Womenfolk the Strength of This Young Dominion

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 65, 9 December 1938, Page 19 (Supplement)

Womenfolk the Strength of This Young Dominion

Feminine Influence May Guide Our Destiny

THE future of New Zealand lies with its womenfolk. In every civilization that the world has known, the perfection of its culture has been reflected in its women —their speech, dress, carriage, beauty and intelligence, their appreciation of art and literature, their distinction, their understanding of what is right and what is wrong. They have great Influence in guiding the destiny of a nation, for the ■men are too busy with the work of the world always to spare the time to look ahead. In this Dominion there are 788,654 women, a very Considerable body of opinion. Every single one of them is’ different" from all the rest, yet all possess those indefinable traits which mark out the New Zealander (feminine) from nationals of any other land. At this Jime of national stocktaking, when, like so many other nations, New Zealand stands at the cross-roads of /destiny, let us analyse the character and charm of Miss —and Mrs.—New Zealand.

Even in the three or four generations since the first Ships came to these shores, there has evolved the beginnings of a New Zealand national type. There is certainly a perceptible New Zealand accent. There is ' & New Zealand character. There is a New Zealand physique. Altogether, there is emerging a typical New Zealander, whose characteristics can be traced back to many things—to the independent, adventurous spirit o f 'the early pioneers; to our generous, bracing climate; to the mountains and rivers, the forests and fertile plains that go to make up this greatly-blessed country. Not least of these influences is New Zealand’s isolation—the great distances that. separate us from the Centres of the modern world. Is Fashion Art ?, These great distances have, to a large cxl it. been annihilated by modern means of transport. There are 'fast ships and faster ’planes—our primary produce reaches its markets fresh and sweet. But in the fields of art and music, New Zealand is inclined to lag behind. Perhaps we can hardly class feminine fashion as one of the arts. But fashion is indubitably a part pf the art of living, and, as such, merits its share of attention and interest.

Although the great fashion designers of the world jvould hardly regard New Zealand women as the pillars of their art, the fact remains that New Zealand .wonien have distinct, and, we might say, distinguished style. They are well groomed, carry themselves well,

know how to move gracefully and rhythmically. They care more for suitability and simplicity in their clothes than for the whims of fickle fashion. And in New Zealand, a country of sporting, outdoor, casual folk, surely they are right. Whenever one meets a New Zealander lately returned from a. trip abroad, even if it be no further abroad than Sydney, he is invariably full of praise for the chic and beauty of the women in the cities he

has seen. It is largely a synthetic type of beauty, he will willingly admit, with emphatic make-up and striking clothes; and the healthy, natural beauty of the New Zealand women is inclined to pale in comparison with this vividness and sophistication. But consider the reaction of a stranger to our shores. Here he finds ati entirely different picture. He admires the freshness and vitality, the glowing Health arid careful grooming that are the most striking attributes of New Zealand’s womenfolk. He sees hundreds of healthy, sun-tanned girls crowding from the shops and offices on long summer evenings, dashing away to change into crisp shorts to play tennis or Cricket. He sees hundreds of girls and women who took their best in bathing suits, swimming and sunbathing on ocean and river beaches. He sees young

mothers, slim and suntanned, with bonnie, stronglimbed children playing in .the sun. He sees attractive, well-dressed matrons playing golf, bowls, croquet. He sees crowded city streets where the women wear those simple tailored

clothes that are so dear to New Zealand hearts. He sees women in isolated country districts wearing smart riding clothes, cool linens, crisp cottons. In short, he sees New Zealand life reflected in the dress of the womenfolk.

New Zealand women, although the way of their lives demands sense and suitability in their everyday dress, follow the fashion trends of the great outside ■world with avid interest, and, when opportunity offers, they prove that they have no lack of taste, originality and chic.

To persuade the New Zealand male to don a stiff shirt is no mean feat. But that difficult part of the task accomplished, New Zealanders dine and dance, go to theatres and parties with as much regard to the social conventions as their contemporaries in any part of the world.

All literature dealing with beauty and fashion gets plenty of interest in New Zealand. The frills and furbelows of the current mode are dear to the hearts of womenfolk, but they are wise enough to know that such elegances can enjoy but a short life in their casual community, and, consequently, they concentrate on the more vital matter of good grooming. There are no great beauties today. Beauty is within the reach of everyone. This is a basic principle which the New Zealand woman has firmly grasped.

She knows that even though she starts somewhere behind scratch, she still has a good chance of winning the golden apple. It takes time, thought, and concentration on detail, but the end, once it is achieved, is certainly worth the effort. Complexion and hair, hands and feet, clothes and foundations all must get their share of attention. And although we mention foundations last, that is not meant to in-

dicate their place in order of merit. James Laver, in his recent book, “'Taste and Fashion," says that today we have "the most comfortable and hygienic foundation garments that have ever been worn.’’ And in this vital phase of good grooming, New Zealand women are quite as up-to-date as their sisters in London, Paris, or anywhere in the world.

New Zealand Made Foundation garments designed for New Zealand women, taking into account the basic New Zealand figure types, are made in a thoroughly modern, up-to-the-minute New Zealand factory, by New Zealand girls. New Zealand shops, which are modelled on leading establishments overseas, all maintain skilled fitters to see that every woman gets the garment specially designed for her figure type, the garment that will flatter her figure, promote good posture, and, incidentally, good health. The number of women who do not have their foundations expertly fitted grows daily less and less. Women who live in the country take the opportunity of a visit to town to call on their favourite corsetiere, and where, a few years ago, she bought one garment to wear morning, noon and night, today she buys a foundation wardrobe—three or four garments to be worn as occasion demands.

When the well-groomed woman buys foundation garments, she buys them before any new clothes which she might be contemplating. Elementary, perhaps, but vastly important. There is no greater mistake than cheerfully to wear one’s oldest corset when trying on new clothes, only to find a week or so later - that new corsets simply must be bought—and when that is accomplished, complain bitterly that the new clothes no longer fit. . .

When you come right down to it, it was the department store that really taught the world how to enjoy summer! Think back to the days when men sweltered all summer long in winter-weight suits (some of them still do, poor dears). And their ladies weren’t much better off. Think of the days when living-rooms were hung with heavy draperies even in January. And if you’ll think back far enough

you’ll remember dressed-up little boys and girls wearing stockings—full length—when it was 90 in the shade. All this has been changed. Today the winter fires are hardly out when summer buying begins. Toeless sandals, crownless hats, sheetdresses and lightweight foundations go like hot cakes. It is just as easy today to look slim and well-groomed in January as in July. No longer

is there any need to choose between coolness and control.

In spite of this, there is still a great number of women—particularly heavier women—who are prejudiced against the new foundations on account of their very lightness and flexibility. There are many who still believe that to be well corseted means to be uncomfortable. The heavier woman is so used to wearing ;

corsets that squeeze her in above; the hips, at the thighs, or back of; the shoulders, that she feels that! any foundation that fails to do this ’ is not “holding her in” sufficiently. There we have the crux of the ‘ matter. A good corset, the modern foundation, does not squeeze the body anywhere, the resulting roil of displaced flesh is considered an unforgivable corseting fault. The modern corset is not meant to hold '

you in. Its great pul-pose in these curvaceous days, is to bring you out! (Oh yes. in the; right places.) Today there is much talk of the return-j ing hourglass silhouette. Fitted frocks of the past two-; seasons have made women waist-consciou's once again J Many have gone to the trouble to reduce their waist-; lines specially, an interesting fact when you stop to con-' sider how indifferent-women have been to any inward: curves for many years. It’s the “up” hair that is responsible for this new' mode. Gone are the casual, flowing manes—curls arc' piled high, ears and napes are bared. And with this! rage for up-swept hair, the silhouette of Queen Alexandra, with tiny waist, high sleeves, dog-collars and necklaces, little flattering hats, even the bunch of vio-’ lets, is back again. But with a difference. The dif-i ference between the steel and bone silhouette, with all its discomforts, of the nineteen hundreds, and today’s flattering, comforting foundations that control, but never, never restrict. A Sound Investment In the words of ‘'Vogue,” world-famous fashion journal, “Every penny you put into your corsets; every minute you spend in careful choosing and fitting; every little attention you give them in wearing and washing, will bring you greater rewards than a similar amount of money, time and care devoted to any 'other item of your wardrobe. For the plain fact is that clothes look precisely as smart as the figure beneath them. Few of us can achieve mannequin perfection, but all can give our clothes a good start by wearing them over correct corsets. So put your corset claims above all others; face up frankly to your figure defects, and enlist the services of your favourite corset department to correct or minimise them. Corset design is progressing as fast as car design; and who would phone their car dealer and order ‘Another like the last, please’ ? “First, never, never buy a corset without being fitted ... if it’s a question of being rushed—make time; that corset will be, literally, the foundation of vour wardrobe for months to come.

“Don’t treat your corsets like the step-children of your wardrobe. You would never think of wearing a suit, day in, day out, for it’s bad for fabrics not to give them a rest; how much more, then, should you rest your corsets, which are always keyed up when in use.

“You would never expect shoes to keep their shape very long; yet corsets, which have not only to keep their shape but yours, are sometimes expected to last almost indefinitely.. “You appreciate the effects of cleaning on your clothes; yet the washing of corsets has far more fundamental results. You cannot injure corsets by frequent washings. It is perspiration which harms them; not soap and water. “Build your dress wardrobe on the sure foundation of an appropriate corset wardrobe. Don't think it an extravagance—quite the reverse. Each garment will keep shipshape much longer for being worn only a few hours at a time, and then sent off duty.”

Well, there is it—a word of advice to the women

of our young Dominion. It is the secret of beauty, and beauty is the secret of power and influence, and even, to a great extent, of happiness in this modern world in which we live. It is a secret known to many New Zealand girls, and shared by an increasing company, in these days when, to attain the best that civilization offers, in every walk of life, we see the many bounteous .gifts of nature improved by the artifice of man.