A TRAVELLER'S IMPRESSIONS

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 11248, 28 June 1922, Page 7

A TRAVELLER'S IMPRESSIONS

"The women of Australia, both in physique, dress, and taste, are far more attractive than any other women of any Continental town I have visited, and they know hals when they see them,” said Mr R. C. Henderson, who has returned to Sydney after a few months on the Continent of Europe surveying, studying, buying, and engaging hat experts, to the Sydney "Telegraph.” "'Paris grow© more expensive every year; London is little better. The famous salons of Maison Lewis, Maria Guy, and Rebaux offer no hat of any note or distinction under eight .or twelve guineas. Some hats go into hundreds of francs. Paris favours large brimmed, gorgeously flowered garden hats for next season. Organdi ribbons exquisitely finished with contrasting shades, or picot edged, will be the rage. Roman and Rameses stripes in all satin ribbons will lure and allure milady as she enters upon her chapeau shopping career for the season. "The flowers of Paris are so wonderful that the only thing one can say about them is that they are even more marvellous than the joys that grow in the garden. "The new colours? The new colours are Mary blue, lemon, amber, and feu. Mary blue is a shade deeper than Alice blue, and combines the subtlety of .powder and gobelin blues. The amber is deeper than canary yellow, but more elusive than eau de nil, possessing a charm of vagueness which every woman will ap« greciate. Feu? Well, feu is a comination of reds, crimsons, scarlets, poppy shades, and is brilliant, yet pastel, at once. "London favours black, oyster grey, and lemon. London is more reserved in her plumage than is Paris. She has to remember her fogs and her smuts, and crown herself accordingly. "The sensation of next seasop will lio in the wonderful beetle ornaments. Dragon flies in jade, beetles in amber and cerise, butterflies in jet and lemon, will adorn the latest chapeaux from the salons of the world. Australia will not want for anything that Paris and London possess. The brains of the Continent are more easily adapted to Australian conditions than they are even in their own countries. For instance, the centre of the hat industry in England is Luton. There they employ 35,000 workers. The hard water of Luton makes it imperative to dry the straw artificially, and it becomes naturally brittle and dull in the process. Here in Australia the water is softer, and the sun's rays do the work and preserve the colour and texture as well. I have brought an expert dyer from Luton, and hope to give the Australian people such results as have not before been attempted. Pastel shades will be a charming keynote of the new process. Before it was difficult to tone colourings, but now—well, you shall see. "Ribbons, spotted, satined, striped, squared, figured, plain, shaded, picotedged, edge-plaited, fringed, are to be the craze of the next season. The models from the world’s salons are truly delightful, and will charm the heart of any woman; but I want to tell you that I think the taste and chic of the Australian woman beats anything I saw on the other side of the world, and the doors of the salons of the most exclusive houses were open t<i; mo. "More than that, the Australian girl knows what is suitable to her appearance. The woman abroad wears what is fashionable without asking ‘Does it suit my face, my position, my style?' Sc I think that the Australian woman deserves the best.”