DRESS SENSE OF 1938

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 56, Issue 4047, 13 May 1938, Page 7

DRESS SENSE OF 1938

DO YOU POSSESS IT? Can you fold a gay scarf about your neck and tuck it into the neck of a plain frock with just the right touch of studied carelessness? Do you know the exact shade of stockings and gloves to go with any outfit? Do you carry a clear picture of your silhouette in your mind’s eye when you go shopping, and know what you want to do it justice? If you can truthfully answer “Yes” to these questions, you can count yourself in the ranks of those lucky women possessed of “dress sense.” Some people have an idea that “dress sense” is the privilege of the wealthy who can afford to give it rein. As a matter of fact, the less a girl has to spend, the more invaluable it is to her. Only the rich can afford to scrap their mistakes as soon as made. Then, too, if you have “dress sense” you can add your own touches of individuality which count for much when you are dressing on a little and want to make it look as though it might be a lot. This year’s crop of smart girls is going to go in for sober colours, simple lines and decoration that is restrained but novel and original when they can make it so. So if you have a nicely developed dress sense and want it to go a long way on modest means now is your chance to go ahead. Choose a tailored frock as plain and simple as you like. Have it in blaek, round or V necked and wear a vivid flag blue tuck-in scarf with it and a handkerchief .to match peeping from a breast pocket. Should you be fair and small, have a spring-like yellow frock and trim it with a set of light blue collar and cuffs—of linen "or lawn, or perhaps knotted with linen thread. Such tiny details as small gilt studs can strike the desired note of originality. A group of them in front of a belt, or at the corners of one of the new handkerchief collars trim without any fusiness or suggestion of being ornate. Bright trimmings, by the way, are delightful when used with discretion, but are a dreadful drawback to smartness if in the smallest degree overdone. BEADS AND BANGLES. In the afternoon, a frock can be given a sufficiently “dressy” look by substituting a rope of coloured beads, twisted round the neckline so that it borders the opening, for a collar. Another twisted rope of beads can make a matching bangle, worn round the forearm, if the sleeves, as so many do now, belong to the “bracelet length” kind, which means that they end two or three inches below the elbow and fit the arm closely. Accessories of all kinds advertise the fact that you do or do not have dress sense. A frivolous looking handbag with a tailored suit, plain walking shoes, and pullon gauntlet gloves of the “sensible” type is a “give-away.” Even the differing shades of gloves and stockings may create a disharmony that quite spoils the general effect. It is not always feasible exactly to match the colour of hose and gloves, but care should always be taken that they tone with one another. The vogue of wearing bright-col-oured gloves, with town as well as sports clothes, has been growing recently. The colour is chosen as a contrast with a dark coat, or to match a woollen frock worn beneath the coat. This is the kind of fashion that attracts attention, so the wise girl follows it only if she is confident that her hands are small and neat enough to allow an apparent increase in their size. Bright-cojloured g-loves make hands appear at least two sizes larger than they look in dark gloves. Much the same thing applies to footwear. Those attractive coloured suede shoes —rust red and green —have an awkward way of making even av-erage-sized feet seem big. Large artificial flowers are shown on spring day frocks as well as evening dresses. These flowers can be used to improve the line of a frock besides decorating it. A big bloom of georgette, for example, placed at the point of a V neck is helpful in forming a flattering line across the front of a bodice and concealing a too-full bust. When in evening dress, a flower can be placed at the back of tne waist, fitting into the hollow and straightening the line of the silhouette. A. flair for what is “right” in clothes, enables one, too, to indulge in what are known as “amusing” hats. From the errors one sees in this direction, “dress sense” where hats are concerned would appear to be not at all common. I foresee that any number of round-faced girls will be making their faces look full - mooned this spring with the new chin-straps that are featured in advance models Marigold, in Weekly Scotsman.