FRILLS FADS & FOIBLES

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 258, 21 January 1928, Page 19

FRILLS FADS & FOIBLES

Special Feature supplied cxcluisvely to THE SUN , Auckland, by The Central Press, Fleet Street, London.

Vogues and Vagaries (By MADAME JEANNE VARRE2.) SHADES of Evangeline are seen in the Puritan-shaped collars and cuffs that adorn some of the newest afternoon gowns. These dainty accessories, once so popular with ladies of fashion in pursuit of demureness, are nowadays made from beige-coloured georgette in place of the old orthodox cambric. But the shoulder-cape-collar follows the “Evangeline” line with utmost fidelity to type, as do the cuffs which fit at the wrist and widen out at the top, well up from the wrist-line, and standing away from the sleeve. Sometimes these old-world collars are fastened in the front with one of the new big silver safety-pins.

Incidentally, these pins are exactly what their name implies, and are the newest form of adornment for millinery as well as gowns. Shaped exactly like the dozen-on-a-card originals, there is no attempt at camouflage. Yet their chic is beyond cavil. One such humble ornament, looking anything but humble in its new guise* pinned back the black brim of one of the most modish chapeaux seeft at recent dress-show. In this case the pin was of gold, which shares the trimming honours with silver. • • • Evening dress, that for a season or two had become more or less the Cinderella of fashion, has come triumphantly into its own again after its long overshadowing by the sports clothes rage. This season the designers are all out to 4i do us proud,” both on the classical, and the piquant side. Chiffon, lace, georgette, ring velvet, satin, brocade, tulle, and taffetas—all are popular, and offer abundance of scope. Chief of .all the new season’s features is the accomplished fact of the lengthened robe de soiree. • * * At evening functions on both sides of the Channel the floor-length frock no longer causes a fluttersome sensation. Obviously, however, it is the compromise that attains the widest popularity, and it is amazing to see how cleverly the effect of length is achieved without making the robe appear unduly long. Uneven hems, draperies, and shaped volants are all pressed into the scheme. Very typical is a kind of half-and-half robe-de-style; a compromise between the real picture-frock and the straight dress.

This well-liked model shows a skirt of flat flounces finishing a long bodice, either straight or moulded to the figure. Or the skirt may owe its fullness to many gathers round the waist. Often the robe is finished with a deep berthe of lace, the dentelle usually re-appear-ing as a deep hem to the skirt. Jewellery continues to play an enormous part in all fashions, but particularly in the realm of evening attire. Since the rows-and-rows-of-pearls fetish was killed with admirable imitations at so much the half foot, jewellery has been largely designed by the dress designer. It must ton«s in colour with the frock scheme. Thus one finds a gorgeous green and silver tissue frock still further beautified by an abnormally long chain of bluegreen turquoise matrix, each stone set separately in silver and then linked together. The chain of this genre is always made long enough to go round the neck twice, with a generous pendant length in the- second string. Chains similarly en suite are worn with other hues. Dressmaker and jeweller, in fact, work hand in hand. Smart little fitted frocks show a new and important detail in ornamental buttonholes, which emphasises the “fitted” vogue now ousting the obvious slip-on style. Invariably buttoning down the back, such petite robes show a line of the buttons in the same colour as the material, from the neck to the waistline. And the buttons slip into buttonholes stitched with brilliant silks and finished off in little ai;row-like points. So that it is actually the buttonholes —not the self-effacing buttohs —that arrest the eye as the trimming motif. Scarlet on black is a typical buttonhole mode.

Hats and neck-opening show a sidetrimming and a side-fastening respectively. This same one-sided influence is also apparent in the evening, when lace and chiffon draperies illustrate the vogue, being hitched to the side of the gown. The general tendency is for plain backs; but all the movements of fashion this season are towards grace and symmetry and feminine allure. BEAUTIFUL TEETH By A NURSE Laughing mouths and dimpled cheeks are signs of joy and happiness, but the mouth is too often the cause of tears. From the time baby cuts his first tooth, until the last wisdom tooth appears, their arrival causes discomfort. Hot, painful gums herald their approach, and, if the second set comes into conflict with the first, the trouble is increased. The future health and beauty of the child depends to a very large extent upon the second set of teeth. If they do not grow straight they spoil the appearance of the mouth, and if they are not strong, decay soon sets in. Perhaps the teeth are looked after at school, but if not, the duty rests with the mother, who should notice when the second ones are appearing, whether the first set is preventing them from growing straight. That will mean a visit to a dentist, who will soon set matters right. Early Precautions Perhaps the new ones cross each other, or have some imperfections. In any event it will be simple for the dentist to attend to them, but, if they are neglected, it is a far more difficult job. later, and then perhaps it will be impossible to remedy the defects. Strong teeth are to some extent the outcome of the child’s diet. Once the teeth have arrived, the great point is to keep them fit, and this can only be done by daily care. “Tooth drill” must be one of the chief items of the daily programme, for habits formed quite young become second nature. Teach the child to clean his teeth night and morning, the ideal practice being to cleanse them after every meal. To make good toilet habits attractive to children, buy pretty jars for their powder or paste, and a dainty receptacle for the brush. Such small things undoubtedly help to interest the little one in a tiresome routine. Powder v. Paste The child must be taught to brush the teeth up and down, inside, as well as dut, and to rinse his mouth thoroughly. Use an antiseptic preparation. Some prefer powder, others a paste, but when powder is chosen, it is a good idea to use paste about once a week. When a child has the slightest ailment, the mouth often loses condition. Then is the time for a good mouth wash. Any chemist can provide a formalin or peroxide of hydrogen wash. When buying the wash, mention the age of the child, because the wash must be quite harmless, lest any should be swallowed. Seldom is sufficient care given to the brush. It should be firm, but, at the same time, not harsh. A good brush lasts quite a long time, if it is washed after use, and placed with the bristles downwards to drain. When cutting out clothing, lay the pattern on the material, press it lightly with a warm iron and the pattern will cling to the cloth.

NOT A DUMPING GROUND BETTER BATHROOMS By MRS. ABBIE HARGRAVE. ‘‘l do envy the Smiths,” said a friend the other day. “Their rooms are so attractive. They don’t seem to have any depressing old ‘heirloomy’ furniture to wear out.” “Their living-rooms are all right.” I said (a trifle catishly. I admit), “but have you seen their bathroom?” “No.” “Well, then, don’t start coveting your neighbour’s house until you’ve inspected that:” For, truth to tell, the “Smiths,” typical of many families, use thier bathroom as a dumping-ground for the bamboo table that they wouldn’t dream of housing elsewhere, for the chair with the collapsing cane, and so forth. You should see the splashed shelf that supports the geyser and the green unpleasantness of the geyser itself. The odds and ends of soap on the soap dish, the lack of enamel on the bath, of polish on the floor, the cluster of damp towels, and everybody’s washing apparatus all over the place! A most untempting place in which -o “wash your body white!” COMMANDING RESPECT A “family bathroom,” or course, is not easy keep spick and span, but if taste and time, and as much money as can be spared, are expended on it in the beginning, the individual members who use it are much more likely to respect it also. Consider the ideal bathroom. It faces so as to catch the morning sun, and is of goodly size so that the bath stands out from the wall instead of being huddled against it. You can walk round it as well as clean round it! There is an airing cupboard, radiators, glass shelves, a rubber-tiled floor, a small glass-fronted cupboard fox' odds and ends, gay powder bowls, a good mirror, an enamelled bin for soiled linen —and exquisite neatness and cleanliness everywhere. The walls are washable, the woodwork is painted with the best enamel, and the colouring bright. If you like the, the bath can be one of the new “sunshine” baths—orange with black taps! The towels are coloured and patterned, the bath mat is a riot of gaiety, the curtains short and beflowered. To come out of that bathroom anything less than perfectly “groomed” would be a disgrace! But probably, dear reader, your bathroom is so small that it wouldn’t house a hundredth part of the latest gadgets —if you could afford them. However, even if you have to do the work yourself, do have brightness in the 'walls and paint—and even the bath itself. DRY THE TOWELS. Damp towels —ugh! Make a habit of drying them, in the sun when 'it shines, in the kitchen when it doesn’t. If an oil-stove is your only means of drying and heating your cupboard-like space, be etainetaoinetaoinetaoik etae be entirely put off because you are handicapped! Small bathrooms being the rule, there are countless contrivances now on the market for making the best of them. Study these and your requirements, exercise your own ingenuitv, and see if you are not rewarded! Keeping clean is so important.a part of keeping healthy. It must be encouraged. “What a box of a place! But how deliciously cute and spotless!” Yours? One up to you, then!

LORD LOUIS MOUNTBATTEN COURT SEQUEL TO US. WEDDING LUNCHEON In the Supreme Court. New York. Judge Wasserman granted a motion made on behalf of Mr. Felix M. Warburg, banker, to take testimony at Malta of Lord and Lady Louis Mountbatten in a suit brought against him by Mr. Walter Hyams, advertising contractor, f0r1.550 for services rendered in connection with a luncheon given in New York in 1922. Mr. Hyams contends that the sum is due to him for arranging a luncheon in honour or Lord and Lady Louis Mountbatten when they were in the United States on their wedding trip, and for causing Mr. Warburg to be seated next to Lady Louis for business reasons. Mr. Hyams*s contention was that Mr. Warburg was seeking in 19.2 to secure more business from the British Government by playing on his slight acquaintance with Lord and Lady Louis Mountbatten. Mr. Warburg denies all the allegations of Mr. Hyams, and says he has known Lady Louis Mountbatten and her family since she was a baby. He had met Lord Louis in England months before the New York luncheon, and Mr. Hyams had no connection whatever with the introduction. Mr. Warburg also was granted a motion to take the evidence of Sir Felix Cassel and another relative of Lady Louis Mountbatten. in refutation of Mr. Hyams’s claim. WOMEN NOVELISTS HONOURED WORKS TO COMPETE FOR FEMINA PRIZE. PARIS The three works of imagination by women which have been selected by the Femina Vie Heureuse British Prize Committee to go to the French Committee in Paris are: “Goodbye Stranger,” by Stella Benson. “The Lovely Ship,” by Storm Jameson. “To the Lighthouse,” by Virginia Woolf. The French committee will select the one to which the Femina Prize will be awarded. Stella Benson in private life is Airs. O’Gorman Anderson, her husband being in the Chinese Custom Service. She has worked on a ranch in Colorado, been “help” in a San Francisco boardinghouse, teacher in an American University. She has shot tigers in India, and been under fire in the Chinese Civil War, while she was the first Englishwoman to penetrate into the Indo-Chinese province of Laos. Storm Jameson is a graduate of Leeds University. She gained a research scholarship held in London, where she won her M.A. by a thesis on the modern drama. And while she was working for her degree she lived on 12s a week. Her novels include: “The Pot Boils”; “The Happy Highways,” and “The Clash.” Virginia Woolf is the daughter of the late Sir Leslie Stephen, and wife of L. S. Woolf, literary editor of - the “Nation.” Her novels include “Mrs: Dalloway,” “The Common Reader,” and “Jacob’s Room.”