FIGURES FOR 1937

Waikato Independent, Volume XXXVI, Issue 3421, 18 February 1936, Page 6

FIGURES FOR 1937

Women’s figures are changing again, writes Victoria Chappelle in the London “Daily Mail.” In 18 months, the experts predict, they will have returned to the Edwardian ideal—or, at least, the modern notion of it. The long line from bust to waist which the Edwardian beauties in Sargent’s pictures appeared to be so proud of is expected to have come into fashion again by 1937. The hips women were so ashamed of in 1928, and are not particularly proud of even to-day, will be stressed again—in fact, they will be sharply outlined. The new fashions have been giving discreet indications of the change. One corset seen recently had closefitting thigh panels which almost gave the mannequin—who was entirely innocent of it—the effect of a “wasp waist”—and there, too, was the new long torso line. The rigid and unforgiving whalebones which helped to give the Edwardian woman her unbending figure are absent in these new corsets—although, as an expert said, one never knows whether the modern woman will demand them. At present a similar straight effect is given by the skilful cutting of a front panel. There is one obstacle to attaining the Edwardian ideal which will have to be overcome; the average woman in 1905 had a figure whose plumpness lent itself to this type of corseting. The girl of 1937 will have to put on weight -