MAINLY FOR WOMEN

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 September 1940, Page 5

MAINLY FOR WOMEN

ITEMS OF INTEREST

WAR FASFIiQNS,

“BATTLE DRESS'” BLOUSES. London dress designers have been showing Autumn fashions, writes “Corisande” in the “Evening Standard.” Agents and buyers for Canada and the United States have been spending hours studying dress styles for overseas .customers. Here is a brief summary of the new fashions: (1) Shorter skirts for the day-time. “We must save material,” say the designers, so hem-lines are 17 or 18 inches above the ground—about two inches shorter than a year ago. (2) Slick-fitting jackets -for suits with a well-defined waist-line, big pockets—four is the ordinary allow-' ance on a coat. Jackets come about four inches below the hipbone. (3) Wrap coats are very loose with a full back, are sometimes belted,' or close-fitting to the waist and flare outwards at the hem. (4) Fur being on the “luxury” list, its use as a' trirpming is strictly rationed. The majority of wrap coats are plain and collarless: some have a shallow fur collar, and ■ a narrow band of fur outlining the pockets. British tweeds and woollens are “star” turns. An agency for these materials lias been opened in New York.

“TWO-IN-ONE” SUITS. English women this Winter will have ample opportunities of proving that they can wear tweeds and tailormades more successfully than anyone else. .• , Economy has produced the “Country into Town Suits,” a plain suit for the country, with a second coat, sometimes fur trimmed, which transforms a country suit into 1 a London outfit. Blouses modelled on “battle dress” lines are shown with tweed suits. Practical tailored tweed dresses to wear under fur coats are trimmed with soutache braid on collars and pockets; with pel it point embroidery in bright coloured wools, 01' with bead embroidery of the kind that Victorian great aunts worked as covers for cushions and stools many many years ago.

FOREIGN LEGION.

LADY ASTOR’S PLAN. LONDON, August 3. “Hundreds of foreign nurses and mid-wives —most of them once held jobs in defence areas—have been dismissed and are now idle,” said Lady Astor this week, when she spoke •of her scheme to recruit a women’s foreign legion. She hopes to enist many, alien women who are not now allowed to work in Britain, together with others who may bb freed from i internment camps following the Gov-| ernment’s investigation into selected cases. “They can’t get a job anywhere, although the services they render are valuable,” continued Lady Astor. “These women get unemployment assistance and are left- to fill their empty days as best they can. Sooner or' later they are bound to change their feelings of loyalty and gratitude -into bitterness and discontent.” z Lady Astor wants the legion to be conducted on a voluntary plan- and be ( open to any friendly woman alien. The Legion officers will be British and members would be classified in groups according to their qualifica= tions. Hostels, uniforms, or badges will be provided and the amount which the Government is now spending on their unkeep would be their weekly pay. CORSETS NEED WASHING. The demand for a smooth silhouette called for the corset to be worn next the skin. And this habit has called for more frequent laundering of the corset. The fastidious woman, who is no longer protecting her corset with an undervest, has become as particular about washability as she is about perfect fit. She demands a corset that can'be readily kept clean without losing its shape ,or strength. . Manufacturers have answered these

SMALL RROBLEMS.

QUICK REMEDIES. Tight-fitting drawers will run smoothly if the upper edges are rubbed with soap. Brushing the hair regularly has a polishing effect which brings out its lustre. Not only does it improve the sheen on the hair, but it also improves the '■health of the sCjalp. Experiment with two shades of powder. If, for instance, the cheeks are too full, a darker shade upon them than upon the rest of the face will detract attention. For an oily skin a lotion of lemon juice mixe'd with an edual amount of rose water and five drops of glycerine will hold the powder and prevent the grease from breaking through. Weak arches . can be strengthened by sitting on a chair, placing your right foot over -your left knee, then rotating it twenty times to the right and twenty .Times to the left. Repeat with other leg. Soft corns usually come between the toes and are caused by not drying the feet carefully after a bath. Rub the corner of the towel between the toes after bathing, and sprinkle liberally with talc or special foot powder. Glance at your elbows in the mirror. Satisfied? The skin on the elbows is nearly always rough and wrinkled, due to leaning on them. Knead them with cream each night and once a week give them a hot-oil treatment.

Lines and wrinkles beneath the chin can be reduced by placing the tips of the fingers together beneath the chin, and then drawing them away from each other towards the ears'. Use plenty of nourishing cream with this movement. Rouge should be used to shape rather than 1 colour the face. Keep it well away from the expression lines than run from nose to mouth. If there are deep laughter lines under the eyes blend the rouge into them. If your lips are not as full as they could be, try wringing but a flannel in hot water and pressing it firmly against them. Do this two or three times a day for three weeks and the lips will gradually become fuller and the colour will probably improve. If you are a blonde try using a beaten egg as a hair shampoo. Add a few drops of lemon juice to the egg before you beat it up. This mixture will make your hair beautifully soft, and will also help preserve its colour.

demands with silks, cottons, rayons that are firm enough to stand constant washing without shrinking. But rubber must be woven into these materials for the new modern control, and the garment with rubber content always requires careful washing if it is to retain its elasticity. The increased use of rubber in ■ modern corset is as forcible an argument for frequent laundering as personal daintiness, because perspiration affects the durability of elastic. So there are both practical and aesthetic reasons for washing the corset as often as any other under-garment that is worn close to the body.

Writing from the Punjab, where he is on the staff of the Presbyterian mission, Dr. A. J. Henderson, of Auckland, states that 'from 1921 to 1931 there was an increase of 33,000,000 in the population of India, states the “New Zealand Herald.” It is estimated that in 1941 the total will exceed 400,000,000, the increase being largely due to the prevention of the

former great outbreaks of disease. Whereas 70 years ago the average annual income was about 30/-, ten years ago it was about £B. In the modern city of Bombay one-third of the population of 1,100,000 live in room's occupied by more than five persons at a time, and a large number of robins have over 20 persons.