. One ensemble, made of a brocaded lame, vibrant with red and gold and black, is cut like a Cossack’s coat, its semi-fitted lines flaring into circular gores in the skirt, which is of the longer-in-back style. The fronts, which have narrow borders and a little standing collar of black astraclian, are held together with heavy frogs of black braid. The sleeves, characteristically belled, are also bordered with the black fur. The lining Is of red velvet, though the gown is of scarlet chiffon. The latter is cut with a swathed waist and a very circular skirt of which the hemline is in points. A typical Lanvin touch is the use of rounded buttons set closely with tiny rhinestones, which are arranged in a sun-ray design at the left waistline, the tapering design of the rays being made by graduating the size of the buttons.