FASHION NOTES

Taranaki Daily News, 11 March 1933, Page 15 (Supplement)

FASHION NOTES

NEW DAYTIME ENSEMBLE.

PRETTY EVENING BODICES,

(By

Colline Rouff.)

One of the smartest advance ensembles has just made .its appearance, and is being copied by well-dressed women for town wear, for motoring into the country,, and for cool days at holiday resorts. There is a pretty little dress of very fine checked silk, made on simple tailored lines with a broad suede waistband. The skirt is a shade longer than usual, because it is intended to show a decided contrast with its accompanying coat. The material used for the straight coat is a new light-weight velvet with a long crinkled grain, the tied collar and the narrow bands which edge the sleeve being of thick white silk pique. The most popular colour-scheme is black and white check for the frock and mouse-grey for the coat. I have ! also seen dark blue and white check with a navy coat, and green and white, with very dark green. To wear with the suit, choose white washing-skin gloves with coloured stitchings to match the checks, or elde pale cream hog-skin. Shoes should be of the low-fronted Oxford shape in fine black hog-skin or pin seal dyed black. TOPS OF EVENING GOWNS, '- There are only three or four fashion-; able styles for evening skirts, and all are long, graceful, and well moulded. But monotony is avoided by the dozen and one charming bodice arrangements. The tliick crinkly crepes and satins lend themselves to rather severe lines. One attractive gown has the bodice cut down into the skirt in a pointed line rather like a waistcoat. There is a neat row of little jewelled buttons straight up the front, which increases the illusion of the waistcoat, but the bodice is not tight and fitted; rather is it slightly pouched. Some swathed bodices have a trimmed” effect which is not due to actual trimming, but to the arrangement of the material. A model in thick black matt crepe has the top swathed in cross-oyer fashion, a glimpse of turquoise-blue crepe showing in the folds and appearing again as lining to the big loop of the sash which ties at the side. Another beautiful gown in ice-blue crepe satin has a simple little, bodice with a modest front neck-line, wellcovered shoulders, and a deep square decollete at the back. From under the arms come two deep bands of pale rose velvet which are tightly crossed at the back, then passed round to the front of the waist and fastened with a lovoly diamante buckle. The idea of crossing the material and making it into a belt is quite good. Still another fascinating little dinner gown is developed in white crepe de chine, the severely moulded skirt made full from the knees downwards by means of clever cutting and not with introduced godets. The skirt rises in a point on to the corsage and the rest of the bodice is silver net spangled with tiny diamante dewdrops, Gathered fans of this fairy-, like material make the shoulders look like wings, and at the back it is again arranged in crohs-over fashion, swathed round the figure, brought to the front of the waist, and tied in a bow. Dainty little printed satin boleros are worn in the house over plain dark silk frocks. They have very big sleeves of soft broche velvet in the same design as the satin but darker in tone. Such a coatee fastens at the side of the .waist with’ a large fancy button or buckle. ■lt is easy to transform a- severely simple morning frock into one suitable for tea or bridge with one of these useful Garments, so several in the wardrobe would not be amiss. the cocktail hour. home made delicacies. Whether your “appetisers” be of the teetotal order or otherwise, it is up to you to see that the accompanying eats be of the most piquant kind possible. If money is no object, you can go to the “delicatessen” counter of ’some big store and lay in a stock. But if you must count your pence, it is better to prepare the delicacies yourself, Jordon almonds, excellent for salting, now cost 2s per pound in some shops, whereas 4s or more per pound is the price of nuts already salted.. There are various recipes for the salting process, some giving butter as a medium others olive oil; some advising roasting in the. oven, Others frying on the hot-plate. In any case, the blanching, peeling and drying come first. The drying-off is important, although it is often overlooked. Speed up the blanching, too, and put only a few nuts at a tune into the boiling water—otherwise they will become water-logged and stodgy. Dry them in a towel before slipping off the brown skins. Then heat half a pound of butter in a deep but not large saucepan, toss in the almonds, see that they are entirely covered with the hot butter, and keep them “on the move” so that they may colour evenly- Th e Y should be golden-brown in a few minutes. Remove them in a draining-spoon, spread on tissue paper that the grease may be absorbed, and sprinkle lightly with salt and a suspicion of cayenne. Sepucia nuts, which are not unlike walnuts, should figure also amongst the cocktail-hour delibacies, Break the nuts in halves, heat a little olive oil m a basin in the oven, drop in the nuts, and bake for five minutes. Drain, sprinkle lightly with salt and a very little cayenne if liked, or with celery-salt and paprika. Flaky pastry made with a generous admixture of grated parmesan cheese is no longer rolled into cheese straws, but made into dainty little twists with roasted peanuts in the centres. Halved bridge-rolls are spread with smoked cods’ roe, or with pate de foie gras, on top of which are placed thin slices of pickled gherkin. The pate is sold in shilling tins which contain plenty to spread a good number of rolls.