HENLEY REGATTA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20656, 30 August 1930, Page 6 (Supplement)

HENLEY REGATTA.

UTOPIAN DAYS.

AND DAME FASHION.

[SPECIAL TO N.Z. HEBALD. —COPYRIGHT.!!

LONDON. July IS,

Such marvellous weather for Henley Regatta, and how ono envies those who have spent tho whole week on the silver Thames!

A punt, a shady back-water, and a picnic basket sound almost Utopian to thoso tied to town during theso tropical July days. It is very much harder to keep smart during hot weather, for everything seems to conspire against one. Hair grows quicker, hands get sticky, so that the idea of gloves appals one, and there is a need of a succession of fresh shoes ana stockings if ono attempts to look and feel well groomed. How we have welcomed the fashion which gives us shady hats; brims of all widths are very smart this year, from the wide flopping crinoline or linen hat to the modest little .cloche or poke bonnet that just casts a welcome shadow over the eyes. All the smartest hats this summer have their trimming# underneath the brim. Nothing is prettier than to see a pink rose or white gardenia resting near the cheek. Velvet and grosgrain ribbons are drawn through the brim and tied underneath, sometimes fastened flat against the brim and sometimes with the loops of ribbon drooping beside the face on to the neck toward the back. Appliques of silk and velvet are laid under the brim, and sometimes the only trimming is a contrasting material lining the under-brim. It is difficult to imagine anything more becoming than a hat of some pretty black straw (shiny for preference this year) lined with pale coral or rose crepe that just extends to show a line of pink beyond the edge of the brim. Even tho diamond brooches have now left the brim of the hat and are clipped to the under-brim or forehead bandeau. The fashionable hat, whether large or small, is pushed off the forehead. This is a mode that should only be followed if it is really A great many women who are wearing their hats pushed back, would look twice as attractive if they were pulled forward, which I consider a mistake. No woman can afford, to sacrifice charm to fashion, and the new or revivod idea of raising a hat on a forehead bandeau is not easy to wear successfully. Choose a becoming hat above everything. It is the crowning point to any toilette, and be sure to consult your mirror at all angles, for the profile and back view is just as important as the front, when the whole silhouette is considered. The handbag has become such a necessary part of an ensemble that women seem to collect them as easily as they buy stockings or gloves. But the handbag of to-day, if it is to appeal to tho really smart woman, must be something out of the ordinary. Not necessarily outlandish in design, for freakish shapes and futuristic patterned models only appeal to the few, but a bag must have individuality. There is no predominating shape, all are fashionable. The simple square bag which looks so well in new tweed grained calf as mucti as the multi-pocketed zip type, with inner frame and divisions, the pochette, and the top opening bag. Summer bags of panama have been introduced and are very welcome for hot days and holiday clothes. They are light in weight and their colour tones well with most schemes. A less expensive type is made from a Japanese woven raflia which has tho appearance of plaited leather. The black and white bag is a perennial favourite among smart women, and antelope, grosgrain, and even patent leather, are used for smart bags with diamond fastenings and monograms. Crepe de chine will be more popular for the summer bag than ever, especially in combination with a matching scarf. Envelopes are by far the best shape for this vogue and most attractive patterns are to be found to blend with every colour scheme. These are the days to buy a crocodile bag. The price of this leather fluctuates more than any other, and it is now at its lowest.. It is everlasting wear and well repays its original purchase price. With tweed gowns a matching bag is always right, but many leathers have been rendered so supple that they make the soft comfortable type of handbag which is so fashionable. A pigskin dressed to a lovely tone of russet brown is everlasting wear, and a remarkablo suede which is finished so that it can be cleaned by merely brushing, without petrol or anything else being necessary. This is being used for many purposes, including motor upholstery, so that it is possible to have a bag to match your car.