MAINLY FOR WOMEN

Greymouth Evening Star, 14 November 1936, Page 9

MAINLY FOR WOMEN

ITEMS OF INTEREST

FABRICS WOVEN WITH BEADS. STITCHERY AND FLOWERS. Blends in rich colours and the treatment ol’ new fabrics provide unending surprises. It is often difficult to know what family the wool and silk fabrics belong. Wools get more and more "dressy” while silks, rayonvelvets and taffeta can bo extremely simple (writes Hon. Mrs C. W. For’ ester in tho Loudon "Daily Telegraph”). Many of the new wools and jerseys are embellished with beads, flowers of leather or silky hairs in the weave. Other wools and tweeds have a patterned darning or hem-stitchery through them which looks like embroidery, generally emphasised by contrast in colour. Again, the changes are rung by the finish of woollen fabrics which may have the soft feel of real antelope or duvetyn. Finest broadcloth may have a cire surface resembling a shining river. The same applies to the great variety of satins, taffetas and rayons. Crepes, morocains, and velvets are inclined to show a raised, pebbly-sur-faced effect. Boucle has a spongy appearance and cloque looks quilted. A velvet voile is a glamorous material in rich, rare colourings, and is largely patronised by exclusive French houses. Lame is another gorgeous weave which is presented in many different ways. Woven with rayon and wool, it has come in as a day-time favourite as well as for night. One manufacturer’ treats lame as an old rich brocade, introducing heavy golden weaves; others as a tapestry, utilising the faded shades so that it has the worn look of what is termed “distressed” velvet or broche. One lame tunic I saw looked like a gleaming Paisley shawl in the best Paisley period colourings, Etruscan red, mixed with vivid blue, and was a successful creation made with full elbow sleeves and a ruched neck finish. The belt was jewelled and the slip beneath was of rayon velvet in a dull bronze. An embossed material that looked like gold leather, was, I was told, a new make of cloqpe. The raised design was small. It was an admirable choice for a Princess dinner frock, cut absolutely plain, the only trimming being a hanging scarf of blue velvet which could swathe the wearer when the weather was chilly. There is a new satin with a taffeta back and a somewhat dull matt surface. This is very successful in Virginian red, also in the gold colour that mixes so admirably with rust.

A shaded stripe in a grey lame has a very lovely effect. This material is cleverly made up into a. semi-evening frock with strands of grey sequins. There is a softly falling cape, to match. It would be very difficult to cull any one colour “the fashion,” for every dress designer has his or her own special shade. Turquoise comes into vogue, with the revival of the peplum and polonaise period. Crepe-cloque in this lovely shade of Italian blue looks truly wonderful mixed with purple. A peach pink is good used with a pale yellow.

NEW COLOUR MIXTURES. Moss green is very much to the fore; so are lime green and the real Victorian olive shade, one of fashion’s first favourites, also a bronzegreen tint which looks well in all the new jersey materials for night and day. Then there is the vast red range. Deep, bright carnation shades are wonderful for the new uncrushable rayon velvets. A deep clove in velvet mixes admirably with faille of a dull purple tint. Magenta is a good colour for taffeta or velvet. A designer of note uses peacockblue crepe and orange taffeta together in an exotic looking negligee. The Edwardian and Victorian “comebacks” in colours are eminently suited to the new vogues that are now rendered so much more attractive by modern methods of weaving, dyeing and by really artistic treatment. It certainly may be called a “rich” season, in fact it seems rather as if designers are . anticipating the glamour of Coronation clothes. However, daring and gay as winter fashions are, exaggeration will be avoided. Simplicity of cut and restraint in trimmings are very necessary When fashion plunges into an orgy of lovely colours and fabrics. Rayon and all the metal weaves are in themselves so decorative that they do not necessitate any further elaboration.

One cannot, however, get away from the lavish and costly furs that are so brought to the fore this season. Sable, like mink, in its newer shadings is important in fashion’s scheme once more. Sable edgings recall Empire magnificence, especially when used to border emeraldgreen eloque or velvet. Huge sleeved, long velvet coats in moss-green shelter slim frocks of bronze green crepe, and hero the coat is bordered with dark mink bands. The coloured foxes are as fashionable as ever. At a notable dress show this week a long full-shaped coat iij a real black velvet, lavishly trimmed with cross-fox, was seen. Such a striking and rich garment might have stepped from a picture of 1880 elegance—only it was more becoming and slimming. One of the greatest successes of a clever designer is a wonderfully-wov-en tweed ensemble, the fabric possessing a soft sude finish. It is in an unripe blackberry shade. The dress ties at the neck with a. blue and blackberry wool bow and jabot. Two more tiny bows complete the basqued blouse. It has a short, round skirt swinging smartly. The coat of hip length is shaped by skilled tucking. A cape collar of fox dyed to exactly the same tone provides the costly note to a super-simple tweed ensemble.

THE TIMID SEX. IDEA’S FROM ONE OF THEM i There is no creature in the world - with fewer opinions of his own than . a man, writes a “Mere Man,” in the ' ‘Sydney Morning Herald.’ He is 1 swayed from one firm opinion to an- • other if anyone bothers to sway him. Anyone—that is to say, any "attractive person,” or perhaps a flatterer. You hear a. man say- that lie abhors seeing a woman smoke, and next day you meet him at a friend’s house busily making love to a lady with a cigarette in her mouth. And if you pass a remark about women and cigarettes he will stare at you with a. real, not feigned, blank stare aud say he never knew anything so delightful and charming as a woman who smokes. The reason why men have acquired

the reputation-of not being easily influenced is a simple one. It is because of their innate stubbornness. Man sets his face like flint against all changes or improvements, and this in spite of the fact that man is more revolutionary than woman. He can never grasp the ideas of the future. The past is'what he thinks of, though occasionally he may catch up with.the present. Man accepts change only when he is literally forced to do so. Then he takes all the credit to himself. Man has always scorned improvements, and likes to have things as he is accustomed to having them. That is' how “the pies that mother used to make,” etc., came into favour. Men, ever lovers of platitude, argue that women never know how to make up their minds. Yet a woman’s indecision in choosing a new hat is as nothing compared with a man’s in picking out a new tie. In a restaurant a woman is never at a loss -what to choose. She may pretend to be, but in reality she isn’t. If she is alone she orders her frugal repast in no time, and if accompanied by a man she has the most expensive delicacies at the tip of her tongue. Man, on the contrary, looks at the menu for. half an hour, and then frequently manages to call back the waiter to change his order. At an art exhibition a woman will decide at once which picture is the best, while her male companion, after wandering around and scrutinising everything in sight, comes to no definite’ conclusion. A woman knows which of her admirers she likes best and which one is most worthy of her. A man makes love to a dozen girls, proposes to one, aud regrets that he did not choose another. Some men constitute pleasant exceptions to these truths, but they only prove the rule; which is that man is more easily influenced than woman, more stubborn, and less capable of conceiving or grasping new ideas. All of which is respectfully submitted with all due deference to one’s sex.

CLIP JEWELLERY. Flower clips in costume jewels or in a new light composite material with an enamel finish in flower colours bid fair to succeed tho initial and monogram craze. They will captivate the attention of well-dressed women in search of an individual note in fashion detail (states the London “Daily Telegraph”). The chosen flower may be of tl\c mascot type. A jewel buttonhole clip of lucky white heather, in tiny pearly flowers amid sparkling pale green and silver foliage may be selected to give a finishing note to an evening suit of black velvet. A tiny cluster clip of crystal star-shaped flowers may be used as a decorative accessory, worn with a wide glittering wristband in the same floral design.

Novelty flower jewellery made of the new coloured composition, in which the shape and colour of the flowers are followed on entirely naturalistic lines, provides the chief attraction in this new fashion. Flower clips and bracelets to match are in many different designs. One has three syringa-shaped blossoms in white or colour forming the clip, with flowers mounted on a wide wristlet band to match. In other designs filbertshaped petals are used, or tiny forget-me-not petalled flowers in pale blue, pink, and white. Tho small petal posy designs are more vivid, a bright soft scarlet, coral pink and orange, also all-white with a spot of colour to make the centre of each flower. These motifs are mounted in circles and other decorative forms as clips, and cn the wide clip bracelets which fold round the outer wrist.

Tinted leather is used for the flower clips, worn as buttonholes, designed to harmonise with the ‘ one-colour handbag, glove and umbrella sets shown this autumn. The umbrella i& of the same colour as the leather. Calf suede and other plain and decorative leathers are dyed, the new dark green, and also a, royal red, in addition to other shades. Orfe of the' latest leather novelties is a white polka dot design on a darktoned leather. The flower buttonhole clip is also included in many of the smart new sets of belt, handbag and gloves, designed to give a soft colour contrast to autumn tweed suits.