Feminine Interests

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 622, 26 March 1929, Page 5

Feminine Interests

Miss 1950 will Wear Trousers

Women Clad in Chemicals

Many New Materials

LONDON, January 30. The time has come when women may walk abroad dressed entirely in chemicals. To-day at the Artificial Silk Exhibition at Olympia, writes a fashion correspondent, I watched mannequins, slim and slinky, undulating across the stage wearing clothes of cellulose acetate and viscose (the trade name for artificial silks) dyed In the various lovely shades of Durauthrene, Durindone, DuranoJ, Dlspersol and Caledon —the trade names for a special range of colours capable of being imprinted permanently on artificial silk.

Meanwhile, a chemical expert stood beside me and told me the composition of artificial silk. To a layman, it sounds like a doctor’s prescription. Some of the components are acetic acid, ammonia, ammonium sulphate, calcium chloride, carbon bisulphide, caustic soda, ether, hydrated lime, hydrochloric acid, liquid chlorine, lime, soda ash, sodium bicarbonate, sodium hypochlorite, sodium peroxide, sodium sulphide, sodium sulphate, sodium sulphite, sulphur dicbloride, sulphuric acid, sulphuryl chloride.

Many New Names With the advance of the artificial silk industry—Britain is now the second largest producer in the world, and manufactures 50,000,000 pounds a year —is growing up a new vocabulary. “Viscose” and “cellulose acetate” are simple words to remember beside the myriad of new ones which have been coined for new materials. Besides composite words, such as sedachene, sedasylk, syl-de-chene, kathraye and kathrene, there is jappe, viscovetta, fashionique, junella. martialine, royluxe, adalia, astrophel and damon. These represent dress fabrics of various kinds, from gleaming moire watered silk that looks exactly like the real article, to gossamery patterned ninons. It is, by the way, the first time that artificial silk ninons and georgettes have been procurable in such close imitation of real silk. They will be sold retail at about half the cost. There is even an artificial silk riug velvet, which washes.

Four new colour names are launched at this exhibition. They are pewter, liqueur, menthe and lueifer. Some of the designs for printed materials are startling. One summer material had a design all over it like blue-green waves breaking, while another, called “The Escalator,” was obviously a futuristic inspiration derived from London’s underground system.

Comfort of Trousers

Exhibition organisers in London recently seem unable to resist one representation of Miss 1950. At the Artificial Silk Exhibition she was shown in a three-piece walking costume, consisting of a coat, waistcoat —and trousers. The coat had swallow tails that trailed on the ground, and to dress for dinner she removed her cravat and took off her coat. The elaborate waistcoat was sleeveless. There were several modes of trousered costumes ou view, including Lido suits and cocktail suits. One of the latter was of black and “afterglow” (a kind of orange-pink). It had breeches, lace cravat, black gauntlet sleeves trimmed with lace, and a waistcoat with diamante buttons. A woman expert in charge of the mannequin display told me that she was confident that “long before 1950. trousers will be the accepted fashion for women, out of doors as well as indoors. They are so comfortable.” Displays of curtain and furnishing fabrics were other interesting features of the exhibition. Although Madras curtains have been generally unfashionable in England for the last six years, Australia and New Zealand buy large quantities. The Duchess of York is one of the few here to keep a liking for Madras —as those who pass 145 Piccadilly may often see. This season, many London furnishing firms have placed large orders for it. But it is Madras with a difference, for the cotton net ground is elaborately woven with brilliantly hued artificial silk. Other new curtain fabrics have names such as tafeteen, marana, astral, lucida and arania.

RE-DECORATING THE HOME

SOME TIMELY SUGGESTIONS

To get the best results when redecorating the home, study, forethought and handicraft are required; also knowledge of the effect produced by various colours aud draperies. It will be helpful to remember that light colours are more stimulating than dark ones; deeper shades, while lending greater dignity to a large room, merely make a small room appear smaller tliau it really is. Now, as to colours, red gives a seasa of warmth and is stimulating, while blue spells coolness and quiet. A colour that induces cheerfulness and gives an appearance of increased size is yellow in all its shades. Light green is another cheerful colour, while dark green is reposeful. Grey is neutral, but very pleasing when combined with yellow or orange hangings. Lavender, strangely enough, produces a sense of irritation when employed in any quantity, and, for this reason, should be sparingly used in interior decoration.

WINDOW HANGINGS AND DRAPERIES

Plain window hangings and draperies go best with figured wall papers, and figured draperies with plaiu wall coverings. Fine casement cloth, unbleached linen, and the various silk mixtures are inexpensive materials that make pretty hangings for windows. Hygiene urges that all draperies and floor coverings be easy to remove for cleaning purposes. If the floor is in a very poor condition, cover it with plain linoleum. A concave moulding nailed along the baseboard will save hours of cleaning. In choosing furniture, try to express repose by having all the pieces in harmony as regards colour and style. A GOOD IDEA When considering brie-sr brae for your rooms, ask yourself these questions: How much will it add to the character of the room? How much will it add to the work of housekeeping? The Japanese idea represents a high type of artistic decoration; only the necessary furniture and one or two ornaments are permitted in a room, all other objects of art being kept in a chest, and brought out, turn by turn, when change is desired. C.R.J.

If you find that the gummed flan* of your envelopes have stuck, place the envelopes on a table on a verandah at night, flaps uppermost. In the morning each will open easily. Dust those you do not at once require with a little boracic powder, which will prevent them from sticking again.

BUFFET MEALS FOR HOME ENTERTAINMENT

The hostess who has limited space and limited means, yet rejoices in many friends aud acquaintances, should study the buffet method of home entertainment.

The simplest way of arranging a buffet is to have a long table across one end of the room, where hot tea, coffee, soup, aud various dishes are dispensed. The table is covered with a white cloth, decorated with flowers, fruit and tall caudles. Though there must be no overcrowding, foods, of every kind may be arranged on the table, with plates, forks, spoons, glasses, etc., conveniently placed so that guests may help themselves. Tea and coffee at one end and hot soup at the other, is a good arrangement. The latter is, of course, served in cups. Cold drinks are best arranged altogether on a side table, and a man guest will often assist the hostess by dispensing these. For the more substantial dishes, select things which may be taken on a fork—patties of lobster or chicken, sausage rolls, game iu aspic, and, of course, sandwiches in variety, each dish being labelled according to the filling. SWEET DISHES AND ICES

Sweets also should be easy to manage with a fork or spoon; trifle, jelly in glasses, charlotte russe and so on, with cheese straws for those who prefer savouries. Ices may be served either as sandwiches between wafers, or spread between flat round spongecakes, sprinkled with chopped nuts, and cut into wedge-shaped sections. The great tiling to remember when planning a buffet meal is not to attempt more than you can accomplish. Hot soup; a few really good dishes and sufficient of each; some tastefully arranged and decorative sweets; wine cup, sparkling or still; good coffee and good tea —what more could any guest desire?

BEGINNING AGAIN

For most of us, life is a queer series of ups aud downs. We have our hours of loneliness aud of ideal companionship; our tender little idealisms and our cynical reactions; our moments of inspired effort and of something akin to despair. We have known the stimulus of new thoughts, new associations, and the sense of staleness that defeats them all. Such contrasts we learn to take for granted as the years bring their repetitions of good and ill. When all is said, there is but one vital question we need ask ourselves to discover whether it has beeu worth while. Has there been any spiritual growth? If, without self-deception or boasting, we can answer in the affirmative, life is still ours to love and to conquer. The dead past can bury its dead. It weighs as nothing in the balance of the soul. Capacity for growth means capacity to start anew. Nothing matters if we can begin again. The growing process will go on and on, rewarding us with some new richness for every setback that lias taught us how to keep our hands to the plough.