WOMAN'S WORLD

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 116, 24 August 1910, Page 6

WOMAN'S WORLD

A LETTER fl" ::,1 OKAIAWA. j A very successful social was held in the Town Hall on Friday evening. The Rev. Stent, in addressing a few opening remarks to those assembled, said he felt gratified to be able to state that the building fund had now reached £BO, and as the ground had already been generously donated .by a settler, ie hoped soon to see the building in progress. 'Be heartily thanked' all those who had assisted so nubly to raise the funds.. The stage was most artistically arranged as a drawing room, and huge bunches of spring flowers and ferns in 'bowls stood on small tables, finished in very dainty decorations. Much credit is due to Mrs. Mace, who had the whole responsibility of the decorations. A splendid supper was prepared by the ladies' committee, and the dainty homemade sweets were much appreciated. During the evening songs were sung by Miss NeiLon and Mrs. i,rimrod, of Hawera, also by Messrs Tarrant, Grace and Bain, also of Hawera; cornet solos were played by Messrs Mayne Bros. The orchestra, Mrs Betts, Miss Betts, and the Messrs Mayne, rendered excellent music •for the dance and was thoroughly enjoyed. Among those present were Mesdames Mace, Thompson, Betts, Grimrod, Johnstone (2), Stace, Edwards, Wells, Walsh, Smith, Neilson, Misses

Hunger, Mace, Guthrie, Neilson, Walsh, Eileen Johnstone, and mfeny others. The football ball at Okaiawa takes place early in September. LONDON FASHION NOTES. GRADUAL DECLINE OF THE '•HOBBLE." ■London July 8. 'London l is not the only important centre in 'Europe whicfh is experiencing a wet and gloomy summer. Conditions On the Continent are equally unpleasant, and- frequenters at the important 1 race meetings held at Longchamps and Auteuil have been obliged to take plenty of waterproof wraps, while the most, sensible have left their gossamer dresses j at home and worn coats and skirts. I One of the most important features | chronicled from Paris is to the effect that the exaggeratedly, narrow skirt is not worn by any women of the best j class. The skirts are still short, and if the material will allow there is an inclination to adopt the flat pariier drapery. | The most noticeable material in the tail- | oring world is moire; next come Liberty j satin, and then taffetas. Even at this time of the year navy (blue is asked for, i and one particularly neat race costume of this color and of moire was made with plain skirt, sufficiently full,about the ankles, a line of small buttons trimming the side, also the back of the broad box pleat. The little coat had the new broad soft falling revcrs of its own material and the waistline was raised just a tiny bit behind. It is fully expected that by the autumn the skimp skirt will have cast off its spell, wtoose fascination ■has been so difficult to appreciate. While, some of the chief dressmakers ■ in London and Paris have not persuaded I customers to tie themselves -up round ' the ankles, many others have done so—- | with much personal gratification, a keen i business instinct forecasting the possibility of something different being required at an early date —until at length a writer in the Figaro has some comment to miake on this current fashion. He says: "It is a dress with which you cannot step over a curbstone, nor into a carriage; a skirt in which you can't even make a call in a house unless there is an elevator." ECCENTRIC EFFECTS. .

i It is undeniable that one sees very eccentric effects in dress —the sheath-like gown remains, the extremely tight skirt is not yet a thing of the past, hats are very spreading and enveloping, particularly those flat of crown, the fashionable shoe is long and narrow and of black suede, relieved by a jet buckle on the I instep; stockings'are often very light in i color; necks are low, and they are growj ing lower—not merely are they decolle, ' they are rapidly.becoming decollete, even for the daytime; shoulders are seamless, and consequently very often sloppy, and there are voile 'effects which sometimes have quite queer results. The tighter the gown the larger seems to toe the hat selected to go with it. It is pointed out ' that the fashionable hat frequently | measures a metre (aibout 40 inches) and I a half round the brim, while the "smart" ' skirt is less thaii ia metre round the feet. The one essential point of difference 'vhers the very latest frock is con- < erimJ seems, to be the slighly draped • effect in front of the skirt.

THE WIDE HEM. Admit, then, that the binder skirt is not patronised byj the best dressed, but the hem of excessive depth and of odd' material certainly is, and this often looks to be as confining as the other narrow skirt. iEven the tailors are making their cloth and serge costumes with the deep-lhemmed skirt, this straight band carefully tucking away anything there may be of fullness about the upper portion. For the smart dress the materials used consist of mousseline, foulard, and Liberty satin, two of them being combined. Thus there is a passion at present for mousseline to be allied to Liberty or foulard; as a rule the under- ■ skirt is of the stouter fabric, the,tunic portion being of the mousseline made with seamless shoulders and elbowlength sleeves, the upper guimpe being either of very fine lace reaching to the base of the neck, or with a high collar, according to the taste of the wearer. Silk crepon trimmed with handsome Russian embroideries. /finds many patrons, and striped effects are much in request, the stripes being arranged horizontally and perpendicularly and diagonally on the same dress, the whole being then veiled with a transparent outer covering ©f black mousseline outlined with handsome silk embroidery. j Black and white effects are liked in I France, and the latest colors include | rose, Salome blue, all shades of soft grey, a peculiar green which is unplea- 1 santly reminiscent of a stagnant pool,

also "Chantecler" red, which is not the actual crimson of the cock's comb, but is a sort of rich cerise—an "unsquashed strawberry." "Faisau" is really a lovely red-gold, as of a gulden pheasant's wing, and it owes its origin to the same farmyard play, while a delightful peacock .blue, which cannot be used too generously without a veiling, is called "Le Roi.'' In London we see more delicate amethysts and lilacs and greys of all kinds. POPULAR STYLES. Writing from Paris, where novelties are being turned out for the plages, a chronicle]- of fashions remarks that nearly everything seems to be gathered or corded or piped. The gathers are to be seen on the beautiful airy mantles of ninon or mousseline-de-soiet, and are equally pleasing on the simple little frocks. Nowadays the fulness of the draped corsage is all worked into these rows of gathers, the corsage itself being merely a draped breadth of the material laid across the figure and meeting at the waist, while the "v" shaped opening thus left is filled with a guimpe of lace. To contrast with the "v" shaped line of drapery the guimpe is cut straight across the front,, the throat toeing left bare, while the same lines are repeated in the jupe by means of the double skirt, in which some people see the precursor of the pannier. The overdress is crossed in front, the top breadth making a long oblique line, and the under one is quite short. WATCH SIDE? Once again is the one-sided bodice and skirt drapery fashionable—but is it more correct .for the line to be from left to right, as usual, or vice versa? There seems to be a tendency to give the latter arrangement a turn. In other departments of dress,, too, the left side is being neglected to give the right a turn. Hats are frequently piled high with trimming on the right-hand side, the throw-over scarf ,has the ends flung over the right shoulder instead of the left, the hair ornament seems to be happier for the moment attached to the right side than' to the left, while when the hair is parted, there is a preference for it to fall with- a big sweep towards the right instead of to the right, sashes are tied at the right side, tunics are longer - at the rigiht side than at tihe left, unless their length is even alll round, and at the Grand Prix it was noticed that the majority of those wffO' carried the new embroidered Oriental reticules—wore the cord slung with a gold or silver cord over the right shoulder. One-sided draped bodices are usually rather distinguished-looking, and on'£ dress lately from Paris had the 'bodice almost Wholly of white lace, with a drapery of muslin at the right side starting from ! the shoulder anil finishing in the middle i ; of the waist; the elbow sleeves were of! ; lace, and bands of the same trimmed the I skirt of white silk muslin.

WHAT ABOUT THE INB3CK-BAND?

There are many people who like the, decolle neck—merely collarless, that is, | but there is a growing tendency for the, day ibodice to 'be quite decollette, the neck being cut weil away at the sides j and with a respectable depth of "v": back and front. But few people can be so daring as this, and fewer still havej any desire to look so eonspicubus in the; day-time. The dress collar, upstanding, is quite orthodox for all who wish to have it, but it is no longer desirable that the collar band should foe headed toy a fluffy frilling. The only finish allowed is a straight band of tulle or of ribbon sewn round the top; sometimes the ribbon is peaked, ibut it is never full. Econo-mically-minded people who have yiards of full neck frilling lying .by are taking it out of the band and using it in sthuiglit folds on the top of their collars; this gives the need touch of softness, and at the same 'time is an economical way of disposing of something perishable that might never be u=ed. When neck frillings were in fashion many of them cost several shillings a yard. Considerable care is exercised in making the upright collar fit the neck in shapely manner; it is practically always transparent—of fine ehiffon or tulle or patterned net. Of course there are many people who like the bodice minus its neckband, and for such there is great choice in the departments devoted to the turned down Claudine and Pierrette collars or lawn of lace ruched and gathered and laceedged. Stout women who prefer the bare neck ought not to wear the Claud- ! ine collar—a simple outlining of the dej colle with a cord or a fold of silk is I' more becoming to them. I look forward (writes Julia Evert , Robb in the' Outlook, New York)—-some-time more, sometimes less, hopefully—ito the establishing, in every community having a certain number of families, of a Central House where domestic workers may live, where novices may ibe trained, where a restaurant may ibe maintained to serve breakfasts to the business men

I look forward (writes Julia Evert Robb in the' Outlook, New York)—-some-time more, sometimes less, hopefully—to the establishing, in every community having a certain number of families, of a Central House -where domestic workers i may live, where novices may ibe trained, where a restaurant may ibe maintained to serve breakfasts to the business men and women wlio must leave home too early for a family meal, \yhere dinner j or luncheon parties might be given up-l on an order; a house containing small I but comfortable and pretty bedrooms, | several sitting-rooms, and a large as-i sembly-room for dancing and general J social occasions. The boarders need noti be exclusively domestic helpers, of course. | There,might also ibe rooms for women of, other trades who would no longer scorn to associate with a "kitchen girl" if she were living like a lady, mistress of her-| self. The house would ibe in no sense -ai charity—an institution —only a means toj enable us housekeepers to be assisted by, self-respecting, intelligent, trained work-] ers. One such Central House established! and in working order would be a guarantee to the enterprise of other communities and a proof <tha.t women are capable <?f initiative as well as with the' acumen and fidelity wit'h whom they are already credited.