The FASHION REVIEW

Putaruru Press, Volume VII, Issue 305, 12 September 1929, Page 2

The FASHION REVIEW

BY MUO

SUZETTE

ACCESSORIES.

Mora ’ essential than essentials—nature has hosts of them—butterflies, hills of gorse in bloom, rainbows—precious tcp the savage in his war paint, his gold nose ornaments, his plumes. And where should we be without our Italiques, our Turners, our Masefields, and John Barrymore, yes, and Charlie Chaplin, too. Modern accessories in all departments are showing the influence of that precocious child. “ modern art clever, mind you, but jarring and impossible in some environments at home and appreciated in others.

What exactly is modem art ? Where you and I see a curve the artist sees an angle, where we see a straight line he sees a series of jagged lines. Where we see nothing at ail he sees lines and curves and squiggles and wiggles. Heaven forbid that X should awake any doubts in your minds as to his accuracy of vision. In my humble and unacademic opinion, modernism in art is like syncopation in music—very fascinating in small doses, very nerveracking in large, very superficial, very infectious.

And now we will have some modern art as expressed in some accessories. A necklace and pendant of pewter is cut and arranged so that it looks like a flotilla of aeroplanes aloft. Another resembles a string of pumpkins interlinked by bundles of asparagus. That of course is only my interpretation. There may be others. Par example, a cushion cover has on it a setting sun with a striped border, over its brim two triangles are flying—sacred ibis—overhead an oblong cloud with a toothsaw edge, underneath the pyramids—the whole an Egyptian sunset. But is it? Might not the sun be a mirror on the •wail ?—the Cloud a hand towel ?—the pyramid—heavens !—the thing is a bathroom. Then what are the triangles? You see the possibilities ? Fascinating, no end.

Listen to this lovely creation a tabic lamp of silver and rose parchment. It is called the “ four flying geese,” the illusion of flight being created by four birds whose outstretched wings joined together form the beautiful stem.

Another modern triumph is a book stand called “ the pyjama girl.” She reclines, face downwards, chin on hand, flawless white .figure on an ebony base, one foot kicking upwards like that of a child lying on a shady lawn on a summer day. Between her shoulders and knees is the recess for books—a truly lovely thing.

What do you think of this ? On entering the smartest drawingrooms now one may > be confronted by grotesque animals, a yawning rhinoceros that serves as an ash tray or as a sixteenth life size ornament, or by a purple dog with pink spots with characteristics so exaggerated that for a moment you imagine you have discovered a baby pterodactyl.

Last week I went into a smart fiat. “ Why, I didn’t know you had a—” (they didn’t have any)—l bit the words off on my tongue. It was a life-size smirking 'sofa doll. I feel sorry for them.