Fashion Hints for Islands Women

By Therese

FASHION never seems to tire of using cotton in her scheme of things.

Whether for day or evening wear, it is delightful. Crisp starched cottons are lovely for the very young, when made with full swing skirts, puff sleeves, and tiny bodices.

Cottons, of course, are ideal for the tropics. They look so fresh and cool — which is half the battle towards keep ing cool —and they have the added vir tue of being washable. Bold designs are sought for evening frocks.

Voiles make charming frocks, and the uncrushable variety is worth the little extra cost a dozen times over. Linen, too, is always ideal and whether used for spectator sports frocks or tailored suits is absolutely distinctive.

Dark linen is the glamour fabric nowa days—black, navy and burgundy are con fident of success, when gayed with crisp white accessories. If your fancy strays towards contrasts you can wear navy with duck egg blue, black with almost any colour, and burgundy with all those lovely dusky pink shades. Spots make good contrast, as do multi-colour stripes.

Lime green is a lovely shade that goes with navy or black. It is attractive, too, in a suit with a candy pink scarf tucked in at the neckline. Have the skirt pleat ed all round and stitched to the hips and make the jacket with flap pockets.

The new “carbon” shade is good, too — it is a definite blue-green that could be worn equally well with black accessories or a glowing purple.

QOMEHOW, I think we all will like the charming mid-season’s offerings— tailor-mades with either short or long jackets; but the strictly tailored style has been superceded by decorative and unusual details giving a truly fem inine air. Heavy silks and linens are the medium used, and if the weather cools they give way to light weight wools.

The perfect answer to the question, “What shall I wear?” is the trim little tailored day dress with all the new sea son’s smartness that comes from a yoked bodice, a neat stitched collar, and short well-shaped sleeves. The skirt i$ pleat ed and stitched to the knees.

You may still take your choice between frocks that mould the figure or those which suggest the Victorian era, but whatever your choice, you must live up to it. Accessories play such an import ant part to-day that frocks depend en tirely on them for ornamentation. Neck lets have returned to favour and mul tiple strands of ruby and emerald beads do marvellous things to a simple frock of black. Costume jewellery is more im portant than ever, and necklaces, brace lets. ear-rings and dress clips are well to fashion’s forefront with infinite vari ety of design. For evening, jewellery is massed at the throat in exotic fashion.

It all began with the high hair do that calls for glamorous detail. Black velvet ribbons are tied at the throat and a cluster of flowers is pinned engagingly to it either in front or becomingly under one ear.

MUFFS are making a bold bid for re cognition. The evening muffs are enchantingly pretty and frivolous.

In many instances they are extremely diminutive almost doll’s size and are trimmed with flowers or little bows of velvet ribbon.

For day wear, gloves are wrist length or just above. They are simple and in

many cases hand stitched, while for afternoons gay flowers are embroidered on them or they are cut mitten fashion.

Kid, suede, lace and fabrics are used in their making. Evening gloves are of long white suede or fine kid, lame and even satin. Wrist length gloves of period design are worn to contrast with the gown.

Bead embroidery has returned to favour and lace frocks are sequin-trimmed in attractive designs. Copper coloured thread ousts gold and silver from pride of place on hems, pockets, and sleeves.

Bags are gradually extending their handlers, and the under-arm variety is

seen less frequently. Large sensible bags with long handles are ideal with long suits. The bunch bags with long handles are definitely period and feminine of 1900 vintage.

HATS these days are all felt or straw, small and sometimes crownless.

Here and there one sees a wide brimmed hat, but only here and there!

Ribbons, fruit and flowers (loads of them!) are banked on the crown or bunched in front in intriguing fashion; and then, of course, veils do the rest.

Oft-times a cocktail or dinner hat con sists of a mere wisp of veil with a huge flower perched on the side of the head.

Tams are in again, neither cloche or beret, but a mixture of each. They are tipped so far forward and at a slant that they need a head grip in the shape

of.a ribbon band to keep them in posi tion.

The hair styles have influenced hats, too. One has so many period styles to choose from in hair dressing. For even ing there is the eighteenth century Pom padour elegance which calls for a taffeta dress and a ribbon round the throat; the 1860 romanticism that goes so well with the crinoline; and the Edwardian sophistication that calls for jewelled combs and looks so worldly-wise. They are all enchanting and give a new zest to life.

Vishnu Prasad, of P.O. Box 17. GP.O., Suva, Fiji, who is 14 years of age, wishes to correspond with pen friends of either sex, in other countries. “Interested in stamp collecting and exchange of post cards.”