News for Women.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 7 August 1926, Page 3

News for Women.

(From Pauline. Cotirlandor)

Out; of tlio dozen evening frocks which have just been paraded before mv dolighled eyes, three have bolero coats. The'first is of black crepe romaine much lower at the back than tlie front, and edged with a mu row band of black jet and sequins, and shorter than hip length. The narrow straight skirt is made of graduated rows of fringe varying in width fiom three to twelve inches. -An enormous flat iasscl falls from the right shoulder to the ankles. The second model is one of those airy creations of black chiffon without any trimming whatever that can only be evolved by the master mind. The bolero in this ease 1 is open in front, with a rounded slope and slightly longer back. The hips are very tight; below them spreads a short circular skirt, arid at the back there is a full drapery from below the hips to the heels. You will come to like these long graceful draperies soon. They are not so cumbersomo as a train, and yet they give the same grace and dignity to the outline. DRAPERIES AGAIN The long scarf or cascade from the shoulder has the same effect, and is therefore as popular as ever; but those transparent draperies to the foot are the newest whim. The third frock is in three tiers of scallops, the bolero and a two-flounced skirt of rose pink chiffon over a silver lace foundation, so close fitting fis to look like fish scales on a mermaid.

The rest of the evening gowns in this parade showed taffetas in more or less bunchy effects, tulle veiling lace, taffetas or satin foundations, plain and printed georgettes, and one delightful white satiir model with a geometrical embroidery in grey and black silk. The black satin underskirt showed about three inches below tlie white skirt with its line of embroidery shaded from "palest grey to black. AN EGYPTIAN MODE A lovely model of black chiffon has a deep transparent yoke of flesh coloured chiffon outlined in diamante embroidery. The hips are held in tightly with an Egyptian embroidery in dimante, and a black chiffon drapery veils the back of the frock and spreads into a long train. During this “grande saison,” elaborate head-dresses are being worn, with or without hair attachment, to vary the still-übiquitous sliingle. Tulle., feathers, jewels and flowers are used to form coronets, cacliepeigns, circlets and bandeaux. Jewelled combs are worn both with curled and straight hair. The latest fad is a parting down the middle of tlie head from the forehead to the nape of the neck. This parting is still further emphasised by two combs that hold the hair firmly apart. MILLINERY IDEAS Ostrich feathers in restricted shape are seen on some of the latest straw hats. Perhaps - each strand is neatly

The Mail’s Pans Letter.

sewn mi to a quill-shaped piece of muslin, and then two or three of these quills are wound round, the crown; or they may be twisted into a bow or pompom. Sometimes the whole crown is covered with a design made of the soft feather strands, or the brim may be bound with them. Crystal pins, as large as the drops that sparkle on a chandelier, are stuck into hats at all posible angles, and there ar some very lovely crystal and beaten metal work ornaments. The crystal represents a fruit, and the

metal work the stalk and leaves. Large stiff petersham cockades, perched on the crown like a cock’s crest, are a favourite trimming for a tailor-made hat. Square-crowned hats of . folded petersham are liked. In shape they are akin to a pastry-cook’s hat, but with the tiniest brim; turned up just at the side or back.' These are worn with two-piece suits which have just a touch of the same decoration on the coat. For instance, if the coat were trimmed with yellow, an amber pin or ribbon would grace tlie hat; while if the decoration were gold braid or embroidery on the coat, you would probably find a gold caboclion on the hat. VARIED ENSEMBLES Ensembles are much more variable than they have been. Tlie coat 'and frock need not even be of tlie same 1 colour or material, and yet they must look as though they had been made for each other. If the frock is black and the coat red or beige, the former must have a collar aiid hem-line, and perhaps cuffs that continue the silhouette of the latter. Three-quarter coats are quite popular with two-piece suits. From them may protrude a narrow, clinging skirt, or a wide circular one. An original model has a sleeveless frock of black taffetas, tightly held in on the hips by a wide band of Venetian red soutache and silk embroideries. Over this are fixed two large godets of. tlie black taffetas, spreading their wings on each side, an da shorter godet fills out the front. The coat belonging to this two-piece suit is of Venetian red broadcloth with a ruffle collar and lining of black taffetas. It is three-quarter length and rather tight, holding in the fulness of the skirt above tlie knees. With this were worn black patent leather shoes strapped with reel, thin black stockings, and a Venetian red taffetas bat with a black ribbon. Georgette and chiffon dresses are embroidered in their own shade, the design being picked out in gold and silver threads, with the happiest results. FROM A WOMAN’S ARMCHAIR | RETARDED DEVELOPMENT (By Mavis Clare) Lots of women with naturally excellent brains arc suffering from retarded development. In many cases they are ill-cultured and ill-read because they were thrust too early on tlie labour market to get a chance, educationally speaking. But thanks to the inherently sound grey matter that helped them to keep their end up on the battlefield of Life, an extra dose of sound common sense, native insight and gallant pluck has brought them the reward of independence. In middle life they find themselves in receipt of a comfortable income, a fair amount of leisure, and that same good working intelligence, trained only along some specialised line, however, that set them on tlieir independent feet. Plus all this they have the experience that is gleaned in the breadwinning struggle; experience that inevitably lias added to tlieir mental equipment. They realise this in a fashion; and they know they can bold their own pretty well in any sort of conversation. But of their increased intellectual potentialities along profounder and more self-satisfying lines, they are often and curiously unaware. l" know numerous women in this category who shut out many boonloves, for instance, because they do not realise that the masterpiece which was “dull” to a girl of seventeen may prove enthralling to the woman of pcaranee. forty; because so often this woman of forty does not realise how far she has travelled intellectually since she began to climb the ladder cf emancipation. Without knowing it, she has added immeasurably to her powers of rceeptiveness and insight and capacity to respond to the delicate workings of the mind of genius. And because of this ignorance of her true mental caste she gives it nothing to feed on; and talks modestly and sincerely of what she honestly believes to ho her “fundamental limitations.” What she really means Is that she Is a ease of retarded development. A very clever woman writer of my

acquaintance once confessed smilingly from a public, platform that until she was twenty-seven years of age, her fiction was limited in the Family Herald Supplement variety, development being retarded in her ease by a wildly romantic and sentimental disposition that bad first to be lamed by Life ere she could, liiid herself, intellectually speaking.

There are heaps of women in the same case, with the difference that they don’t realise how Life has developed them because they don’t give their library list a chance to show them. They should run through that taboo list of “dry old masterpieces” and give Maturity a chance to smile, with tender humour, at the memory of its unawakened adolescence. i TWO NOVEL SOUPS Spinach Soup.—This is an ideal soup for a warm-weather menu and is extremely economical and beneficial. Thoroughly wash three pounds of fresh spinach and place in a saucepan without any more water than remains on the leaves.. Add a small piece of soda. Cook for twenty minutes and pass through, a wire sieve. Put two ounces of butter in a saucepan. Add gradually one tablespoonful of flour; stir until it reaches the consistency of cream, after which gradually add a pint of milk or white stock and seasoning to taste. Stir in the spinach; bring to tlie boil and gently simmer for five minutes. Just' before serving, add one gill of cream.

Cherry Soup. —This recipe comes from Brittany, where “potage aux cerises” is very popular in the early summer. Crack and peel twenty Brazil nuts. Pound in a mortar to a fine pulp; transfer to a large saucepan with six finely-chopped shallots, two branches of parsley, one branch of chervil, and any mutton, chicken, or veal (or all three) bones procurable. Moisten with one quart of water and one quart of milk; season with a teaspoonful of salt, two saltspoonsful of cayenne pepper, and a saltspoonful of grated nutmeg. Gently boil for one hour; remove, press tlie soup through a sieve into a basin, then pour back into the saucepan. Remove the stems and stones from a pound and a-half of cherries (or take the same quantity of bottled ones); add them to tlie soup with half a gill of sherry and half a pint of milk; boil for thirty minutes longer. Dilute ah egg yolk with half a gill of cream, add to the soup with half an ounce of butter. Mix while heating for five minutes, but do not allow to boil. Remove; pour into a tureen and serve. HINTS ON HAIR WASHING If you wash your hair at home—as so many of us do in these shingled clays —do not “chop and change” in the method. Ascertain wliat shampoo suits your hair, and keep to it. For blonde hair which is a little impoverished, or perhaps naturally thin, there is nothing to equal an egg shampoo. This is made by shredding some ordinary pure soap in a bottle and adding water as hot as possible without cracking the bottle. Then shake it, until the soap lias dissolved and a lather results. While this is cooling down (and it must be allowed to become only warm) separate tlie yolk from the white of an egg. Beat the yolk, and add gradually to tlie warm soap lather, and shake the bottle again until the whole is thoroughly mixed. Rub this well in and massage tlie scalp with it for about five minutes.

For rinsing, add two teaspoonsfi.il of lemon juice to tlie last rinsing water in the case of fair liair; and about two tablcspoonsful of vinegar for midbrown or dark liair. Should the hair have a greasy tendency, a teaspoonful of sal volatile in the rinsing water will correct this.

For hair in good condition, any recommended brand of packet slmmpoo is adequate—camomile for,fair, and ordinary for dark hair; but the foregoing rinsing hits are efficacious in connection with any shampoo. In the case of very dry hair, a good rubbing with ordinary olive oil about three or four hours prior to washing it is excellent. It must be understood that tlie head will be rendered temporarily unsightly; but tlie oil must have a chance to soak in if it is to be effective. When oil has been used, the washing water must be very hot. and lathery, ancl additional rinsing waters may be required.

If you brush your liair dry in the heat —but not too near—training the waves the way you want them to go. unless your hair is “dead straight,” you will find this helps with the ap-