COLUMN FOR WOMEN

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 110, 12 January 1915, Page 7

COLUMN FOR WOMEN

EVENING DRESS Dancing dresses this winter show either daring tunics or many pretty fluffy ruffles. Opera and dinner gowns, on the contrary, are seen in more clinging lines and with graceful trains. These latter gowns often have skirts that seem to be made, from lapped breadths of material. The lower edges of these breadths do not lap as much as at tho upper part and are often cut away in curves, and the whole skirt is lined with a contrasting colour. As Ins wearer walks the breadths flop over a bit and reveal this contrasting lining. The same thiiig is done in the tunics when the skirt is cut in one piece.

This overlapping cannot be called exactly a slash, though a glimpse of the ankles is caught as the wearer walks .Satin, panne velvet, chiffon velvet, faille and metal brocades are the materials most used, and the overtunics and ruffles glitter with spangles, beads or gold, silver, pearl and jet passementeries and laces.

The envelope skirt is still in vogue; gowns are almost always sleeveless, but the decolette is not too low cut.

that they deserve special mention. They are generally built on tunic lines, and the metal golds, lace, spangled nets, transparent gold muslinlike tissues, aro posed over an old gold satin that heightens the impression that the whole gown is of gold. In the metallic laces there are the fine embroidered nets, fiat Venetian patterns and also Spanish lace patterns, just as in the white or black lace.

Sometimes the gold foundation dress is veiled with black net or lace, span gled or beaded. This gives it a certain dignity without taking away the elegance. ' Trains are all shapes and not too long. There is a new fish tail train that is caught and spreads out again, and there are the usual varied oblong three cornered sort that are made by one of the skirt breaths that has been extended. In the short dresses they are likelr be very short, especially the modish ones wifh flaring skirts. If there is a tighter drop skirt it shows very little — not more than an inch or so—and it islashed up the back seam so that flier is room to take a long step. If such a model is worn the greatest care must be taken to put the stocking on right and that the back of the slipper is beyond reproach, for it is the least attractive way to show an ankle. Only the women who dress in very extreme style seem to have dared to wear the fitted gowns so far. They are nevertheless a desirable change from

the loose tunic or pinafore models. The fitting is not done so much by seams as by wide swathed girdles which conform to the curves of the figure and form the corsage, excepting for some lace or jewel strands that hold the gown on over the shoulders. Such models are sleeveless, though some kind of a lace bertha that covers the shoulder top may be included.

In other fitted models the foundation is made, corset cover shape, of chiffon, the lower part covered by a wide encircling satin or metal band. Over this is draped a loose bertha of white, black or metallic lace. When it falls waist deep an open seam is left at each side for the arm to pass through. This takes away the old fashioned bertha look

As the lace is very transparent the fitted bodice shows through, plainly defining the figure. It is the same way with the skirt. Such models have either a deep fitted yoke or are a skirt, as I have already desribed, with lapped and slightly draped breadths to shape it to the figure. The outer tunic is of a filmy net, and even if the lower edge is feather-boned or stands out by the weight of the binding fur, one sees through its meshes the fitted lines of the figure.

Another pretty detail of evening dresses is the hanging tasselled or pendetoques that dangle so delightfully from the waist over filmy tunicked or ruvled skirts. Mile. Dorziat, who certainly possesses the Parisian chie, has this effect on two of her dresses. They swing pendulumlike with every movement, and when they are of silver, gold or pearl they catch and reect the light in a fascinating fashion.

- Hair dressing for eveing remains close to the head at the sides, with the French twist at (he back. The hair is massed on top of the head, highest toward the back. Sometimes the French twist effect continues over the front to the pompadour, which drops over the forehead a bit. In other coiffures the hair is built up by a bunch of half curls or twisted strands of hair.

Because the coiffures are so slick and tight the fancy hair combs are all that is decorative. There- is one design especially ,in a sort of twisted Greek honeysuckle motif, thai seems made just for the French twist, and another that is an elaborated Spanish comb, of tortoise shell, very large and outlined with brilliants, that is thrust into the hair at a very daring and.effectie angle. Feathers will fly panachelike from a narrow let of strass that serves as their base, often peed toward the back to accentuate the upward and backward line of the coiffure.

The beauty curl has gone out of fashion, yet in an evening coiffure there are often little curls about the face that soften the hair outline, which is not always pretty. They are net so decided as the beauty curl of