ON DANCING

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 11 April 1929, Page 3

ON DANCING

WHAT THE BEST DANCERS' WEAR ! (I! v Phyllis Monkman for "The Mail") it, is possible to distinguish , good dancers froin those who are merely passable before they lake a single step in tlie first dance. You can tell them by their clothes! (Cven society halls are not fashion parades, and guests who think they are feel very sorry for themselves before the evening is oiver ! Dressing for a dance is a definite art.' Comfort and appearance are both of vast importance to the girl who aspires to he a perfect dancer. . liut comfort first ! Don't be led away down the painful path of pointed shoes, hot dresses, heavy beading, and toolight waists. If you do-, however attractive you may look at the beginning of the evening, : You'll be limping, (lushed and irritable after half a dozen dances. Shoes in particular must bo easy. A sprinkling of boracic powder or talc will keep the feet cool. As for appearance, get the best shoes you can afford; they are cheaper in the end, but let them be plain rather than startling. The beautiful thing is the fool, not the leather. The lieels of a girl's shoes should he about 1|- inches high—sufficiently high to give support but not to throw' the foot out of shape or clatter on the ground at every step. Reeaiding clothes, it is, of course, rlroacTiully uncomfortable for a girl to turn up at a dance in a dress which is quite out of fashion. But even hero put comfort first. Wear very light things (with a heavy wrap or coat to put on after), simple' rather than extravagant 'or startling; well-fitting outer clothes, eon! and absorbent "undies." Tho London fashion this season is for dance frocks that "dip" a little somewhere. Something just below _ knee length, Tiot too narrow, and giving a lilmv effect, is best for the skirt, while the 'bodice should be close-fitting for small, slim girls, and cut in straighter lines for taller ones. The question of cost enters largely into the winter dance programme. No girl ever seems to have quite enough frocks, and Patis "creations" do cost such a lot! A very inexpensive dress can be made by buying a lace slip in a colour that suits your complexion, and making or buying a plain sateen underslip'of exactly the same shape and shade. A little variety—-two or three frocks anyway—makes' dancing very much more pleasant. Now about, colour. Dark people can wear any decided colour except green. Dark red, dark or electric blue, white, flush pinlc, all. look very well with dark hair and flashing eyes. Fairer girls should wear pastel shades—powder pink is safe if not distinctive; and either dark or fair may wear silver. Those blessed ■with red hair can obtain a striking effect with a well-cut green or black frock. ■\n important point in choosing_ a dance-frock is to see that it has nothing which will cause it to sag in any part. I have seen a perfectly sweet little dress spoiled for all dancing purposes by having a cliic pattern of beads down the front; when worn in the ballroom, it was dragged down in front and pulled lip the back, spoiling the "hang" of it altogether. Don't forget that simplicity is good enough as the distinctive mark of a dance frock for anyone up to 25. After that, good taste, developed by years of experience, will show if anything more striking is needed. The "boyish" effect, which was so popular a year or two ago, is now very definitely out of fashion. Less.make-up, and o softer and 'more girlish appearance, are now infinitely more fashionable.' Tin's is a good thing, for heavy inake-ui) is uncomfortable for a girl and disliked by her partner. Eventually it ruins the complexion also. Actresses rarely use it off the stage! Now you are dressed for the dance! Just put one drop of perfume behind each ear—that's enough ! And when you get there, you'll notice that net or .tulle is remarkably popular this year for dance frock's.