FASHION NOTES

Taranaki Daily News, 18 February 1933, Page 5 (Supplement)

FASHION NOTES

VARIETY IN EVENING GOWNS. POPULAR NEW JEWELLERY. (By Colline Rouff.) A man said recently “How can women always' find something new in fashions to talk about? I should have thought that, after the Dress Shows, you would settle down for the season.” He didn’t realise that when a designer produces a new model, it is like throwing a pebble into a pond. Ripples and ripples of new ideas spring from that one ultra-smart creation. We have had plenty of velvet frocks, and plenty of lace frocks, but all the smartest of omen are now appearing in lovely evening gowns made of velvet and lace . combined. Some are cut on classic lines, the shoulder parts of the bodices of velvet- and the rest of lace. The shoulder parts are of various shapes. Some are the cape or epaulette kind, spreading over the tops of the arms with little shirred frills. Some are wide where the two materials meet and taper away to slender straps held on the shoulders with jewelled clips, , Others are merely Wide velvet ribbons tied in very flat bows on the shoulders. For very slender women, I think the flat shoulder bows are most becoming. One delightful velvet and lace model with the tie-and-bow top was in a platinum shade, with a fuchsia velvet rose tucked into the low V front. SPARKLING FROCKS. It is interesting to note that spangled frocks are having quite a vogue, especially among the younger set. Filmy silk muslin with a crisp finish is often spangled all over with tiny silver or gold stars. One designer disdains the tight-bodice-skirt silhouette for his fluffy frocks, preferring to mould the material to the figure in true princess manner. Flat tucks curve downwards from the waist round the hips, and all the ness from the tucks is allowed to billow out at the knees. Naturally, with so much sparkle on the frock itself, quiet pearls lose their effect, so diamond necklaces, earrings and bracelets are worn m plenty, or else specially-designed jewellery, such as cut steel, rose brilliants, and aquamarines, which looks very gay. There is another type of sparkling frock, intended for the older woman who cannot, or certainly should not, go in for “fluffies.” This is the rather statuesque gown of soft satin or silky marocain, hand-embroidered all over in "tiny motifs of crystal, cut steel or other iridescent beads. The motifs appear at regular, but not too. frequent intervals all over the gown, but are more lavishly used on the. bodice. Some gowns have eyelet holes outlined with jewelled beads, instead of the solid motifs. Both ideas are attractive, and both are giving work to clever embroideresses who have had a very hard time lately. WAY OF THE EAR-RING. There are decidedly two schools of thought on ear-rings at the moment. Some women are wearing globe-shaped ornaments in varying sizes while others prefer the long ones. The ball-stud has given way to the more graceful ear-ring mounted on one or two tiny links of chain. It hangs softly and prettily not from, but just against, the ear lobe, and is becoming to most faces. It is youthful too—a virtue that cannot be claimed for the heavy long jewelled type which many young women are displaying. There are also ear-rings of closely set brilliants, which are reproductions of the heavy jewelled corsage ornaments worn at the courts of the Louis. Certainly they are handsome. Becoming? That is another matter. Plain pearls, natural or tinted to match the gowns, are first favourites among the short ear-ornaments, while some of the globes are encircled by minute rings of coloured stones. For day wear, chromium-plated jewellery is most popular, though there are some lovely necklets made of beads worked in collarette shape three to four inches deep. These are generally made to order, to match special dresses. FRUITS ON THE DINNER TABLE. Here are two appetising ways of serving fruit. Spiced Pears. Use hard pears, because they cook well. Pare, core and halve them, throwing them as prepared into a bowl of cold water to prevent them from turning black. Pack them into a large stone jar, sprinkle with sugar, add a few cloves, a piece of lemon peel, and a few all-spice. Just cover them with water, cover the jar with a well-fitting lid, and stand it in a warm oven for six hours. The pears may be used at once; or, placed in jars with good syrup poured over them, they will keep for months. A glass of port wine improves the flavour. Two Ways of Serving Apples. 1. Select firm faking-apples. Core and peel them. Put a clove in the space left by the core and fill up with dried currants. Dredge the apples plentifully with castor sugar and bake in a moderate oven. 2. Peel and core the apples. Fill the centres with butter, put them on a wellbuttered tin, and pour golden syrup over them. Bake in a fairly hot oven until the fruit is tender, basting well and frequently with the syrup. Take up the apples, and sprinkle them with grated cocoanut before serving. SAVOURY THAT IS “DIFFERENT.” Three bananas, one egg, six fingers bread, one teacupful milk, fat for frying, chopped parsley, pepper, salt, nutmeg, paprika. Cut the fingers of bread about a quarI ter-inch thick and the length of half a I banana. Beat the egg and milk together, 1 flavour' with grated nutmeg, pepper and salt. Lay the bread slices flat on a dish, pour the egg mixture over them, and leave until the liquid is absorbed. Halve the bananas, fry in hot fat for a few minutes, drain, and keep hot until required. Fry the bread fingers golden brown on both sides, place in a hot dish, lay half a banana on each, sprinkle with chopped parsley and paprika, and serve hot.

LIFE IN THE MIDDLE AGES. ENGLISHMEN AT HOME. (By M. L. Tyrrell.) The word theatre is derived from the Greek ‘to see,’ and the representation of life on a stage of some kind is one of the oldest form of entertainment. When books were treasures which only the few could appreciate, the representation of a well-known story by living people could be understood by everyone. The primitive mind loved this portrayal of sacrifice, murder, heroism, war, heaven and hell, because placed practically no strain on the imagination. To obtain pleasure from a book, the reader must be sufficiently educated to supply at least half the details for himself and to picture the whole in his mind. But he can ‘see’ the play, and in the past the play was as important as books are today. People are apt to think that the theatre was an ancient Greek institution, revived in England during the days of Elizabeth, when Shakespeare popularised it. Actually, the people must have been educating themselves for “Hamlet” and “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” for hundreds of years, otherwise they could not possibly have enjoyed them. The Miracle Plays of the middle ages held a greater place in the lives of the people , than does the Cinema of to-day, and like many other things, they had a religious origin. When the majority. of people could neither read nor write, when war; poverty, and hardship remained the common lot, the Church strove to amuse and educate by giving representations of the old Bible stories which the clergy themselves acted. But soon it was felt that the Church was not the right place for certain crude scenes, so a stage was built outside, or in the grave yard. These stages had nothing in common with Greek theatres, but were, in fact, something like gigantic Punch and Judy Shows. They were built in three tiers, the top representing heaven, the middle Earth, the bottom hell. Some of the old pictures show the sinners suffering torture in hell, while the faithful sit triumphantly in heaven after leading virtuous lives on a tempestuous earth. By degrees, the Church lost control of the Miracle Plays, and the powerful trade guilds became responsible for them, Then the three-tiered stages were built on wheels and pushed about the streets. Later still, the most elaborate stages were erected in the court yards of inns. As all plays took place in the open, they were acted during the summer, and huge crowds gathered to witness the amazing spectacles. The guilds who acted in these plays probably wrote a good deal of their own dialogue, although there were set Miracle Plays, and each guild took as its special right certain well-known stories. For instance, the Fishmongers acted Noah and the Flood, the Shipwrights appropriated the Building of the Ark, and for some peculiar reason the Glovers considered the story of Cain and Abel their special property. Nobles and beggars flocked to see these plays. And, since the guilds consisted of wealthy masters as well as riotous young apprentices, no doubt they often gave very creditable performances which prepared the most ignorant rustic for the coming of the Elizabethan play-wrights.