THE FORGOTTEN GIRL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22261, 8 November 1935, Page 4

THE FORGOTTEN GIRL

TWELVE TO SEVENTEEN CULTIVATING DRESS SENSE BT BARBARA Have you ever heard of the forgotten girl? No, she is not a lost soul crying in tho wilderness, nor is she the persecuted heroine of tho latest talkie thriller. She may be your own daughter or she may be your sister; she is, in fact, every little girl whoso ago falls between the 12th and 17th year mark. Lazv parents summarily dismiss these years as tho "gawky ago." They expect nothing of their daughters during this critical period when their minds are forming and their bodies developing. They think that because their children are busy with tho process of growing-up everything else can go, and everything else invariably includes their outward appearance. How rarely does one see a neatly-dressed girl of 14? Yet if you expect your daughter to devolop a dress sense lator in life, this, surely, is the time to foster it. No fussy clothes, certainly, and no sophisticated ones, but often tho lankiness and slight gaucheries of this age can be dressed every bit as attractively as tho frank childishness of their juniors or the sophistication of their elders. If you have a daughter of 14 do not say to yourself, "She looks her best in her school uniform," and leave it at that. School uniforms are all very well for school, but she will need a change of clothes just as much as you or I do. The reason she looks well in her uniform is probably because it is so simple. She will certainly need plain clothes, but there is no reason why they "should not express her particular type, a thing which even the smartest of uniforms generally fails to do. Summer clothes for tho girls in their teens are easy to choose and easy to make. Nearly always sho is best in cotton, and this year the range of stuffs is tremendous. Seersuckers, ginghams, tobralcos and Indian heads are all good serviceable materials which will wash well and wear well, which can be made in charming and suitable styles and which provide a wide colour range. Linen is Rood, too, but it must be uncrushable as these young ladies are apt to crease even tho most hardy of materials. Then, for party occasions, dimities, batistes, zephyrs, dotted Swiss voiles and, very rarely, organdies are refreshingly youthful and becoming. In the silk world, Liberty prints which will wear for ever, Shantung and tussore, spun silks and China silks are sufficiently unsophisticated. Day clothes made in variations of the "shirtmaker" style are becoming.

Vertical linos and pleats aro best on the fat child and shirrings and gathers on her lanky sister. The present fashion of shoulder yoko and gathered fullness in front or the bodice is particularly suited to the growing girl. It is fun to have a matching coat for your frock as the girl in my illustration has. She wears a plaid uncrushablo linen, a short-sleeved frock which buttons down the front and has knife pleats for bodice' fullness and a hip-length matching jacket. The pert miss in tho other sketch wears a blue-green seersucker with unusual placement of pleats and Raglan sleeves. Self-coloured stitching is tho only decoration. Long evening dresses should not bo worn until tho ago of 15, and even that is early. Then they should bo made of the simplest materials, and not too low in the back. A checked gingham evening dress is a pleasant friend to the very young. I have soon a charming one made with gored skirt and widish shoulder straps. A flat, ruffle of tho material wont round tho top of the bodico under the arms. A posy of red poppies was a fitting finish. Either cotton or silk nots are youthful materials which look well on the- very young and thoy have a grown-up association which is pleasing to them. Tho present fashion of puff sleeves, basques and shirtwaist evening frockß is also a boon to tho 15-year-old, and touches of white pique and white buttons aro smart as well as youthful. Taffeta, either plain or in one of its floral or plaid variations, is a youthful material which can bo made in suitable styles. However, do not fall into the trap of fussiness. Let your child wear a bouffant frock by all means, but bewaro of overdoing the frills and ruffles, and whatever you do do not attempt a picture frock. Tho only successful picture frocks aro worn by tho most sophisticated. They' need an "air" which no young girl can possibly have acquired. To got back to Liberty silks, you will find that these come in a variety of small floral designs which are youthfully fresh and extremely suitable for the growing girl who looks well in a floral print, but cannot stand too bold a pattern. Small patterns are definitely tho best for tho young, and for this reason they can always wear a spotted material. One of the most attractive day frocks for a 14-year-old girl that 1 have seen was made of navy blue handkerchief linen, polka-dotted in white It was in two pieces, with a six-gored skirt with inverted pleats in front and

a hip-length top with short Raglan sleeves which button up with four enormous white buttons. White piQuc belt, collar and cuffs were crisp addit o Perhftps tho most difficult .ago to dress well is 13. No suggestion of " crown-uppishncss " must bo allowed. A good style for this age is a frock which has a sash of tho material attached in a " v " in front and tiemg in a bow behind. This is able to be adjusted as the child grows. Teach your daughter to be careful of her accessories, too. She will want to learn early which shoes, bag, hat and gloves are correct with each frock. A good idea, if you do not wish to provide her with more than one set or accessories, is to have them either white, brown or navy, and plan the rest of her wardrobe accordingly. Just one word, before I finish, about a white Angora wool swagger coat with Raglan sleeves, huge patch pockets and button links at a high neckline. It would bo ideal for a summer holiday coat.