FASHION NOTES

Taranaki Daily News, 23 April 1932, Page 15 (Supplement)

FASHION NOTES

IMPORTANCE OF SHOULDER LINE.

SOME INGENIOUS SCARF IDEAS. (By Collins Rouff.—Special to News.) The shoulder line is very important just now. Nearly all the day frocks have epaulette shoulders, simple little dresses being made with straight sleeves, over the tops of which smaJl shaped cape epaulettes are buttoned, giving a smart, new line. The Raglan sleeve also has come in again, and that, of course, is a very good way of bringing the shoulder to notice. These ideas are more for walking dresses. The large revets which reaches to the shoulders and gives the broadening effect, is popular for afternoon models; so is the berthe, similarly arranged to reach the shoulder line. Then there is the draped scarf, which begins on one shoulder, goes round the back of the neck, over the shoulder, passes over the bodice in a cross-over line, and is finally tucked in at the belt. Evening ideas are numerous. Gowns of supple satin or marocain have the most attractive cape yokes of soft fine lace. The cape is fitted to the rather high neckline, tied in a bow in front, then cut so that the arms are covered with small circular capes as far as the elbows. Sometimes these gowns are all one colour, or all black or white, and sometimes the lace is left in its natural pale thread, colour. Very "young” frocks feature the "off-the-shoulder” line and small puff sleeves. These are -most becoming and dainty. Other off-the-shoulder frocks have the decolletage outlined with a small trail of flowers.

LACE ALL THE TIME. Lace is always well to the fore. This season it is used for lingerie as well as frocks, and this is unusual, for generally it is only fashionable for one thing at a time. Beautiful corselets are made of thick dull lace and elastic net. Knickers, brassieres and slips have a great deal of lace about them in the form of godets, insets and frills. Nightgowns have whole bodices of lace, and. skirts of crepe-de-chine patterned with tiny flowers, soft washing satin, or triple georgette. . • Lovely evening gowns are made in a most original manner, with long graceful skirts of satin, marocain, georgette, chiffon or taffetas, and smart little jumpers of lace, fitting closely to the figure to the waist, and then flaring out into a basque, which is bordered by a deep hem of the skirt material. A specially dainty model was made •with a skirt of rich marocain in the new blue shade called ciel, a cross between turquoise and forget-me-not. The jumper was of beautiful silver Racine lace, with a cowl neck, little flounced shoulders, and a hem of the marocain. The slippers were silver; a rose perched on one shoulder was silver and deep pink; the little pochette was covered with small tubular silver beads and lined with blue to match the frock; and long gloves of finest suede had tiny diamond buttons —a Lovely ensemble which might be copied in other shades: coral and gold, sweet-pea-mauve, and silver, rose and silver. EVENING AND DAY SCARVES. Very attractive scarves are worn with plain satin, lace or tulle frocks. One is made of two large squares of chiffon in different colours, tied together by two of the corners, thus making two diamond shaped panels. The little bow made at the Lwo corners is placed on the shoulder and the two diamonds areeleft to float, one at the back, and one down the front. The colours are chosen to tone or contrast with the frock. The same idea can he carried out in crepe-de-cliine for wear with a sports jacket. In this case the knot ’s placed at the back of the neck, so that the butterfly ends show above the collar, and the two squares are brought round to the front and twisted together. A new scarf is made in the shape of a rope. A strip of very fine wool about a foot wide is worked in diamonds of different colours; brown, red, blue, rust, yellow, purple. Being so fine, the work quite naturally rolls up, and instead of pressing it out, you must encourage it to roll. When a piece of about a yard and a half long has been worked, finish off with a short fringe -of all the coloured wools at each end. This gay rope is put round the throat, twisted in front, and tucked into the belt. A little cap made of rings of all the different colours goes with it. CHINS UP! PRESERVING BEAUTY. The chin is usually the first part of the face to sag unbecomingly. When | this is noticed, spend a few minutes I every morning in flapping chin and neck with the corner of a linen towel which has been dipped in an astringent lotion, or, failing that, in salt and water. The neck should receive the same care as the face. Cleanse it at night with cold cream followed by an astringent, and with cold water in the morning. Before going out, apply day cream and powder. It is a good plan to bind the chin with a band of cheese-cloth soaked in astringent lotion, and to leave this bandage on for half an hour or until it is dry. Should the chin show the slightest sign of becoming double, give up pillows at night, and do not use them any more until the correct chin contour has been regained. Hold up your head as high is possible, for this helps to brace the muscles. Five minutes devoted to head bending and turning exercises every morning will help in retaining youthful lines. A very good exercise for improving chin and neck is to toss a feather in the air, and keep it afloat by blowing at it. When “making up,” be careful not to powder the chin into too great prominence; if the face is over-long, a touch of rouge on the chin will foreshorten it attractively.

round about the house.

cleaning paint and paper.

(By Housekeeper.)

A very good mixture for washing paint is made as follows: —Into a quart of hot water put one tablespoonful of turpentine, half a teaspoonful of milk and half a tablespoonful of soap-powd-er. Wash the paint with this, and it will take on a beautiful gloss. Scratches on varnish will disappear if a coarse cloth well saturated with linseed oil is laid over them. Wall paper is apt to become wet or soiled in places, through contact with the cloth employed when washing or polishing woodwork. To eliminate risk of this, procure a sheet of tin a foot or more in length and hold it against the wall close to the skirting while cleaning the wood, moving it along as you go. To keep wire mattresses bright use brown paper in place of the usual sheets of newspaper under the overlay. The wire will then keep free from rust. Rub new wire well with a vaseline rag, then brush and. cover with sheets of

iniiitiiiiiiitiiiiiiiniiiinimnttiiitiiiHiiiniiiiMiniiiimtiiiiiißb brown paper tacked together. Attach this paper cover to the mattress with strips of tape, sewn across, and loosely tied. The right way to remove dust and dirt from coconut fibre mats is to turn them upside down on the ground and gently beat them with the back of a hand-brush. Use a little brown boot-polish occasionally on a dark varnished door. Rub it in thoroughly, and polish with a clean cloth. To rid a carpet of moths, mix three tablespoonsful of turpentine with three quarts of water, and add one tablespoonful of ammonia. Go over the carpet carefully with a sponge dipped in the mixture.

viiiiniiiiiiniiininitiitiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiHiiiiiHi SUMMER HEAT. More necessary that you should use CAMFOSA disinfectant regularly. Flush drains, sinks, rubbish tins, daily and prevent breeding of flies and other vermin. CAMFOSA. All stores. 1/3, 3/-. 2 SUPERFLUOUS HAIR destroyed by “RUSMA” (Regd.). Signed, stamped, guaranteed cure, £5 12s 6d. Florence Hullen, G.M.D.. 7 Courtenay Place, Wellington. Send stamped addressed envelope for particulars,' , ■

THE NUNS OF DOLMA.

TRUE SISTERS OF MERCY.

(By 0. Roman ne-James.)

Temples abound in the mystery country of Tibet, or "the Land of Bod” as the Tibetans call it; and the temples are guarded hy colossal images of all the demons which are supposed to infest the world and prey upon poor Tibetans. Here lives a company of the Buddhist nuns of Gyantse, who dedicate themselves and their work to Kwanon or Dolma, the Goddess of Mercy, to whom go all in distress. For "Saints will aid if men will call,” say the Tibetans.

Gyantse is a fortified monastery—a little town in itself. Shrines and dwellings for 600 monks cover the whole crescent-shaped slope of a rugged hill rising above the plain. In a little valley about two miles from the “Illustrious Circle of Pilgrimage,” where the monks retire for meditation, is the convent of these nuns of Dolma. They wear claret-red robes, and on their heads, which are shaved bare, rest conical yellow caps, or fluffy sheepskin wigs.

The nuns’ duty is to aid the sick and suffering. When they enter the nunnery, they renounce all world things, including marriage, though theirs is a country where polyandry exists. They have a temple of their own and they conduct the services themselves. A monk visits the nunnery daily to instruct them in the ritual, which must be performed exactly according to custom in the temple which is decorated with wonderful pictures of the life of the Buddha. At the head of the order is an abbess, who intones the service and tells off the nuns for duty every time the nunnery bell sounds and some poor creature pleads for “a good sister to come with prayers and nursing for those who may be dying.” When thus called upon, the nuns of Dolma go forth from their white-wash-ed cells, no matter what the distance; and they travel on foot, no matter how terrible the weather. They carry little food with them—rice, perhaps, and picked tea —trusting for the rest to those who will voluntarily fill their alms-bowls. They have no fear. No man would molest a nun dedicated to Dolma, the Mother of Compassion; nor,' it is said, could or would a wild beast harm her. For in the nunnery wild beasts and animals can always find food. They know that the nuns of Dolma are their friends, no less than the friends of the human beings whom they care for in times of sickness and trouble. ROMANCE OF THE POMANDER. A SAFEGUARD OF HEALTH. (By Mabel L. Tyrrell.)Man Jias always believed that a strong odour combats disease, and it is interesting to observe the different perfumes he has resorted to through the ages in his endeavour to overcome one of the greatest enemies he has had to contend with. To-day we put our faith in carbolic and other poisons. And. in disinfecting our drains and dustbins to prevent the mysterious birth of germs, we are only following in the footsteps of the ancient Egyptians and Greeks, who burnt certain herbs in public places, believing that their beneficial odour would drive away the evil spirits of disease. The Greeks used aromatic perfumes, ambergris, and herbs in their public baths to eliminate evil from the air; priests carried fresh flowers for the same purpose; and even to-day—-unless the custom has been recently abolished —herbs are placed in the prisoners’ dock at the Old Bailey at the beginning of the sessions according to ancient traditions.

The pomander, which is mentioned by Pliny, was a jewel which contained a beneficial perfume, and its name applied to its contents as well as to the case. It derived its name from pomme, meaning apple, because it was usually round in shape; and from amber, or ambergris, which the ancients appear to have believed were one and the same substance. Amber has always been considered a charm against infection, and ambergris is one of the strongest of perfumes. A Chinese proverb declares that the container should always be worthy of the contents. This evidently appealed to the ancients, for the pomander was a jewel made to contain substances of great value, such as ambergris, aloes, gum of benzoin, camphor, orange peel, civet, spices, orris root, aromatic gums, and the oil of roses, lavender, mint, thyme, violets, valerian, rosemary, and a number of other rare, beautiful, and ‘beneficial perfumes. Human nature is apt to give preference to things that are rare, but as these things come within the reach of the multitude their value seems to fade. So by degrees the jewelled pomander, with its ball of exquisite perfume, has given place to the tin or cardboard box of carbolic.

Henry VIII., Cardinal Wolsey and Elizabeth always used pomanders, but the Cardinal seems to have favoured the skin of an orange as the receptacle for his pomander rather than a jewelled case. As the plague was always more or less prevalent, Wolsey invariably carried an orange filled with strong perfume when he appeared in public. Pomander balls were often rubbed on the hands, and their perfume was considered beneficial in cases of epilepsy, fainting, and practically all diseases. The pomander was usually a small gold perforated apple-shaped, case studded with precious stones; it was worn by men and women hanging from a chain round the neck, or from the girdle or bracelet, and sometimes from a ring. Pomanders arc mentioned in many of the inventories of the Kings of England; the Romans used them, and if some enterprising jeweller put them on the market to-day they would probably soon become the fashion.

This is the year to buy a good Coat or Costume. Quality is the hall mark, and the prices of all these high-class garments are cut down to meet the times. The materials are the very latest, and the styles will meet the approval of the most exacting. Seo them. Feel them. Try them on at Thorpe’s. z -