Fashion and Things Feminine.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 3221, 5 January 1917, Page 7

Fashion and Things Feminine.

By IDA MELLER - - Copyright.

THE LINEN DRESS. An invariable feature of late spring fashions is the linen frock, which is just now offered in various charming edjitions, and appears in white, and also 'n colours, pale blue and pink, brown, reseda green and indigo leading the way, so far as colours go. Boththe linen frock and the linen costume arc made up with plain amd with embroidered effects, and some of them are trimmed with aprons of coarse lace or with vests of the same, while buttons are effectively used on others —buttons of a washable kind, of course. With washing frocks it is a good plan to use buttons with shanks that are secured to the dress without tho aid of needle and thread, and that enable the buttons to be easily removed when the dress is laundered. A very useful and uncommon linen frock isthe black one, made up in the one-piece style; and the black linen suit, with bolero or semi-fitting coat, is equally smart. Navy linen suits, with white collars and, sometimes, a touch of red embroidery about them, are also

serviceable fashions, and in cigarbrowu linen are some very excellent costumes, made with plain skirts, hanging full, and short coats with long sltwes, nicely |shap|ed at the wrist*. For everyday wear a frock of indigo linen, or cotton shantung, may be recommended, and a smart addition would i>e a flat collar of natural-colour-ed canvas worked in Rustsan colours. The pretty costume illustrated has been designed for linen or cotton fabrics, trimmed with embroidery and coarse washing lace. The skirt is nicely fluted at the bottom, where it is trimmed with two bands of lace insertion with picot edging, and lace of a similar kind appears on the cuffs and collar. The twaistcoat 13 also of lace to match, and is studdied with groups of buttons. It unites the open fronts of a charming little coatee, with blouse effect at the waist and basque below. The coatee is scallopod at the edge and button-hole-stitched, and it is further beautified by embroideries in the form of single roses bordering the fronts. 'llie sleeves arc half-length, and at the waist is a ribbon sash. v One of the new shepherdess liats is illustrated with the costume, and is intended for fine straw, trimmed with ribbon and a branch of roses. High trimmings of one sort or another are pet fashions in the millinery world. A SIMPLE SLEEVELESS FROCK. Slip-on frocks with sleeveless bodices continue to be among the most popular fashions, and tlfey are made in serge, whipcord, shantung, tussore, and various other seasonable materials. The advantage of the frocks is that variety can be given them by a change of chemisette with attached sleeves, those l>eing now of one material, now of another. The bodices, moreover, are sometimes of the adaptable kind, that can appear with closed or . open fronts. The armholes a,to generally cut ver.T lnrgo so that they show a portion of chemisette under the sleeves. Yinon is a favourite material for the

sltfcves, and those are made long or threequarter length. A simple frock

with sleeveless bodice is illustrated, iind would develop well in any of tiio materials already touched on. iho frock consist oi a skirt, with piinol I rout and gathered waist, and a sleeveless bodice, both being united after tliey arc made up. '1 lie paper pattern of the dress is .11 six parts, and includes half the panel--1 rout, one side gore, one back gore, halt the back of bodice, one front, ana half the belt. The quantity of 42-mcn stuff required for the dress is five yards.

The pattern pieces are indicated by tho diagram, which shows how to dispose of them on the material. In arranging the stuff for the front panel pattern, fold back sufficient to enab'e the wliolc of the panel to be cut out in a single piece, laying the straight edgo of pattern to the fold. Then turn back tho remainder of the width of this piece of material, so that the selvedge meets the selvedge of the piece already turned back, and lay on this newly* folded piece the patterns of bodice front and back (the latter against the fold of material). The bodice pattern, however, must not be cut from this upper piece of material, which is not sufficiently wide for the purpose, but from tho under piece. Turn-back the top-piece, therefore, and preserve t intact, as it .will be useful for facings, etc.

The remainder of thte dress material must be opened out to its full and doubled, and tho patterns of the side gore and back gore must be cut out in duplicate. The half-belt pattern must also be laid 011 the piece of material, but the whole belt must be cut out in one piece. A space is marked out for the lacking half of belt and also for tho second front of bodice. Of course, if preferred, the bodice could be closed in front from the self-formed revels to the waist.

STOOPING SHOULDERS. When children oxhibit a tendency to grow round-shouldered antll to stoop overmuch, parents and teachers should see to it that they are given physical exercises to correct the fault, which, if allowed to go unchecked', may eventually have a very bad effect on the child's health as well as appearance. To work, sit or walk, day by day, with the shoulders hunched forward, means that the lung capacity is lessened thereby, and a corresponding loss of vitality results. To maintain good health we should allow our lungs their normal capacity at all times, for tho proper purification of the blood through oxygenation requires ample breathing. Drop the shouldors forward, then try to take a full breath, and it at one*? Ijecomes obvious how impossible it is to do so properly in that position. Breathing wit lithe shoulders forward and the chest depressed is only partially accomplished; tho lower portion cf the lungs cannot be emptied or receive a full supply of fresli air. It is most important to health that breathing should be frefe) at all times, and that 110 impediment should be put in the way of deep breathing. The system of physical culture that does not include exercises that teach erect carriage and deep breathing is incomplete. One of the simplest exercises for expanding the chest and giving free play to the lungs, consists of bending the elbows while the upper part of the arms are held close to the sides, and slipping a walking-stick through the bend <,f each elbow, thus keeping the arms well back, the chest up. and the spine erect. The student should walk np and down for about ten minutes while retaining tho stick in position.

SOAP AND THE COMPLEXION. In the care of the complexion, it is very important that the soap used to the face should be chosen with the utmost discretion, and a change should bo made at once should thye be any indications that the make employed is not suiting the individual skin. There can bo no excuse nowadays for the con. tinued use of drying and burning soaps any more than for those of doubtful purity, but mistakes in choico may all the same be mado because what suits one "skin disagrees with another, and where the very sensitive skin of the face is concerned, the choice very often lias to be an individual one, and special precautions are sometimes necessary. The principal sign by which we can recognise that the soap used is not doing well, is found in undue dryness of the skin. No suspicion of flakmos> should be apparent on it, nor should there be any sign of tiny red spots on the cheeks, chin, or forehead. If the skin tools inflamed alter being washed with soap, and the complexion is unnaturally dry and hard-looking, another kind of soap should be used, ,of a milder and more emollient nature than the previous one. For a time, e\en it> may be advisable to refrain from using soap of any kind to tlie face, and replacing it by cleaning the complexion with pure cold cream, which is a delightful skin-softener, and may he used with impunity. Especially is it necessary to use none l,ut the mildest soaps in the nursery. A child's complexion may be spoilt tor life, during quite early days, u the washing materials employed are ot an unsuitable kind, and no care is taken to protect the skin from the possible ill-effects of wind and l sunshine. CAKESFOK THE FRONT. A housewife who has made a great many cakes to send to soldieis at the front, recommends the use of a biscuittin in which to bake the cakes. Thif. >ho says, "is preferable to the ordinary round c-ke-tin, because a round cake is difficult to pack safely. On tho other band, if a cake is baked m a biscuit-tin. it can, after it has been turned out to coo?, bo put I>ack into the tin and packed off in jts own case. If the bottom of the tin appears rather thin for baking purposes, put a layer of salt 011 the baking-sheet, and place the biscuit-tin on the same. This will prevent, the tin from burning." The <V»ke having been baked in the tin will, of course, lit its case exactly. The lid must be firmly closed down, and the cake, packed a.s suggested, should keep fresh for a long time. TO CLEAN SPATS. To clean light-coloured cloth spats or slioe-tops, peel and wash some potatoes, then grate them into a basin, and while quite wet apply to the surface of the gaiters, etc. Put the latter

in the open air to dry, and then brush the grated potato off with a clean brush. I HOW TO SAVE UMBRELLAS. A wet umbrella should be put in the rac-k with the handle downward, because when the handle is upward tJie water runs down inside the place where the ribs are joined to the handle and cannot get out but stays and rots tin silk, and rusts the metal until it is slowly " dried" away. If the umbrella is placed with the tip upward, tli9 water readily runs off, and the silk dries quickly. This little saving hint is so simple that it should always lie followed. A THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK. Your "few things"' may be very 1 and very small, but He expects you to bo faithful over them. —Francis Ridley Havergal.