A LONG FACE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21118, 27 February 1932, Page 6 (Supplement)

A LONG FACE.

DIVERSITY AND ADVERSITY. NO FRILLS NEXT SPRING. [SPECIAL TO N.Z. HERALD. —COPYRIGHT.] LONDON. January 10. The old year is dead, and no one regrets its passing, for 1931 has been a period of difficulty and anxiety for nearly everyone. Optimistically, we turn the page and start afresh, feeling in our bones that this year will see the gradual return of prosperity and greatness to the British Empire. In the meantime, women must add their quota of help by continuing to look as beautiful and be as cheerful as they possibly can. A long face or a dowdy frock never inspired anyone, and wise spending is a national economy. The averago girl who is interested in her clothes is now busy trying to reconcile two things—diversity and adversity—and one has only to review the 1931 fashions to show how economic conditions rule fashion as well as every other condition of life. Every possible device to make one garment serve two purposes or different occasions has been exploited. As you choose your between-season frocks remember that it is the little things that count.

With one eye on 1931 and the other on 1932, I would advise you to keep to long, slim lines, for 1 think we shall find the newest dresses for the spring have discarded the frills and flounces which lured us back to feminine frocks. Also, with simple lines, you can exploit the little separate collars, capes, coats, scarves and gloves which lend diversity to a moderate wardrobe. Fur touches and trimmings are perhaps the smartest ways of altering the appearance of dresses designed for autumn and winter wear. If you have an old fur coat I will give you a few suggestions for utilising it to increase the variety of your wardrobe. First, of course, try to re-model from the best parts a short fur coat, and you have a smart garment to wear with a cloth skirt or a velvet dress. Tliis may just reach the waist like an Eton jacket, be double-breasted, with wide revers and stand-up collar. Again, it may fit closely to the hips or have a flared basque and a belt, and plain or fancy sleeves. With the good pieces left over, make a short collar that fastens like a stock tie with narrow cuffs or a tiny barrel muff to wear with a tailored suit, tweed coat, or woollen coat frock. Another type of collar which immediately alters the appearance of any suit or coat is a long strand of flat fur, like Persian lamb, broadtail, squirrel, sealskin, etc. This goes round the neck, crosses in front, and round to the back, where it fastens at the waist line. Edgings of flat fur on the collars and revers of cloth dresses and coats are extremely smart, also fur edgings on gauntlet gloves to match the coat collar. A fur tippet that buttons snugly at the throat with a tiny cap to match is quaint and chic, while a bolero of fur added to last year's long coat will stamp it very much this season's garment. The scarf seems to take on a fresh lease of life with every new season, and this year scarves are made of every imaginable material and worn in endless different ways. They bring a note of bright colour into tho most sombre ensemble which is very welcome on dull days, and aro usually linked with the hat, handbag, or gloves to keep the colour scheme simple. * A very new scarf has one rever. This is made in crepe, satin or georgette, and is fixed to the dress on one side to be passed round the neck and shoulders and to fall in a deep rever on tho opposite side, and what remains of it is tucked into the belt and allowed to hang down the dress. In previous letters I have mentioned the popularity of hand-knitting for sweaters, scarves and caps. Now we are to use tho crochet hook with equal effect. The nowest collars and cuffs for woollen dresses aro made of crochet woollen lace/ These may be simple strips of open-work crochet draped round a neck-line, or elaborate floral lace-designs—as seen in a draped white crochet collar and deep shaped gauntlet cuffs on a black wool marocain dress. Crochet lace yokes are set into woollen frocks, and one whole dress seen recently was made of finely crocheted black wool with soft turn-down collar and draped belt of finest white glove kid. A soft, warm orange is a very popular colour choice with many different types of clothes, as for instance, a scarf of orange crepe de chine seen with a bold green morning coat. An orange blouse with high neck and wide gathered sleeves worn under a sort of waistcoat mado of jersey woollen in dull shades of grey and white and worn with a jacket and skirt of tho same grey mixture. A top coat of black, brown and orange tweed had the high military collar and wide revers faced with orange cloth; while an afternoon ensemble consisted of a brown velvet jacket and dross, the entire top of the dress being orango crepo with a line of sablo dyed squirrel edging the scarf neckline.