NOTES FOR WOMEN.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLV, Issue 19, 10 May 1911, Page 69

NOTES FOR WOMEN.

LONDON. March 17. The Al! British Shopping Week is now only ten days distant, and, already preparations are afoot for the beautiful display to be made then, to establish for England a new and better name than she has been entitled to in the past as a producer of rich fabrics and creator of fashions suitable for her fair daughThe week opens on March 27. and it is stand that, two thousand manufacturers will undertake th* l r-a triotie task of showing and selling for six flays only goods of British manufacture and. if possible, workmanship. The last few days have been dismal and wintrv. with non** of the brisk dry

fold atmOApltpre that we know in New Zealand, luit. instead, accompanied by all that in unlovely in tlie way of weather, •now, sleet, driving rain, cold, lowering •kies, streets turned into seas of in nd—• could any picture l»e leas inviting? Yet, tlyougli it all. the West End shops have smilingly disported themselves with their daintiest temptations «and creations set out as if spring already reigned. FRUIT TRIMMINGS. This is to Ik* a fruit season. That is to say, fruit ornamentation will ln» very popular for millinery, dresses, .and even <• veiling cloaks, one of the last having been already worn with fat and juicy pineapples embroidered all over it, in coloured silk- over pads of wadding. Rosy-cheeked apples, peaches, nectarines, black and white grapes, cherries, blackberries. orange-.—all are being used now for millinery, and cherries may be seen on evening gowns also. In moderation the plan is a pretty one. but if it runs to the extremes it did when fruit trimming was la-4 in vogue, we shall see some strange headgear in the near fut u re ! THE BEAD (RAZE. Each week sees some new development in bead elaborations, and some of the broad embroideries now being exhibited are little short of magnificent, though a gown lavishly decorated is an uncomfortable and heavy garment. A striking looking hat that I saw worn by a small, dark woman in Regent-street this week, was of line black straw turned up back and front, with a border of headwork on it in a design of tinted ivy leaves on a background of black. * Tin: HEALTHY' “HAREM.” Is the ‘ harem” to die out without ever having come in? Except on mannequins paid to wear “them” not more than three appear to have been seen, and a hunt through some of the big London •hop-, yesterday disclosed only two —one with the trousers of blue serge cut into weird points over the boots, the other a gown of blue serge, with trousers of black satin. Dr Jane Walker, whose fame as a pioneer woman doctor reached New Zealand year- ago. is the latest advocate of The Imported fashion, anti said this week at an address on women’s part in Die tight against consumption, that she hoped the harem skirt would*be adopted. She consider- it much healthier than a trailing skirt. In Budapest a society for the supressioji of the new skirt has been fupned! A woman'appeared in the central thoroughfare of the town in this fashion this week, and after having been, greeted with hoots anti jeers, was quickly surrounded by a crowd of roughs, who endeavoured to molest her, 1 he woman, however, produced a revolver from her muff, and dispersed her aggressors by firing a few shots into the air. alter which she escaped in the ine\ it able taxicab! SHORT COATS. It is safe to predict (hat we shall soon have the short coat with us again, since, from being hip-length a week of two ago. the newest models in coats . and skirt- arc already several inches shorter. Military braiding of black braid, or with soldierly-looking tabs of cloth in some contrasting .-hade, is the most popular method of finishing these. Nearly all have an inset of some kind, and probably

in a colour that appear* nowhere else but inride the cuffs and collar. White pique is a favourite for this lust purpose, but strapped down as it is at present with smart black buttons, it" is not very serviceable in a grimy place like London. BOWS AND SASHES Are to be seen on some of the newest costumes —is it not strange how faith-

‘•The Puritan’’„Walkiug Dress, is in cloth with embroidered Collar and smart Leather Belt. The Straw Hat has an underbrim in contrasting shade and trimmed with new Quill. fully fashions return’ So far, these are of black satin on navy blue, but the old painted dainties will probably return. A Latin quarter bow of black also fastens some of the coats. PRAISE AT LAST! £ ’l certainly think,” said a specialist in one of the London throat hospitals, recently, “that the average woman’s dress is far more sensible, from a hygienic point of view, than that of the average man, always barring her hats.” AN ARTISTIC GOWN I came across that may contain a hint for the home dressmaker, was of soft white satin, with a very deep hem of Chinese blue satin. Above hem was a broad band of beautiful embroidery in silver tinsel

worked direct on to the satin, and the same embroidery trimmed the coeaage. Over all came a tunic of black cliiffoh edged with a heavy blaek ailk ball fringe. The frock was made without a collar, a tiny band of dull blue and silver embroidery outlining the neck and elbow sleeves, and forming the narrow waistbelt.

It was a particularly pretty dress,' the effect of the black chiffon over the white giving a beautiful shade of misty grey, and the hem of blue saving the whole from monotony. The skirts of nearly all the new din* ner dresses and evening toilettes for smart occasions are made with trains, some of them cut severely square, while others are arranged with a pointed fishtail or mermaid effect. HAREM SKIRTS having been forbidden by the Dresden police, an actres from Hamburg, who was wearing the costume on Tuesday, was peremptorily ordered to replace it by an ordinary skirt. ELECTRIC CARPETS are the very latest idea in Paris, and are designed to heat the rooms they adorn. The underside of the npw carpets consists of a net-work of steel wires, forming a contact, and ensuring that the current shall be equally distributed in all directions. It is estimated that a room fitted with one of the new electric carpets >caa be heated at a total cost of Jd an hour. A WOMAN CONSTABLE. Aalborg is the first Danish city where a female constable will soon appear in the streets. She has permission to wear ordinary dress instead of uniform, and her special duty will be to keep an eye on persons of her own sex who may be suspected of being engaged In the white slave traffic. TWO AMUSING ALLUSIONS on the part of dressmakers and milliners who consider that they know their public, were drawn attention to this week. One is a buckle and strap ornament placed below the waist on the corslet skirt, a copy of the tronser strap and buckle formerly worn by men. Another is the introduction of the Cap of Liberty, made of French tricolour straw, as a protest that women will wear what they like without asking for men’s-permission. HAIRDRESSING. Fashions in this direction are not very satisfactory, as they are, and have been for months, in a state of indecision. Th? fact that Juliet caps are still very much worn in the evening denotes that the coiffure must be done low down on the head, and the following direction will at once show my readers that false hair, and not a little of it, is necessary for most fashion worshipping mortals. Waves and soft tendrils are the order of the day or rather night, and the classical Grecian coiffure enjoys the greatest popularity. The hair is drawn up tightly from the nape of the neck and caught either in a Psyche knot or with a group of curls. Round this is draped a

iwW of haar eawght down with tortota*. shell cTaapa. .The sairl mast fit the hemd closely and hot lie pulled-oat broadly. Ln Paris we hear that tiny curled fringes on the forehead are being worn once more, A ‘SHIP’S MOTHER.” The Canadian Northern Railway system has decided to carry on each of its steamers a woman official, whose powers will be only less absolute than those of the captain himself. She will be known as the “Ship’s Mother,” and her dutywill be to look after everything affecting the comfort and well-being of the third-class women passengers. She will be the tribunal liefore whom complaints of every description may be laid, and will act as mother, friend, chaperon,' and adviser all in one.

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