FASHIONS FROM ABROAD

Wairarapa Times-Age, 11 June 1938, Page 4

FASHIONS FROM ABROAD

FLOWERS AND BRIDAL GOWNS. The goddess of fashion at the moment is Flora. Workrooms are overcrowded with flowers. If you are chic you say it with lilies of the valley, hyacinths and camellias, bleeding hearts, lilacs, sweet peas, moss roses and all the posies that grew in 19th century gardens. Flowers, says Harper’s Bazaar, are the latest trend abroad. Schiaparelli marbles a dress to look like a Grecian column with a toque of ivy leaves twined on the head. Lelong paints the lapel of a white sharkskin blouse with buttons and a big rose, skewered with a painted pin. Enormous pale roses clasp a fichu; flowers are brocaded and embroidered on ribbons. Evening bags are made entirely of flowers. If you do not wear a jewel you wear a flower, and if you wear a jewel it looks like a flower, for there are camellia clips and chains of camellias to wear around the neck, enamelled flower clips and violets set in metal leaves. To adorn the tresses are Gauguin hibiscus, huge cabbage roses and distracting concoctions of flowers and veils and ribbons.

Couture, preoccupied with the sentimental motif, is thinking in terms of leaves and flowers, striving to make women look “as pretty as a picture,” “as fresh as a rose,” “as pure as a lily,” “as gay as a lark.” They use a flutter of flounces and fichus and fans, sashes and shawls and distracting ribbon bows. Bridal Gowns. •Harper’s Bazaar shows that the fashions for brides are more lovely than ever. Alix designs her first bride dress —especially for Harper’s Bazaar —white organza bustled in the manner of the eighties with a fluting bonnet head dress. Lelong’s bridal creation is a white crepe gown with a veil of coarse netting. Schiaparelli makes a bride dress in coarse dead white cotton net with a full circular skirt just touching the floor all round, and a circular net embroidered in points with sapphire bugles like a starfish. Other fashions are no less interesting. Chanel is making full skirts of mousseline, net or lace flattened in about the waist, with bodices cut very low, sometimes off the shoulder with a ghost of a fichu running round the bare back. Sometimes there are no straps at all. Molyneux skirts are in another tradition, gathered all round to a tight bodice cut with a low oval decolletage. Lanvin is doing her famous “jeune fille” dresses with new frills and furbelows —organdies with very fine lingerie work, or flowers appliqued or embroidered at random over the tremendous skirt.

Alix places layer upon layer of transparent materials, black organza over layers of pale grey; stiff materials with bustles cocked up with cords and ribbons; black skirts trimmed with little bows, all the colours of the rainbow.

Vionnet has bouffant mousselines combined with Valenciennes lace, and black chiffon flowers appliqued on pale pink. Lelong is doing full circular skirts with very naked bodies.

Colours are now as evanescent as flowers —pure white, thin black, palest pink, mauve, hyacinth, pale yellow, pale lettuce green.

Coiffures make you look no more than 16, hair brushed high off the forehead and neck, softly waved and parted in the middle smoothly to frame the face with soft curls over the ears. For Day Wear. For day wear the alternative to prints are black and chocolate brown dresses with a white hat, a brown or black veil whipped over the brim. With prints go toques laden with tiny

flowers, a tiny sweet pea toque from Maria Guy, a white hat from Molyneux, with little ostrich tips and a veil. Suits are neat as a pin, titivated with flowers, frothy blouses, and giddy hats. Print ensembles of packets and dresses for warmer days are seen when cloth coats are discarded. There is a definite trend towards much lighter shades in stockings, in which sunburn, golden and peach tones are most popular. "Patou” is a light beige, especially dyed to go with blues. Chesterfield stockings are showing light golden shades named after film stars.