News for Women.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 19 June 1926, Page 10

News for Women.

The Mail’s Paris Letter.

(From Pauline Courlanclcv)

Now that the fashions for the, season have settled down into the proper stride. -,uch trifles as sloes, stockings, gloves and bags cease to be trifles and become very important items in our general appearance as well as in our budget. Incredible luxury is this year spread bebore us so quietly that only tho discerning, or the inquisitive who enquire into prices realise it to the full. f The arc gloves, for instance. 'flu: very softest and supplest kid or suede alone no longer suffices. Extra beauty (and expense) is added by ready fine work in the way of stitching and embroidery. Some new gloves, instead of the three conventional lines on the hack of the hand, have embroidered in them three branches of tiny leaves and flowers. The narrow turnecl-back -cult is wen n again, and it too is decorated with e.vpuisite tiny stitchery.

CLOX AGAIN

. Some of the'most expensive silk stockings also have a narrow branch up the side, and" a still more sophisticated pair lias a painted design where one expects a drawn-thread or embroindcry one. * • • Black patent leather shoes with one strap arc- being worn. A shoe that is having a particular success is made of grey patent leather and lizard skin, the lizard being used for the toe-caps and strapping.

POPULAR COURT SHOES

For satin and brocade slippers, the court shape is liked with rather short vamps," and either no ornament at all, or a tiny paste star or buckle. Very fine grey silk stockings and grey shoes

to match them exactly are worn with -day and evening frocks. For walking or sports wear, there are. the very finest, flimsiest, chine wool stockings. They are for the time being considered smarter and more suitable than silk- for such occasions. Sensiblelooking low-heeled brogues go with them; they are ipade of such Wonderful , leather and cut and' sewn by such marvellous workmen that, they weigh hardly more than a dancing slipper—yet the • soles are strong enough fori walking and golfing. '

BEAUTIFUL RAGS *

I don’t know which is the more beautiful —the modern bead bag" or its clasp. Both are, the work of artists of the finest taste. The bead work is as lovely and flexible as ever it was in early Victorian times, with the same deliciously coloured bunches of flowers, little landscapes and sampler patterns. The, clasps are, ofteni the work of the silver-smith at his best; semi-precious stones are set in gold, .•ilveir. or platinum; , [ivory is studded with jet and pasts.or inlaid.with metal; tortoiseshell w edged with; tiny rims of gold or silver ; and even carved , jade, precious as it is, is used for bags that i cileel its colours in green beads.

' LINGERIE NO'l’fcS

Luxury in lingerie is every bit as rani pa ufc as in every other dress detail. Some of the ‘gr‘eat houses” , now .have a lingerie salon and insist upou fitting 'out their clients, with such minute care that they provide underclothes specially designed for each frock and fitted to the figure of each client. Luckily one wears so few undergarments. Ihe souticn gorge, or corselet, is generally worn next to the skin,'and the only other article is the combinaison, or at most a two-piece set of the sliotest chemise .rind the skimpiest of pants, the latter being generally worn oyer the former. Only ready-made knickers are made with elastic at the waist. Those that are specially cut are made with a nariow yoke or band and adjustable buttons. They are a miracle of fit; every superfluous centimetre is eliminated, and the lines of the frock are eloselv follow ed. The combinaison for the wastlesS frock is cui princess ? shape; that fdr a low-\vaisled frock has the waist-line marked by a little drawn thread work, and the one for an apron-fronted frock has a tiny short apron front.

POPULAR FABRICS

Linen .lawn is still being used; the well-dressed Parisienne never quite neglects it- But by far the greater -number of underclothes is made of crepe de

chine and triple voile. These or® less crushable and 'dfl’uu belter. The really luxurious one has all her underclothes d.vyi leaned instead of washed —well aware that it is not the wearing but the washing that shortens their delicate life. All the loveliest things are made in [tale shades. Orange or magenta or empire green are considered quite wrong. One very famous house specialises in

three shades of rose—pale, medium and dark, and in a soft yellow and white. Their designer is very fond of using tiny shadow lace insertions, fairy-like hems and seams, j and' very little embroidery; just at dainty spray or medallion here and therb, or the 'narrowest of Valenciennes, edging.

SOME ATTRACTIVE GARMENTS

A nightgown of. pale rose triple voile has a series of geometrical designs down the front clone in drawn-thread work. Another, a sleeveless one, lias perpendicular lines or different length in hemstitching from the ieck to the waist. The neck and armholes are hemmed with pale yellow of the same shade as the nightgown. 'V A sjiorb little shift which is meant to bo worn over the pants and under a rather full frock, lias fulness inserted into its skirt by godet-s and cobwebby hemstitching. The neck and hem are edged with equally cobwebby Valenciennes. The difficulty, of keeping in place the shoulder-ribbons is overcome by .the jew,efler wlio makes us tiny gold and silver chains with a little paste clasp that nips the dainty shoulder-straps together. Other chains have a bar like a watch guard at each end; and this is passed through a loop worked on the chemise.

ON HUSBANDLY “PROTECTION”

FULMINATIONS OF SO-CALLED FEMININISTS 1 By Stella .Harley Genuine femininists must be constantly irritated by .the fulminations of some of their s,elf-constituted spokeswomen. Recently much eloquence was expende.d on the ‘solid’’ husband wjio belonged to the days when feminine economic emancipation was the unrealised dream of an isolated little, group of rebels. For all his household tyranny, affirmed the writer, it was at least in liis favour that he '‘kepi” his wife and children, and cases were cited of “innumerable” modern marriage partnerships where the wife'shouldered the major part of the financial burden. This sort of talk is as unreasonable as it ss illogical and unjust. There may be a, few instances of irresponsible men saved from financial domestic shipwreck by .wage-earning wives. One docs not dispute what is unfortunately a. proven fact. Hut between irresponsibility and sheer inability to’ keep tlm pot merrily boiling is a wide gulf. And so many modem wives insist- that the pot shall boil as merrily as may be. No ; there is another side \o this picture of modern husbands in’general calmly accepting as their rigid their wives’ contributions to the household exchequer. . The wife of the very moderate-salaried ‘protector” type of husband bad to be ;on tent with.'sucli crumbs as fell from her lord’s table, so to speak. Her natural appetite for many innocuos but exhilarating pleasures had to be sternly suppressed. The liege-lord’s income would riot run to hooks and music and restaurant lunches and the like. If husbands have changed, so have wives. In those old days of complete husbandly ‘ protection ’. wives were content, or successfully pretended to lie, with much less of life with a capital which makes these lamentations over lli c

depart cd hcavy-husband-protector type ”L"' than is liie young married woman ol- to-day. I'licir husbands could keep ihem. because they expected only the minimum—and got it. To-day young wives clamour for the maximum. [I ho average young nmrrying-ntan's earnings are swallowed up in sheer necessities in these terribly costly post-war" times. To earn a-, separate income• is the young marrying-woman's only hope of securing ■in sort of luxury,margin. That is the ‘plain unvarnished' fact a sheer waste,of breath. Modern young wives coultl still enjoy (sio!) this kind of protection if they ware willing to do as their forbears did; to set back the clock, drop all but the most meagre uppetities, and cast any children" they may bring into the world- into the,, wagc-caru-mg arena at llie earliest possible age and. inadequately equipped. But you don’t hear genuine, honesl-to-gotxlnciis femiiiiiiists grousing about- their share of the financial responsibilities attendant on marriage. They arc only too glad to he- able to- lift the partnership out of the rut of anxieties and suppressions.

SIMPLE SWEET MAKING

Very few women realise how easy it is to manufacture the daintiest confections which cost- so much, money when they are bought at the shops. Sweets may lie divided into two chief classes: those which arc boiled, and those which are made whtiout the application of heat. The latter process or course is the easiest and simplest, and no thermometer is needed. Fondant or French Cream.—This is the foundation of an endiesif variety of sweets, and is made as follows: Dissolve 3 lbs of loaf sugar (can sugar if possible) in three-quarters of a pint of hot water, stirring occasionally. When the sugar has melted, add 13 tcaspoonsful of glucose, and boil all ■together, rapidly. Glucose can be procured " from any good grocery store. It is used to give a glaze, and also to prevent the sugar crystallising.' It will keep indefinitely. Failing glucose, cream of tartar may be substituted, only in less quantity. Neither glucose nor its substitute must ever be added until the sugar is just beginning to boil. Remove the scum, should any arise to the surface!) and test the heat with a sugar-boiling thermometer. When this registers 240 degrees Fah., remove instantly. and pour the syrup on to a slate slab which has been well sprinkled with cold water. Leave unti.il the edges become slightly sc”, then fold the edges towards the middle, and work the whole mass well together with a broad knife or wooden spatula. When the, fondant has changed from a milky-white to a deep cream, it may bo finished by hand, j kneading in at the same time The re-! quired colouring and flavouring. Finally mould the fondant into • the required shapes—balls, oblongs, squares, etc., and leave to dry for some hours on trays lined with grease-proof paper.. Uncooked Fondant.—This ’ is made with finely sifted icing sugar, moistened with the'whites of eggs and, a little water or milk. The usual -proportions are lib of icing sugar to two whites of eggs and a lablcspoonful of liquid. After mixing, it can be worked up by hand, and coloured" and flavoured to taste by the method described for fondant- proper. Marzipan is another useful foundation in sweet making. Boil together 1 lb. of sugar, pint'of water, and 1 teaspoonful of glucose to a temperature of 238 degrfees Fah. Remove the mixture from the lire; add 12 ozs, of ground almonds, and later, when quite cool, two unbeaten whites of eggs. Heat again

geiitly for two or tlirco minutes, and limn pour the mixture on to a dry slab, and work up with the spatula, in the E amc way as for fondant. When firm, divide lho marzipan into three or more portions, uncJ colour and lla\oui Ctich ii,art separately. Special marzipan moulds can be bought,, but if expense .a an object, the paste may be rolled out, as >n pastry-making, and cut into neat shapes with a single knife, ■' Chocolate, Creams are merely fondant shapes dipped into molted • chocolate, which must never be more than just \\iirm, or the glazed appearance will be lost and the. sweets spoiled. Peppermint Creams are made ot oitliei cooked or uncooked londanl, flavoured with two drops of strong oil of peppei■riint, worked in with tlie fingeis. Stuffed Fruits are made by removing the stones, etc., from dates, I’vouch plums, preserved cherries, and so on and idling, Llm holes with coloured fondant or marzipan.