FEMININE INTERESTS.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 18865, 1 May 1931, Page 3

FEMININE INTERESTS.

PERSONAL AND FASHION NOTES. Long: Skirts and Character: Long skirts were condemned by a large majority at a meeting in London of the National Union of Societies for Equal Citizenship. The resolution, which was moved by Mrs M. Stocks, of Manchester, deplored the return of long skirts as a reaction against the personal comforts and physical liberty of women, reminiscent of the years of their political disenfranchisement. It called upon women who valued such liberty to resist this reaction by refusing to follow the arbitrary decrees of fashion. She maintained that a person’s actions and mentality were effected by the clothes she wore and the coincidence between the freeing of women from hampering dress and the freeing of women in politics was really no coincidence at all. “When our clothes get long again and our legs are tied up, our minds will suffer,” she declared. “When I read of whose skirts are like creamy foam round their ankles, I always think they must have creamy foam in their heads, too.” Mrs Stocks recalled the “dreadful stays,” which her mother bought for her when she went to school, but she refused to wear them. “Where,” she continued, “do you think your figure will be when you are forty?’ asked my mother. Well, I am forty, and I do not know where it is. I only know it is not where mother thought it would be. To-day, when I go about I have superiority complex when I compare my clothes with men’s clothes. In hot weather I can take off nearly all my clothes, while men cannot even remove their coats without being turned out of restaurants. “We should do our best to keep that superiority complex. What annoys me is to see adult politically enfranchised women wearing clothes they do not like just because other women are wearing them. I, for one, am not going to wear long skirts, if everybody else in the world does. The kind of person who should take the lead on this question is the Duchess of York or Lady Diana Cooper. There is at least one lady in this country who chooses her own fashions, and sticks to them, and that is the Queen.” (Cheers.) Miss Eleanor Rathbone, M.P., said: “What we dislike is the humbug of having to treat as important things what men have said as important in setting our fashions. A woman’s life is very largely conditioned by her clothing, and this question is worthy of being regarded quite as seriously as any other of our agenda.” Fortunate Bride: Miss Elizabeth Vesey, who married Captain Forbes at the Guards’ Chapel, Wellington Barracks, London, was very fortunate in having been lent Seaford House by Lady Howard de Walden for the wedding reception. This pretty young bride has so many friends that though she had a retinue of twelve bridesmaids and a small page, she could have included all her “intimates.” Among the twelve “select” were such well-known girls as the Hon. Bronwen Scott-Ellis, Lady Mary Meade, Lady Janet Montgomerie, the Hon. Catherine Hotham, and the Hon. Patricia St. Clair. Deep cream satin made the bridal gown, which had a tight bodice, with a tiny diamante frill around the neck, a very full and long skirt, and long sleeves with cuffs turned back like arum lilies—a novel little touch, in keeping with the bride's bouquet of those flowers. Her tulle veil was held by a wreath of orange blossom and myrtle. Long dresses of gold net shot with pink and wreaths of gold leaves were worn by grown-up maids, and pink net frocks with gold sashes are the choice for the two small girls. Little Peter Strutt, Lady Belper’s son, carried out his duties as page in a Kate Greenaway suit made of the same satin as the bride’s dress.

Spring and Summer Contrasts; Murmurs of admiration greeted a huge “cartwheel” hat of the “Merry Widow” type which was shown at a West End, London, jdisplay of new spring millinery. The enermous brim of horsehair and black velvet stood out several inches beyond the wearer’s shoulders, while the crown was swathed with a curled ostrich feather more than a yard long. as a complete contrast most of the new spring hats were as small and as light as it is possible for a hat to be. The lightest one of all, made in a new transparent material, weighed Hess than an ounce. In shape it exactly resembled a dust-cap, and was appropriately named “Spring cleaning.”

The summer models were of enormous dimensions, lOin wide brims with very shallow crowns having an elastic band attached. This is passed round the back of the head and serves to keep the hat secure. When some of the more startling hats were being shown, cocktails of the same colour were handed to the guests. Each was appropriately named, a honey coloured straw trimmed with tartan ribbon being called “The Beekeeper’s Daughter.”

The Tallest Mannequin: London’s tahesi- mannequin—over 6ft. of slender beauty—displayed many of the lovely models featured at the spring fashion show of Messrs Barkers, High Street, Kensington. The display was opened by a demure Miss 1831 dressed idn a crinoline frock of stiff white silk trimmed with fine black lace. Miss 1831 wore black lace mittens and peeped over her fan in startled dismay at the apparition of a Miss 1931 wearing white satin dinner pyjamas.

Hundreds of pin-tucks trimmed a black silk model worn by the wellknown mannequin Andrea Majinska. They were cleverly used to achieve the slender, closely-fitting lines of this season’s gowns. With the frocks, which was trimmed with ruffles of fine white lawn, she wore a necklace fashioned from balls of black fur as big as tangerines, intermingled with diamante. Persian paw and broadtail trimmed many of the suits and coats, but quite an effective novelty w r ere the collar and cuffs of black moire silk cut in petal fashion, which trimmed a coat of black romaine.

Scarves, to, have returned to favour, many of them being threaded through the collar and allowed to hang in splashes of vivid colour against the plain cloth of the suit. Silks printed in graduated stripes or , multi-printed spots were introduced in panels of yokes on many wool fabric day frocks.

An ensemble that should have been named "Red Riding Hood’” consisted of a knee-length scarlet cloak worn , over a frock of white jersey and scarlet j cloth.

Jock tails to Match Frocks: ! Pale blue frocks ar.d dark blue frocks ind favours of both shades were worn W some of the prettiest dancers in jondon at a Boar Race Eve ball, which took place at the Savoy Hotel, London, j ,he night before the Oxford and Cambridge contest on the Thames. Special ale blue and dark blue cocktails were •btainable, and instead of the usual .t-down supper there was informal rrangement for serving refreshments it buffets. . _ ! A beer and sausage bar was one of the attractions, and oysters and cham- j mane were available at another bar. j References to the boat race were a 1 feature of the cabaret. • The Countess FitzwiUiam, the Countess of Carlisle, the Marchioness of

Headfort, Lady Muriel Paget, and Lady Desborough were some of the patrons, and among the younger people interested were the Hon. Aline Partington. Lord Doverdale's daughter. Miss Clynes, the Hon. Eileen Hood, Miss Patricia Burden, and the Hon, Bride Fremantle. Undergraduates and “undergraduettes” from both Universities took part in the gaieties. Oxford has a ball committee of ten—five men and five girls. Cambridge, which is still fighting the equality of the sexes question, is not so fortunate. There are no women serving on its committee.