WOMEN’S WINDOW

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17185, 15 February 1930, Page 12

WOMEN’S WINDOW

WOMEN BALK AT LONGER SKIRTS. REFUSE TO BE DICTATED TO. NEW YORK, Dee. 13. Foreign entanglements in the form of long skirts decreed by Paris style dictators have been denounced by New York club women. After hearing tint skirt debated at length yesterday at a meeting sponsored by the New York State Federation of club women, the six hundred delegates indicated by their applause that “women can not be dictated to by a small coterie of meal ticket seeking Frenchmen in Paris." Alisa Gertrude Lawrence, English actress, wearing- a skirt 12 inches from the floor, defended long skirls.

Miss Rita Weiman, short storywriter, arrayed in a. frock which was 17 inches from the floor, voiced the declaration ol' independence of Paris style tyranny.

Six models, three dressed in the short skirts of last year and three m the new longer style, were ealled to the platform. The short skirts won a popularity vote from the audience.

FASCIST FASHIONS. A new fashion movement has been started in Italy with its headquarters in Bologna. Based upon the Fascist style of dress, model gowns and coats are being created, so that there will be an original and purely Italian style of dress, inspired both by ancient Italian tradition and modern Italian invention.

While the designers do not seek to create a rival to Paris, they hope to establish a school of fashion which will reflect, the spirit of the country and the times, 'much as the Elizabethan period and the Napoleonic era were reflected in the clothes of the til ties.

Signori mi Fernanda Lamura is one of the leaders of this new fashion movement;, and some of the most striking designs are the. products other brain. One of these is the Mussolini coat, made of soft black cloth, with a cape and hood. A gorgeous evening gown of white satin cut on simple lines with a Renaissance cap*, and trimmed with fine embroidery in gold representing the fasces, or bundle of rods containing an axe, the symbol of authority of ancient Rome, is called the Imperial.

Another model is called Reconciliation, and was inspired by the recent reconciliation between, the Vatican and the Italian State. This has the severe lines reminiscent of the twelfth and thirteenth century gowns, ant* was made in black satin and trimmed with white fur.

DRESSES BY NUMBERS. SIMPLER- SHOPPI NG FOR WOAJEK FROCKS IN SIZES LIKE SHOES. LONDON, December 16. The .British wholesale and retail dress trades have set up a committee of experts to formulate a standard system of measurement for drosses and gowns, such as now exists for shoes and 'men’s collars. This has never before been tried in England. There is a measurement system in France and in the United ,Slates. American trade improved by JS per cent, immediately it was introduced.

The range of sizes is to be based on hip measurements, and will vary from 38 to o-f inclies. A woman who wants a dress in a hurry will be able to get it as she now gets shoes. BAYING MONEY. A member of a wholesale firm who is a leader in the movement, told a Daily AL'ail reporter: “At present almost every retail linn has its own measurements, which tire private and call for a lot of care and trouble front the wholesale firms. This new scheme will simplify matters considerably, and save time and money. lam sure it will appeal to the public."

A director of a Bondstreet woman’s dress shop said: “I am all in favor of the idea. I hear that retailers and wholesalers are entering wholeheartedly into the scheme, it will help business and the public.” An actress saki: “Recently I was told that, t had to have a new dress immediately. I could not get one quickly enough simply because there was no standardised size. The scheme will save a lot of trouble for stage people."

THE MEDIEVAL STY Lit

LIKE A PICTURED ANGEL. A recent London bride Miss Oonagh Guineas, who was married to Air. Philip Kinderslcy—wore a gown and headdress that gave her the appearance of a medieval saint in a stained-glass window. With her long, tight-fitting dress of deep cream satin, lavishly embroidered wit a-pearls and gold wheat-ears, she wore a wide golden halo set well back on her hair, which seemed to be chiselled in golden waves. Instead of the conventional lily sheaf, she carried a bunch of stiff gold lilies. Twelve bridesmaids followed her to the altar through banks of white lilies. Their “angel" dresses of parchment-colored tulle were sprinkled with gold daisies and mounted on gold tissue. Pearls studded their golden tiaras and their bouquets were composed of gold marguerites and wheatears.

Lichen-green, trimmed with silver fox, was chosen by Miss Guineas for her going-away dress, and Spain was selected as the honeymoon place. As one of the recognised leaders of the bright young people, the new Airs. Philip kinderslcy is nothing if not up to date, and her marriage filled the Church of St. Margaret, in Westminster, to overflowing, and a huge crowd gathered outside to admire the bridal retinue and to see the many famous people who were'present.

SOCIETY AVOMEX 1 ‘ SAI EGG-1 .ERS. ’

PARIS MODELS HIRED BY

DRESSMAKERS,

The allegation that certain society women carry on a “nefarious trade" in smuggled dresses from Paris was made yesterday by Air. Elbvnrd H. Symonds, managing director of a well-known firm of Court dressmakers, and vice-president, of; the London Employers’ Association. If every ease were known, he added, the Joss lo the revenue might be found to reach £ 1.00(1.000 a year.

“There is a. tremendous amount, of this smuggling going on among society women who act for certain dressmakers in tin l West-end," said MY. Symonds. “ But, there is another form of evading the law which is far more serious than smuggling. “A woman bringing a new Paris model over as her own dress may perhaps Moan’ it to a. dozen dressmakers at a fee from each of say from three to live guineas. She will tints receive £6O or £7O for the dress and still have it, and she will have cleared the expenses of her trip to Paris. “What can the Customs man do? A society woman returning from the Riviera, for instance, has a dozen dresses. Site says, ‘They are my own. I have worn them,’ and she probably has. She pays a few shillings duty, but when she gets to London she may carry on this nefarious trade in them, ami no one can catch her. LOOPHOLE IN LA W. “And such is the mentality of tbo women who are taking advantage of this loophole in the law that they say thev cannot; see anything wrong in it. “ Women in all circumstances of life are now employed by unscrupulous dressmakers and wholesalers to make such journeys regularly to and from Paris. The correct; duty on dresses for trade purposes would be anything from £f> to £2O each.

“The principle of a differential treatment between the trade and the private individual is unsound and inequitable. If I were to bring champagne or cigars into this country as a private individual I should have to pay exactly the same duty as would n merchant.

“I hope the present Government will take immediate steps to prevent the loss to revenue in future years.’’

HOW AMERICAN WOMEN SHOP,

American women’s ingenuity has discovered a, method of doing Ghristinas shopping in London in such a way as to avoid seasonal crowds. After agreeing together on the difficult subject of shops, they invited a select few to give spl’(:ia.l displays at the American Women’ Club. An, interesting point is that at least two of these shops have a very marked British individuality. Although the trading regulations prohibited actual purchasing under such conditions, the onlookers were able to watch the mannequins display all sorts of charming gowns, and to de■ide on what they would give.

WOMEN CARRY ALEX'S BURDEN * MARRIAGE PROVIDES THEM NO SECURITY, SAYS U.S. BULLETIN. AID FAMILY MOST. WASHINGTON, .Tan. 6. Marriage has provided no economic security for women, and chivalry is branded, “an age-worn theoretical myth’’ in a bulletin issued by the United States Women’s Bureau.

Its title is “What, the wage-earning woman contributes to family-support. ’ ’

EARN INCOMES.

yth "hnicmitc. “O

The author. Miss Agnes L. Peterson, assistant director of the- bureau, saw “a great difference from conditions a generation or so ago,” in that now “a. large proportion of families living in cities depend largely upon the earnings of women, and in many homes, the entire income is earned by wife or daughters.” She called attention to “the great, personal sacrifice demanded of women in order that they may make a contribution to the support of their families,” and said that “the double standard in wages and the absence of chivalry have resulted in the unscrupulous exploitation of the potential motherhood of the land.”

Sons do not assume equal responsibility with daughters towards the parental home, she said.

GIRLS HELP- PARENTS,

“It may lie considered common knowledge that sons do not forego marriage and careers to anything like the extent that daughters remain at .home because of the needs of parents or younger sisters and brothers,” the bulletin sets forth.

In a study of more than 17,000 unmarried women, one in every live was caring lor a family with no help from male relatives, her report said. She cited another investigation of 30,000 families in which 27 per cent, of the workers stated there wore no men wage earners in their families.

Married women now form such a large factor in industry that in ten recent women’s bureau studies single women formed less than 50 per cent, of the wage-earning group. In throe other studies, the .unmarried element fell to less than 33 per cent.

£SOO ON HAIR

SOME LONDON WOMEN SPEND IT.

Next time you get a, twinge of conscience about spending an occasional 9s or 10s on your hair, remember that there arc women in London lavishing as much as £SOO a year on their shingled tresses! Several of Sydney’s beauty specialists gasped incredulously when the sum was mentioned and then ascertained just what their most reckless clients did spend per annum.

The total in each case was about £30 —enough they said to keep a permanently waved head perfectly nourished and groomed. The sum was made up of two waves at four or live guineas each; fortnightly trims —uecktrim and otherwise —4s (id; hot oil treatment and henna treatment once a month 15s; and setting once a fortnight 6s. But what about the £500? our informants were asked. Could the most extravagant woman in the world spend that sum on iter hair alone? It was pointed out that the cost, of bringing the hairdresser to one’s boudoir is twice and sometimes three times as much, and that recently the Ranee of Pudakota (formerly Miss Molly Fink, of Melbourne) had paid 50 guineas to transport her favorite London hairdresser to Paris by plane! In those circumstances, it was agreed that expenditure could soar to hundreds in a few months!

It has also been reported that the average London woman spends about £8 a year on her hair. This works out to about 3s a week. The Sydney average ups said to be about 4s fid a week.

Beauty experts declare that women’s hair has never been healthier since it has been shingled. Far fewer women they asserted arc going bald. ‘ ‘ Why, ’ ’ exclaimed one of them, “I can remember, ns a junior, being sent to dress my first, head of hair, and discovering that it nearly all came off —pad after pad and switch after switch —leaving a few lank greasy hairs. “It was considered terribly extravagant in those days,” she continued, “to spend Is aiul 2s on shampoo and massage and an extra 2s fid oil dressing. Pew women indulged in the habit. v “And now,” she concluded triumphantly, “look at the healthy shingled heads on women of forty, fifty and sixty. ’ ’

A MODERN BUSINESS WOMAN.

A modern English business woman in the person of Miss Dorothy Cadbury arrived In Melbourne last week. She is accompanying her parents, Mr. and Mrs Barrow Cadbury, on a visit to Tasmania. Miss Cadbury is a director of Cadbury Bros. Ltd., a company which employs more’ than 0000 people. Besides being her father’s right hand, Miss Cadbury engages every member of the staff of the Cadbury factory near Birmingham. These employes are usually girls and boys who have just left school, and during their first week at the factory they are put through various tests to see which branch of the work would be must suited to their inclinations. They nro examined by a doctor, a dentist and a psychologist. All the girls and boys employed at the factory have to attend a continuation school for two half days a week until the ago of Ifi, and after that one half day a. week until they are 18 years of age. Miss Cadbury is especially interested in the women members of the factory staff, and hits originated a scheme which enables single women t o live in their own cottages. These cottages contain two bedrooms, a living room niul bathroom, and may be rented at Hr fid per week. Each cottage is surrounded by a little garden.