NOTES FOR WOMEN.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 313, 19 November 1910, Page 6

NOTES FOR WOMEN.

[" Patricia " will be pleased to give advice to readers on all matters concerning dress, house-keeping, etiquette and the toilet. Write, giving pseudonym, care of this office.]

Wellington, Tuesday. Dear Isobel, —Just as we were all rejoicing and congratulating ourselves all round on the arrival of summer and the probability of some fairly settled weather at last, we are pushed back, metaphorically speaking, right into the spring rains, and without the veriest semblance of an apology, either! At present I have a vista of drenching rain coming down in a most hopeless and discouraging manner; trees that drip { and bend beneath their load of water; over shining wet roofs one catches a glimpse, between the clouds of rain fog. of the leaden harbour under the slate coloured sky which seems to bend down and mingle with j the "sullen sea." I know perfectly ' well what it is like in town, and the only cause for joy left one on a day like this is that I have-not to go out to see the dreary expanse, of mud macintoshes and dripping umbrellas. Not a very cheering prospect, is it? Yet the calendar tells me that this is November, and consequently summer, and that by all that is right and proper we should be lying in hammocks eating strawberries and crearr, wearing our thinnest dresses and most shady hats, and, as usual, wishing it were not so "terribly hot!" But as the Arabs say, "Allah is great," and to-morrow I may be wildly ringing upon the telephone to implore the milliner to send up a hat that [ am firmly convinced just • now I will never get a chance to wear. After reciting this dismal lament over the vagaries of Wellington's climate it seems rather ridiculous to speak of summer clothes, when the only appropriate costume seems to be oil skins or fins, but I have just planned out a little "utility frock" of plain sofe mercerised muslin, that would have exactly suited some of the days we had last week. The skirt will be made short, narrow at the lower edge where there will be a deep hem of satin, and drawn at the waist, the blouse will be cut in the Magyar shape and slightly drawn also, as the muslin is too thin to wear quite plain, and will be without trimmings of any sort. White knife-pleated muslin coller and cuffs will finish off the neck and elbow sleeves, and with tl\is dress I shall have a plain patent leather belt. Just at present I have not decided whether I will choose a dark slate grey (or possibly black) or a very dark navy blue. In the latter case I will have emerald green at the edge of the collar and cuffs and a green leather belt. I rather fancy a corded piping of green silk at the top of the deep blue satin hem, but as the old pantomime saying goes, "that is a mere detail." This being a strictly "wearable" frock, and if possible a washable one too, it would be made unlined and worn over a dark coloured princess slip. This, by the way, is an invaluable possession for the woman who, like myself, likes to make one thing "do" for more than one purpose. '

I have seen some pretty and decidedly useful frocks for girls lately, made of fairly strong cambrics for school wear. The girl they were intended for is about thirteen and is at the half and between age when all-in-one dresses are to straight and "leggy," and separate blouses and skirts are hardly the. right thing either. One that took my fancy was of a dark butcher blue English print, made with a plain gored skirt, which had a wide band of another print the exact same colour spotted with white. This band went right round the lower edge of the skirt just above the hem. The blouse was of the favourite American styie that is so easily laundered, with the fronts drawn on to a yoke at the shoulder, the yoke being really an extended portion of the back. A wide collar ot the square sailor type fitted closely about the throat wan of spotted materia], as were the turned up cuffs and the straight belt. A hand-tucked tie of plain organdy finished off the neck with a sailor's knot, and gave a dainty fresh touch to this very serviceable wearing dress. Another dress that I like-1, which could easily be copied for a grown up, was of pale French grey zephyr with a band round the skirt of a cambric with alternate light and dark grey stripes. This band came up from the right side of the front and crossed in a diagonal line over the front width to the left side of the waist, giving the effect of an ovcrskirt or tunic. This dress had a striped collar, cult's and belt also, and the little muslin tie was embroid-

ered with big "pom" spots in dark and light grey silk. In the hot weather, which we all hope to get later on, fresh neck-wear is an imperative necessity, and know of nothing so cool and dainty looking as clean well done-up musiin ties.

Added to their charming appearance is the great virtue of cheapness, and as one can get a really good quantity of fine lawn or organdy for about two or three shillings a yard, and the time and materials used in tucking or embroidering them is so trifling, there is no reason why any woman with an ordinary knowledge of sewing should not have any amount of these dainty little trifles.

A simple plan that saves one the trouble of winding a scarf round ones neck on a hot day, is to have a number of well shaped collar bands of fine tucked muslin (which can be bought by the yard at a very moderate price) or else of Swiss embroidery. If these collars are finished off with hooks and bones they can be quickly put on, and a pretty little tie arranged round the base of the neck and tied in front. If Swiss emboridery is used I find it better to get it by the yard in piece form, and cut out the collars from a well-shaped pattern. In this way one is sure to get a well fitting collar and it usually proves much cheaper in the end, as quite a number of collars can be cut from half a yard if it is carefully arranged. I have always found it extremely difficult to get an ordinary straight insertion collar to "sit" properly, the great secret lying in the slight curve that all good collars have, which fit them to the lines of the neck. I discovered a pretty way to make up a tie some time ago, from plain white muslin. Cut a strip any desired length, and about three inches wide, a tiny hem should be laid all round this and as many tucks or as much embroidery put on this as one wants, or has time to do. Find and crease the exact centre of the back and run as many eighth of an inch tucks as will make the tie about two inches wide for about 3ix inches on each side of the centre back crease. This will make the tie narrow at the neck and wide at the ends, which may be edged with lace at the ends alone or lace can be sewn along the sides and round the ends, starting at the place where the tucking left off. This tie looks pretty under an open coat and is intended to be fastened with a brooch or pin instead of being tied in a knot, like an ordinary scarf. Many of the big shops are beginning to show their Xmas presents and Xmas things generally, and I was quite surprised to see to what huge proportions hand bags have grown to during the last few months. About this time last year an ordinary fashionable bag purse measured eight or nine inches across. This year the measurement is more like eighteen than eight! They certainly seem to have a cachet all their own, and I saw some truly beautiful examples in velvety suede and reindeer skin, so soft that one could crush the whole bag up in one hand and with the lovely soft "bloom" on it that is so delightful to stroke. These bags were nearly all lined with soft rich satin and were fitted with everything one could possibly desire, from a gold pencil and notebook to a lovely little gold powder box and its attendant puff. Two shades that appear to be very much worn at present are Parma violet and a really deep rich purple. Of course the prevalence of all the violets and mauves that we have seen this season are directly due to the long period of mourning for our late King, and I hear that at Home even now, people can hardly bear to wear colours again, so great is the loss, and so sincerely is he mourned. I hear that Queen Alexandra (who, by the way, desires to be known as such, and not as "Queen Mother," a3 was

suggested at first), will practically devote all her time to the differens charities with which her name it associated, and for which she is almost worshipped in and around London and Sandringham. I intended to tell you of some lovely leather bags, blotters, cushions, etc., that I saw recently, but I fear I will have to do so at some other time as I dread a hard-hearted editor "cutting me down" -Yours faithfully, PATRICIA.