THE NEW BLOUSE

Dominion, Volume 16, Issue 5, 30 September 1922, Page 17

THE NEW BLOUSE

MAKES FOR SLIMMER FIGURES. Tlie latest American blouses are said to bo very special features of dross this coming season. From its New York correspondent, the ‘‘Sunday Times” has received the following description of them: —

“Tho new blouse is verily a blouse and not in any sense a waist. " Its loose lines are very becoming, tod. Any woman looks slimmer in a loose blouse than sho does in a tight-fitting one, tho softer and easier tho fall of blouse fabric on the figure, the slimmer seems the figure. ' These loose'blouses fall over the skirt at a low waist-line, and this adds to the slenderness of the silhouette. *'

“The straight skirt has a very loose belt so that it slips well down on the' figure eliminating curves. Sometimes a sash of the blouse material, passed around the top of the’ skirt continues the 'length of line and increases the effect of slimness.

“Soft, heavy linen is being used for these blouses, crepe de chine is favoured also, and. Shantung goes great when it comes, to sports blouses. “One’s blouse must be odd, picturesque and. “different”—that is to say, individual, to have style. You can be very ladylike and neat in a white, voile waisb trimmed with filet insertion; or in a white batiste waist embroidered by hand —but you will riot bo especially smart. The; smart blouse just now is dashing rather than, neat and dainty. What is called the ■ peasant style is back again. It has a round neck finished with a flat casing through which a ribbon draw-string is run. The long sleeves are gathered at the wrists into similar casings, below which escape little frills. This' ■blouse is sometimes of handkerchief linen in faint apricot tint and is crossstitched in nasturtium and canna reds, the cross-stitch embroidery, done with i wool, accentuating the peasant succession.

“The sleeves have a raglan cub and the front of the blouse is very full—• i gathered into the narrow band that makes the neck-finish. The edges of the sleeves are finished in a pretty way; a narrow hem, rolled between thumb and finger is whipped with the coloured wool. This finish is a new touch much in evidence on imported blouses.

“Another blouse that promises'to be extxtedinulv popular elates back about 20 years. It, too, has th-' Raglan sleeve,. and is amazingly full in. front. T-iis full front and the back, almost as full, are gathered to a smaij circular yoke, and the voice is attached to a high stock collar. Collar and yoke are covered with coloured embroiderv in deep blue, black and orange. . The blouse is of soft, heavy white linen. These full blouses ■with full Raglan sleeves, giving a smooth line over the shoulder and a bishop frill at the wrist promise to be the rage. . . “Very good-looking sports blouses .ire of natural coloured Shantung. These blouses look well with sport skirts of brown or tan wool and with’ Shantung skirts to match the blouse... They are practical since ths tail pongee looks clean longer than a white silk waist, would, yet may be laundered as easily as white linen or, batiste. “These sr>ort blouses are in slip-on style, with long slee-es ending in lipjr cuffs, or with elbow sleeves finished with' turned-baek cuffs. There is a slash down the centre front making a neck opening, largo enough to go ov ® r Uie head. This slash is' piped and fastened with buttons and loops, and a turnover collar finishes tho neck.