MAINLY FOR WOMEN

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 April 1933, Page 3

MAINLY FOR WOMEN

ITEMS OF INTEREST

ALERT CUSTOMS ORDEAL FOR INNOCENT Travellers from the Continent are finding Customs officers uncommonly alert these days (writes a correspondent of the "Daily Telegraph"). A woman found herself held up for some time because she was not able to prove to their satisfaction on which side of the Channel she had bought an evening wrap. The fact that it was silk velvet seemed to arouse their deepest suspicion, although she pointed out gently that Bond Street, as well as the Rue de la Paix, sold a good deal of velvet. But although they let that pass, they looked at her frocks with the greatest Thoroughness, finally examining her shoes, powder-boxes, and the seams and metal fastenings of her handbags. She had decided by that time they were also looking for'drugs. So she was astonished when they finally asked her to turn up her coat sleeves at the wrists so as to be sure, they pointed out courteously, that she was not wearing any watches or jewellery on which she should pay duty.

Although she was happily sure that her conscience was clear, she said she heard herself stammering almost guiltily as the inquisition went on. It ought to have been a sure sign of innocence to the Customs officers, for the hardened smuggler would go through it' all without turning a hair. DAMASK LINEN SUITS. (By a Paris Dress Expert). An interesting novelty consists of a new type of linen with a glossy damask character, which is very attractive for summer tailored suits in apple-green and sand-beige. Patterned jersey frocks have plain trimmings, some being defined in turkey twilled red pique, which is used for hats, facings to collars and cuffs, with plaited lacings of the pique passing through eyelet holes in bodices and along the outer forearms of long sleeves. Twine cordings are likewise used in this way. Long sleeves dominate in blouses, jackets, and frocks. The new “arable” cotton weaves in homespun suitings are used for fulllength coats, one to wear over a pale grey pin-striped frock. The black and white domino rough cotton check is featured for collar lines on black coats. Shepherd’s plaid is made into a chemisier frock style, with short masculine shirt collars made to look feminine with a little knotted instead of formal bow-tie. The new chemisier frock has an important air in plain lainages when tieknots are embroidered with white spots. The new grey, a dark smoke-tone called “Norwegian” grey, is chosen for a Norfolk jacket line with inverted box-pleats and patch pockets complete. The line is modernised, however, to hang straight, under a belt over a pale lemon-coloured blouse set above the grey skirt.

LONDON DRESSMAKERS More and more Englishwomen are realising that London dressmakers can be as smart as French ones, and that, British workmanship is often better, and London is vastly increasing its importance as a fashion centre. The Queen gives a. lead to her subjects by always patronising British firms, and she was an interested spectator at a big fashion display at the White City recently. Here she was shown Ascot frocks of sprigged cotton, Winterhalter hats of tulle and tarlatan, “deerstalker” tints for sports, and a, new colour for evening drosses called “stratosphere.” Bach flowered cotton frock has its matching smallbrimmed hat tilted to the right, and Dolly Varden hats in felt and straw are worn with tailored suits in white flannel, striped with blue. Among the 1933 beach wear shown to Her Majesty was an ensemble consisting of white linen trousers attached to a brassiere backless top, a naval cap and a. navy blue top coat. This was an example of the many fashions influenced by the unabated craze for cruising. Though trousers are not yet popular off the beach, the example of Hollywood stars has not passed unnoticed, and West. End tailors predict that Englishwomen will definitely take to them within the next few months. Already women’s plus-fours, cut the same as men’s, and made by a man’s tailor, have made (heir appearance at the dress shows.

MUST NOT BE SLIM. PARIS MODES BANNED. That Italian women and girls must discard the slim outline which has come from Paris is the latest fiat from the Italian Federation of Dressmakers. This organisation aims at creating Italian fashions and ousting French rivals. A generous subsidy is being granted to enable it to maintain a “Fashion Palace’’ in the public park of this city, where the latest modes in Italian clothes will be permanently exhibited, As a large number of Italian women still cling to Paris as the world’s fashion centre, the newspapers are called upon to help in the campaign. Some of the extreme Right Wing Fascists papers have started with a scries of caricatures representing abnormally thin girls wearing tilted berets. They urge Italians not to copy these French figures, but to put on more flesh and clothes. Clever young artists have been engaged to create Italian clothes and give their figures big hips and sloping shoulders. FASHION IN LONDON AND PARIS The whirl of fashion becomes stark reality this week, when everyone from the Queen downwards will be studying, admiring, and possibly criticising all the newest adventures in fabric, feathers and fur. White City, little shops and great stores, exclusive dressmakers’ salons, and fashionable wedding receptions will become one vast theatre of modes with a non-stop programme of dress surprises. Feathers do not make women look old. At least they do not do so when manipulated by the expert of 1933. The boa of long ostrich fronds and mixed colours is featured by certain exclusive London houses. The feathers revival started last year, its beauties having been neglected far too long.

Everything depends on how it is worn. We no longei- finish a tailored suit, with a small boa of miserable feathers. This accessory belongs to a more dressed style, and should appear for afternoon or evenings to accentuate or soften a model of magnificence .

Palest turquoise blue broderie anglaise makes a dress with a narrow velvet, ribbon slotted through the waistline that has a matching scarf shaped exactly like a table runner. This blue is the favourite shade of the bride of the week, Miss Whigham, and the dress is one of her trousseau gowns. Pale mauve lace in a grapevine design makes another dress with a little cape fastened on one shoulder with Parma violets.

Deep scarlet is a chiffon dauc“ dress in this trousseau, with fringed feather like rouleaux of the chiffon at the hem and on the shoulders, and a novel corsage ornament is made of a cluster of grapes. Last season the bride had a pale pink and blue dress of muslin embroidered with sequins that she liked so much that it has been copied for her in white. A charming “come-back” is the white pique jacket fashion lor plain dark, lainage skirts and frocks. Jackets in black and white' checks with fairly broad Harris tweed character arc semi-fitted to the figure to wear over black frocks, or a three-quarter length belted tunic coat with side button fastenings is shown over a dress of the checked fabric in the bodice. Navy blue and white pin-striped linen is another attractive theme for a semi-fitted jacket style. Claudine collars in glazed linen to match gauntlet cuffs bring a youthful look Io black and navy blue frocks. Flax in natural tints brings new life Io linen in jersey and velvet weaves. Although linen jersey may be intended as a, morning sports trend, it is ushered into the smart day-wear group for an ensemble the coat of which is trimmed with a sable collar and cuffs.

The new linen weave with a velvet cast is sometimes made into long evening cape wraps—one in bright rod- being adorned with a. while fox collar. Other wraps in a new moonlight toned silver lame and frappe velvet suggest belted daycoat linos with a difference displayed in cleverly designed wide sleeves and cut away front hemlines.

Evening wrap lengths vary from those to sliort-waisted boleros for summer wear, showing little sleeves resembling a. roll-up above elbows under bands of sable.