NOTES FOR WOMEN.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 319, 10 December 1910, Page 6

NOTES FOR WOMEN.

[" Patricia " will be pleased (o give advice to readers on all matters concerning dress, house-keeping, etiquette and the toilet. Write, giving pseudonym, care of this office.] Wellington, Tuesday. Dear Isobel,—We have had some delightful weather since I wrote last, and I have spent most of the time eating strawberries and admiring the many pretty hats and frocks that the fine days have brought out, and of course making notes thereon for your benefit.

I think this is one of the most remarkable years for colours that I ever remember. To go into town just now is like wandering in a garden full of the most wonderful poppies, roses, daisies and lilies, and indeed every j flower that one could mention is represented on all sides and in the most brilliant colours possible. The effect is, on the whole, quite good but not a fjw people are quite devoid of a proper sense of colour blending and in their case the result is horrible to contemplate. I have noticed that the dresses that gave the greatest appearance of coolness were not those that were really cut low but the frocks worn over decollete slips. An almost plain sheer muslin dress can be worn over a low cut princess camisole-petti-coat and have almost the effect of the early eighteenth century dresses that went with corkscrew curls and sloping shoulders. Of course a style like this can easily be very much overdone and I have seen some rather vulgar attempts at it in town already but if the underslip is not cut too low the result should be both charming and cool. In this way a dress that is really cut high to the throat with may-be a high collar can be made to look suitable for any occaison from at "At Home" to an'informal dinner by simply changing the underslip. We all know the delights of some dear old dress that could be altered quickly and, as a friend of mine describes it, "made to look like two," I often get an extra bodice made up to j go with a dress that I intend to use a good deal, and especially if it is likely to be used for travelling about I and staying in hotels. Thus a grey cacherhire trimmed with soft mauve satin could have a Magyar blouse of the material, with turned up cuffs and a flat colter of the satin, and as an extra blouse suitable for more dressy occasions, one of soft grey ninon mounted over a mauve satin lining, with a thin veiling of chiffon between, of course. There could be tiny pieces of the mauve satin introduced among the folds and gathers of the filmy ninon, and the blouse could be either cut low or made with a large yoke of fine white lace. With the first blouse a comparatively low belt of the satin could be worn, with the latter a high Swiss corset belt with long knotted and fringed ends at the right side of the back hanging down to the hem of the skirt. This would make a charming gown for afternoon or reception wear with long grey suede gloves stitched with black and a big black Tagel hat with a few loosely arranged velvet clematis on it. Petticoats are very pretty this season in spite of their scant proportions, and some that I have seen lately were quite beautiful in their wellarranged frillyness. A friend showed me rather a good method of arranging a lace trimmed and embroidered frill that she had planned for one of her own underskirts. She made small squares of cambric, and embroidered them after the style of the old bedspread squares. These were joined up in one long strip with wide Cluny insertion, this strip of squares and insertion being made the length desired for the frill. It was then edged with lace and insertion at one side and drawn into a band of insertion on the petticoat. The alternate designs used on the frill looked very well, and the little bands of open lace gave it a very

light appearance. J have seen some lovely flounces maje of fine embroidered handkerchiefs arranged cornerwise, some being cut from point to point to fit into the spaces between. I find that although these are exquisite to look at they are really rather expensive, as the handkerchiefs cost anything from two shillings to five and the fine lace and insertion required to edge and join them are also a fairly large item in their cost. Some of the very newest underskirts are made of rich crepe de chine, so that there will be no undesirable bulk under the tight, clinging dresses_ of the present day, but I hardly think these will ever be very much taken up, except by the very rich, the cost of the material being greatly against their popularity. The iong scarves of satin and silk of whicL I have written before are still very much worn in town and I have seen quite a number of black satin ones lir/ed with either mauve, grey siik and gathered

into heavy tassels or large bullioi ornaments. Silk of a very fine ant soft weave is also used a good deal and I have seen aeveral of lace ant chiffon, but long scarves of thes< latter materials are hardly suitabli for outdoor wear, although there i: nothing more charming than a softly draped gossamer scarf over an evening gown. It seems to give a kind o finish to even a plain toilette, and a: we English women are accused of no knowing what to do with our hands it either hides the offending member: or gives us "something to play with' as we give naughty children! I have just come to the conclusioi that my most useful possession is : simple semi-fitted coat of white pique made with a flat wide facing all rounc in place of a collar, and with hal sleeves. A little coat like this is fa: less cumbersome than the popular sill dust coat and has the added advantage of appearing much smarter. If mad< unlined, with the front breadths facet with some patterned cotton fabric i will wash and wash again, and revei look any the worse for the experience I find that if one is wearing a cambrii or muslin frock it often happens tha an extra wrap is required either as i finish to the blouse and skirt, or foi warmth in our changeable climate and an odd coat of washable stuff is far the most convenient, as it can b( worn over any kind or style of frock Linen is pretty, but I notice that i one sits down for a moment one looks as if ore had ju3t arrived from the family rag bag. Silk, unless it v. very thick, or is lined, flaps in a dis tressing manner, and charmeuse, al though I am very fond of it for whole costumes looks too dressed for ordin ary wear. A good firm pique has none of these drawbacks and will literallj wear for ever —if I may state that a; an advantage in these days of quicl changes in fashions when nobody want: a costume to last fcr more than '< month or so. I intend getting yet another litth one-piece dress for general wear, this time of dark golden brown silk mus lin. The plain Magyar blouse wil have a small yoke and long tight fitting under sleeves of cream lac< with a little knife-pleated frill ol white muslin edged with brown rounc the lower edge of the yoke and at tht elbows. The short skirt will have j wide shaped hem cut out in a battle mented pattern at the top and will b< piped with tangerine orange velvet A novel idea on the simple little bloust will be the long straight slashes from the shoulder to the bust filled in wit! the orange velvet, which will also b< used for the narrow folded waist-belt The blouse should present no difficulty to anyone who can sew at all as it is literally cut all in one piece with tht only seam under the arm. The slashes are simply straight cuts in the mus lin with the edges neatly turnec back and the velvet laid flatly un derneath, the whole being eithei sewed from the under side with invisible stitches or fashioned with French knots in orange silk. 1 have recently discovered a shop in town where it is possible to procure a beautiful shaded embroidery silk that it has been impossible to get anywhere in the Dominion up till now.

This H a lovely thread of fine soft make, shaded with the most delicate opal tones of blue, pink, green, yellow and lavender, all arranged so as to work into each other without any sudden change. I nave just finished a small bookcover with an Oriental design poroses and peacocks done in silk, and it i 3 has been the subject of much wonderment eg to how I managed to shade the feathers so well and evenly ! The silk, it may interest embroideresses to know, is known as "Dresden floss," and can be had from Pringle's, whose fascinating collection of art silver and enamel woik always delights me any time I am on the Qua Yours faithfully, PATRICIA.