WOMAN'S WORLD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 194, 25 January 1915, Page 6

WOMAN'S WORLD.

FASHION NOTES FROM LONDON. . It is not * simple mutter tc write o dress ami fashions just now when iiacl wok, each (lay sometimes, with its freah casualty list, mills dozens, scores or hun (In (Is to those already in mourning, when money is not too pi -utifusl and spirits too serious to allow of much of tl'e joy th.it can, in norm il I inns, be got out of dress. Nevertheless, tin; actual dutv, at this time, of looking one's best and brightest, is recognised by the dies not themselves Sit, and shops ar; doing their utmost to look attractive and tempting. Tartan materials are in favor, not being overdone, ami can be i:ia<le into warm, cheery-looking toilettes. Notliiiifj at all startling in th::de is being worn, but cull's and collars of nil, orange, pi rple or green are wel.iom-

e,!, if not too vivid. Ocsceiit-shaped mulls are new ideas.. These, unlike the large ones of other I shapes in fashion, have only small open-1 ings, near the horns of the crescent, for the hands. ■ M | Russian tunics, which are, of course, long and loose, and generally buttoned, | or fastened in some wise, closely from i the neck to their hem. are a great boon |

to the amateur dressmaker. Hanging straight from the shoulder, they require | no fitting, and arc; quite easy for the j novice to make. Made over an old even- j ing frock, or old-fashioned tight silk skirt, they can be used to turn many an otherwise useless garment into a really serviceable gown. The best materials to use for these tunics are supple ones, such as crepe, cashmere, nun's veiling. or wool-sack satin. Cloths that do not drape well require to be cut and fitted with some skill, and therefore are not to be recommended for the amateur. When an outdoor costume is being renovated, about a foot of the old skirt should be shown below the overskirt. Glycerine-treated ornaments, so widely fashionable hero last season, when ribbons, leaves and even hats c.imc un der the spell, are not much seen th winter, though now, actually, ostrv ornaments mainly in pom-pom shapes, are finished so. Wine color 1 holds many possibilities if it is judiciously chosen and worn. It is out of the ordinary run of colors—a valuable hint for she of few pounds—and can

easily enough be dyed when it is con- . sideri-d to have appeared often enough j in its own shade. In that it is a warm j tint and rich-looking a pale, fair girl | will find that it lends her distinction, while it, naturally, becomes a dark wearer also. While 1 rimming should never be used with it. but ivory or creams' net. lane or good chiffon, and bands of dark velvet, the latter used rather sparingly, will make an effective finish. The smartest tailored shirt blouses for morning wear are in wide stripes, cream and some delicate tint, made of viyella or of substantial English washing silk, perfectly plain with neat collars and lapels; while there are all sorts of dainty ties in soft silk or satin or austere lined or imlincd moire for wear- {

ing with these. For new veils we also draw inspiration from the Russians, and very pretty the last examples are, destined for weal in the country, long like motor veils, and of Russian net -with borders and ends of niiinii The hat. colored and of plain felt, anil veil are always of the same shade. The "natural" waist is not a small one for all women, and since each year undoubtedly sees a greater number, eschewing corsets, it is interesting 11 note that the latest fashions of indooi gowns and outdoor ones destined for wear under coats, have wide, loose belts. The high rucked waistbelts! pointed at the top in front, that finish silk indoor toilettes, also allow for as much looseness as desired, though these latter may be straight at the bottom of the normal waistline, so that she who is not slenderish round the hips should adopt them carefully. A new stock of pleated black moire, ~\vith two uneven ends in front and a bow made by simply pleating a piece of the ribbon plainly, vertically, o\el the other at the very front, has a ver< high rounded white muslin collar aj the back, none at the front, but curved back, lily fashion, at the sides. Becoming spencers we should oncj have thought were things impossible of attainment, hut now really pretty ones "house-jackets,'' can be made at home, of soft, fleecy worsted, in pretty shades that still form good chest-protectors, if these are required, for wear with an open coat. A turn-back white collar should finish them, and neat tie cuffs, in, as a suggestion, '.lack moire. i.arge elaborate combs can again be used now that coifl'.;rcs are all piled up high.

DO WOMEN DRESS TO PLEASE MEN? Oneo more the old question has been revived: Do women dress to please men, or to be admired or envied by other women? Tlie Melbourne Age. in a lengthy article dealing with the subject, fives the opinion that a definite conclusion would never be reached, each view containing a certain element of truth. Yet the proportion of evidence adduced seems to hold the argument that women adopt dazzling raiment for the purpose of fascinating men, and not from a mean desire to make their friends envious.

Still, in the opinion of this writer, there is much to he said for the other side, for men. as a rule, are not really 'sufficiently versed in feminine fashions to know if you are wearing next season's fashion or those of the one before last. They know if a gown pleases them, or if the general effect is good, hut to discriminate between the subtle difference of the silhouettes of yesterday and to-day, or the line of demarcation that exists between a bouffant tunic and the one that drapes itself around the hips in straight lines, is rather beyond them. So that one is forced to the conclusion that men are not considered at all in the wild pursuit after the very latest, which some women affect: indeed, men are generally shy of new fashions. Probably it is because there is such a peaceful monotony about their own garments, but whatever the reason, the fact remains that they very often view new fashions (particularly! if they are rather a bold departure from existing conditions'* <cith the greatest distrust and suspicion. Tf they are very brave, and the wearer belongs to their own family, they frequently lodge a timid protest: many an intrepid "man went on strike when asked to accompany his wife to a social gatherintr when narrow skirts first ramp in. TTe made tender enquiries about the wide and flowing skirt of yesteryear, and endeav-| ored to persuade her to wear it, and of I

course got properly snubbed for hip. pains Men fnvc an extreme fondness for the things they have become accusturned to- they are largely creatures of habit. Lots of women say it is merely a new way of disguising their distaste for paying bills for new clothes, but let us give them the benefit of the doubt the other way. Witness their affection nf old coats and old ha(s : this is not! adopted from views of economy, for we all know that men n"ver economise nu their own pleasures.

So. therefore, one is predisposed (o believe that the never-eeasin<* pursuit of fashion of which some women make a fetish owes its origin more to a I desire ; ••■■ i one better'' than lh"ir sister- fine with the idea of dazzlinir men. W -n that much has been said, it may :>e conceded that the study of attract!' e dressing (which is not necessarily fishionable dressing)) is in very many • ,tscs adopted to please men. As a writer in the Age very justly remarks,

mateh-making mothers frankly recognise the importance of clothes. And the girl whose chief object in life is to find a husband, is ncarlv always well versed in the art of dress; she usually lias the knack of choosing clothes that suit her

and of putting them on well; she ;s j often skilful and 'painstaking at makin;them herself On the other hand, the j type of girl which fills the uiiiversit; • class-rooms usually shows little self consciousness about dress, even if he: taste is good and \t r income large. Unlike the girl whose upbringing or disposition makes matrimony the only tolerable career, the young student, except in rare cases, is not consciously set on finding a husband. So she does not need 1 to cultivate the art of dress as a serious and important concern, and can afI ford to be comparatively indifferent to ' t fine clothes. That is an argument in fa- ! vor of the contention that women only. ! study dress for the sake of pleasing I men.

Another lies in the fact that many a girl who, before marriage, has been very particular about dress, becomes almost ] indifferent to the question afterwards. j Male cynics ascribe this to the fact that, I having attained her object—that is, a husband —there is no longer the necessity of making the very best of herself. The reason is often very different; it is sometimes only a question of time. A j girl does not realise how much of that j valuable commodity she has to herself until she comes to contrast her days of ' spinstorliood with the crowded cares of • married life. 1 However, whatever may be said, no | one will deny that it is a woman's natural desire to make the most of her attractions of form aul feature, be the motive what it may. As a noted writer once remarked, women die two deaths —the day on which this desire is no more, and the. day when they actliallv cease to exist.

MAN-BUILT HOUSES

If the Tin>n who designed house--, worn "ompcllod to dr> tlio housework in them the domestic problem would soon be uilveil, says nil American writer, commenting on the inconvenient domestic arrangements of most Australasian bouses. There is, perhaps, nothing so out of diite as the average kitchen offices. They belong to the time before Australasia was known, when 'EiHish j people went in for heavy dinners,"™,! , the housewife spent practically the whole of her time superintending (lie domestic arts, some of which are now (lone m the factory or bakehouse. The offices of business bouses are now mostly replete with every labor-saving device, but domestic arrangements will never be brought to the same "up-to-clatencss" until women bring their influence to bear on domestic architecture. J he difficulties are contructional and fundamental and no ingenious fittings v. ill effectual y alter a house that has been des.gncl wrongly in the first instance. Moji forget that every pa,,. oxtra to clean. Kitchens, therefor* »nould be compact, and well fitted with' convenient cupboards. . . Jliese should be made of the correct LT *r n t - those 1 iings v,1,,,, ,t ,s intended to put into All cupboards should be shallow and o, ni„ fr * T dL 7- ™* h '"'e Soon! o mns or shding back so that the »h»!e cupboard ,s exposerd to vicw ' <T>Tthmg is easily sron Rlld '"• Jh( ' r '.' slxmld be no open shelves re ser''h"'"■ ~° \°" P p,, ' an - The crockery usuaiykcpton d ouHbi / s I '■> o'.iilt-in cupboards.