FASHION NOTES

Taranaki Daily News, 3 May 1933, Page 14

FASHION NOTES

COTTON FROCK VOGUE. COATEES TO WEAR WITH THEM. (By Colline Rouff.) London, March 9. If you are planning a holiday wardrobe, bear in mind the fact that this is to be a great year for cotton dresses. I found among the Paris collections, model after model made of gingham, voile, fancy cotton stuffs, and the most charming of linens, and there was every evidence that the success which the pique frock had last year for evening wear is to be repeated. These cotton dresses are especially designed for the holiday occasion, for dances, for evenings aboard ship on a cruise, for gay out-of-door-parties. ' Plaid cottons, trimmed at the waist with a coloured ribbon to tone, are a popular fancy. They were being shown with bright little coatees made with distinctive sleeves—three-quarter length and quite full instead of short and puffed. One outstanding model was of fine gingham in green, white, and pale lemon, swathed at the waist with a belt in the two colours, and worn with a coatee of green which matched a flat handbag carried by the mannequin. Coatees are a delightful feature of the newest fashions. They provide a rich splash of colour for a pastel-tinted dress, and the dress makers are experimenting with some daring effects. A pale green frock had an accompanying coat of poppy-red. Bright corn-flower blue was chosen for wear with a dress in three shades of oatmeaL Marigold yellow looked exquisitely rich with a frock of light golden brown. There are little jackets, too, to be worn with gowns of chiffon, marocain, velvet or satin for travelling and the occasions for which a wrap is needed, there are coats which are loose from the shoulder. The colours in these are so beautiful, i the texture and weave so original, that |it is no easy task to make a selection from the designs available. They look substantial, and in some cases heavy; in 1 reality they are as light as a feather, and I very suitable for travelling, motoring, [and cruising. SOFTLY BLURRED. Printed materials are not to be ousted by the plain cire satins and the chiffons and marocains. There are sharply-de-fined patterns, softly blurred effects, and arrangements of dots and spots, and all these have been introduced with good effect into the fabrics prepared for smart new dresses. Touches of plain material will be allied with the patterned ones and will add their own distinctive note. Pearl grey, printed with periwinkle blue was one of the prettiest combinations

I saw, the frock finished with a twisted band of blue and cyclamen pink. A 'large bow of the two colours slanted from one shoulder on to the decollete. Lavender blue and chartreuse was another picturesque blending of shades which seemed very popular. IN PRIMROSE SATIN. . The slanting decollete used for the grey 1 and blue dress was one which seems ! likely to have quite a vogue. The prettiest expression of it which I saw was in a primrose satin frock where the front of tire bodice was petal-shaped with the point flaring towards the right shoulder and held to the back of the shoijlder strap with a jewelled clip. The deep side of the petal was fastened to another, and wider, strap, holding it over the shoulder where it joined the back of the corsage. RECOMMENDED RECIPES. Prune Wheels. An entirely new sweet is always exciting. Prune wheels are made in the following way. Take half a pound of selfraising flour, four tablespoonsful sugar, two eggs, a little milk, two tablespoonsful of caraway-seeds, a pound of prunes, some honey, and margarine. Sieve the flour into a bowl, add a tablespoonful caraway-seeds, and make a well in the centre. Mix the sugar and eggs together very well, then pour into the well. Add a little milk. Beat the wet ingredients, then add first flour, and then milk gradually, until a moist dough is obtained. Roll out thin into oblong shape. Have the prunes ready soaked, washed, stoned, minced, and mixed with the other tablespoonful of caraway-seeds. . Spread the mixture on the pastry oblong and roll this up. Tie in a floured cloth, and steam for about two-and-a-half-hours. Take up and cut into slices. Melt the honey and. margarine in a wide flat dish, put in the prune wheels, cover, and leave in a hot oven till nicely browned. Shake now and again. Serve hot. Marcaroni for Lunch. Macaroni can be made the foundation for delicious light dishes. Here is one suitable for lunch and fit for the epicure. You will need six ounces of macaroni, half a pound of liver, two hardboiled eggs, tomatoes, salt and pepper, grated horseradish, and a little margarine. Break up the macaroni into small lengths and boil until very soft. Drain well, then fry a little at a time in hot fat till very crisp and brown. Have the liver boiled also, drain this, and cut into small slices. Slice also the eggs and tomatoes. Arrange the pieces of liver round a fire-proof plate. ■ Season, and smear slightly with margarine. Now arrange the egg slices in a row on the liver and the tomatoes on the egg. Season both. Heat well in the oven, then pile the fried and drained macaroni m the centre and sprinkle the whole with horseradish.

ROMANCE OF LANGUAGE. WHICH IS THE OLDEST ? (By M.L.T.) All nations are jealous of their language, and the experiment tried by Psammetichus, king of Egypt, in order to ascertain which was the oldest is rather interesting. Somewhere about the year B.C. 617 there was a dispute among the nations regarding the antiquity of the different languages, and Psammetichus entrusted two babies to a faithful shepherd who was commanded never to speak to them. The childien were fed on milk and they never heard an uttered word, yet when they were brought into the King’s presence, they both murmured ‘Bekos.’ On making enquiries the king discovered that this word was the Phoenician for bread, and it was universally concluded that Phoenician was the primeval language. This experiment was also tried by James the Fourth of Scotland, and by one of the rulers of India. Tradition declares that it was a Frenchman who classified the five important European languages in the following clever- -way:—ltalian the language to be spoken to ladies; French to men, German to horses, English to birds, and Spanish to God. Whether the Frenchman thought English musical, or whether his subtle French mind experienced something of the free, unrestrained, romantic possibilities of our words, is a mystery. - - • Adam and Eve were supposed to. have spoken Persian, the most poetic of the languages, and the serpent Arabic, the most persuasive. In common with nations languages die, are born, or change with the years. As written by Shakespeare, and in the so-called King James’ translation of the Bible, the English language is amazingly beautiful and rich, but that is not the language of to-day. Most of the new words which have been added to the English tongue express hurry or confusion, and looking backwards the word ‘sandwich’ appears to be the father of modem speech. This word was coined, in the. reign of, George HI, not by the Earl of Sandwich but by those who saw him playing at the gaming tables day and night, and eating two slices of bread with a layer of meat between because he had no time for meals. His servant brought him this refreshment, and soon others began eating in the same fashion as the notorious gambler. No other word could possibly be applied to that form of food; ‘sandwich’ conveyed then, as it does still, a sense of hurry, turmoil, makeshift, and also a little glamour I ARE YOU A GOOD NEIGHBOUR? SOME OF THE QUALIFICATIONS. These are days when it means much to have a good neighbour, and, the woman who lives a somewhat self-con-tained life might well ask. “What is a good neighbour?” Think of the term in its narrowest sense for a moment—as it affects one’s relationships with the .people living in one’s immediate vicinity I or neighbourhood. One of the first qualifications for a good neighbour is that of understanding how to give and take. Your wireless may be as noisily offensive to the folk next door as their children are to you. Within reasonable limits isn’t it fair to put up with the little one’s cries and chatter in the daytime as their parents endure the echo of your dance musie at night ? . , It is neighbourly to take m a cup of tea when the new tenant is in the throes of “moving in.” When Mr. B is at home ill, it is a kindly thought to invite his children into your house for an hour or two. It not only ensures a little quiet for him, but is a relief to the. children, whose natural spirits need an outlet. If Mrs. A or her nurse is on the sick list it is kind to take ■ her little ones for a walk with your own. Or, when a child is laid up, you can offer to stay with him once in a while so that his mother gets out for a break from sickroom care. Illness provides innumerable opportunities for the good neighbour. It is a tremendous help when there is sickness in the house, to have someone who will order or fetch things from the shops; and it means a great deal when an unexpected tit-bit arrives to tempt the convalescent’s appetite. Each little act should, however, be performed unobtrusively, or it may defeat its own ends and savour of “nosey parkering” interference. To be neighbourly does not mean that people should “live in each other’s pockets.” Nor should friendly interest be allowed to degenerate into undue interference with a neighbour’s affairs. There is plenty of scope for “good neighbouring” without, privacy, being violated on either side. BLOTTING OUT. Blot out the memory of the things that people say, to nurse a viper in your breast can never, never pay, blot out the memory of a sudden angry blow, from the harbouring of a grievance does open warfare grow. Blot out the memory of the hardships that you’ve had, think of all your good times and never of your bad; blot out the memory of a drab, unhappy youth, forget your early troubles as you cut your wisdom tooth. . Blot out the memory of those foolish debts you’ve paid, wild oats that you have sown and reaped should from the mem’ry fade; blot out the memory of a year or more misspent, and with hope forever in your heart, your future happiness cement. Blot out the memory of life’s usual crop of errors, and life for you will never hold the usual crop of terrors, blot out the memory of things you should forget, and then, despite depression, you’ll find peace and plenty Yet I