MAINLY FOR WOMEN

Greymouth Evening Star, 10 December 1927, Page 10

MAINLY FOR WOMEN

ITEMS OF INTEREST

(Notes by

Marjorie)

A CONGRESS IN VIENNA. tonsorial ARTISTS CONFER. Women can sigh with a sense of relief; the bobbed hair is by no means in danger, and it Will remain a fashion for a long time to come. Though no resolutions were adopted, the above statement summarises the “tendency” which prevailed at the congress of hairdressers in Vienna, which was attended by 1000 delegates from all over the world, including a delegation of 200 hairdressers from the United States and a strong delegation from Great Britain, says a writer in the Manchester “Guardian.” Bobbed hair will remain the fashionable coiffure. The curling-iron will disappear altogether, its place being taken by permanent waves which, according to expert hairdressers, are more harmless for the hair than the old-fashioned curling-iron. For evening use postiches may bo worn, but naturally grown long hair is still “out of fashion.” The newest, fashion for men’s hair-cut has also been demonstrated at the congress with the help of mannequins. *The for men leaves plenty of hair on the back part of the head, and is cut pointed, somewhat in the same fashion as the Eton crop for women. There was a picturesque show attached to the congress; hairdressing throughout the centuries. The various famous artists of hairdressing who participated at the congress have produced historical coiffures. The headgear of an ancient Egyptian priestess, Greek and Roman coiffures, hair dressed a la Marie Antoinette or Mary Stuart, right up to the rich crest worn 15 years ago, were all demonstrated in a revue. There were three Turkish hairdressers present at the congress, and they declared that the motto of Turkish women at present is: “Away with the veil and the long hair.”

GIRLS AND COCKTAILS.

Social workers are not in agreement with the observations regarding the spread of the cocktail habit among girls made by the Rev. W. Shapcott. Tn a speech at Leamington, says a London paper. Mr Shapcott told of a young woman of 17 who boasted of having drunk 40 cocktails a day without turning a. hair, and Prebendary Carlile, speaking at the same meeting, declared that drinking among women was “greatly on ihe increase.” “That any girl could drink 40 cocktails in a day without turning a hair, is, of course, on tile face of it, ridiculous.” was the comment of a West End doctor. “I think, however, that they drink more cocktails, far more, than are, perhaps, good for them. That they live for cocktail drinking and the like is rather an overdrawn estimate in which, I fear, temperance fanatics indulge.”

“These tall cocktail stories make me just a little tired,” the warden of a girls’ hostel in London said. “It may be true that a certain type of girl—the rich type with no particular object in life —drinks a great many cocktails. It is certainly not true of the thousands of decent, hard-working girls.” “I do not think the speaker was quite correct in striking such a pessimistic note,” said Miss A. E. Slat, president of the British Women’s Total Abstinence Union. “Certainly a particular class of young people is suffering from a craze for cocktails, but it is only a passing whim of fashion.” Prebendary Carlile stated that his experience was that drinking among women was increasing. “I call upon Englishwomen,” he said, “to take up the cudgels and purge their sex of this growing evil. I have seen public houses so crowded with women that there is no room for men. On the other hand, it is rather curious to note that intemperance among men is on the decrease.”

WEALTHY DRESSMAKER. ■■■ 4 The invasion of business by society goes on. Though her father is passing rich, Miss Poppy Baring, a pretty daughter of Sir George Baring, of the renowned banking clan, is the principal saleswoman of a fashionable dressmaking establishment in the heart of Mayfair, London, of which a kinsman of the English Royal Family, Mr George Fitzgeorge, is part-owner and founder. FITTED HATS. More and more shops,, especially the small specialty stores, are installing the service of fitting hats to the head. In America schools are being established that saleswomen may be instructed in the method of cutting these hats in the latest styles. Older: women, who cannot be fitted to the! youhful type of hats should appreciate' the service.

FILM EDITOR’S OPINION. AUSTRALIAN GIRLS NOT PRETTY. The full text of the evidence of Mr Robert Dexter before the. Australian Film Commission came to hand by the last mail. Mr Dexter is editor-in-chief 'and part proprietor of the motion picture trade journal, “Everyone’s,” and claims to be an Australian of the third generation. Born in Sydney, he declared that he spoke with an experience of 14 years in the film business to support him. He recently returned after spending six years in America where he was director of advertising and publicity for First. National Pictures. “I feel that we have fooled ourselves long enough,” said Mr Dexter, in discussing Australia’s position in the moving picture world. “We have refused to view ourselves as the outer world sees us. “Beauty is the merchandise of the motion picture, and Australia is practically barren of beauty,” he added. “Nature made a wonderful job of this continent, but as human beings we are an ugly race.” was another of his pronouncements. “I say this seriously,” said witness. “The best-dressed man in Sydney today couldn’t hold his own to a five-dol-lar a day ‘extra’ at Hollywood.” Witness confessed he knew that he was inviting cartloads of trouble in turning the spotlight of his criticism on our girls. Nevertheless he did it. He declared' that it was time that somebody spoke the truth. For four months of the year he conducted throughout Australia a film quest, to find a girl to send to Cecil B. de Mille’s studios in Hollywood. The search was conducted in all grades of society and over all Australasia. He personally interviewed 1,104 girls. From all Australia six girls were gathered and of these only two measured up to standard. Since then, witness had seen another six, who, he thought, might be worth a trial. As a result of his analysis of the Australian girl from the screen standpoint, witness emphasised the following flaws: — Either the teeth of our girls are naturally poor or they show the result of bad dentistry. Among all the girls he examined in Melbourne, in conjunction with one of Melbourne's leading dentists, he found only one with perfect teeth. She came from West Australia.

In our girls, there is a tendency towards premature development, and even where the physique is correct they lack the art of making the most of themselves. They have not been trained to walk in beauty.

MARKED DEPRESSION. Our girls suffer from a marked depression or inhibition. ’ Their actions are too much governed by the thought of what people will say of them. The speedy result is loss of individuality. The Sydney woman, witness went oh to say, is 12 months behind the New York styles. This would have a very adverse effect on any picture produced here. He blamed the big stores for this condition. They could have the styles here a month after New York., he said, but we did not get them for a year. “Successful picture production here calls for an entire change of our national characteristics," witness added. “In our criticisms we are destructive and not constructive.” Despite a fire of cross-questions from the commission, witness stuck to his guns, and returned a devastating broadside when he was asked on what grounds he made his statements about the lack of beauty in the Australian race. “Well, look around this room, he replied, to the consternation of both commission and audience. Mr Dexter made one excursion on very dangerous ground when he maintained that beauty in race demanded mixed blood. FIRST IN THE FIELD. NEW ZEALAND GIRL. The outstanding success of Miss Alison Sleigh in England will be marked with considerable interest by school-friends and others with whom she was associated during her residence in Christchurch. Her latest success is in passing the examination qualifying for the degree of Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects, and she is the first New Zealand woman to gain such distinction.

Miss Sleigh, who is the only daughter of Mr and Mrs S. K. Sleigh, of Dunedin, was educated in Christchurch at the school now known as Queen Philippa’s College, of which the Misses Sanders were principals. She studied at the School of Art and the School of Engineering, Canterbury College, and entered the office of Mr S. Hurst, Seager, A.1.R.8.A., going later to the office of Mr Cecil Wood, A.R.1.8.A., where she completed her articles. She subsequently sailed for England to pursue her studies, at the Architectural Association in London, where she has gained such marked success that, contrary to her previous intentions, she stayed to complete the full course and gain the associateship. She competed for and won several competitions, the most important perhaps being placed second for the Tite prize in 1925. This prize is awarded for a purely practical subject, with full details of construction, so that for a woman to be placed second in this competition was indeed a very high honour. During these years Miss Sleigh entered the office of the present principal, Mr Robertson, of Messrs Easton and Robertson, and was also engaged on important drawings for many of the principal architectural firms in London. She has travelled largely, having visited most of the cities of England and Scotland, and has travelled also on the Continent for the purpose of sketching and studying. ! Miss Sleigh is returning to New Zealand, and will probably enter into practice in the Dominioh.

A WOMAN CATERER. It is said that Mrs. Mendelssohn, of London, caters for more meals in. one day than any other woman in the world. She has just been appointed catering superintendent for the 40 or 50 houses associated with the Drapery

’Trust Ltd. From looking after a large household she; found herself suddenly called upon to provide meals for 1000 to 1500 persons a day. Now, after eleven years, she estimates that she is catering for 10,000, ordering potatoes and other foods by the ton and eggs at the rate of 10,000 a •week. Her taking’s are over £lOO,OOO a year.