Newspapers / The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, … / Dec. 3, 1911, edition 1 / Page 16
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THE CHABI.OTTi! ITBTrS. STTNBAT MOBNINO/DBCEMBBB S, l^ll. I ^' t V • A 8tately Sealskin ‘VTPcsp iy Callot full or ’WbFth T>i3iinctL0ii AnElabo- -rslc Combina- -tion of Ermine and 6eal This TTinILCoat Comes rrom Miirtial Armand P ERHAPS 'the ’ most interesting: dollies In the world are the dainty little' figurines, togged out in accordancia wijth Madam Mode’s latest niahdate, wliich som»^'of the large dry-goods shops exhibit; in their show windows. About two years ago the first 'of these tiny ladies ^ of fashion began, to make an appearance in Americar in - a very exclusive shop on Fifth avenue.- Now they, are to be seen in severalplaces and v every now«and then the small mannequins disappear, to be replaced with others New Fiors Drape Softly As Velvet- Lace Combined With Fur In Delicate and Beautiful Effect - Touches ^ Metallic Lace Add Rich Glints sf Color*, TREET CoBlumes, more or less • veal to one's eyes a glimpse of the presentable in character, are the diamonds, the laces, the satins and brocades and furs, far below. Most of the Fur Evening Coats Come From Paris. Each French couturier puts out his special model in a luxurious fur^even- Ing wrap and many of these wraps touch the five thousand dollar mark when custom duties have been includ ed in this country. One of the most expensive and most beautiful coats worn at the opening performance of Aida on November 13th was of white tailless ermine made with a huge c common lot of aU, but only into the occasional existence does fall the thousand dollar fur evening • oat. And yet, standing as an ob server, in the foyer of the Opera House as the richly dressed folk came through the swinging doors which open from the corridor of the boxes, one is impressed with the number of superb fur wraps worn by the women. Krmlne, moleskin, sealskin, white coney with fox trimmings, chinchilla, mink—all are present, not in moder ately large ne''kpieces and muffs, but In wonderful, full length wraps which often trail on tho floor over the satin and lace skirts of their wearers. And these gorgeous fur wraps, mind you, —by the nature of their design— intended only for evening use and would be entirely out of place in an assemblage where daylight costumes are worn. The • woman who owns such a wrap has In all probability, another coat of sealskin, Persian lamb or mink for limousine wear over af ternoon frocks, and very likely a mo tor ooat of muskrat, otter, or leopard, al«o. Such wraps are of course only for the multl-mllllonaire’s womenfolk. When the choice lies between a motor car for pater famllias and an ermine evening wrap for mater famllias; or between a snug little house and lot for the entire family and a seal and sable opera coat for the mother of the family, the choice Is not apt to consider merely the decoration of mi- ladi. An ermine evening wrap rep resents money and lots of money. It Ui one of the moat luxurious garments a woman can own and testifies to the prosperous condition of her lord’s financial affairs even more decidedly than would diamonds, which of course laflt for yeara after an ermine coat has been outworn and caat aside. The fur evening wraps, therefore, always •eem to be the most impressive and luxurious part of the sartorial display in the foyer and oorridors of the great Opera House tn New York on a fash ionable night. For there are nighta and nights at the Opera House and on Wednesdays and Fridays;one may be certaM of seeing the elect of the smart set in their boxM la the famous diamond horseshoe, and the grand tier of boxes above filled with folk frocked. coif fured and Jeweled with equal bril liance. Full drees la worn all through the house on these avenings, from the orchestra up to the dress circle, and even in the balcony above one en counters decollete frocks, handsome evening wraps and.. masculine dress suits sprinkled among ordinary street attire. Up above, where' the real musio enthusiasts sit, and' the folk who even if they had ths several dol lar* to pay for a seat do not possess the raiment to grace It;, one may lis ten to Mitranolng strains , and million dollar voices in a shirtwaist or mack intosh If one so desires, but . even the strj^gest^qpjlta glass will scarcely re- llne. This cape and the bottom of the coat were bordered with a fringe of sable tails; and as the trapping of sables has been prohibited in Russia for three years, the cost of this fringe of tails alone may well be imagined. Above the sable tails on the bottom of the coat was a twelve-inch band of the ermine trimmed with the small black ermine tails which are always so effective on the snowy fur. White coney is something like the tailless ermine, though of course the pelt Is not as pure white or as rich and thick In texture with the wonderful supple ness of ermine. The coney is less expensive, and many women have coats of coney with trimmings of er mine tails Oj^r white fox. Paul Polret is very partial to the striking combination of brilliant red fox fur with pure white ermine, and since his taking up of the red fox fur, which Is really quite an ordinary pelt belonging to humble little B’rer t ox of the woods and fields, many furriers have brought out ermine coats trimmed with red fox. A beau tiful coat of this style, designed by Revlllon Freres, Is illustrated. This coat is built of the tailless ermine and has a deep border of ermine tails In striped effect at the foot. The huge collar and cuffs of red fox are strikingly conspicuous on the snowy fur but the coat is very splendid and becoming to its wearer, whose dark eyes and hair are en hanced by contrast with the brilliant coloring of the fur. White Cut VelTet or Ratine Used In Plaoe of Ermlnew Some of the important French cou turiers have produced evening wraps which have the luxurious effect of ermine though in place of the costly fur white ratine or white cut velvet has been used in conjunction with trimming furs of some contrasting color. A ooat of this sort, created by Bernard, was worn at the Metropoli tan Opera House during the premier week, and attracted some attention. This coat was made of purs whits cut velvet bordered at neck, sleeves and foot with black fox. From the back of the shoulders, as an Austrian officer wears his white and gold coat, depended a graceful cape which fell on one side to the waistline, sloping ^wn to hip length on the other side. ^Is cape was made of the, cut white velvet and at Its edge wa* a thl^k A Beautiful Epmtne and Fox. Gombin^lion fringe of black ermine tails. Another white cut velvet wrap by Bernard has draped sleeves and a graceful scarf which may be twisted around the throat or even wound about the head and allowed to fall cape of the fur which feli'trthewars't-«|^'T sleeves and scarf; are lined with a splendid shade of emerald green satin and gold cords and tassels hanging from the sleeves add richness tc the whlt^ and green combination. The Evening Wrap As An Effective Background. At the Horse Show, handsome even ing wraps thrown over the chair backs made wonderfully effective backgrounds for lovely evening frocks whose effect would have been much lessened . If their wearers had sat without the wraps in the plain wooden chairs which furnish the boxes. When an artist paints a portrait he is very likely to fling a scarf, a wrap—or lacking one of these,—a bit of rich colored drapery, across , the back of the sitter’s chair, to throw her figure into artistic relief and form a soft, harmonious background for Itis color tints and delicate texture. The woman whcKappreclates the artistic value of such drapery, nev^ leaves her rich wrap, in a cloakroom, but has It with her, over her chairback, to add to the luxurious effect of her toilette and enhance tenfold the loveliness of her frock. The silk, velvet and brocade evening wraps of this winter are Ori ental in their richness of color, and when the wrap is of fur the lining is apt to have the rich color that the outer fabric lacks. The Worth wrap of sealskin and broadtail which is pictured today, has a lining of rose and mauve brocade with bits of gold lace trimming and tiny festoons of ribbon flowers here and there to add dainty elegance. The; inner side of such a wrap is quite t as attractive as the outer, and when a dark fur coat mus|t answer for even ing wrap as well as afternoon limou sine wrap over bridge costumes of dark satin, chiffon or slcilliene fab rics a very dainty lining in light coloring will add much to its ef fectiveness as an evening wrap; foiS the dark fur will be hidden when the wrap is flung over a chair in such manner that the^. lining forms a back ground for the airy" chiffon or lace frock. The Worth coat.Just referred to is full of the 4uiet. distinction which characterizes all Worth costumes. One cannot f Imagine th|s • artist making a feature of ermine and red ^x. or com bining magenta with Brin green Ih the daring and conspicuous. ;nahner of couturiers who strive a^t^r sensatioaal eTfecls.* ' ' Chinchilla a Favorite Fur For Even ing Wear. ' Genuine chinchilla is now quite as expensive as the royal ermine for this pelt is very scarce and hard to get. BechofC David. brought out a superb chinchilla evening coat this autumn which was purchased by a young American woman whose marriage was the talk of two continents last spring. This lovely chinchilla coat has a cape collar which reaches to the hip in front in pointed revers and fa,lls be low the waistline at the- back. Colla^^ sleeves and lowers edge of the coat are trimmed with black lynx. The brocade lining is in the palest shade ot apricot pink with wreaths of rib bon roses here and there. Rich Furs Combined With Wondrous ^ Fabrics.. Many o? the French wrap-makerw prefer to use velvet or brocade in combination with fur, considering the color value of such a wrap more im portant than the rich though neutral tone of fur. For instance a Drecoll opera cloak of brocaded* blue velvet with a panel of gold lace ten inches across all the way down the back and an enormous shawl collar of chin chilla, has ten times the color value of an ermine or chinchilla coat that might cost three times as much, though some, women prefer'the regal luxury of the all-fur wrap. Another Drecoll evening coat is of del blue panne velvet with a huge collar and wide cuffs of Iceland fox—a' soft, fluffy fo3^ fur not as rare as the Sitka fox, but'really very effective for even ing use.t Lace is mudh used by^ th.e French couturiers, in combination with fur in :^ese gorgeous evening wraps; but the ^ lace is usually of the substantial;sort like Russian filet,- Arabiai^ : Vienise, - Milan or the ^ heavy croc)iet pipint sometimes - called iha- crime.. A ' very, stunning wrap by Polret is ‘ of ^ white -chiffon-Velvet line^d with • purple velvet arid “ trimmed; w^th velvet being cut away under the lace to, show. the purple lining. A- collar of sable with sable bands on the edge of the, sleeve- form a costly and ef fective trimming. A' gorgeous Francis wrap, worn af the , first performatice of Aida last month, wa,s of green faille silk with a'linihg of .black satin and trimminrt of gold braid,,gold fring^ and skunk fur. This w’rap was worn by a middle aged woman with white hair «- quisitely arrangvd, and .a . gown of black chantiU^^pver white saUn. Em eralds, a^ngii^-from heir ears made ;the hQ^tiful white hair more beauty- '.ful.lsiiJi- "and=-^a^#’'the '• finishing tc^uch: of smartness to the chantilly ffoiihh aiid’ Remarkablfe Action is Stressed -By the Tiny Figiir^. more up-to-the-minute in costume.'’ These wonderful dollies are nuide by an artist’s wife over - in. Qermany, and though there have been many at tempts to copy the doll fashion-plates, nobody setlms able to. give the same lifelike touch, the same grace and action, the same indefinable chic and' style and dash that "this Germa^ , lady puts into each tiny'figure. The^ little doll people seem to, be really,alive— to possess personality—and each is as graceful and distinguished as -a well bred mondaine dressed ' by * a' famous couturier.;. > The dolls are about slx Inqhes high; some of them reaching^ up to eight- inch' hoigtiti the chnd.^ dolls of course being proportionately ' smaller. - They stand on round velvet cushions and may be-used for pincushions ..if n de sired; though not all the shops which display them will "IseH. them for this purpose, fevery detail of the costume is exquisitely correct; 'for example note the gaiter-.top boots on the little lady who has a child by the hand. These new gaiter boots are the craze in Paris now. The buttoned gaiter top of ^uede or cloth’in some delicate shade ,is attached directly to a patent leather vamp; but they dolls' feet are usually made of wood-through which passes the wire which forms the foun dation for the supple ^figure. ' It is this wire foundation that makes the tiny figure,so supple and pliable, though consummate art is employed \o bend the wires exactly right to produce the natural poses. The skating girls are, really skating, you will observe, and the mother arid child are strolling along‘in leisurely fashion. Over the '.‘bony struct\ire” of wires ^cotton batting is wound, body and limbs being carefully modeled in life- like fashion and no pains are spared to ■'have' the costumes modishly per- lect. The smart suit. worn by the ■young mother, for instance, has a cut away coat and tunic of black satin meteor over a skift of white cloth, the coat having exaggerated • white satin revers and cuffs of the white cioth. Coat and tunic are’lined with the; white satin. . The hat, with its aigrette trimming is a masterpiece of chic and reticule and;parasol, carried and worn to accentuated an obliqiie line across the- costume, are decidedly knowing in effect, The little girl wears the last cryn in satin coats, with a trimming of ’ corded pufi[ing, and her hatt is a becoming bonnet of ' draped straw with; satin roses In pastel shades at one side. The hands and feet of th© little - figures aria the only crude parts, but so cleverly are these members manipulated that they do-not spoil the effect of the perfect grace and distinction' of / costume. The skating girls are dressed for ;v|^lnter weather, and though the pho tograph does , not show It, their cos tumes form a delicate color harmony, in fact the artistio - combination of colors is .a feature of i--this- artist’s work. One finds no harsh contrasts, no. strong primary reds, yellows or blues, no loud pinks or ^ screaming greens; but lovely, subtle tones of taupe, mauve, catawba, olive, pale canary, dashing flame - and coraJ hues and soft French and Dutch blues, ex actly, like the fashionable, shades in real costumes. , One of the skating girls,wears a vel vet suit of tobacco brown—^Just now a very modish shade—with trlmmini of dark fur and a fur muff to match. Her toque :1s also of the brown velvet with'a band, of gold lace and a shaded J^uUl of split ostrich. Her reticule li of mustard brown faille with gold lace and a gold cord handle. Her lit tle‘companion wears a “tailored” suit of green mixed wool fabric with a cut away coat, showing a vest of pale corn- colored faille. Her furs are tawny gray, like Australian opossum, and her hat is of green-gold net with a feather made of chenille in green and yellow shades. ’ She carries a reticul* of white velvet beaded with greec and gold. If you consider the making of such doll mAnnequins a childish and friv olous occupation, just try, some day, to wrap bits of cotton over w'ire hair pins, for instance, and then to mak« the wires take the lifelike and artistic poses of "these tiny figurines. Then, if you will, endeavor to design, cut and make garments tiny enough tc cover your tiny mannequin, snd make them take, when on, the chic and dis tinguished lines of the dolls made by the'little German lady who originated the idea of the doll fashion-plates. You will admit that a deal of skill and art craft goes into the fashioning, not only of the lifelike little figures, btit the'Parisian costumes as well. ; iSvepy Detail of the Costume is • rect in Style. wrap of green, gold and’black; Darker Wraps; ^r Afterttooh Opera Wear. I?' you stand In' the. carriage foyer on a Saturday afternoon aiCter a mat- performance of ■ opera, you ' will bands of wide Venlse laoe. ?ths whits* ^ee as wonderful.'furs, and fur wraps as an evening performanqe.brings out.’ though the furs ,i. will | be ^-'darker in hue. Chinchilla and mink coats are worn over dainty frocks of chiffon and velvet, or othei^ fabrics appro- ^iate for afternoon theatre wear, u^ese coats are by ^rio means easy to- carry about but Is their wearers travel to and from.the opera in lux urious limousines, it doM - npt much matter. , The Marchal Armand mink coat pictured' has a trimming:of tails around t^ lower edge: and on the »eeves. This coat ; wjis worn at the Horse Show, over' a > pretty iunch^n frook taupe chllEdn over white *^o«cb.M.vOf flame col«r^ sold on the bo«icei t^ Mie ieiaiii^ by Callot Soeuris Is an especially hand some model, the deep cape collar of the s^lskln - making - the coat extra hraVy and luxurfous. The'ermlne cuffs ail'd collar are adjustable V and may be removed when .the:.wlilte muff Is not carried. This coat has been worn at'an opera matfinee this autumn over a delightful frock; of/royal blue^fabrlc trimnied with gold lace aod. ecru ve nlse accompaniedsby a r^yaf blue hat trimmed witfr .yellow pajradise. feath ers. The wearer hadon the ^ new galter-^top boots, made of patent leather with thinnest soles and but- atoned tops of blue cloth matching the blue frock. A SHOB HORN AS LONG AS A GOLF CLlipB; 6VERTTH1NO is^made so ' easy, these days, that one may. almost - dress without thlnkltfg about ft ^ all. Maclame’s drei^r-is; provided >1^. ^ TOj^ortftble chajif • in wliich she 'may sit while doing her hair'and-man icuring her nails;-and Monsieur ? ra* has a safety device so that almost use it in the dark. The ate luxury of the toilet is a shoe with a handle nearly a yard long. and wiin «i no.xiuit} uvany a, choe^ one may step into one’s new without bending the back a These new shoe horns look j.j. like golf sticks, with their long ^ handles and copper ends. The leather loop at the top of the _ by nriifeans of which the shoe ho be hung up. ^ WHJEX WASHING LACE. HEJSr washing white or old lace that has grown baste It carefully on a P flannel and wash with a goo^ soap and warm water. uatf' fblly and then wet w'ith cold and lay It in the sun. Keep ^ until it bleaches as much as - akd It niay then be carefully the wrong side of the a
The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Dec. 3, 1911, edition 1
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