LADY CHAYTOR

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19248, 30 July 1932, Page 11

LADY CHAYTOR

WHAT IS SHE LIKE? Who is Lady Chaytor—and what is she like? says Given Spencer, writing in ‘‘The Home.” She is five feet nothing of concentrated energy. Bright blue eyes, golden hair, pink and white cheeks with dimples, and a swift sunshiny smile. But behind this blonde youthfulness there is a driving force, a vitality that spells success in any undertaking. “Health is the most important thing in our lives,” said someone the other day in Lady Chaytor’s hearing. She flashed a quick contradiction: “You’re wrong—happiness is the most important, and I’ve proved it. I was an invalid for years, but I was always happy, and that pulled me through. Now I've got both health and happiness. But I’ve never forgot # that ill-health can’t destroy happiness.” Her cheery spirit seems unquenchable. It’s hard to picture this vital little person laid low by chronic illness. Even when she was an invalid her eager mind found an outlet. She spent her time knitting, evolving original patterns. The result was an income of £250 a year, made entirely by her own fingers, and she found a definite satisfaction in this regular work, which no doubt helped towards her recovery. Into the five years since her restoration to health she has packed a lifetime of achievement and experience. She broke into the business world as an agent for a wholesale dress concern; in a short time she was running her own business (her “capital” was an overdraft of £4OO >. making sports clothes, tailor-mades, and top coats. This meant a trip to Paris every month to pick up models from which she evolved new designs to keep her staff of thirty tailors busy. She designed the garments herself, and for seme time she interviewed her own customers. During this time she learnt that it is the wholesale houses who start the new fashions; in November they are booking orders for the gowns that will be worn at Ascot. She decided to turn this knowledge to account. and began to write fashion articles for British papers. Her forecasts of the mode were based on inside information and dated six months ahead —her articles were correspondingly valuable. It was a short step from writing about fashions to talking about them. Bhe was commissioned in towns throughout England. , Then for a series of lectures which she gave came a check to all these crowding activities. Her husband. Sir Edmund Chaytor, Sixth Baronet, decided to leave London and return to his county seat, “Witton Oastie,” County Durham. Somewhat regretfully Lady Chaytor relinquished her London affairs to take up the life of mistress of a country house again. Standing as a parliamentary candidate was Lady Chaytor’s next flutter. Then her husband was ordered to the South of France and she gave up her political campaign to accompany him. Threaded through Lady Chaytor’s many jobs is the qars of her four children. The eldest girl, aged nineteen, is training for the films, the son, aged eighteen, is about to enter Vestey's, a daughter of sixteen plans a stage career, and her little girl of thirteen is still at school.

Here are a few of Lady Chaytor’s dress maximums:—

“An older woman, inclined to fat. should never wear ‘bits’ over her shoulders, nor is the new squareshouldered military effect for her. And never must she wear a square-cut neck. ■ Nothing is more unflattering to her. “Please pay more attention to the angle of your hats. The modish hat is made to be worn at a very precise angle—see that you get it exactly, not a hit-or-miss effect.

“The important thing in choosing colours is to base your choice on the colour of the skin—not on the eyes or hair. Take my colourings for instance. Blue eyes, golden hair, fair skin. People with this colouring look best in brown —a rich tone, prune shades or pastel tones. The true brunette, with olive skin, brown eyes, and brown or black hair, looks wonderful in greens, reds, and yellows, specially the wallflower colourings. To these people I would say—givd yellow a chance to make you look your best. People with neutral colouring have a wider choice ..apd can wear many colours successfully. But on the other hand they cannot be so dramatic in their effects and must be careful not to be over-weight-ed by their clothes.” Lady Chaytor is a quick and keen observer, and her impression of Australian fashions is interesting. “Aus- ' tralians are marvellous at sports clothes—better than England.” she decided, after a week there. “Your slacks ’and shirts are ideal for sports wear. : I’ve never in England seen such a marvellous display, as you have here in your shops. I’d like to introduce them at Home for shooting—they’d be ideal. * l All your sports clothes are good— s ‘adequate and smart—l specially ad--8 mire the jumpers worn by the girls. r! But if I may criticise. I should like to n Say that in other clothes your main 1 fault appears to be that you don’t Value ‘line’ enough. Too many bits r: fchd pieces on evening dresses, for in*’jftance. Keep to simplicity, that’s “Nfthat I preach all the time.”