NOTES FOR WOMEN.

King Country Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 291, 3 September 1910, Page 6

NOTES FOR WOMEN.

("Patricia" will be pleased to give advice to readers on all matters concerning dress, housekeeping, etiquette and the toilet. Write giving pseudonym care of this office). Wellington, Friday night. LADY ISLINGTON. Dear Isobel, —The arrival of Lady Islington has been so eagerly looked forward to that there was general disappointment in non-official circles when it became known that the Turakina would not arrive till very late on Wednesday .night and would berth at the uncomfortably early hour of 9 a.m. next morning. We have had so much bad weather lately that everyone was delighted to find that Thursday was beautifully sunny, and the Empire City looking its very best gaily bedecked with, many coloured flags and streamers, when the stately liner, also decorated with bunting, came slowly round to the wharf from the pratique anchorage, where she had lain all night. In spite of the easiness of the hour there was an immense crowd down to see her Excellency landing. Lady Ward "was in the official party with Miss Eileen Ward and the Mayoress (Mrs Wilford). Both Lady Ward and Mrs Wilford wore black as did most o? the ladies present, while Miss Ward was in a pretty gown of violet with hat to match and white furs. Lady Islington and Miss Cotton both wore deep mournings for the late King, her Excellency's simple black serge being made with a roll collar of crape and three wide tucks of the same fabric on the plain short skirt. She was presented with two lovely bouquets of violets and freezias, one from Lady Ward, who made a charming little speech of welcome, and the other from the Mayoress, while the children from the different State schools gave a pretty bunch of spring flowers to the Hon. Joan Dickson-P^ynder. SPRING DRESSES.

It is not at all too soon to be thinking of getting light spring and summer dresses, as most of the big shops have their new materials in now, and somehow if one delays in getting what one wants at the beginning of the season one is apt to only get what nobody else wants! I have seen some lovely things lately, for wearing when the weather gets warmer and a little more settled. Foulard will be very much worn this year according to the latest fashion authorities, and there are so many pretty patterns in it that it would make up almost plain and yet look very stylish. It is such an obliging fabric too, as it neither crushes much nor shows the dust. Some of the new linens and cotton crepes are very pretty, and I have just seen two charming little costumes made of the latter material, one in a soft shade of rose pink had the long roll collar and turned up cuffs of a striped linen in a darker shade of rose. The other was a pale mignonette green and had a very deep hem and coat facings of a much darker green, while the two huge puttons on the little coat were covered with a quaint flowered chintz which had some soft shadowy pink in it. Many of the new frocks will be made up all in one piece, I do not mean the Princess style that was so much worn last year (though we will probably see plenty of them as they are charming if the wearer has a good figure), but blouses and skirts joined together at the normal waist-line with a pretty coloured sash or hand-embroi-dered belt to match the gown. NEW BLOUSES. The Magyar blouses seem to be quite the rage just now, and really I am not surprised, they are so easy to make that any girl who can sew at all is certain to succeed if she has reliable pattern to go by. The much-talked-about "hobble skirt" has gone out almost before it came in, but has left us one pretty idea to remind us of its very ugly self, in the deep hems of either spotted, striped or other contrasting a material made a little tighter than the top part of the skirt. Made up in, say a thin muslin or silk with the almost knee deep hem of foulard or charmouse, it would look dainty and would do for either afternoon or evening wear. I see that the long soft scarves of chiffon or net are quite the latest fashion again, and will be worn over all our dressy muslins this summer. They look so graceful and lend 'so much height to a small woman that I am sure everyone will have one or more made to match different frocks. They are very easily made at home out of remnant of ninon or net either edged with a three-inch wide band of satin, or ismply turned in all round and hemstitched. Gold or silver sutache braiding at the ends makes a lovely scarf for evening wear and has the great advantage of being so quickly done.

HATS AND HEADGEAR. It is very difficult to tell you what hats are fashionable just now as the styles vary so much both in shape and trimming. Some are really huge while others, equally modish, are quite small. Many of the large hats have big crowns of silk or satin puffed out loosely rather like an old-fashioned work-bag, and those that have flowers have them in great profusion and in colours that I never saw them growing in. I saw a rather smart hat last week, one of the small bee-hive variety made of dark violet coloured straw almost entirely covered with different shades of double Parma violets. The heads were placed quite close together and only little pieces of the dark straw showed here and there among the pale flowers and their foliage. Necklaces made out of tiny beads woven on little hand looms are quite a new idea in town just now, and are really very beautiful when the colours are well blended together, and remind me of the wonderful bead chains and purses that our grandmothers were so clever at making long ago. I was told in one of the big shops here, where they stock all these things, that there is an immense demand for all sorts of bead work, and judging by the amount of it I see on all the new afternoon and evening gowns, I can quite believe it. Hardly any dresses will be made with high collars this season, and even with our coats and skirts we are commanded by Madame la Mode to wear "toby" frills of fine lawn or cambric, witli perhaps a narrow edging of colour to match the cos4urne. Certainly, it freshens up a dark dress wonderfully, and with the smart little knife-pleated cuffs that have come in this year, change an old winter dress into something quite new and springlike. TEA CAKES. I really must give you the recipe for the most delightful little hot cakes for tea called "Pop-overs." They are so easily made and have the added advantage of being very inexpensive. Take one cup of flour, a pinch of salt and mix into a smooth batter with two eggs, half a teaspoonful of melted butter and not quite a cupful of milk. Mix well and then beat until very light and creamy, drop into sizzling hot buttered patty-pans and bake in a quick oven for about twenty minutes. Turn out quickly, break open and butter. These are intended to be eaten hot as they get rather tough if they stand for long. Next week I will tell you how you can renovate last year's dresses and still look fashionable. Ever yours faithfully, PATRICIA.