Woman’s World

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXVI, Issue 18534, 17 July 1922, Page 2

Woman’s World

HINTS FOR THE HOUSEWIFE

VELVET AND HOMESPUN. Not within the recollection of the woman o£ fashion of to-day has there been a time when dress materials were so all-sufficient in themselves as they are at the present time and have been since the arrival of the “little” dress, that has over-ruled every other mode since it was welcomed by great and little dressmakers alike and offered up to the fashionable world as a novelty.

The “little’’ dress did away with ihe need of trimmings and introduced a simplicity that women have clung to faithfully, for it has been a simplicity suggestive of youth and very beautifying, depending for its success on line. Trimmings when adopted have, for the most part, been confined to embroidery and braid—something flat, not likely to disturb the silhouette —rather than frills and fussines. The silhouette, it seems, is to remain much as it was, only the longer waist and longer skirt gives greater slimness and length to the ‘Tine’’ of Spring fashions and render the figure more graceful-looking. , A smart Spring fashion that many women will applaud 4s the velvet costuffie-coat worn with a pleated or plain skirt of checked homespun, the check being Af large size. The velvet coat is made on. the new Eton lines, and hangs straight or with

No. 13. slightly curved seams to the hips. It is loose-fitting, and lined with silk in a colour that is carefully chosen to match or harmonize with the skirt. One of these new suits is illustrated. The coats is black velvet, lined with dull brick red silk, that faces the roll-collar and also the cuffs; the dress worn with it is of black and cream checked homespun, the whole making up a very charmingcostume.

The new_ season’s novelty—the two-piece complete suit, comprising dress and coat—ought to be popular for it is certainly one of the most convenient modes, much more convenient, indeed, than the separate blouse and skirt costume. The hat illustrated is one of the new shapes and is of the “picture" type, that is coming in again. It is made of black velvet, with round crown and slashed brim, and the sole trimming is a bright-green quiil glycerined in the new way. Among the new designs are frocks of mixed materials that differ considerably in weight. For instance, duvetyn and georgette will be mixed in one model, taffetas or satin and ninon in another, and so on. Frequently the entire back section will be made of the heavy material and the front of the thinner substance, the heavier being used, again to form band-cuffs for transparent sleeves. This idea is quite new and, cleverly carried out, can be very effective.

Another, notion for the Spring wardrobe concerns cloaks in which brocade and velvet are allied. A lovety magyar mantle of this kind is in pile coffee-coloured satin, brocaded with silvery-white flowers and foliage. The sleeves are finished with deep, bands of coffee-coloured velvet, reaching almost, to the elbows, and the bottom of the mantle is also of velvet. Here is an idea for the utilization of a velvet frock that is no longer needed as such, but could be cut up to advantage as a deep border and cuffs to a brocade mantle, thus reducing fresh outlay considerably. The new cloth mantles are frequently seen with plain tops, joined at the waist with pipings to embroidered skirts. FOR THE HAIR. An excellent tonic for the hair is made by mixing together equal parts of castor oil, and eau-de-cologne. Bottle the mixture, and shake well before using. Applied to the scalp with a small tooth brush, it nourishes and stimulates the roots of the hair, and, if used when greyness is showing around the temples, will, in some cases, restore the original colour, and, in most, prevent the greyness from spreading.

BIjOUSE WITH RITTFLED SLEEVES. As with Hie frock, so with the blouse, a becoming neck-line and a pretty sleeve go a long way towards securing success, and it is always desirable, if possible, to impart a touch of individuality somewhere about the frock or blouse to distinguish it from the ordinary model. .This is especially desirable while fashions remain as simple as they are today, or there is danger of sameness and monotony prevailing. There is certainly no excuse for monotony in sleeves, since endless are the new ideas introduced into

sleeves for all occasions. Just now sleeves are of more importance and interest than even the shape of the neck-line. They may be draped or puffed or ruffled or slashed In a tricky way to show portions of the arm, or they may hang in long and flowing lines in the fashion of wingsleeves. Again, there is the winsome, open sleeve just caught to the armhole and captured by a bracelet of black velvet at the wrist.

A sleeve that will be very much worn, since it figures largely on the new frocks and blouses, resembles the well-known bishop’s sleeve that was so famous among fashions of years ago. It works out well in transparent fabrics, of which, by the way, many of the new sleeves allied to crepe de chine and satin frocks are made.

Quite a new sleeve occurs on the charming little blouse illustrated, the feature being the aggressive little frills that bring the sleeves to a conclusion. These frills in modified form, find repetition at the neck. All are of string-coloured net sewn to a net foundation, and the blouse itself is of mole-coloured soft satin, draped about the waist in a very effective way. As the neck opening is not large enough for the head to be slipped through comfortably, an Invisible fastening is arranged on the left shoulder, under the collar, which is loose oh the left side, and snapped to the front when the blouse is on the figure.

The most comfortable skirt of a dressy nature to wear with blouses is the one mounted to a sleeveless, low-cut bodice of soft washing silk, which holds the skirt well up and averts the risk of an untidy waistline. The woman with a surplus of camisoles might use one of them as a mount for her blouse-skirt. She will appreciate the advantage of the top-piece once having adopted it, and will find it specially useful with her pleated skirts, for these, owing to their weight, are rather apt to drop.

LITTLE HINTS FOR THE HOUSEKEEPER. Match marks may be removed from white paint by rubbing with a cut lemon. Use a piece of sandpaper to remove stains from cooking utensils, can be cleaned with a brush dipped in warm water and salt. Bathsponges should be hung in the air to dry as often as possible. Ground ginger may be used for a plaster instead of mustard. When there Is danger from a defective flue, the fiercest fire can be extinguished in a few minutes by wetting newspapers thoroughly and placing them on the coals, closing all dampers. Newspapers may be used as chamois leathers in polishing window panes. PRESERVING FRESH LEMONS FOR MONTHS. # To preserve whole lemons for months, place a layer of dry, fine sand, an inch deep, in an earthenware jar, then a row of lemons with stalk end downward and arranged so that the lemons do not touch one another; cover with sand, three inches in depth, then arrange another layer of lemofis. Repeat this until the x jar is full, then store in a dry, cool place. A lemon will yield much more juice if it is heated thoroughly before it is squeezed. Hard lemons are difficult to squeeze and retain half their juice. Peeling them before squeezing makes the task easier, of course.

TO OBTAIN PATTERNS. Patterns of all the designs appearing in this column, week byweek, can be obtained by sending stamps, value 1/-, for every pattern required (coat, skirt, blouse, one-piece gown, etc.), to Miss Ida Meller, Care of The Editor. The envelope should be marked “Patterns."