The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-08-20
for Afternoon Wear.


 that Paris blouses in their fas-
 cinating freshness and daintiness, & are several times cheaper than if she were there to buy them. A dweller in Paris is authority for the assertion that before the present war, all prices in the shops frequented by Americans were marked up," some times fifty per cent, just after the Grand Prix and before the influx of summer tourists. Even at that the French prices seemed amazingly lit tie to the shopper, accustomed to American prices, based of course on heavy custom duty and the expense of bringing Paris goods across.
 Dark Colors Prevail.
 Dark shades, such as navy, steel gray, coffee brown and a deep, splen- did red, take precedence over lighter colors in Paris for the fall and winter blouses. For matinee and ,4taurant wear with dressy tail oGrs there are white blouses in ,o. e. georgette and chiffon, evG',' lt affairs, so soft and sheer Wa sh their incrustations of lace, thst. f blouse might almost be drawn through a bracelet. There are tailored linen and silk blouses also, for the morning, with dainty touches of color in hemstitched band trimmings and rows of stitching done with colored silk. The latter effect is very smart indeed, since silk stitching is one of the modish trimmings for fall. From the Galleries Lafayette comes blouse of sheer white handkerchief linen with tiniest bands of green linen hem stitched to collar and cuff and small green onalith buttons closely placed up the outer side of the sleeve and part way down the front. A design of interlocking squares is stitched in green silk on the front of the blouse, below the bust and this design is re- peated on the sleeve, just above the turned back cuff. Silk stitching on linen is an entirely new style-note; the couturiers invariably stitch with silk throughout, in costumes of wool n1ohair or silken fabric. to assure the soft lines, distinction and better qual- ity of workmanship that silk stitching gives costume; but this fall, stitch ing in colored silk Is used as a very effective trimming, not only on cloth and silk frocks and wraps but also on blouses of thin linen weave. Even embroidery done by hand or machine initiates the parallel line effect of silk stitched trimming. This is observable in the blouse of white cotton voile embroidered in long scrolls which show parallel lines in a coarse stem stitch between rows of embroidered dots. The fullnessi Is added to this blouse by groups of pin tucks, run by hand at the shoulders, and should CT seims, armhole seams and other details are hemstitched. The blouse is very simple and daintily neat, with its closely buttoned front and cuff and It's collar high about the throat The buttons are covered with white satin.
 Buttons, Buttons Everywhere.
 Three dozen buttons are none too many for your fall blouse. Never were so many buttons used-they are truly [. dominant note in autumn trimming. They are placed in groups of two, three or even six, in straight rows; in fianking lines they march up and down waist front and sleeve. They are in all sizes and of almost all materials, from solid gold and silver to wooden moulds covered with fabric. Onalith and bone buttons are specially fashionable, and many of the fancy buttons show rings within rings of pearl. steel, onyx, amber and jet Some are as large as demi-tasse saucers; others are as tiny as beads. Of the latter sort are the buttons on a white -eorgette blouse which shows new vest effect, the fronts, hanKed 4rith tiny. satin covered buttons, di- ssding to reveal flat vest of white satin which Is cut straight across at the chest to show the bare neck below a very tall collar, feather -boned at sides and back. The vest motif Is emphasized by stitching the georgette blouse to the white satin lining in a deep oval, the lining being cut out for two inches below the collar-line all around, leaving the sheer georgette transparently over the neck. The deep satin cuffs have a double line of buttons up the back and narrow flare-frills of ungathered georgette piped at the edge with satin, fall be- low the deep satin cuffs. A turnover of the piped georgette fits over the feather-boned collar.
 Simpler in style but also very smart is white tailored blouse of the new, very lustrous soiree silk, with cuffs strapped in like a storm coat and the high, turnover collar that is a fea- rure of fall waists. This model 1T