Fashion Hints for Islands Women
pp. 49-50 · Read in the full issue
By Therese.
UNDER Spring’s influence clothes are more fascinating than ever and pass ing strange it seems that in a season gay with colour navy should be the dernier cri.
Never has it risen to such heights as in this year of grace. It is Fashion’s most important dictate and the secret of its success may be read in the fact that the new season s colours take so kindly to it.
Varying shades of yellows, greens, blues, mauves and pinks come under its charm and it does exciting things to them all.
Unbelievably cool is the navy suit of lightweight silk, sporting beneath its open coat a jacquette of white sheer linen with huge gauntlet cuffs and demure quaker collar. For the dweller in the tropics the jacquette may be short sleeved, with the gauntlet cuffs an accessory to be attached to the coat. A navy hat with white under brim completes a picture well worthy of emulation.
Navy is in great demand for accessor ies, too, and the effect of blouse, shoes, hat and bag, worn with a suit of dusty pink (that new and very becoming shade) is entirely charming. Brown also does de lightful things to this lovely shade of pink, and whether it be a brown blouse worn with a suit, or buttons, belt, hat, shoes, and gloves of brown with a simple frock, immediate success is assured.
One suit, at least, must your wardrobe boast. Have it in any shade to please your individual taste and lift it to the heights by clever colour schemes in your accessories which, by the way, are more important than ever in these days when chic depends so much on bits and pieces cleverly and introduced.
Blouse And Skirt.
The blouse and skirt —that economical standby—is again enjoying well deserved popularity. Dear little blouses go straight to our hearts and —more materially—ap peal to our purses. They are of such negligible cost that we can afford to have as many as half a dozen to one well-cut linen skirt. A bit of kilting here, a bit of tucking there, a piece of lace, a softly falling jabot—truly the ways of the blouse are many and fascinating.
Skirts come to us for the most part pleated and well tailored. Those that do not carry pleats are of the simple two
piece variety—no longer do we see the skirt of many gores. All of them are slim and straight, emphasizing the new flat back figure which we rush to cultivate with unseemly haste. It is Grecian—then beautiful, of course.
With the new figure, the old type of foundation corset is as extinct as the dodo. The woman who cares buys the new two-way elastic foundation, with clever buttonless suspenders that lie smoothly under her slinkiest and most revealing gowns. Such a relief it is, for those button suspenders have ever been an enemy to the smooth svelte line.
Pleats and still more pleats for every occasion if you will be tres chic. Kiltings as trimmings predominate and are used in devious ways.
As a sole adornment for a flowered afternoon frock, large goffered fan bows are highlights of Spring. They spread from shoulder to shoulder, and oft times from their centre peeps the sweetest of field-flower posies, adding charm to charm.
A slim fitting evening gown of taffeta, rows of goffering trimming its swishing hem line, takes on a dual personality when over it Miss Ingenue pops a frock of organdi. The taffeta sash serves both occasions, and she pins a posy of real flowers high on the shoulder line. Ir. varying shades of green it is dewy as the morning, and would delight the heart of any maid be she blonde, brunette or in between.
Lace Prevalent
Lace is everywhere in Fashion’s picture.
Evening gowns of this cobwebby material are an ever-present stand-by in ones hour of need. Narrow laces edge collars and cuffs. Rows of wider laces, softly falling from neckline and sleeve lend an old world air and are reminiscent of our courtly and completely charming ances tors with their gaily coloured satins, their wigs and their ruffles of lace.
Lace incrusted lingerie is enchanting.
Motifs of coffee and paris lace are appli qued in many ingenious ways to our un dies and the result is ravishing. Flowered georgettes and crepe de chines claim us as devotees for undies —a delightful use for last season’s floral evening gown. A remnant of all-over lace supplies the little
necessary extra and keeps you up to the minute in slumber-time chic.
Floral georgette dressing wraps are charming accessories and ideal for a warm climate since they are light and airy, and will launder beautifully with ordinary care.
Hand stitchery is a feature of many summer models. Hand veining on light materials, cross stitch on linens, smock ing and Roumanian peasant embroidery on blouses, all add an expensive touc and an air of difference.
Cotton materials are all that could be desired. Fadeless ginghams, in checks and stripes and polka dots, pique voiles, batistes, muslins plain and figured or daintily sprigged come to us in delicious colourings.
Printed and plain ensembles offer in finite variety. The printed short sleeved frock with its loose coat, hip or three quarter length, evolved in linen, silk or cotton, is sure of success wherever it goes.
Stripes are in the forefront of fashion and when cut so that they run in different di rections are a sure winner.
Beach Wear.
More and more fascinating becomes our beach wear as it grows less and less. It has now reached an almost irreducible minimum. Beach frocks are entirely back less and sport matching capes or coats for modest moments, while shorts are shorter than ever before.
Shoes? Custom stales not their infinite variety. Beach shoes in gay striped awn ing, Roman, Grecian, Mexican sandals, sandals with body and sole held together by mere strips of rope or leather, all take their place in the gay mad whirl of Fash ion’s maelstrom.
For dashing out-of-door’s wear nothing is so triumphant as the two-tone sports shoes, and the “all hour” skirt frock that gives us yeoman service for so many oc casions would be incomplete without them.
White mesh shoes promise coolness for tropical climates, and when one considers the .possibilities of matching bag and gloves, they become even more attractive in our eyes and we hasten to acquire them.
Then there is the übiquitous court shoe.
It comes in tucked stitched, and wind swept designs and is always delightful.
Hats for utility and sports wear match our frocks. Linens, silks, cottons, what ever the frock, so will be the hat. A de lightful whim for which we are extremely grateful. Our afternoon hats are charming albeit amusing. Large saucer-like hats held in place by elastic which dis creetly hides itself under one’s locks, eyes smartly shadowed under new square brims, little provocative travesties of the sailor mode, flatly brimmed or pertly up turned, offer a wide choice for even the most exacting among us.