New Sports Wear Hints

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 59, Issue 127, 11 March 1939, Page 7

New Sports Wear Hints

CPORTSWOMEN are in the fashion news—those contemplating mountain sports this winter and those thinking c. rather less exciting times ori the golf links. Apart from women who take active interest in games, however, there are others catered for with what the designers tern “spectator sports wear.” The general line of “spectator sports” outfits is quite pleasing, "'ou have a short, full skirt, gathered infi- a shaped corselet band that firmly moulds waist and diaphragm. Gathered into the band at the upper edge is tile little bodice, which may be made on the cross-over lines we know, or, more . uncommonly, shirred vertically from a rounded yok? at the neck. The yoke is set at the back as well, and the bodice is similarly gathered from it, so that you get an allround impres n of fullness and freedom. Even if you have the fullness gathered in front of the skirt only, and the back plain, you can still adopt the gathered “top” and yoke all round. If is very youthful looking providing the figure' and height are right for it. Short women should not cut the line of the figure by anything in the nature of yokes, with the exception, perhaps, of the firm, shaped corsel f t, and even that is better left alone. • Sleeves are mostly long and fitted, but there are a few short puffed ones, and. there is a rew line which looks like the old Magyar in front and is shirred into an upward pointed bodice at the back. ' Most of the frocks have their complementary jackets, some the new threequarters length loose ones with a very little “swing” at the back, and some so short as to reach only to the waist. - A model outfit is done in cinnamon brown, the bodice tight, the skirt fully gathered, the waist-length jacket also tight. This was one of the few tight bodices shown

What Of The Spectators ?

at a- recent London display, although the fashion for th- fitted “sweater” top is maintained, the sweater zipped up both sides to ensure perfect fit. A model in a shade of “watercress green” was pleasing. Skirt moderately full, not gathered, but gored; fitted top, hip length, knitted in fine wool of the same shade, with wide insets of gold wool at the wrists of the long sleeves, looking like filigree bracelets. * »Green gets the palm as winner in the sports colours race, the browns range second place, and a rather nice shade o; dull blue third. There are not many black sporting, models. You would not expect , them, except to wear against a snowy background, and they’re the best ever for that. Stripes are good. There is an attractive outfit in green and yellow Striped jersey, the stripes worked vertically on the bodice and horizontally on the skirt. The model is plain, with ,o gathers and no pleats, and the skirt, unlike most in the collection, is rather tight and the accepted, len, ' , fifteen inches from the ground. The larger number of even “spectator” sports skirts are an inch or so shorter, and those worn by mannequins who carry skates to indicate that the clothes are for winter sports are scarcely knee length. Blue is almost, but not quite, as good as green with the brown The dull shade I mentioned—not drab, but something like a deep Wedgwood—looks well, in the form of blouse and hat, with a coffee brown suit, the jacket hip length and provided with no less than six pockets with flaps. Everyone realises that pockets are useful in sports suits, but think six seems a bit too many. However. there they are. Rust comes into the brown and yellow range, and is excellent with purple relief. The shade of purple designers are using this year is very much the colour of the plums of British orchards, and it accords wonderfully well with rusty red tones and, of course, with earth brown. Brick red is admirably toned down by the judicious admixture of black. The scheme is demonstrated in a two-piece outfit comprising brick red frock with a short bolero effect on the bodice done i:. black, and a black jacket. You wouldn’t expect “spor f . wear” to be trimmed, End yet lhe-c is , a suggestion of elaboration in some of the mode.s designed for the non-active soortswoman. Gold braid, military fashion, for example, decorating the bodice of a dark greenfrock. The braid is not the usual kind, but fringed to a depth of an inch or --o, and it is arranged across the front of the “top” in three graduated rows, while a gold belt takes ud the theme, stretching round the back from side-front to side-front.

If you feel like it, you can do awafy with ordinary fastenings on your jacket and have three thongs to tie it in reef knots. Then there are quaint semicircular metallic fastenings for coats, looking like crescent moons, and hanging from the moons are tiny b .11s. which jingle merrily when the jacket is being put on or taken off. The crescent idea is done in gilt on a green outfit, tbe dress again showing a bolero effect on the bodice in matching s~tin —the main part of the suit being jersey. One more model in the “.V->rts wear must be mentioned because it appeals. It is'the simplest thing imaginable, yet as cheery and chic as anyone could desire. Imagine a firmly fitted bodice, green to below the bust line, merging

into rusty red over the diaphragm, and then developing into earth brown at'the waist from which the full skirt swings. There is no seaming on the bodice, the material being jersey and therefore blended in colour in. the manufacture. 1 You can’t call some of the modem versions of head coverings hats by. any stretch of imagination. A number oti them are simply tufts of feathers, bits of i fur, scraps of this and remnants of the other, perched over one eye and held bn the crown and back of the head by" nets ; or by. tiresome looking “strings.” '■There are, of course, sensible models in. .the, Homburg, vagabond, Breton anji Robin ! Hood styles, but the others are often offered even for wear with the ‘‘spec-’ tator sports”, ensembles. Go carefully; if tempted by them, because they are not, as a rule, becoming. -’’ A ,