WOMEN'S INTERESTS

Hokitika Guardian, 27 April 1933, Page 3

WOMEN'S INTERESTS

BRITISH INDUSTRIES FAIR,

CHARMING NEW MATERIALS.

How hard it is to make a Britisher

boast of his achievements was amply proved to me at the British Industries Fair.

In the textile section of this vast show I saw the loveliest materials, made and designed in England,, which can rival fabrics from any part of the world; and yet as a French woman fashionist commented to me; “You do not shout their beauties from the

house-tops, and some of your dressmakers are sill apologetic when they te|] you a model is made of British material.”

It certainly has taken our exclusive dress designers a- long time to overcome their “made in Paris” complex. But manufacturers and fabric designers have advanced so enormously in the-last five years that to-day there /is nothing they will not tackle to achieve successful dress novelties. Add to this the same finish and wearing qualities for which they have always been famous, and. .you have materials that are of unsurpassed beauty. These remarks apply .to aLl ; dress fabrics but particularly to the new cottons, artificial silks, and fairylike woollens and knit fabrics.

“Lovely as a summer’s 'day,” was the Queen’s exclamation of delicate cotton fabrics showing every kind of surface, design and colouring. Marocnins in beautifully blended colourings fashioned several well-cut models, which looked as though they cost! double the price. Voiles, cotton tweeds, ginghams, piques, were literally beauty by the yard. Then the new) “anti-crease” process which is being applied to cotton and rayon fabrics gives them a power to resist and recover from creasing during wear similar to that naturally ' ’ . ■r ■ 3*. possessed by wool or silk. The. antlf crease fabrics have increased strength wlrch lessen the risk of shrinking, or damage in the Ritter beingcarred out : a$ for wool; or silk fabrics. One of these fabrics,..toutaline, ig actually cotton, but looks like , wool and comes; win many colours and: weaves. A planning new taffeta, link t)’o ( rispnessi'ef'ordinary taffeta allied to a softness! of 'finish that makes it a. dclightfuls| material for evening frocks, especiallythe creases drop opt so quickly with the new process.

In the knit-wear sections I had to handle many fabrics to persuade myself they were knit-fabrics and' tint the finest woollen crepes. Then there lire striped and f a ncy coloured-knit fabrics that look like hand-knitting and crochet, wool laces by the yard anj};- of course, every type ,of tweed, and Angora woollen to charm the eye and touch. All these new fabrics should reach von next season, when you will find that stripes both straight, chevron patterned, diagonal or wavy, have replaced the large floral designs of past seasens. When floral c-chemeg are used Hey are much smaller ar.d more conventional. Finely (becked cottons and silks and plaids 0 f every description are equally fashionable, while crackle crepe and lacquered satins are 1 the novelty surfaces of the year. The London dress designers are now showing their spring collections so I have already had the opportunity of seeing many of these new fabrics made up.

The lacquered materials are- smart but difficult to wear, and one designer who showed an evening gown called “Hard as Nails,” evidently shared m.Y opinion of the fabric. It gave the wearer a look of ultra-sophistication, and this particular model had heiglit-r-cl the effect by adding a short coatee of white pique, very trim and busi-ness-hike, while beneath this 'showed two large screw nails like cross-swords, fastened at the base of the shoulder strao.

Queer decorations of this kind are very popular. A black lace evening gown, with long transparent * sleeves and high Medici collar, had a silver dagger fastening the waist-belt, while a. day gown of soft green woollen fabric bad a shire horse in chromium metal fixed on the front of the bodice.

A white skipping rope with red wooden handles was tied round the. wast of a hand-knitted bathing suit, worn with a smart-cut Raglan coat, made of sc-” , -et and white striped Turkish towelling. Two rows of similar white ropes made the -waist belt on a black woollen morning dress, and fastened with a silver hook and eye buckle. Narlyf every clay dress has the waist line defined by a sash, scarf drapery or very distinctive note, as in the case of a simple morning frock of navy blue with demure turn-down collar and narrow cuffs cf white pique with red spots. A sash of red crepe tied in a soft bow of one loop and two uneven ends added much effect.

.Another welcome'change is provided by the diversity cf blouses and jumpers this season. One is no longer o'liped to have a brief high-waist -3d jumper in order to look smart, although many ofi them r main short. Blouses, jumpers and tunics that reach anywhere from the bijes to the Iciioe are equally fashionable, and much kinder to mature figures.

Mints from

Jicme end Jtlrccd.

THE “THREESOME.”

NEW .METHOD OF DANCING

The “Threesome”—the new method of d ncing. in which one man dances with two girls <at the same time—has made it s first ballroom appearance .in London. More tha/n ICO members oi

the National A ■-social, ion of Tea.cheos of Dancing, many oi{ whom had laughed i/t the iidea, cheered and applauded th e dance when they saw it demonstrated in the Criterion ballroom, For, fan. tastic as it sounds, three people can dar.ee together just as gracefully as two. With Miss Jessie Frame and “Miss Raohael Rye, Mr R. "Williams swept through the movements of the

w-ltz and quickstep—ix feet moving ■a,?, one. Within a few minutes, whole ballroom was dancing the “Threesome.” “You see, it is so easy to dance—any average dancers can do it,” explained Mr Alex Moore, president of the National Association of Teachers of Dancing, who invented the dance.

‘‘One girl stands behind the other and their partner puts his right arm round the wrist of the sOeonrl girl. The man holds the hands of both girils and the second girl, place, s , her unoccupied hand lightly on the, waist of he r com- ,, • :!H? tf; , panion. ( “If the' , '“^ii ? i;ebsi)me” catches on—and leading dancing' tbachgrs think it w’!l—.. the problem, qf the wallflower is solved!

HINTS FO;R KNITTERS

Both hand and machine-made jumpers have an unhappy knack of stretch, ing at their bas e and heck lines, especially after they have been washed once. And when once the stretching has taken piece, nothing will rectify it, and the garment becomes, slovenly. The thing to dp it to prevent its happening by facing back stretchable edges with either sarsenet ribbon or a narrtyv fold of washing material—your choind depending main.lv on the weight of the jumper. In sewing this fohl on. take cure to use sewing silk which works in as a. dead match. One shade darker in the hand’; h>s.uilly gifbfe you a dead match when Worked ifiDMakc lyosd ishitches, otherwise 1 gbt a nailed- down or puckery edge, r:;

Another good idea for ■ thosp "'ho make : socks' for their men-folk; is to strengthen the, heel of' the sock by knlting an extra thread with the• wool when you are working th c hee!-flap. Anv re!i..bie ma,k u of mercerised cotton will doj' and remember to choose a skein as near the colour of the wool as possible. You will be agreeably surprised how 'much lunger thetsocks will wosth at the heel, if you ifoilovy this simple hint-:

GUARD VOUR HAIR

' ~A-' hot-oil shampoo 'is - gbod for dry hair. • sun-burned hair, bleached drain, and permanently wave,]. h..ir. Several hair specialists and toilet goods manufacturers make excellent oils for th 6 purpose. Warm the oil ; and Ose a bit of absorbent cotton to apply it. T' ieu massage the scalp for sever. 1 moments, and ru.b the oil’ through the hair. Then take a towel, wring it ouit in hot water, and wrap it around your head. soon as it cpols, wring it put in hot water again and : pp'.y once more. Repeat this several times. Then wet your hair in warm water and shampoo as usual. You have probably heal'd often the old .formula for lovely hair—one hundred strqhff with : a brush every day. Like so many of th e sample homely remedies of the past, it is sure and effective. •Next to keeping it. clean, brushing is th e bpst thin S you can do for your hair to keep it lovbly. Some women avoid brushing m order to preserve a finger wave or marcel. But tli.s is false economy. Brushing exercises and . stimulates the scarp, and go invigorates the hair roots, giving the hair vitality and lustre. Pait the haM every inch or so, and brush fiom the scalp upward ( lnlmg the hair. Brush first on one s id o of each strand of hair, then the other, so as to dust and polish it thoroughly. Like any tissue, you r scalp needs exercise. Our sedentary h»bit s discourage circulation. You hav e to stimulate the s oalp to keep it active and healthy. Your scalp should be loose and flexible ; on most heads it is hard and tight.. You must massage it, stretch it, exercise it, to encourage free .and. active circulation about the hair roots, and to build up a Unction of elastic fatty tissue under the scalp from which the hair can receive rich nutriment.

COLOUR-SCHEME FOR EVENING

'A popular colour schome v is black and ii’ocl. This is best .carried out in 'black chiffon or tulle, with attractive red accessories, such as a. cluster of scarlet dahlias, with ; a wide fash or scarf ot velvet to ? match.. Nothing looks hotter at a ball unless it b© the holly-green-ai)d red, with red s lloe s. pnd fan. Such seasonable shades stand out well in a crowd.

Hollv-red frieze with black Persian lamb trimming, ,or short boler 0 coat, is likely to ho very smart, and so is the .scarlet diagonal tweed, fastening with black buttons down the front. Gnashed with a Spanish cut cape r.nd black f ox collar.