ORIGINAL AND SMART

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22461, 3 July 1936, Page 4

ORIGINAL AND SMART

BLOUSES ARE POPULAR

BRIGHTENING A TIRED SUIT

BY BARBARA

After the more or loss stereotyped suit styles which are prevalent at the moment the chalk-striped tailleur, the bolero suit, tho box coat and tho capcd suit —it is somewhat of a relief to turn one's imagination loose on blouses. Hero thero is no leash —style, material, colour —all aro matters of a free choice which demands individuality, originality and initiative. And, of course, it is those blouses which, together with your accessories, will decide tho late of your suit. Be liberal with yourself. Buy as many as you can afford in as many different colours and different styles as you can think of. You will then bo literally " suited " for every occasion—and there's no end to tho pleasure you will have in working out your accessory combinations. Blouses aro subtle things and carry with them tho power to change tho complexion of an outfit. Buy your materials with foresight. For morning and for the country, buy jersey—both silk and wool, lightweight woollens, crepes of every sort and tie-silk. For afternoon buy silks, satins, crepes, taffetas and chiffons. For any time at all buy lino lawns, laces and printed materials.

Those last are real news. The printed blouse, whether it bo a floral design or a dark ground, or a brightly coloured conventional motif, brings gaiety to many a tired costume. Have your blouso made somewhat " Gibson Girl." liko the one in my sketch. At any rate, bo sure that it is almost tailored. Chanel on a blouse of brocaded organdie or sheer cotton crepon will place an Eton collar. The floral designs used are always extremely gay in colour and small in motif. Natural colour roses are scattered on dark grounds-r—as a rule black or navy. Golden crocuses bloom on warm browns, geraniums, del, phiniums, forget-me-nots are arranged neatly, in " old world " posies. Then there are a host of other so-called " conventional " designs, which this year aro anything but conventional. Parisian designers feature" the most original and entertaining prints that have been seen for many years. Animals, dancing figures, skyscrapers, numbers, stars and letters of the alphabet are only a few of the_" objects thoy have commandeered. Paisley designs aro " in " too, spots and stripes. Some materials are so fantastic that their use is limited to either scarves or blouses —for a blouse can dash in whore a dress must hold back.

Morning blouses are mostly of the tailored variety. Some are cut in waistcoat fashion, others definitely shirtmaker —very often with a turn-down collar that calls for a tie. Try a spotted bow-knot on a plain blouse. Selanese is a particularly good material for morning blouses and looks well in a button-np-the-front style. Pique with a stiff pleated front and stud buttons is used in white and in colours. Tunie blouses are right for evening or afternoon. They are usually cut anything from hip to knee-length and often flare widely at the hem. Molvneux makes a ruched taffetas tunic that is flared. Jaunty be-iseplunied blouses of plaid taffetas or faille 4ook well over plain skirts either in afternoon or evening.

The .evening JJo.ilse becomes, a consideration- with- the advent of the dinner suit. If your evening suit is of the

severe, mannish variety with Eton jacket or toreador bolero, then your blouse must correspond. It will probably be high to the neck with either a peter pan or shirt-collar or a tiny stand-up military one. But if your suit is an Edwardian affair then you will wear a frilly blouse —the fussier and more feirlinine the bettor. Perhaps it will have a jabot made from rows and rows of Valenciennes lace, perhaps the entire blouse will be trmmed with lace frills, or maybe you will have an organdie or lawn blouse that is pin-tucked and hand embroidered, or a Chiffon one with a pleated yoke. Knife pleatings are used both as trimmings and for the whole blouse. Intricate and detailed handwork raises the fashion value of any blouse. So you can play tricks wth your trimmings as well as with your colour schemes.

The vogue for coloured embroidery which originated in the Tyrol, has made itself felt in the blouse world. For a long time wo have had exquisitely embroidered peasant blouses which are also smocked and shirrod. Now we see bright-coloured wools embroidered in floral and conventional designs on dark colours. Some blouses have embroidered necklets of gay flowers, others have embroidered belt bands that are attached to the blouse and worn over the skirt. Sometimes an embroidered panel goes down the front of ,thje blouse or embroidered tabs are used as fasteners and placed at intervals of two inches. An embroidered blouse is fun to make and will act as a pick-me-up for your last year's suit.