FASHION NOTES

Taranaki Daily News, 14 February 1931, Page 19 (Supplement)

FASHION NOTES

£HE PARJSIENNE’S KNITTING.

JUMPERS AND PYJAMAS.

Have I told you get of the craze for knitted things there is in Paris? Per- \ .haps 1 have mentioned the crochet ' berets, collars and cuffs, but not the handrknitted garments which everyone is making now. It is quite usual to see a beautifully dressed girl carrying a large Work-bag when she gOJS out to make a call, and most likely she and her hostess will. spend the whole afternoon knitting aiid talking. They knit jumpers in flue fleecy wool or else in silk: it depends on the purpose for Which they require them, , . Those jumpers ate very becoming to slim figures, worn with welltailored skirts, are ideal for motoring, golfing, travelling, or the walking _ exercise everyone takes in the mornings aS a matter of course. The pull-over is made with the V-neck, because this is considered more “slimming” than a round or a square. It is long eiiough to come just over the hips, since a shorter style gives an ugly line to the figure, and a longer one loses its shape at the hein. It is belted rather tightly at the Waist, so you will quite understand that it; is becoming only to a very slim girh ' ' COLOUR SCHEME. In perfectly straightforward . stitch, with no fancy patterns, the juiiipbrs are made in colours to match the skirts -/with which they are worn. A claret •red frieze skirt will be completed by a jumper and a hand-knitted beret in fine claret-coloured wool. A navy blue clotli skirt will be accompanied by a knitted silk jumper in the same colour, and. just to brighten it, a row of very large ivory beads lacquered with gold will be clasped round the neck. Oatmeal is another good colour. An oatmeal hopsack skirt, a. fleecy wool pull-over to match, a necklace of large clear green beads, ‘ a green beret and <»reen lizard shoes to match the beads— Sere you haye a most satisfactory ensemble. Lace-up shoes, by the way, are smarter this season than they have ever been. KNITTED PYJAMAS. When you have finished'the pull-over, buy some specially fine, soft wool, in white, lemon, pale blue, or rose-pink, to make pyjamas! Halid-knitted pyjamas are lovely—new, soft, and very chid. The’ trouser parts are made like those of the beach suits we wore last year, and the tops may be little v jumpers to tuck-in, very tightly fitting short jumpers, or else long tight ones which fit well down over the hips. YOU will, of course, add sleeves or not, as .you wish. Some of the pyjamas are worked in very loose stitch on huge wooden needles, and the finest possible wool is used; others, for chilly' people, are made on smaller needles with heavier wool. Trim them as . you like —with a different coloured wool edging, a binding of coloured crepe de chine, , a monogram, or embroidered flowers in silk or wool. . . Women who do not cate for knitting are still anxious to do some kind ■ of needlework, so they occupy themselves by sewing little beads on to clothes. The work is decorative, and easy to do while talking.’ Beaded hats are expensive to buy, but easy to copy. Lace jumpers have steel, pearl, or milky white beads sewn on as if they had been dashed out of a popper pot. The tops of evening gloves are beadedwhite on black; black on white. TO SAVE WEAR AND TEAR. THE EXERCISE OF FORESIGHT. Perhaps you have already noticed signs of wear and teal- on the dccoratidns you carried out with so much pride only last year? Could not some { of the deterioration have been avoided F%y a little foresight on your own part ? ~ The handle of the cupboard door has probably'made a nasty dent on the adjacent wall, but it could not have done Sb had a door-stop been screwed into the floor below. These doorstops are useful in a., good .many similar ways, aS, for example, at points on the wall at the back of a. dresser to prevent dishes from marking it, and at the back of a draining rack to prevent its contents being pushed too far towards the wall. You may notice that lig.it walls show unmistakeable signs of chairs being roughly, knocked against them. The narrowest of wooden mouldings screwed to the wainscot at right angles, will keep the chairbacks in, their place >n future. The; same. applies to the bedstead and the wall behind it. ’ Have the fenders made marks where they have been -kiiOcked against the painted sides of .tbe fireplaces? If .'O, screw small wooden- blocks to the floor just where the: fender meets the wood, you can paint match either the fireplace or the silrround. Has the geyser-flame marked the wall of the bathroom?. If so, a small asbestos square should be screwed to the wall at an appropriate point. Another square applied to tlie scullery wall at the back of the' gas-stove will prevent a patch of discoloured distemper appearing there.

Sets of Ash-Trays. Ash-trays' in sets, placed when not in u*e ofie on top of the other, in a metal holder with a movable handle like that of .the cake stand, are favourites just now in London, writes a correspondent. A particularly pretty set of six tiny trays is in composition resembling rose-tinted alabaster; they are charming to <soe, whether placed about the room or neatly arranged in their miniature holder. Dog-lovers will rejoice in ash-trays with the same alabaster effect, on which bronze models of dogs are placed at one side. Ihe models are beautifully made. Enamel in powder blue or apple green on brass makes delightful trays, and these are shown in the attractive sets winch are 30 useful when friends are being entertained. An individual ash-tray adds much to the comfort and pleasure of the smoker’s evening. China ash-trays, i in gay colours, though more liable to be broken, have the advantage of being washable.

CLOTHES AND THE woman. ITEMS OF FASHIONABLE INTEREST (By Diana Dane.) To wander among the exclusive salons devoted to “foundation garments” is to realise that now, if never before, is encouragement offered to the woman who would improve her figure. The one-piece “slimming belt” of cool, light silk elastic, coming . well down over the hips and affording perfect diaphragm control, Is made without a single bone, but is so perfectly fitted as gently to smooth the body into the lines demanded by fashion. In one with it, bbt made of lace, is a dainty brassiere which completes the good work of the belt by giving complete support, without the ugly line which is often visible when separate corset and brassiere are worn bv a woman of ample proportions. With such a foundation, it would be possible for the matronly figure to wear even the modish “moulded” goiyn. providing always that the style itself proved becoming. ~'he girl who is independent of such aids to sleifderneSS finds a perfect “foundation garment” in short knickers and a well-cut brassiere-topped sliirt oi firm silk, the knickers fitted neatly into shaped bands at the waist and above the knees. I can imagine no better garment for emphasising the supple slimness of the youthful figure. MILANESE SILK. . "Undies” of soft, clinging Milanese silk are delightful, too. This very satisfactory material is used for nightdresses. as. well as for pretty lacetrimmed day-time “sets,” which are almost of feather-weight, though they offer protection against tiresome chills. Talking of lingerie, how do you like the idea” of brightly striped silk pyjamas, the trousers finished at the waist with a cummerbund, and the smartly tailored coat reaching to the knees? You wear with them a trim little sleeveless blouse of plain white silk. These pyjama suits are guaranteed for’urte in the tropics. HIGHWAYMAN CAPES. I think women ate growing rather weary of wearing short evening jackets with long evening gowns. At any rate, the smartest woman in the stalls of & fashionable theatre, recently turned a ’ scornful back on this particular type of -wrap, and wore ih opposite in the form of a sort of highwayman’s cape. Her o-own was white satin trimmed with witli°glittering diamente, and the cape was jade velvet lined with the dress material. She arrived with ope end of the cape flung over her shoulder so that the white lining showed up beautifully against the gr£en, and she caused quite a little gasp of admiration among that sophistictaed audience. I feel that she did life a good turn irt showing us the way out of the “uniform” into which we have, willy-nilly, been driven during the last few months. ~ ' . I THE GOLDEN-CORN GIRL. At the same theatre, a very pretty debutante who is fanied for tier good style wore a frock of corn-coloured net trimmed with lace in exactly the same tone. The lace formed little frills front p-uist to' hem of the simply gathered long skirt, and a berthe on the off-the-shoulders bodice. The girl’s hair is bright gold, her eyes are deep blue, and I tell you about her aqd her frock because she made such a refreshing picture in the exotic atmosplifere of the theatre. HATS AND EYE VEILS. Isn’t it pleasant to know that our rather severe small hats may now be softened with veils? Dear little veils they arc—not the clumsy, stuffy thingis women used io tie firmly round their hats and gather up .under their chins. Gauze-fine and fragile, the veil may reach barely to the tip of the nose, when it makes you look provocative arid mysterious about the eyes; or it mav descend to the chin, when it looks impudent because it is finished off by a narrow band of ribbon velvet which makes it stand out jauntily. Very becoming, these iiew veils. THE YOUTHFUL INVALID. LITTLE DIVERSIONS. How to cheer the' youngster who is prevented by illness from participating in some juvenile festivity is a problem that may be puzzling many a mother at the moment. It is, of course, desirable to keep his attention distracted _ from thought of the fun lie is missing jf the domestic atmosphere is to remain calm and harmonious.

A few packets of coloured crepe paper, and a book of instructions as to how to cope with them, may solve the difficulty if the small invalid is a girl. There are fancy boxes to be made, hats to be plaited, fancy drcft*e« to be fashioned, lampshades and other decorations to be planned, and a whole host of entertaining notion* to be carried out. The hours will go so quickly that the party other* are enjoying will be over before the patient has had time to fret about it. Then there are the rules for tearing tissue paper 'into marvellous forms, after folding it according to certain instructions. Perhaps the small boy may have watched such things being done by men who try to earn a few coppers at theatre entrances, and longed to emulate the wonders. Now is Ids chance to experiment. And possibly mother or nurse knows the trick of cutting out from folded pleated newspapers rows upon rows of short-skirted ballet-gn Is, all holding • hands. So easy to copy, this. , A book illustrating various tie-knots, another showing decorative ways of folding table-napkins, and possibly a box Of wire-.and-riiig puzzles, are other expedients for distracting the young invalid and dispelling disappointment.