Interesting things were seen and heard when the historic house of Callot opened its doors to the public this autumn and permitted them to view the new creations at thi couturiere's where the elegantes of a bygone day brought their dresses for ceremonial occasions.
Nowhere else in Paris is there such a charming blending of old-time elegance with the ultra modern. Here they still use the rich and costly fabrics that once made them famous in dressmaking circles. Here-there still is the sublety of cut and the exquisite powder shades to nary and used for all daytime occasions from Sports to afternoon costumes. 31. Pierre Gerber, the head of the Callot establishment, said that he Presented the browns-in an effort to Substitute costumes of this colour for the all "black costumes which have been fashionable 0 long.
Wide was the choice in fabrics here. There were the new gaze lames and brocades that were heavy, made with the usual Callot draping or with fuller skirts that had flaring godets of race.
An evening costume of flowered taffeta excited favourable common". The skirt was made with a large bustle bow in the back dnd th dress was shown with a short Jacket of heavy velvet that was cut the back to permit the bow on the skirt to be slipped through, Short velvet jackets for wear st home on winter evenings or for restaurant dining and dancing in the autumn were a feature here. Since no attempt was made to have them match the dress in colour sorts of pleasing effects were achieved, A new feature in dresses was seen in those that had skirts butter ed up the back and in these we sce, too, the return of two old-time devices neesssary to good dress making, the placket and the hook and Hats at Callot's were different from those shown anywhere els, They might best be described as x modified Cossack cap. Coats as a rule were short, prominent among them the Eton jacket and the basque with a flaring peplum, Skirts of street dresses, on the con trary, were longer than at any other house in France.
Foundation Garments How to make women wear corsets, long a problem of the manafactarers of these articles of dress, was really a problem very simple of solution after all. It has been solved for then, too, very quiet!
French dress designers, For with the creation of clothes requiring some sort of foun garment to appear at their best the revival of the corset, which has caused so much general conversi tien in the past, has been accom plished with non: of the effort which most people felt would necessary to induce women again wear this despised support.
Corsets in one form or another needlework that always have marked ''a Callot." Callot contributes to present day styles something about which younger and newer houses know nothing. 'The old-time elegance in dress and the technique of real dressmaking that every maker is striving to achieve are a heritage at Callot' these they have combined modernism and youth, an unfailing formula for success.
So while others strive to bring elegance and.old-fashioned feminine charm to modern dress Callot reverses this procedure.
Passing in review wore dresses of costly Callot lace and under thei skirts the rustle of the old-fashion-are a logical result of the new mode and have been accepted as such. The new, close-fitting clothes with their encased hips, slim waist-Hines and draped effects demand first that the figure be the subject of careful study, and, second, that the fitting of the garment designed to mould the form to the new silhouette be done by expert fingers.
For the somewhat ample figure a combination garment of heavy satin or figured brocade with strips of surgical elastic seems to be the answer to the problem. The silk keeps the garment from rolling and permits of the insertion of small inoffensive bones, while the elastic is responsible for the slight "give" which permits a graceful and com. fortable movement on the part of the wearer, who thus retains much the effect of the uncorseted figure of correct proportions. The comfort of these new corsets explains their great success, taffeta petticoat was heard. Following closely in their wake the leather coats of the The brassiere which accompanies this type of corset is usually made of lace or net and fastened to the corset both front and back. The not intended only for the who would a flying go, but for any. one secking a smart coat for general wear.
Colour combined with rare skill was seen throughout the collection. Velvet coats in rich burgundy red were shown over pale gray lace dresses with full pleated skirts and bodices tucked in elaborate designs. Simple white chiffon dresses made like the chitons of "the ancient Greeks were topped by evening coats of scarlet velvet. Daytime dresses in various shades of red were worn under street coats of deep brown, Blues and browns were very important, the- blue ranging from new clothes demand that the bust be properly supported and this most successfully accomplished this manner.
For even the slimmest figure a girdle is cleatly indicated, for: the dresses of this season are not worn to their best advantage unless the hips show a rounded unbroken line. The all clastic step-in is now dividing honours with the girdle which buttons down one side and has an elastic section only in the center back. 4
For evening heavy satin is a good choice. A little garment, starting waist high and rather short in front, with a square, flat pines about four inches longer in the tid back -and with narrow gore of clastic webbing at each side.is ona of the most satisfactory models.
Corselettes retain their populace ity with many women. They assure an unbroken line, are time saving and eliminate the necessity of extra garment. The new lace net_models made over a pastel foundation are delightful looking and comfortable teo, One's personal desires may bp met in the type of foundation garment selected, but to wear the new clothes to their best advantage some type of corset is necessary, Black Satin Favoured Evenings in Paris, magic words these, and a magic' picture Paris presents to the eye these September nights. The restaurants in the Bois on cool evenings, and warm ones, 0o,. are crowded with gay parties, and as the weather dictatse so are the diners garbed, Black satin has come into its cwm, for cos! nights. On a recent evening at the Chateau de Madrid the gowns o2 black satin outnumbered white satins as well as the more filmy black georzettes and black lace frocks. The decolletages of these black satin gowns were high in front and very deep in the back, always extending at least to the waistline and sometimes an inch of below it. Such extremely low back decolletages have brought into favour a new type of evening wrap made of, the same material as. frock if accompanies. Two bias strips are combined in a point which covers the cut out portion of the dress and the upper part of the arm, These ave smart in appearance. They add to the chie of the frock and render another wrap, which might easily detract from the "aarm of the costume, unnecessary, even when the breeze is cool, On ware nights the vestaurante are always crowded, and one see wore of the smart new event dressies than one usually expects in Paris at this time of year, The success of the idea of carrying lace over from ons season's styles te another has been one of the outstanding developments of the son. Lace of every possible tyre is seen, as well as sequin patterns om Jaco grounds. Many -of those lace frocks ave cat on Empire lines with two tiered skirts ending just above the ankles. The docelletaxes are high in front and have "the trieste strapped effects in the back which are meeting with sude [hearty approval at the moment. The narrow belis on these gowns often ara. of black velvet, Sontes times they match the dress in tone, Augustabernard's fashion of using a coloured velvet belt and a matching scarf or little shawl in a colour to contrast with the dress is s30m everywhere.
Both white and black gowns far dinner or formal wear are making use of the simple silver belt, a very new fashion note, These are ao-ied by plain pumps of silver introduced by Lady Louie Mountbatten. Her many followers have taken up the matching belt, adorned all around with cut wottd or arranged in overlapping panels, as shown by Suzanne Talbot.
Evening stockings are beginning to be a bit more elaborate, Since the expanse of stocking to be seen these days is severely restricted, this is a natural development, Besides the usual lace clocks the lax¢ week hus brought out many broidered effects, To date the embroidery ie in the same shade ae the stockings. Many dark gun metal stockings of incredible sheer. ness are to be seen with black frocks.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.