WHILE THE KETTLE BOILS

New Zealand Listener, Volume 3, Issue 53, 28 June 1940, Page 43

WHILE THE KETTLE BOILS

Dear Friends, The cold weather has started a pilgrimage. An endless procession of women-all with a determined glint in their eyes-to get that new winter coat. All of us know the doubts, the heartburning indecisions that lie between the start of this quest and the end of it. After all, a coat is something substantial: something that may have to face the rigours of two or three seasons, so it cannot be disposed of as easily as a morning frock or a new hat. New Zealand is a "coated" country. Be it January, July, or December, it is merely a question of which type of coat-be it silk, or rough tweed. Naturally, I am in on the pilgrimage, and, with a view to making a satisfactory choice, I have been reading up on the latest coats; for, though we do have to go muffled up, there is no reason why we should not be as fashionable about it as possible. Most of us possess an old makeshift coat, one that is always cosy and warm -cut wide-and that can go comfortably over our knees when we are in a car. It also accompanies us on humble shopping rounds and suchlike occasions. But we must also possess a covering for the better occasions-and of these the variety from which to choose is legion. 4 For example, you can choose the ever-popular swagger type of coat — tweed for smartness-hung from a shallow yoke, or from a small military, upturned collar. Buttons should be as expensive as our pockets will allow. And on the question of pockets, these handy inventions are at present very much to the fore-the larger the better. So, please, two big patch pockets, caught with matching buttons. A much more modish affair, of course, is the redingote, and this type of coat is really a safe investment, as it is becoming to every kind of figure. It can be made with the fullness at the back, held in by a tab and buckle of the material, or there are the fitted and

the flared types to choose from. Cape backs are there for those who like them, and a coat with a pleated front is an attractive and novel innovation. The double front coat, that can be buttoned back either side, or buttoned down the middle, is also proving very popular this season. It really gives the effect of having two separate coats. One very smart coat I saw recently was of dull-finish black cloth, cut high in the neck, and worn with a wide patent leather belt. This style, however, belongs to the slender. Soft wools, serge, checks and stripes, and a new printed woollen material which gives a charming effect, are all in demand. Anything goes-that’s the motto in the coat world to-day. There is one point, however, that a lot of women seem to overlook. You are going more or less to live in this coat which you are about to choose, so don’t spoil the effect by overlooking the accessories that you will wear with it. The smartest coat you can buy is going to fail if you wear any old kind of hat above it. Save, scrape, but do buy a smart hat to keep your coat company, The same goes for gloves, purse, and shoes. If all these are good, then you can cut out any further worry for the rest of the winter. Wherever you go, you will have that reassuring feelingthat you look "just right." For evening wear, again, you have a wide choice, but there is no hard-and-fast rule to bind you. You can experiment with different length capes or coats in velvets, lamé, cloche satins, and similar materials. Personally, I think a simple long, black velvet coat, lined with contrasting colour, looks regal and distinctive-besides lending much-needed protection on a winter’s night. Yours Cordially,

Cynthia