THE ART OF LIFE.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 261, 3 November 1928, Page 4 (Supplement)

THE ART OF LIFE.

BE GRACEFUL,

Sometimes I wonder if we have lost the art of being graceful. Plenty of people say we have. "Grace," they say, "died with our grandmothers, and, at any rate," they add, "how can any woman be graceful in a brief skirt and mannish hat?" I differ with them there.

I would be the last one, remarks a Melbourne writer, to doubt the grace of our grandmothers. To them curtseying and bowing was a very real matter. They studied grace and deportment as they studied their preserves and stillhouse recipes. A man was known and valued by his graceful deportment: women were loved for it. Though they hid their bodies in voluminous clothes they believed they were more graceful because of the clothes. At one time it was claimed that woman had never looked so graceful as when she wore high waisted frocks, long skirts, long frilled pantalettes and poke, bonnets. As she walked she minced her steps, and held her body stiffly. "She is the very epitome of grace," cried distracted young gallants. Then in due course that most horrible crinoline was invented. It is not possible to imagine anything clumsier and less graceful, yet if we are to believe the books of the day women contrived to be graceful even in this billowing hoop-iron confection. Perhaps the real reason for this was that suggested by a naive letter writer—"l have been to London and seen the crinoline on thousands. God knows, I don't like it, but it hath this inestimable advantage: If the women walk in, it disguises their gait."

The bustle is nearer our own times. I cannot conceive a more monstrous disfigurement, and yet listen to the older generation. "Grace," they say, "died with our grandmothers." But they are wrong. Grace is something which never dies. It is as old as mankind. Ido not doubt that there were graceful women in the prehistoric age, even though there were no beautiful women. Many years before Christ grace reached perfection in Greece. Greeks, both men and women, tried to lead the good life. By good life they did not mean strict adherence to a set of moral regulations, but the practice and calculation of beauty. To them grace of body was beautiful and we have only to look at Greek statues to realise how far they attained that ideal of beauty. It is the vibrant grace of the statues of Greek men and women that compels our attention. It is so beautiful that we are inclined to think it a lost art.

At the recent balls given for the Duke and Duchess I have never seen anything less graceful than the attempts the women made to curtsey. Possibly this is not a fair criticism. For one thing we are out of practice, for few people have any need to curtsey these days, and for another space was considerably cramped at the balls. Few women seem to walk gracefully to-day. Again, perhaps this is an unfair criticism, for I observe them mainly in the rush business hours of the city. When a girl leaves work at 5 o'clock her one desire is to get home quickly. She rushes with the crowds along the street, shoulders stooped and body bent forward; she pushes her way into crowded trains and rushes home again as soon as she reaches her station. She has ho time to think of being graceful, and T am afraid that, so few women are naturally graceful that unless we think of it we do not hold our head up, our shoulders back and walk with a swinging, easy step. Yet we ought to be graceful, for we have things in our favour. Women's clothing has never been more sensible. We have discarded unnecessary encumbrances, we wear light clothing that fits the figure; there is nothing exaggerted or unnatural about it; our legs are not trammelled with long, unhealthy skirts, and our shoes are sensible. We have plenty of dancing and plenty of exercise. Are we as graceful then, as we ought to be f

It is difficult to persuade them that the very best clothes are not seen about the streets. They are worn at private parties, they hide in luxurious cars, they appear on a "gala" night at the Opera. But they are not put on for everyday events where the spirit is democratic. More and more, it is the fashion for well-mannered people to dress simply in the streets. More and more, the tailormade and the little kasha ensemble, become the uniform of the well-bred woman. She may have them perfectly cut, in materials which are easy to get, she may have absolutely perfect shoes and gloves. Her simple hat may be of a shape not to be found anywhere but in the first-of all French milliners, her bag may have a jewelled clasp, the jewels she wears may be real, but the silhouette will be so simple, as to pass unnoticed in the crowd. That is the art of dressing well in Paris. The New Coats. There are all sorts of new styles in coats this season. You see coats with rounded corners, you see the sagging point, which holds over, and you see the big, shawl-collar, worn high behind, and opened out in front. Some of the new tailor-skirts are fixed on the hips with the blouse above it, inside the belt. This is repeated in many ways, all of them neat and very young in appearance. The blouses worn with tailormades are somewhat decorative; lames, embroidered satins, and figured materials. With a plain skirt is put a checked coat. Lame is lined with squirrel, and many cloth coats have fur trimmings. Evening Dresses. On evening dresses, there are many brilliant ornaments. Paste buckles, paste buttons, diamante embroideries, give the georgette dresses a richness which the material pleasantly discounts. Black satin dresses usually have some brilliant buckle or clasp, and sometimes, a large motif, embroidered in brilliants. Jewelled belts are worn. There is nothing ostentatious about the new evening dresses. The long tunic must be remembered, and also that running-up line from hem to waist, which is followed in trimmings of all kinds, whether fur, braiding, or beading. Colours. Colours are rich and varied, difficult to describe, because so subtly blended. There is every shade of beige and brown, some exquisite greens, dark and light. In kasha, in georgette, and in crepe de chine, there is a blood-orange red, and several shades of lemon-yellow. But it is black that prevails this season, both for afternoon and evening dresses. You see it in almost every material, every style, and suitably fashioned for every age, whether for the debutante or the: matron. Blue, in two or three shades, is used, and white is always to be found among the evening dresses. For the Tall Girl. Most of the couturieres seem to have had the settled conviction that all their clients were of the same height and figure. As she sat in a dressmaker's salon, and watched the mannequin display the creations of the house, the tall girl realised that those frocks and coats meant for the small slim tvpe, would only accentuate her height, and would indeed, be totally unsuitable for her. At | last, however, the couturieres have

Our Sketch,

Effective evening dress in pastel-green satin, and lace dyed to match, the lace being employed as trimming on the apron-front, and corsage. Observe the natural waistline—this is an important fashion note.