Fashion and Things Feminine.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 6, Issue 245, 26 January 1917, Page 3 (Supplement)

Fashion and Things Feminine.

By IDA ItitLLtK *

A SMART BLOI'SE AND SKIIIT DUESS. ! It is fortunate that some of tlio preti tiest point* of fashions of the day are best expressed in soft, summer materials. The full skirt, for instance, gathered at the waist and finishing in u frill above, or tho skirt with yoke that it* a mass of gauging, never looks better than in muslin or voile, and again i i admirably expressed in tussore sHk and foulard, all of which materials aro ideal for present-season wear. Tho choice 111 ilowered voiles and lawns is quite lovely, and the fabrics, moreover, have tho advantage of being inexpensive. Particularly useful and good to look at aro the dark-ground lawn', sprayed with flowers in mixed colours. Especially fashionable for shirt blou«ci aro striped washing silks, and very cool-looking and pretty are those with cream or white grounds striped with pa>!o bine or with grey. Silks of a soft twill variety are the favourites this season, and carefully washed thev will la*t for a long time. Tho fcimple Mouse illustrated would make up well in striped twill silk or any plain washing silk, and it is a nice pattern for everyday wear.

There alO in ail six pieces) of tho paper pattern: these include one front, hair' tho back, one sleeve, one cuff, half tho -yoko and half the collar. These pieces are illustrated m the diagram, which supposes tnoin distributed on IH yards of 24-30 inch stuff. This should bo opened out to its full width aim doubled for tho sleeve and front_ patterns, the other pattern-pieces "being laid on tho material folded in half 'lengthwise. Tho straight edges of back, yoko and collar must bo laid to tho fold, to avoid seams, each complete article being cut out in one piece; the other pieces are all cut out in duplicate. The yoko must be lined, and material for the lining can be found from tho waste.

Notches on the diagram indicate howto piece together tho blouse. The fronts and back should be gathered (the back only slightly) and joined to the yoke by having tho raw edges sandwiched l>etween the yoko and its lining. This blouse would ho useful ill striped twill silk or cotton. Xoto also, the smartly cut skirt that accompanies 'the blouse. This is a perfect stylo for serge. It is made with a yoke, a'panel-front and, what is vr.ry novel, a pocket-effect on either side.

WHAT TO WEAIt IN* THE AFTERNOON*. Top afternoon wt-ar in hot weather, some of tho prettiest fashions are oxpressed in transparent fabrics, and with the>o frocks a certain .amount of tucking is usually introduced on the skirts. The pr.'tty, afternoon frock illustrated would l*> vcrv use-fill if copied ip black voile. Tho skirt i.s cut full and niado with three equal-sized tucks

;vhovo tllic 110111. niul it in short, of coiir.-o, iici'ordiug to tlio wliini of tlio moniciu. Tlio Imdico is :in;ingod with npon-froiiU'il olivet and s.!oovos.

- Ovfryeight.

which latter terminate in natural frills and are Headed by swjulufer mils, uanging very soitiy. Ttie fronts of the- oodico arc gathered to epaulets, and the spacu between tlio fronts is tilled ; n with a couple of trills, the lower one of which is kept Hat by the pressure of the ironts themselves. A high, elegantly shaped collar trims the neck, which also riuclci a pretty set-off in a band of embroidery that forms a heading to the top frill of tlio rest. At the waist is n draped sash, either of the dress material or of silk.

liio design would also copy very well ij| t.itf; las, \\ ltli sleeves anil vest of ninon, and atssureiKy the dress would •>« iraflul in dark blue, adapting itself to any occasion. Dcesses of the sort, made in Mark or in dark blue transparent material, such as voile, aro worn sometimes over dark slips, sometimes over white ones. Again, when the dress i carried out in black, the skirt is possibly worn over a black petticoat, wlrle the bodice veils a white slip. Illustrated with the dress is a largo hat, mado of dark silk with light lining and trimmed with ribbon strings and s«. ribbon flower. Tlio new hats are very laige and picturesque. WHEN A GIUL LEAVES SCHOOL. When a git'! leaves school she is apt to say good-bye to books of histto.li| interest, and to put out of mind niucr that sho lias learned —to leave, in fact, many of her accomplis i-aeuu behind her. This is a pity, an.] is o r '-en cause of after-regret to the girl. ll sho be wise, the school-girl on supposedly "finishing"' her education, will continue it in her own home, and bo her own professor. Sho will look up, from time to time, subjects sho has learned and points abotrt which she is in danger of forgetting, she will read books of information, not merely noveis. and will improve her knowledge of ioreign languages, drawing and painting, music, and so on. In this,way she will always have plenty of resources as ar. antidote to dullness. When girls are young, they naturally d i not appreciate the invaluable possession of knowledge, and are so delighted with their freedom on leaving school that they deliberately put aside books that have any pretentions to being ''deep and practical, and are content to let then- education stop with tlie'r school days. Surely, it is worth while making a little effort to bear iu mind what lias caused somo trouble to learn, and to follow tip subjects tnat are certain to prove moro interesting as they are more thoroughly mastered and understood. The young wife, like the girl juist leaving school, often merits a little censure for the way in which she neglects her accomplishments on taking up the reins of house-management. True, she may nob have much timfe to give to them, but sho need not utterly "rust," ail 11x3 same.

aids to be a cry. Hands that are not at all pretty n shapo and *ize niay be made to iook very well if a litfa'e care is given to tlieni, while, on the contrary, hands that are naturally pretty may look quite ugly through neglect and lack of proper attention. The girl with nice hands should take pains to keep them nice to behold, while, if her hands are not beautiful, that is all the more reason that sho should make the best of them by giving them tlio right sort ol care.

It is true, it is not always easy for Mie yirl or tho woman wha doew » great deal of house-work to keep iicr hands "the pink of perfection," for household tasks havo a knack of making the skin red and coarse looking, and tho nails dull, hut all the same, precautions may be taken to avoid any serious ill-effects on tho condition of tho hands. Rubber gloves, for instance, are the salvation of the hands (when a great deal of washing up of greasy dishes and other tilings is done. They should ho worn whenever the hands must be put into greasy water; but it must be remembered that very hot water ruins tho rubber and that tho gloves should b" used only in moderately warm or cold water. In dusting and sweeping about the house, loose-fitting chamois leather gloves should bo worn, as theso will prevent dirt .and dust lj-oni getting into tho pores of the skin. If gloves are not worn in doing household work and washmg-up, the following steps should be taken to protect tho hands:—

Whenever the hands havo l>een plunged into a hot water-and-strong-soap mixture, wash them afterwards with lukewarm water and pure, curd soap, or high-class soap of a rather oily nature, and rinso thoroughly in fresh water, cold or cool. Then pour a little glycerine into the ''cup" of ono hand and rub it well into the skin of both hands. If tho latter are cooled off gradually after every submersion in hot water, this treatment will keep the hands from getting red, while the glycerine will keep them soft. Lemon-juice is also recommended for ilie hands and nails, and is a mast excellent bleach. A beauty specialist suggests that every morning and evening thy woman who appreciates dainty hands should take an orange-wood stick with a bit of cotton-wool (wrapped round tho tip, dip it into lemon-juice, and run it carefully under each nail, rubbing plenty of juice in under the nails. This will give the nails a trnn*pan iii-y that it is said cannot be equallet! in any other way.

.STEWED I'KAKS. Stewed fruits arc Mime «>i" tin' most popular during summer time, Mid stowed pours, in particular, are wry delicious, especially with the addition ui' cream. 'ln pivparo tlioni, take nino or tor. good-sized pears, peel them and mro tin in. and divido them in halves. I al- - J art of tho stalk on each piece: then put thoin into a- (loan slow-pan with ««■ von ounces of loaf sugar. throe>(|ii.u t, 'is of a pint of water, so von or limn' cloves, and a fow drops of prepared tcjliinoal. l/.'t tlioni stow gently over a clear fire until tender, and when done, take them carefully out and place them in a gla>s dish. lt<>V un tlin vyrup for i few minutes, and when mol pniii' it. over the pears and sot them a->idu t-u get cold. Tho peel of lemon, cut thin, is an i improvement to the flavour ol tho fruit, land if liked a lit Mo allspice may I** added with tho cloves. .V TIIorUHT lOK THE WEEK. •• Xrt. what has happened to my>c'f tij-«lay. luit, what has happened to other, through 1110 that should l>o my thought." l'\ I'. Ulake.