Fashion Hints For Islands’ Women.

(By “Therese”.)

IN the spring the feminine fancy lightly turns to thoughts of clothes—and such clothes! Frocks lovely beyond belief, with the fragrant beauty and colour of an old world garden! So becoming are they, that even the most plain among us becomes attractive under the softening influence of things beautiful.

The new anticrease voiles bring loud cheers from the tropics. They have the additional virtue of being fadeless and their hues rival those of the rainbow.

There are blues, pinks, and amethysts for the flawless blonde, while the greens and deeper shades of rose and glowing yellows make the brunette a delight to the eye. Buttercup yellow, that lovely sunshine shade, is first favourite, and attractive little frocks and short coats appear in it for both day and evening wear.

Even a soft, misty grey is touched up with it, for no colour is allowed to be cold and “Let’s Be Gay” is spring’s decree.

Collars are a feature of the new season’s clothes, and whether they be double, single, flower-petalled, or plain, we hail them with delight. Bows, too, play an important part. Large cat’s

whiskers bows, little bows, floppy, squashy or tailored ones, we use them all and their success is complete.

Our old love, the square neck, promises to return to us. It is youthful and need never be hard in these days of twisted scarves and feminine bows. We aim for the square look about our shoulders, too, and this is attained with the new cartridge pleats or shoulder tucks.

Assuredly, for any aquatic carnival the smartest beach wear is the ensemble, in cluding shorts and wrap skirt, buttoned half way down the centre. The blouse to which the shorts and skirt button is a little high-necked affair, and is worn with a flaring artist’s bow. Slacks share equal popularity, but are successful only for the slim, boyish figure.

Nothing cheers us up so much these days as a jacket, especially the swish back or swagger variety. They can be made in any material that suits your re quirements. Little shoulder capes and frills solve the problem of sleeves and makes them ideal tropical wear. Loose and flowing, they have a definitely swag ger air, which earns for them their name.

Checks are worn with plain and plain

with checks, and even the little polka dot in cambric or tobralco is popular.

Although there is not much change in the evening silhouette, with its slim, straight lines, with width at the hem for comfort, there is a variety of decollettes.

High in front, low in the back, or both front and back both demurely high, with discreet slit down the back to show the teeniest glimpse of velvety skin. Some have sleeves, some none, some sport epu lette but all are charming. Stripes and checks become increasingly popular for evening wear and on the tall girl are delightful.

For day wear, hundkerchiefs play an important role. Striped or checked ones are tied through your belt or stuck in the skirt pocket of your sports clothes and give a very jaunty air.

Concerning Hats.

No matter how grimly utilitarian your wardrobe may be, there is always the occasion when for the soul’s salvation, you let yourself dream of extravagances until eventually you succumb—a hat, let us say, a lovely model in pale pink baku straw, with soft crown of the palest pink feathers tipped with a deeper shade of rose. Thoroughly impractical when one considers pitiless tropical suns, but so tempting with its complete beauty that the still small voice of conscience is al most unheard.

However, there are hats that combine beauty and utility, too, and the wise woman makes these her choice. They vary in size from the jaunty little pull on to the cartwheel variety, and are very attractive. You can have dozens of the little, inexpensive washing hats with their perky bows of ribbon or organdie popping up unexpectedly at all angles.

It’s all in the way you wear your hat, too, which makes or mars the perfection of your ensemble. Tilted well forward over one eye is the fashionable angle of the moment. It is very becoming and is chic personified!

A Jaunty Little Hat.

Crocheted in Silk.

This novel little hat, with its jaunty brim and bandeau fitting over the hair at the back, has three oval-shaped open ings in the crown to reveal the wavy hair beneath, and is most attractive to wear. It looks equally well worked in white, or in colours. The whole hat is worked in simple treble crochet, and the three sides of the crown are joined by a crochet triangle at the top. The tiny brim should be wired at the edge to make it set well.

Materials required: 1 ounce 2-ply crochet silk, a metal crochet hook, size about 12. The trebles are worked at a tension to produce about 12 stitches to 2 inches in width.

Make 111 ch. for the bottom of the crown, and join with a sl.-st. Into this ring work 6 rounds of tr., working st, into st. Then work 37 tr. Tur. No on these 37 tr. work back wards and forwards.

Ist row: Decrease 1 tr. every 7th tr. 2nd. 3rd and 4th rows: Decrease 1 tr. every 6th tr. sth row: Decrease 1 tr, every sth tr. 6th, 7th and Bth rows; Decrease 1 tr, every 6th tr. 9th row: Decrease 1 tr. every sth tr. 10th row: Decrease 1 tr. every other tr.

Break off silk and work two other points in exactly the same way, starting with 37 tr. on the original circle.

To make the triangle at top of hat, wind silk 6 times round two fingers, and into this ring work 36 d. cr. Join with a sl.-st. Then work * 8 d. cr. into ring. 4 d. cr. into top of point.

Repeat from * 3 times, thus joining the three points and the triangle together.

The Brim.—The brim is also worked in tr.

Make 132 ch., and join into a ring with a sl.-st. (Continued over leaf.)

ist round: Crochet 2 tr. into every 9th ch., and 1 tr. into other ch. 2nd and 3rd rounds: Work 2 tr. into every sth st. 4th round: D. cr. into every st. of last round. sth round: D. cr. into every st. of last round, working over a brim wire.

To make up:—Sew the brim on the edge of the crown in front, to come down over the right eye, and slope it up towards the back, so that at centre-back it is sewn on to the last row before the beginning of the three points.

The Cunard tourist liner, “Fran conia,” is expected to arrive in Fiji on February 17 next year in the course of a world cruise.

The Matson liner, “Lurline,” carrying

a party of American tourists will arrive in Suva, Fiji, on February 7, 1934.