Women's World

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVI, Issue 11, 24 December 1925, Page 12

Women's World

T OTS OF AFTERNOON FROCKS are fashioned from delightful crepes—crepe Juliete, crepe georgette, crepes—crepe Juliette, crepe georgette, powder blue romaine gown was trimmed with painted suede—an indescribably lovely ensemble. On a frock of Juliette crepe in a bewitching parnia shade, was introduced a new style of pleating, Vandyke manner. And nearly evor\ frock in the new collections shows a flared hem, or fulness introduced in one way or another. A very few have flat backs and very full tabliers in front, set on the slant. Innumerable floating panels are seen, flat and narrow, as well as vandyked hems with ordinary frills. Many of the new evening drssses “feature” tunic effects. They are exquisitely graceful .in their new genre, with the fulness .•ommencing below the hips. The line of the waist is determined bv the placing of the pleats, gathers or pretty flutings. Sometimes, in Paris, the waist is worn high, though the general trend so far is definitely low. But there are all sorts of ways of changing the position of the waist. A tunic of satin or chiffon, made on full lines, may be drawn into gathers, high or low, and allowed to flare out over a slim cut undersheaih. Ono sees side panels placed at a perfectly normal waistline, whence they hang straight till they near the hem ; then they fall bewiichinglv into flutes, or arc “flared” with a border of pelt or feather. Very novel and pretty is the newcomer to the lingerie department—a corset or combination brassiere and belt carried out in silver tissue. An ideal fabric, since its peculiar substance gives all the necessary support without boning. Multi-coloured “Romany’’ or gypsy sashes of tissue are a new note on black frocks, which now are seldom seen without a touch of colour. Amid the influx of increasingly feminine modes the one or two mannish fashions that still persist are accentuating themselves most .’.musingly. Quite dandyish and foppish is the neat black suit with skirt killed in front, showing a wide black kid waistband edged with while and finished in front with a smart buckle. Utile coat fronts too come from the underarm seams and are edged with two-imh bands of kid. A narrow. f.airlv deep square-cut neck reveals a di°ky in one with a stand-up white c'ollnr. The collar ol the frock is tied with a narrow ribbon round the white collar. And. of course, wo have the monocle and the Eton crop and the gardenia in the buttonhole. # Ufa # *

Of (harming simplicity is this little frock in ivory georgette, with the modish full flounced skirt. The slightly draped, long bodice is tied at the side with a bow of scarlet velvet ribbon. *

A POCHETTE FOR EVERY FROCK. The modern pochette should match the moacru iront H the toiletlc, as a whole, is to be a ducccsb. JL js, blicretore, an excellent plan to make those little bags at home. I lie usual dimcuity experienced by the amateur pochette maker lies in the lack ot a sumciently stilt ioundaiion. And old book cover of the required size will do away with quite a lot of tins trouble, and make an interlining which will keep the pochette quite farm when in use. The silk covering must- be measured half us long again as the book cover when opened out flat; this allows enough material for Hie Hap. which will be lined with buckram. The silk failing, if suiiicientiy thick, can be pasted neatly to the inside of the book cover, the edges being turned over so that they are hidden when the outer cover of the bag is attached. Small stitches in embroidery silk will neaton lining and outer cover at the edges, and a large press stud will serve as fastening. See that the sides of the pochette are strong enough to keep the contents secure when in use. A little embroidery in steel beads, or a flat botto’m ol cut steel or jet, will give a still more professional appeat ance to the home-made bag. The gilt and coloured leathers bold for coat coilar.'. and cuffs lend themselves admirably to pochette making, for they arc thin ami supple, and quite .>a>v to manipulate. Ihe mottled ones ire practical since tliev can be used with a variety o! loilett.es of different lues, and look in keeping with each. ❖ * *■ * LOVE. I believe in the- religion of Love—ovc i< r cveryLndv ami everything— j be rich and the poor—the well and lie intfa ted —the weak and the strong I -the old and the young—lor man and or beast. 1 believe it were better to iraise the honest living than to eulo- : i>e tile dishorn -t dtad—better to i • luck a blossom from the breast- of ! iatiirp and pin it with affectionate i ouch !■> il’o tattered cent of some | >r ol n un loini-iiate thaii to lay a I reath of hot-house bl.wm upon some

“LET ME BUY YOU A HAT.” Melisande opened the final demand for income tax. “And now 1 shan’t be able to buy that little purple hat,” she mourned. There was a moment's bland silence. Then; “Let me buy you a hat,” said her husband. Melisande began her usual emphatic “Oh. no . . .’ llicn slopped suddenly. “Darling, I’d love it, ' she said instead. “What an awful shame,” protested her sister, when she heard about it later. “You have far more money to spend on hats than he has, in spite of everything.’ - But iVlelisandc’s thoughts had gone deeper than that. They had married on an extraordinarily small income; they had agreed that Melisande should go on with her work, and that expenses should bo on the share-and-share-alike principle. It has to be, nowadays. And the wives are the last to complaint. But they do sometimes regret—just a tiny bit, the passing of the days when husbands puffed out their chests with pride and said ”1 would never allow my wife to earn money.” No longer does the husband feel an overwhcluiing responsibility for his wile. And. while she will cheerily earn money rather than be a charge on him in times that are not plentiful, she can’t help feeling that little, tiny regret for the passing of the old order. Melisande knew that the new hat would mean a week of scanty lunches for her husband. But he would foci a glow of protective manhood every time ho saw that hat. The pleasure of giving to his wife would urge him on to fresh, endeavour. It is not all honey—to sliare-and-share-alike. And many wives would give a great deal to go “back to the old regime under which the woman “staved at homo and kept house.'’ But it cannot always be. And it is just those unexpected flashes of responsibility—which the wife must never ignore or question—that will save her own happiness and her husband’s self-respect. * * WOOD WORM IN OLD FURNITURE _ Many people are troubled when they find worm holes ,in articles of obi furniture. As a matter of fact, it is diflicult to find any old piece that lias not got a few wormholes. Fruit-wood and even oak two or three hundred years old are seldom entirely free from it. But, provided the worm is m, longer active, there is nothing to trouble about. Even commercially, worm holes do not dcpn’ciate the value of old tables and chairs. If the worm is living. Ihe wood should bo treated with paraffin oil. Take a pen, dip it in the oil and put a , ,°l 'h<> oil into each worm hole. , This is a slow process, but certain in its results. A thorough wasinng with paraflin oil or carbolic oil will often prove sufficient. R.B.L * # 3K

EYEBROWS TO ORDER,

Pretty eyebrows give charm and character to the face, so it is worth while taking a little trouble to acquire them. You can have the kind you want if you are willing to spend a little time on their cultivation. The arched eyebrow is most admired but the fine, delicately pencilled straight line is equally beautiful. If you are dissatisfied with yoiir eyebrows. the first thing- is to decide in what way vou want to change their appearance, and. before you decide, you must try various styles to see which suits vou. This can easily he done with the help of a little powder and an eyebrow pencil. First cover up your eyebrows with powder so that they are practically invisible. Then with the eyebrow Doneil make the delicate ai’cli. or the fine straight limp or the strongly marked “forceful’’ eyebrow that voii fancy. Consider the effect carefully from various angles, with ami without a hat. and decide if it is jfleasing. Then you can begin to train vour evebrows in the wav they should no. Remove the power ami pencil marks and apply a little vaseline on the tip of an eyebrow brush, brush inp the eyebrows in the shape you wish. Then with a pair of toilet tweezers pluckout any hairs that spoil the lino These hairs are not deep-rooted and the process is not painful if the brows am first bathed with warm water and if onlv three or four hairs are pulled out each night. Thin, vague eyebrows can be improved bv applying a little vaseline with the fino’or-tip and gently brushing it in. Castor oil and olive oil are equaliv good. All three not onlv strengthen and darken the eyebrows, but make them smooth and <doss v if applied regularly every night for a week.

COOKING ODOURS,

HOW TO DISPERSE THEM

Any odour of cooking, however insistent. can bo effectually dispersed bv scattering on the range a pinch or so of cedarwood dust, which can be obtained from herbalists.

The taste and smell of fish which clings so obstinately to forks, no matter how thoroughly they may bo washed .can be got rid of by rubbing them -with a rag dipped in mustard. The housewife who, after handling and cookinpr fish, finds the odour adhering to her hands, can get over this trouble very quickly by washing her hands in warm water to which a little mustard has been added.

CHESS BOARD CHECKS l-'Ol,’ MiUC'KS .',?<!) rriiXISUJNCS -liidgiiitr In the displays in the : .smartest dresmaksing houses and the J nicest furnishing stores, chess-board : (hocks are to ! <■ in great demand thi sea son. [ Chess-board checks, as their name ' implies, ari’ merely large, alternate squares of black and white, or of dark and light tones of a colour, or of two separate, harmonising colours. They may Ip. expressed in silk, satin, leather or wool. Aery smart are the wide belts of 1 checked satin ribbon, or of leather. 1 woven together to achieve the chess- 1 board efi'cet. Supposin'-- you decide to 1 make a black and white satin bolt. ' you will require a length of black satin ribbon one-inch wide, and one of white 1 satin ribbon in the same width. Cut ! the black ribbon into four even f lengths, each one long enough to go s comfortably round the hips, and a 1 little over. Pin tliesc strips firmly to c the kitchen table at each end by s means id - drawing pins; then take your length of white ribbon and thread if up and down alternately over and under the black strips, until the whole length of the belt is chequered. Tack •“ lightly top and bottom as you go ( along, to keep all firm, and finally run 11 a line of machine stitching along top- . and bottom of the belt, and bind with * black ribbon A suitable bucklo com- 1 pletes a very chic belt. Strips of black v and white leather answer tlio same n purpose it something rather more sub- s tantial is required. An old favourite hut may he r renovated very simply bv employing the C’hess-board idea. If it is a buckram shape, remove the outer covering and us e the buckram alone as a tl ioundaiion. Cut out little squares of •' black and while, or (’(donri'd leather, h and stitch each one on to the shape. Cover the entire top of the hat thus, 11 and line the hrim with plain silk or " satin. Twisted narrow thongs of the ° leather round the crown make a neat finish. Footstools, biimpties, eushions—all manner of decorative things for the house—can be iurbished up in the same way. 7he good parts oi ancient gloves are verv usetui : >•• ar-- scraps jj of -ilk -at in. .-von cotton fabrics, and v there is n<> eml to the (’harming do- t vi< e' whii-h i in be coi'ti’i'-’e ] with j. n 1- gi, more t'wn white wool worked I i,

A PILLOW TO PLEASE YOU.

I have just made a cushion, and it is such a great success that I think you would like a similar one. so I will describe niy cushion in detail.

On a big plain pillow of lustrous black taffetas. I have arranged a gold basket piled to overflowing with wonderfully coloured fruits and flowers—amber and turquoise, emerald and amethyst, carnation and malachite green—in a riotous medley. The “basket” is made from a piece oi coarse-meshed .cold lace, six inches long, and four inches wide: a fifteeninch length of heavy gojd cord is the handle. First I lightfa- npplioued th” lace on to the pillow, curved the cord above from side to side, attachin • e with the tiniest of stitches in gold thread. Some of the flowers are old artificial marigolds, camelias and roses left over from last season's buttonholes. I cleaned up the soiled ones with bon zine, and repainted those which were dull and faded with watercolours ■ other blossoms ! made from scraps of satin and gold ribbon. I sewed them into the “basket” almost anyhow: they seemed to group themselves naturally. And I mixed bright-hued fruits in with the flowers—oranges, plums and grajx's. all made from scraps of gay silks padded tightly with cotton wool. Some of th© leaves and petals were allowed to hang over the rim of the basket, giving the whole a wonderfully natural look. When everything was in place, I added a few spashes cf gold paint here and there as a finishing touch.

SOMETIMES I JUS’ SITS ”

If was a golden daj . and I lay pensively in the hammock watching tTie flickerinrr pattern of leaves across th© blue sky. “You lazv thing,’’ Beryl said, in her brisk voice. “Doing simply nothing’ Como along and have a set before lunch—there's just time.” Slowly, reluctantly, I dragged myself off the cushions and went to chase madly about th© slipjxsrv tennis-court wondering what crime there could be in doing “simply nothing,” sometimes. Beryl is like that! A week with her is one long hustle, each day is so full of carefully planned amusements that one is too jaded to be amused at all. After dinner it is just the same. “Don’t know how to nlav Mah Jongg and would rather rend? But mv dear, vou must come and learn” : or. “Going to sit there and watch thp sunset? Oh. hut you can’t just sit and do nothing!” Why not? The silliest thing that modern woman can do is to indulge the increasing tendency to live “at the double.” And Beryl is very modern ! Even when she sits down to talk, she brings out a piece of crochet or a halffinished jumper, and says with great complacency: “It’s no good—l can’t sit idle.” To do nothing—absolutely nothing - for a few minutes every now and then, is rejuvenating and a joy. A bed ol’ daffodils; a bright serene moon-, a group of happy children playing—stop and watch a minute idlv. Wrinkle’s and troubles w‘ll smooth away. “A ooor li f e this, if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare” —A.T # ♦ COOK’S CUPBOARDS v. KITCHEN DRESSERS.

The doom of the fixed kitchen dresser, which is really a dust trap, was finally sealed when cook’s cupboards, or kitchen cabinets, as they are sometimes called, appeared upon th© market. As time goes on, and labour-saving houses arc built in greater numbers, there is no doubt that the dresser will disappear altotogether from the architect’s plans. The advantages of the kitchon cabinet are almost too numerous to mention. The chief attraction, of course, lies in the fact that all necessary culinary utensils are immediately to hand, involving no unnecessary labour. The top shelves of the cabinet have storage accommodation for china or glass in daily use. but the doors, with which every shelf is accommodated. prevent the ingress of dirt and dust. These doors on their inner side are usually fitted with racks for seasoning jars and cookery books, and a “lining” consisting of various useful charts with kitchen information, food values, etc. Between the upper and lower shelves of the cabinet the flour bin is usually fixed, with a rotary sifter. This pulls out for re-filling. '1 he space on each side of the flour bin is occupied by glass or enamel food containers. The inner side of the doors of the lower shelves, like the upper shelves, are fitted with racks holding canisters for dry groceries. Below tb e shelves is the kitchen table, which, in the more expensive cabinets, can be fitted with a vitreous porcelain pastry slab uliich pulls out for use. Jlelow the table are drawers of various shapes and sizes. There is usually a haizc-lincd cutlery drawer with partitions for knives, forks, etc., and a smaller drawer for tea-cloths, towels, etc. Also there arc two commodious tin-lined drawers for bread and cakes, which keep their contents fresh lor days, and a roomy pot-cupboard lined with zinc. Th© door of this cupboard is again fitted with a. rack for saucepan lids, baking dishes etc. AVitfa a cabinet like this, the kitchen requires practically no other furniture. When work is over f"r the day tliecabinet can bo entirely closed down, and it then becomes merely a handsome piece of furniture which is an acquisition to any room.

COOKERY CORNER. Eggs Poached and Fried -. Have three quarts of boiling water in a saucepan, with a tablespoonful of salt and half gill of vinegar; crack six fresh eggs into tlio water and poach for four minutes. Lilt with a skimmer and immediately drop them into cold water. Trim the eggs, lay on a flat dish, turn in melted butter, then in grated Par mesau cheese, and drop them in boiling fat for one minute. Drain on a cloth, sprinkle with half-teaspoonful of salt, dress on a dish with a. folded napkin, decorate with a little parsley, and A Variation on Curry. Bobotee: Any cooked meat except game is suitable for Bobotee an Indian dish that is a variation of Hie more usual curries. Half a pound of cooked moat should be minced finely and stirred into a batter made of two well-beaten eggs, a gill of breadcrumbs soaked in a gill of milk, three desertspoonsfnl grated sweet almond-', and fried onions cut in small pieces. Alix in a. tablespoonful curry powder, and make sure everything is thoroughly blended. Pub a picdish with butter and then with lemon, pour in the mixture, dot the top with bits of butter and bake in a moderate oven for about half an hour. Serve with boded rice. '41)0 Oriental use of almonds with moat was a favourite mediaeval custom which we have allowed to fall unduly out of fashion. ♦ * * * AN IDEA FOR NEXT YEAR. A pretty idea this 'Nmas has been little coloured labels sold in packets with “Don’t open till Christmas” on them. This is quite a novelty and is a dainty wav oi expressing what manv have had to write in a special letter