FROM A PARISIENNE'S NOTEBOOK

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 13 July 1929, Page 10

FROM A PARISIENNE'S NOTEBOOK

CLOSE HIP-FITTING DESIGNS

(By Yvonne Roclier—For “The Mail”)

Every dress and coat turned out by Paris designers has a close hip-fitting. Fulness . starts below the hip yoke, which i% sometime's broken by ,a pointed or scalloped edge, ribbing, incrustations, or ap;.;."cations., No line' ii carri.d . . •fch*' e.r, ,<ii round, , but is broken >n Iront, at the .hack, or at the sides. '•

' Thoiigh’a ’ lew’-skiris are still very short, increased length characterises the majority of them. Blouses are increasingly the vogue. The hern of a blouse is crooked, slanting, Scalloped, fringed, or deeply pointed. A waistbelt is visible, only in front, or at the back, or at the sides. A row of buttons goes half-way down. • • / . • THE GROKKED LINE y . - , • Coats button on " the slant’. Everywhere, in fact', the crooked line prevails, in evening dress as in the rest. An evening: dress neck-opening is cut on the slant both .baefe and froyt. Only pleated flounces and kilted skirts are permitted’to fall straight. EVENING GOWNS Some of the prettiest new evening gowns are made in very delicately coloured and printed chiffons, ; among which pale blue, pale rose and white,

and. pale grey with violet flower 3 are notable favourites. Except • that less voluminous draperies flow from the knees, the shape is much the same as heretofore. There is the same apparent simplicity concealing complicated artistry, draperies being adroitly arranged to flare from seams and inverted pleats. Bodices are ribbed and incrusted. In some models, there are filmy draperies about the shoulders. Afternoon skirts hang full in front, with some fulness at the back also. There are charming afternoon dresses in plain crepon, with long plain coats lined with printed chiffon or georgette. THE LINGERIE FRONT The lingerie front is now introduced into the “sports” ensemble." The new vogxie is typically illustrated m an attractive colour scheme that comprises a dark nasturtium-yellow skirt (closely-pleated to give free width for walking) with a yellow and grey-beige jumper fitted' with a white silk-pique front. The cardigan matches the skirt. Junipers deeply pointed in -front aTe fitted with sleeveless waistcoats of white silk or cotton pique. Also in line with this prevalent lingerie conceit are morning frocks of jersey trimmed with lace-edged lingerie fronts and cuffs. TRIMMING EFFECTS Nor are these trimming effects conlined to the “gilet.” Dainty neck trimmings soften all pretty frocks, and there are sets of collars and cuffs in the daintiest silk, lace, plain or embroidered organdi, and eeiton-muslin. These arc in white and in colours, and offer abundance of choice. They are so very much the mode that no really new model seems quite right without them. Some of the most modish gowns show “monsquetaire” cuffs and collars, or the same in the Puritan style, while others emphasise the perennial charm of a jabot of lace and a chic La Valliere bow.

“AN EXCELLENT THING IN WOMAN” THE BEAUTY OF A VOICE (By H. C. Aylcn) What is beauty in a woman’s voice? A low pitch, softness, and lack of strain! When the vocal chords are pressed too hard, they produce a high, shrill, schoolgirl voice, or a harsh, metallic sound, or masculine tones unpleasant in a woman. If nature was unkind in placing your voice, you can remedy this by listening to your tones, trying varying pitches ancl ranges, and selecting that which sounds most pleasing, never forcing anything above f>r Inflow the octave that brings out the best quality you have. Tl\e nazal quality of some people’s voices is the result of pure laziness! A musical voice is the gift, of course, of only the few, but <lll women can cultivate clear, gentle tones that do not grate on the ear. THE POWER OF IMITATION The power »f imitation is so great in women that I have often noticed how, unconsciously, they pitch their voices to the level of the person to whom they are speaking. The shrillvoiced girl is instantly soothed by low, gentle tones, and she drops into a quieter key. The soft voice turneth away, not ouly wrath, but worries and excitement. SYMPATHY

You expect sympathy in a woman’s voice, some quality that spells kindness and sweetness. You can soon tell whether the voice is put on. Catch the person in a disagreeable mood and if no harshness or hardness creeps into her .tones, you may know that Jier character is free from meanness. The moral is—notice your own voice and compare it with other voices. Are the sounds tlmt issue from your mouth like the pearls of the fairy-tale heroine, or arc. they like the toads and the reptiles of her wicked stepsister ? THE “DANGER” CUPBOARD SAFETY -FIRST! • (By Mary Lovat) From time to time we read of fearsome happenings that have taken place on accouut of some bottle not having been labelled “poison” or some inflammable liquid haying been used by someone ignorant of its qualities. In such events, it is often difficult actually to allocate the blame. It is just a matter of one of those unfortunate occurrences that should have been foreseen by someone, though- no one quite knows by whom. Why not institute a “Danger Cunboard,” for which one member of the household shall be made definitely responsible, and which shall be kept under lock and key? In the cupboard should be locked away such things as the petrol, benzol and benzoline vvliicli may be used for the family dry cleaning. Such materials are great savers of cleaning costs, and it would be foolish to foi-bid their use within the home. But they also have their risks, so that they must not be left lying about at everyone’s command. The custodian of the key must read a brief lecture on the necessary precautions every time they are used and see to it that each bottle is returned to its place. That all poisonous medicines must be labelled and kept iu the Danger Cupboard goes without saying. There are also various chemicals, used in househpld chores, which are poisonous for cats and dogs. They too, should find a place in the cupboard, together with rat poisons, . fly-papers, beetlepowders and so forth. And, of course, weedkiller, the arsenical cause of so •

many tragedies, must similarly be under lock and key. A POWDER PUFF HINT 1 have hoard many girl ashamedly admit a fondness for a “pet” powderpuff that lias frankly reached the “grubby” stage. She points out by way of excuse that fluffy new swansdown doesn’t hold the powder so well nor perform its appointed mission so satisfactorily as a well-seasoned puli’. Happily for hygiene, there is a simple way of getting over this difficulty without clinging to a thoroughly insanitary complexion duster. Discriminating femininity is unanimously agreed that swansdown is the ideal puff, but that in its pristine newness it lias a nerve-racking habit of scattering fluff all over the face and

clinging airily but determinedly to eyelashes and eyebrows. Wherefore, the new puff must be shingled! Nearly always the down is much too thick. Just clip it neatly with a small pair of scissors—those from your manicure box —until you' have a nice “tufty” surface. Then shake the puff free from superfluous fluff. Now fill your left palm with clear glycerine, and dab the puff into it. When the glycerine is evenly distributed, clip the puff into your powderpot. You will see that the powder clings to it as it does to the old insanitary article you “can’t bear to part with!”