MODERN WOMEN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20520, 22 March 1930, Page 6 (Supplement)

MODERN WOMEN.

THE BEST DRESSED PARISIENNE. DON'T BUY TOO MANY CLOTHES. [special to u.z. herald.—copvright.] LONDON, Feb. 7. Wandering through the smart shopping districts and noticing the numbers of hairdressers' shops and beauty parlours, one realises how much time and money the modern woman spends on her personal appearance. Then, when one counts the dressmaking shops near by, the boudoirs, and every other type of store that caters to women's adornments you begin to wonder how any woman over manages to remain plain or out of fashion. Generally speaking, women are apt to expend too much time and thought on their pet occupations. If absorbed in commercial life, science or the arts, clothes and everything appertaining to personal appearance becomes a secondary thought and are chosen haphazard for their utility rather than their beautifying qualities. Oil the other hand, many women who spend a great deal of both time and money on clothes would bo far better dressed if they had fewer clothes. Too often they will have too many clothes and wear them too long. The best dressed Parisieune buys very few clothes. She buys her clothes about four times a year hut only a few at a time. She will buy a smart day coat with a frock to wear under it. She then proceeds to choose very carefully a hat. handbag, shoes, stockings and gloves to complete the ensemble which she | will wear constantly for the next few months. Then she indulges in an entirely new outf;!. and the old one is seldom seen again, for the French woman is not afraid of being seen in the same clothes over and over again. The secret of tho smart woman lies in the fact that while her clothes are in use they are kept in perfect condition, and in these days of expert dry-cleaning no one need look soiled or crumpled, however few their frocks. . _ - One great advantage 'of buying few clothes and wearing them for a short while only is that you are always in fashion. If you adopt the plan, however, be careful not to choose fussy clothes, of which one tires so easily. Exercise much time and good taste, for a mistake is rather fatal. That is one of the disadvantages of 193£) fashions; unless you exercise faultless taste or have a conscientious dressmaker to assist you, you stand in danger of choosing, clothes which emphasise yr.nr worst instead of your best points. If you are short and stout, don't wear an evening frock that moulds the figure to the knees and then has a full frill. Don't wear a cape to your waist, and avoid ornamental sleeves and very frilled skirts. These are all the prerogatives of tho tall and slim, but the short, stout woman can look equally smart if she chooses simple lines and avoids wearing clothes that appear in the least tight. Although in many essentials there will not be very drastic changes in the styles of 1930, the expert eye will detect many details that are the result of careful thought and scientific adjustment on the part of creative dress artists. The vast majority of the dresses are made all in one. A long flowing line which diminishes. at the waistline, then continuing to the hem) which is never less than six inches below the knee. 1 One side of the skirt will often be straight and without fulness, while the other side, by means of a clever inset godet on the hips, flares and ripples in becoming fulness. Oddly shaped appliques, slashed sleeves, quaint collars, narrow belts of the same or contrasting material that harmonise with the general effect are tho chief features of the new modes.

Many of the models will depend largely on the ingenuity, of. their cut and the beauty of the materials used for their adornment. " Trimmings"- seem lo be at a discount. I have sketched two attractive new m9dels which will emphasise my meaning. The first is an ensemble of red, black and' white. The coat of red woollen-material; as is the skirt. The bodice is of. white crepe with a band of black crepe separating the white from the red skirt. As you will see, this dress .is all in one, although it suggests a blouse. The second frock is in black and beige crepe, the bodice of black, and this continues to the hem of the frock, the beige skirt being wrapped round and tied. It is a graceful model, suitable for any soft material, and emphasises the scarf and bow vogue which seems io increase in popularity. The craze for sets continues, and the very newest arrival consists of scarf, gauntlet gloves, and handbag.