FASHION NOTES

Taranaki Daily News, 20 February 1933, Page 12

FASHION NOTES

ARTIST’S AMBITION. PLUCKY PERSEVERANCE. Ever since her childhood days Miss Rosemarie Lichigaray, of West Kensington, London, has had one ambition—to paint pictures for exhibition (states an English writer). Financial reasons prevented her. She had to earn her living; had an invalid mother to support, too. So she painted and pencilled portraits for West End firms, and dreamed her dreams. At last a day came when Miss Lichifiaray could see about realising her ambition. Her mother died, and she had no one to consider but herself. She decided to paint a vast picture in oils of the Peace-signing ceremony at Versailles. It took her seven years to complete, because a bus smash in which she was involved hampered her terribly, but at last it was finished. She submitted it for exhibition at the ' Royal Society of British Artists’ show. - 4 And then she was notified that it had j been rejected simply because it was too 1 big. : The picture is 10ft. by 7ft., and it con--1 tains the portraits of the 70 delegates i from 28 nations who signed the Peace i Treaty at Versailles, while in a golden : chair at the table is vaguely seen the j ghostly form of the Unknown Warrior, = writing in red at the end of the Treaty i 'the words “World Peace.” 1 Miss Lichigaray related something of = her task on the picture recently to a i reporter. She said: “I made six visits : to Versailles to sketch the hall, and : hunted the Continent for suitable photoj graphs of the delegates. “Just when I had everything ready to ■ transfer my preliminary work to the canvas I was caught in a bush smash | near Victoria Station. .My right side was paralysed, and I could not hold my arms above my head. Specialists eventually gave me up as hopeless. Many of them told me I should never paint again. “But I persevered in the use of my limbs, and after twelve months I was able to paint again with the aid of a special head bandage which I devised to support my arms. So I painted my picture for the first two years. Then I was able to paint without the bandages, and at last I have finished it” ORGANDIE FLOWERS. NEW EVENING WEAR. . The flowers that are now often used on evening frocks make a point of not following a natural convention (states the Manchester Guardian). They merely give the effect of flowers and are therefore not difficult to make. This is all the more useful in that the artificial flower as interpreted to-day is fragile and its charm depends almost entirely upon its freshness. Organdie is freely used in all colours, but particularly in white. Crisp white organdie in the form of flowers adorns many shoulders and sometimes is worn in a plaque Or bib in front of the bodice. The organdie is cut on the cross into strips as long as the width of the stuff permits. It can either be doubled, so that the edge is provided for, or the edge can be marked out into scallops and then picoted. Often the doubling process is the most effective; it enables the petals to turn over as in the case of quasiroses. The flower is then made according to fancy, much on the lines of paper roses at Christmas. Care must be taken to keep the centre down and the Outer petals fairly flat and spreading, and the raw edges are all the better for a tack or two so that they do not slip up into the middle. The stems may be bound round with the muslin or with black wool. Flowers are also made with cocks’ feathers, particularly the white ones. Where rounded petals are wanted these can be obtained by curling the small feather round sideways. Some of the muslins imitate feathers and some of the feathers try to look lik* muslin. In both cases it is the dead-whiteness which is really effective and which looks crisp and smart on the shoulder. Taffeta is also sometimes used where transparency is not required. OLD SUPERSTITIONS. CUSTOMS IN LANCASHIRE. Superstition has played a part in many lives and often with undue power in the ordering of the daily round. An English writer states that the Lancashire cottager had his share of superstitions and curious customs, though many of these were not, of course, entirely indigenous to the cotton county. If a picture or clock fell from the wall there was certain to . be a death in the family or amongst the near circle of friends. It was asking for trouble to cut finger nails on a Sunday, and Friday was not too good either. When a tooth had to be drawn it ought to be brought home from the dentist, carefully wrapped in brown paper with a little salt, and cast into the fire. “Often I have sat before the kitchen , fire watching a fluttering ribbon of soot 1 .dangling from the bar of the grate,” states the writer. “My grandmother would clap her hands hear to the flake, and the number of claps necessary to move the flaky ribbon told the number of days before the impending visit of a ‘stranger,’ which the ribbon represented. If it was on the top bar it would be a man, if it was on the second it would b& a woman, and if it was the third a child. If the fire was sulky the poker would be placed criss-cross on the ‘boiler’ and protruding over the fire, which would then ‘burn up.’ “When the children first put on their new clothes they would go for inspection to as many relatives and friends as they could manage to visit on a Sun- ; day morning, and every adult who : inspected was liable for a penny to put ] into the pockets of the new suit or frock. Any child who contracted whooping ; cough was carried willy-nilly to the nearest tar-boiler and held ruthlessly in i the fumes. Or it might be talten to the , top of a neighbouring hill in the hope ' that the trouble might be ‘blown away’ by a friendly gale. The derivation of : ‘lunacy’ was hinted at in the fear of let- : ting the moon shine too freely on a : sleeping babe. If a baby happened to be , born in the highest room in the house, . a step-ladder would be brought into the

room and two or three steps mounted with the child, so that it could be said that it had first ‘gone up’ before it had ‘gone down.’ “In my own establishment playing cards were held to be the ‘Devil’s pictures,’ and not allowed to come into the house, but where the game was played, a spell of ill-luck could be "broken by turning round one’s chair. Anybody who stood behind a player’s chair might be in for a sound cursing if the player’s luck was out. ‘Sapling Day’ was freely celebrated in memory of King Charles in my youth, but now c:ems to have entirely lapsed. And ‘pacocgging’ and ‘morris-dancing’ are now but the whimseys of a cult, and no more the robust frolics of a jolly mob.” “MAGNIFICENT PERFORMANCE.” TRIBUTE TO ELTHAM GIRL. At lona College, Hawke’s Bay, recently, the pupils staged a play in which the leading role was taken by Miss Joy Wilkinson, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Wilkinson, of Eltham. The Hawke’s Bay Tribune, in reporting the entertainment, gives a glowing account of Miss Wilkinson’s dramatic ability: “The leading role was taken by Miss Joy Wilkinson, a fifteen-year-old girl,

who from the moment of her first entrance on the stage showed herself to be possessed of a touch of real dramatic genius. “TO have kept her acting on so high a plane throughout would have done the utmost credit to a professional actress. This young actress, however; did it triumphantly well; go well that one felt completely that illusion of reality that come only from the very best acting. Joy Wilkinson’s voice, which is extremely pleasant, her manner, and her actions, were used with exquisite discrimination. It was a magnificent performance.” For Miss Wilkinson to produce such an overwhelming success it was necessary for her to commit perfectly to memory eighty-one pages of manuscript. NEW ZEALAND DOCTOR. CLEVER OTAG6 WOMAN. Dr. Eleanor Baker-McLaglen is now entering upon her twentieth year as a school medical officer, says a writer in a Christchurch paper. She was the seventh woman in New Zealand to qualify as a doctor, the first being Dr. Emily Siedeberg McKinnon, who gained her M.B. degree at Otago University in 1896. Dr. Baker-McLaglen is also a graduate of Otago University, having gained her degree in 1903. She was the first woman doctor in New Zealand to gain a medical appointment on the staff of a mental hospital, and the first woman doctor to have charge of a public hospital in the Dominion. She was appointed medical superintendent of the Northern Wairoa Hospital, and while in Northern Auckland, in 1913, a severe epidemic of smallpox broke out. Dr. Baker, as she then was, had an exceedingly anxious and trying time and after the epidemic was stamped out, she was one of five doctors —the other four were men—whose splendid services were commended in the •House of Representatives. Shortly afterwards Dr. Baker was appointed school medical officer, with headquarters in Christchurch. The school medical service had been inaugurated some time previously, and four officers, two men and two women, had been appointed, two to take charge of the whole of the North Island and two of the South Island. For two years Dr. Baker inspected the schools of Canterbury, Marlborough, Nelson and the West Coast. Talented Musicians.

Miss Merle Miller and Mr. Malcolm Miller intend leaving Christchurch on 17th March for London, where they will continue their musical studies (states the ‘■‘Press”), This gifted sister and brother are very popular in Christchurch where, in addition to appearing on the concert platform, at musical societies’ concert, and social gatherings, they have been most generous in singing at gatherings arranged in the interests of charitable and philanthropic causes. Miss Miller gained her vocal diploma at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where she studied for three years under Mr. Roland Foster, Previously she had gained her L.A.B. degree for pianoforte playing, and for the last four years ehe has been official accompanist for station 3YA. Mr. Miller has studied singing under Mr. Hubert Carter, Christchurch.

A JIG-SAW CLOTH. FROM UNWANTED MATS. We can most of us sympathise with the correspondent who begged to be spared tray-clothes and mats as Christmas gifts (states a writer in the “Manchester Guardian.”) We live, many of us do, in a room or two; and at most can seat three or four friends to tea or supper. And someone sends us a whole table set, of centre piece and a dozen small mats. , When taking tea alone not one of us would dream of using a tray-cloth. The old lady who, we are told, enjoys her solitary tea and more because she has a tray-cloth, tea-cosy, and egg-cosy all to match simply does not exist. She cannot be bothered to take out all these and then put them away again. If she has a kitchenette she will have her tea on the comer of the kitchen table. Her kettle and her egg come straight off the gas rings and do not need cosies to keep them hot. As for a tray or a c10th....! No, if you want to send her a really useful gift let it be a set of good, stout, linen kitchen, and tea cloths. If, in cold weather, she chooses to have her tea in her living room, she will do her boiling there and carry as few things as possible out of the kitchen. But there is a use that can be made of tray-cloths, table mats, and table centres, and an amusing one—as good at least as a jig-saw puzzle. Spread the various articles that friends have bestowed upon you upon a table and see how best you can arrange them to fit together. Buy some coarse strong insertion lace, and join up the varicoloured mats to form an afternoon tablecloth. A few squares of coloured linen may be used with . advantage. Thus a crazy and original cloth can be made with little trouble which will serve when the three friends come to tea. Centre pieces can also be used to form nightdress bags. A row of small mats can be joined to form a runner. Small mats will make handkerchief cases and you are spared the trouble of embroidering them. By the time next Christmas comes you have a number of original gifts all ready. Only be sure that you do not send the finished article back to the lady who sent the tray-cloths. She might not recognise them. But then again—she might. LOOK AT LIFE (By A.G.) ....As a complete whole, and you’ll be less likely 'to get lost in the maze. ....From a new angle every .year Then you won’t get in a dreary groove. ....Through eyes ten years younger than those in your head, and so keep up-to-date. ... .With kindly eyes. You can do more by kindliness than by riding roughshod over people. ....Without magnifying or reducing its problems. The first makes them look too big to tackle, and the second gives them an opportunity to grow, unnoticed until too late. ....As a fairy would look at it, glancing eagerly round to find out where help is required. ....As placidly as you can. Only death should cause a normal person to lose his self-control, and that is because death is a thing we poor mortals will never quite tinderstand. ....Squarely in the eyes, when it looks like “getting you down.” ....Without prejudice! There are two side's to every question, and there is more than one method of dealing with every problem. ....Without hysteria! Weigh your words, control your actions, and move the pieces in the game as carefully and thoughtfully as you would move the pieces in a game of chess. .... As you would have life look at you! KITCHEN WISDOM. RECIPE FOR COFFEE ESSENCE. To make coffee essence:—Fut half a pound of best ground coffee into a pan with three pints of water. Boil down to one pint, cool the liquor, put it into another pan, and boil again. As it bdils, add enough white sugar to bring it to the consistency of sVrup. When cold, bottle the’ essence and seal the dork. If you want a cup of good coffde when travelling, you have only to put two teaspoonsful of the syrup into a vacuum flask, and add boiling water and milk to taste. The essence is excellent also as a flavouring for various sweet dishes. To keep lemons fresh:—Put them into a big jar and cover them with cold water, changing the water every week. To turn out a jelly and easily:—Plunge the mould into boiling water, turn it on one side for a minute to allow the air to get to the bottom, then slip the jelly on to the dish.

Discoloured enamel-ware may be restored by filling the vessel with water, adding a little quicklime, and boiling for a fbw minutes.

Beads Filled With Liquid. It would seem as though everything had been pressed into the service Of the necklaces which take the place of the old collar and other neck decorations. Wood, leather, glass, china, and bven feathers have been used for beads, and beads themselves have been round, triangular, square, and otherwise geometrical (states a woman writer). The effort to bring in real jewels again must necessarily only succeed with a srtiall minority, add the demand on the part of the majority f6r bright little touches finds its widest vent in the forni of bfead necklaces. T 6 vary the latter they have been great and small and sdjne of the prettiest have been h6llow, made of thin glass with a little iridescence. The idea of the hollow has produced the idea of filling the beads with liquid and has developed further into filling them only partly so that movement is produced. Thus a necklace may consist of some big beads widely spaced out and half-full of liquid. The liquid may be varied in colour according to the general idea of the necklace, and the movement of the liquid also adds a great deal of variety and chdrm. It is the idea of the facet carried out in a different way. Just as the facet catches different lights, so the 'liquid produces round, soft movements which make the necklace alive. Movement in colour is so much a feature of wall-papers, stuffs, and even paint that the “motion” necklace is entirely in key with it. What happens if it breaks is another matter.

FORMS OF RECREATION. DANGER OF OVERDOING IT. Too violent recreation was. condemned by Mr. R. Cove-Smith, the English Rugby international, in a lecture at the Institute of Hygiene, London. “People seem to think they are indulging in recreation by dashing wildly about from place to place, expending a great deal of physical and nervous energy during their spare time,” he said. “This is not so. Too few of us really know how to spend our spare time to the best advantage. “He who spends his spare time in futile pursuits and returns to his employment exhausted is unfair to both himself and his employer. “Morris dancing and organised games give an opportunity for spontaneous effort that is too often repressed by overcrowding and conformity to ‘style.’ “Sport and team games in particular do teach us courage, tenacity of purpose, self-control, self-discipline and self-re-spect, and help us to overcome that fear and lack of confidence that lies at the root of so many of our failures. “Our civilisation is making it increasingly difficult for us to realise our bodies. Our sense of smell is fading, our hearing is less acute, our vision is less keen. “Sedentary occupations are spoiling our digestions, and the ‘hunger of the hunter’ is becoming a myth of the past.” Brimmed Hats in Vogue. At dinners, dances, and suppers dress lately has been fairly simple (states a Paris correspondent). Velvet, satin, cloque, crepe, plain crepe—black, white, grey, or brightly coloured—are the materials of the moment. A straight princess dress of grey-beige (grege) is sleeveless with a very low back and a rounded front neck line; with it is wOm a small bolero of brown gauffered ribbon. Dull faced velvet (velours paysan) of rust red makes a sleeveless dress with loops of satin ribbon on one shoulder and a smaller looped bow on the other; the belt is of satin ribbon. Plain crepe dresses may have big velvet bows set on the shoulder in front. A brown velvet dress is worn with a little cape trimmed with sable and a rope of pearls. Pearlgrey lace with a short cape is worn with jade ornaments. Most of the dancing dresses are short of the instep. Ribbon sashes are in fashion. On a crepe dress a moire sash may be carried round high and low and knotted at the side; or, the sash may be knotted behind to fall down in two long ends; a jewelled clip may hold the knot. Striped and checked black and white satin dresses, simply, almost severely cut, are among the latest evening fashions; but they are only for the tidy and the well made-up who have regard for the colour of a dress.

Straight skirts of woollen jerseys and crepes are worn in the morning with tops that have short slbeveS to the elbow or long sleeves to the wrists, high necks, and little collarloss jackets. Two cdldiirs and two materials, one plain and the other figured, may be used to make them. A plain skirt with a figured coat, a plain coat with a figured dress or skirt, are correct.

Instead of trimming to a coat, there can be bouclette wool or velvet; indeed, a velvet collar on an afternoon coat is better than an inferior fur collar. Woollen braiding appears here and there. There are signs that decorative hats will come in. Jean Patou has brought out a three-coloured hat with a brim; Lemor.nier makes elaborate open-work embroideries; Louise Bourbon has used wings boldly, and the ready way in which veils are draped about small toques suggests that there is a movement away from berets and severe little toques cocked over one ear or one eye. Brims are coming into fashion, and there is a tilt at the back of many new shapes that leaves the nape of the neck free

and shows the hair almost to the crown. A toque of this kind by Caroline Reboux has a feather or a band of fur running from the side across the back on an upward sweep and then down again. The lines of the newest hats are becoming, and when worn with veils are tidy. Capes ind Collars.

Stock collars ata the newest tiling for the winter. Made of crinkled ribbon, they wind round the neck and fasten, most inconsiderately, at the back (states an English fashion writer). Here is a fine and aristocratic development of the democratic scarf, whicji will be far more difficult to weir than the happy-go-lucky coster type. Nothing has replaced the cape for the evening. One house makes it in fine misty net, another in a new crinkled velvet plush. A Memorial Tablet.

The memory of a benefactor of the Rannerdale Home was honoured on Monday afternoon in Christchurch, when a tablet commemorative of Mrs. A. E. G. Rhodes, one of the home’s most constant and loyal supporters, was unveiled by the chairman of the management committee, Mr. A. C. Maxwell (states the “Press”). The tablet, which was erected at the wish of the disabled soldiers who are patients in the home, is fixed to the wall of one of the verandah wards