Evening star. [volume], December 30, 1939, Page B-3, Image 17

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

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Review of the Outstanding Modes of 1939 Sees Many Likely to Continue
- «-—- - ■ —
Fashions Set in the Past
Year Include Bustles,
Snoods and Corsets
Next Twelve Months Should
Find Other Equally Smart
Trends Being Introduced
By HELEN VOGT.
Unless you plan to go into strict hibernation for the next few days,
It’s going to be pretty difficult to escape all the reminiscences of 1939 events
which are destined to haunt you.
Be prepared to drink the details of world affairs along with the last
of the eggnog, munch on fruit cake and business statistics, and sweep
the pine needles off the carpet to the accompaniment of a summary of
political events.
And don't think that this department is going to let you escape.
We’ve been interested lately in looking back over the fashion trends
of the last 12 months. It’s really amazing the way oertain styles have
caught on. modes that our grandmothers started revived once more,
and those ideas at which we scoffed in 1938 found a high popularity the
following year.
To our minds, one of the most interesting fashions of this last year
was the bustle. True, it didn’t live very long in its original state, but
the variations on this theme have been incorporated in some of the
smartest clothes. The bustle eventually developed into “back fullness”
and has made for smart detailing in the back of dresses as well as in the
front. This detailing, we believe, is to continue, for it is attractive and
well liked by the majority of women.
Next on the list of fads that started as a loud noise and ended up as
a mere squeak, was the back-laced*!1
corset, us ianure was amiusi as
sured from the start, for modern
women are too spoiled by foundation
garments that fit well, but don’t bear
any resemblance to a strait jacket
to be cajoled into a boned and un
comfortable corset. However, here
again the variation became the rule,
and corseted waistlines found their
way into clothes, with a mere sug
gestion of the laced-in look to be
found. A small waistline is the rule,
but it’s not to be acquired by harsh
corseting ... for which we are suit
ably grateful.
Then there was the snood which
rose into the fashion sky of 1939.
This has been one of the tremen
dous successes of the season, due
to its adaptability and comfort.
Straggly hair found a welcome home
beneath a concealing snood, and
while hairdressers bemoaned the
unhappy day that brought these
items to the fore, women rejoiced
in them for sport wear, daytime
and evening. According to our cal
culations, these should be good for
a number of months more, but then,
who can tell? Look at the fate of
the wimple.
Of real interest was a trend that
affected every' last one of us: The
Victorian theme. This idea, which
sprang into real prominence during
1939, has become firmly implanted
in fashions and is evident in any
number of smart modes including
the all-important muff, frills and
furbelows on clothes, high-cut shoes
that are almost boots, old-fashioned
Jewelry, including heart-shaped
lockets and cameos, and the revival
of pelerines in luxury furs. Faille
and other stiff fabrics were other
old-timers revived in 1939 for any
number of smart costumes.
This last year has left two sil
houettes firmly implanted in our j
minds. First, there is the swing !
skirt, adapted from the original j
models shown in 1938. However,!
the new ones are slightly shorter |
and fuller, and often take such I
named ad uaucnua omiio ui aiwatsug
skirts. The bouffant type of dress
found great acceptance this last
year. The second outstanding sil
houette was the sheath-like pencil
slim line which was associated with
Schiaparelli. This took well in cer
tain types of clothes, but did not
reach the heights of the swing skirt,
due to the fact that it is difficult to
wear, and requires a slender figure,
well proportioned.
Among the accessories to be noted
as outstanding were first, “junk”
Jewelry, lots of glitter in the form
of heavy necklaces, dangling brace
lets and more passamenterie than
we would have dared to wear a few
years ago. However, it is our per
sonal opinion that the trend toward
ornate jewelry is slowly veering off.
It is, you know, the kind of thing
that becomes tiresome, and if we
were to hazard a purely personal
guess, without speaking to the au
thorities, we would give elaborate
junk jewelry Just a short lifetime in
1940.
Needless to say, turbans have
been proclaimed one of the high
lights of the past 12 months. They’re
wonderful, and will, we hope, con
tinue to please the milliners and
the buying public for some time to
come.
And there, to our minds and the
minds of many fashion authorities,
are the outstanding high styles of
the past year. Far be it from us to
guess what this year will bring
forth, but there are a few predic
tions we feel safe in mentioning. The
first is jackets. From all indica
tions, our spring clothes, especially,
will feature them even more stren
uously than they have done before.
The second is feather hats, which,
while they are likely to have a short
life, seem to be in for a great wave
of popularity. Muffs, too, seem slated
for bigger and better buying. Our
New York correspondent even sug
gests that we might see organdy
ones next summer 1 Now top that,
if you can!
Smoothly Fitting Slip
Gives Slender Lines
1821-B
By BARBARA BELL.
Designed especially for large sizes,
this slip assures a perfection to fit
that you can’t otherwise achieve. Not
that it is difficult to make. In fact,
it’s very simple. But skillful design
ing has placed darts under the arms,
to give ease and not a trace of loose
ness or bulkiness over the bust. Darts
at the waistline mold it in to your
figure, a smooth silken sheath be
neath your fitted dresses. You can
make it either strap style or with
built-up shoulders. Pattern provides
for both.
You’ll want a whole wardrobe of
such slips, light and dark, and now's
the time to make them, when you
can get grand values in the fabric
aales—luxurious pure dye satins and
lingerie crepes. You can afford
long-wearing luxury fabrics, when
you make your own.
Barbara Bell Pattern No. 1821-B
to designed for sizes 36, 38, 40, 42, 44,
46, 48, 50 and 52. Size 38 requires
a A
2% yards of 39-inch material for
built-up shoulders; 2% yards with
straps! 1 yard ribbon for straps.
It’s smart to sew your own! It’s
easy to do! Send 15 cents for our
fascinating Pattern Book. Choose
from more than 100 new designs
for all occasions and all sizes. Make
your own becoming clothes, with
these simple patterns. Step-by
step sew chart with each one.
Send your orders to the address
given in box below.
BARBARA BELL,
Washington Star.
Inclose 25 cents in coins for
Pattern No. 1821-B. Size
Name _
Address ___
(Wrap coins securely In paper.)
, •
And Here Are Some of the High Lights...
When the skating skirt appeared in sport togs, women quickly
adapted it to clothes for all occasions. Variations of the silhou
ette have appeared in dresses such as that at left above, and
the price range is now unlimited. At upper right, an adaptation
of the back-laced corset done in a modified form in the evening
gown with nipped-in-waistline. Similar corset-like effects have
taken the place of the uncomfortable corset. Below, the much
talked of bustle which soon vanished from the ranks of high
styles, leaving its mark in the form of back fullness. Some of
these modes will be more popular in 1940; others will vanish or
be much modified. And so, another year of fashion passes.
■ . . .. . . - - - i i 1 ■
-—<
Voice Faults
Corrected
At Home
Perfect Rhythmic
Breathing Must
Be Practiced
By PATRICIA LINDSAY.
“The average girl goes along In
her own sweet way and assumes
that only women who plan a musi
cal career should give any atten
tion to speech and voice,'’ states
Elsie Hitz, dramatic actress of radio
whose voice has been highly praised.
“Whether you aspire to be a sing
er or radio star,” she cautions young
girls, “you should train your voice
to be gentle, rich and well modu
lated. Caring for your voice does
not take as much time from your
week as going to the hairdresser's.”
As a first step in voice control
Miss Hitz suggests you stand before
a mirror and watch yourself talk.
At the same time listen to its tone,
pitch and quality. Unnecessary
contortions of the mouth and face
should be stopped at once.
"If . you slur your words, ‘swal
low’ your consonants, or drag out
your sentences, immediately begin
to correct these faults and enun
ciate more clearly. Through self
observation you will soon discover
your voice shortcomings.
“Practice perfect rhythmic breath
ing. Your chest should rise and
fall in perfect rhythm. At the same
time repeat one sentence over and
over again. Make a point of speak
ing very distinctly. Round shoulders
and sunken chests are responsible
for the ‘swallowing’ of syllables so
you must also practice good posture.”
“To keep your voice in good con
dition refrain from straining it. Let
me giri next to you scream at a
football game—you have no idea
how much damage you can do by
these occasional outbursts.
“Singing lessons, if you can afford
them, will help your speaking voice
to attain a rich quality. You might
try singing the vowels in scale, a,
e, i, o, u. When you get them per
fectly add the consonants and sing,
ma, mi, me, mo, mu. These simple
exercises gives you practice in pro
jecting your voice from the front
part of your mouth.’’
Miss Hitz feels that one of the
greatest speech faults of American
women is that they try to project
their speech from down in their
throats. You must bear in mind,
while talking, that the throat is
merely a passageway for the voice
and that the voice acts as a pro
pellor to your speech.
“Have you thought how great
a part your voice plays in your re
lationship with men?” she queries
in order to give you a shove in the
right direction! “Pew men can tol
erate a whining voice or one with a
droning, monotonous tone. Speech
should be musical. But don’t over
do the ‘musical quality’—don’t get
a sing-song habit. Try to inject as
much personality as you can in your
conversation and keep your flow of
language alive. Give emphasis to
parts of speech which need it!”
Manners
Of the
Moment
I don’t care how many times you
wake a person up during the rest of
the year . . . but for heaven’s sake
don’t do It on New Year morning.
This is fair warning, and you can
just make your mind up now that
you are going to control your cheer
ful early-bird temperament on
Monday.
It isn’t fair to run around shouting
“Happy New Year” at 7 a.m., or even
8 or 9 a.m. Perhaps you do feel like
a million dollars. And perhaps the
rest of your family all went to bed
early, too, and you think they should
be getting up early.
But you can’t be too sure. It’s the
one day you should allow every one
the benefit of the doubt and the
holiday. The chances are that most
of your friends were up past 12, any
how. And some may have been up
much later. But whether they were
or not, New Year morning is not
the morning to sit on the edge of
your sister’s bed trying to wake her,
nor is it the morning to ride around
the country-side paying early morn
ing calls. You’ll be much more pop
ular if you don’t force yourself on
any one until midaftemoon. JEAN.
A
Dorothy Dix Says —
Girls Dislike Boys Who Criticize
Their Clothes or Coiffures
LiCiAn Huso uiA—we giris were,
greatly interested in the letter you'
had from some boys telling what
things they disliked in girls. Maybe
they would like to know what we
girls dislike in boys, so here goes:
We dislike boys who are careless
of their personal appearance and
who look as if they had slept in;
their clothes and never had a hair
cut or took a bath except on Sat
urday nights. We doll ourselves up
when we go out with boys so that
they can be proud of us, and we
don’t like to go ou with one who
looks like something that had been
fished out of the rag bag and
whom we have to apologize for by
saying he has high moral prin
ciples and is good to his mother.
We dislike boys who patronize us
and who throw an invitation to us
with as contemptuous an air as if
they were throwing a bone to a
hungry dog. Of course we have to
swallow our pride and take ’em if
we haven’t got any other dates, but
we are hopping mad inside.
We dislike boys who criticize the
way we do our hair or the way we
are dressed. No matter what we
think. We don’t tell them what we
minx oi meir necnues ana me way
they let their socks flop over their
feet. We dislike boys who stand girls
up on dates. They don’t have to
ask a girl to go places, and it is a
lowdown trick to tie a girl up so
she can’t go with any one else and
then leave her waiting at the
church.
We loathe boys who are forever
bragging about themselves and tell
ing how wonderful they are and
how no girl has ever been able to
resist them. And we doubly loathe
the boy who kisses and tells and is
always referring to every popular
girl as “my old girl.” We dislike the
tightwad boy who always has plen
ty of money to spend on himself but
never on a girl; who will come and*
eat her mother’s good dinners and
use the girl’s car and go to shows
when she has the tickets, but who
doesn’t think that she rates even a
bunch of violets or a ham sand
wich if he has to pay for them.
We dislike the boys who are check
dodgers and when they take a girl
out with a crowd always let some
body else pay the bill We dislike
A
me Doys wno taxe us lor granted
and assume we are always dying to
see them or will jump to go with
them somewhere, even if they ask us
at the last minute. We would like
for them at least to show us the
courtesy of pretending to believe
that we are difficult to get. We hate
boys who tell dirty stories and who
expect us to think their obscene
jokes are funny. We dislike boys
who have rough and uncouth man
ners and who think they show they
are he-men by not observing any
of the conventions of good society.
We dislike boys who make us pay
for every attention they show us
by staging necking parties. We
dislike boys who make love to every
girl they see and who hand her the
shop-worn line about “where have
you been all of my life, etc.” And
last, but not least, we dislike boys
who try to show off on a dance floor
by doing steps they know their
partners can't do.
A GROUP OF HIGH
SCHOOL GIRLS.
Answer—These are very valid ob
jections to boys that the youngsters
might well take into consideration.
* * * *
DEAR DOROTHY DIX: After
working my way half through col
lege, because I am ambitious and
desired a college education, I gave
it up and went to work to earn
money because I had fallen in love
with a girl. This girl has no desire
for knowledge or Interest In It. She
is very vain, always bragging of her
admirers and how beautiful she is
when, in reality, she is only mod
erately good-looking and entirely too
fat. She is jealous and suspicious of
me, accuses me of being unfaithful
every time I have to stay downtown
at night to work. Doesn’t trust me
for a moment when I am out of her
sight. I see her faults with an open
mind and have decided to call quits
to all Tomance until I find a girl
whose faults I don’t see. What do
you think?
VERY OLD TWENTY-THREE.
Answer—I think either a man or a
woman Is lacking intelligence when
he or she takes a mate who is jealous
and suspicious. All married happi
ness is built on faith.
DOROTHY DIX.
i
«
Emotional
Health Is
Needed
Feeling of Security
Should Be Given to
Child in Infancy
By ANGELO PATRI.
Thanks to the devotion of a gen
eration of men and women physi
cians. with special thanks to the late
Dr. Emmet Holt, children are, on
the whole, well cared for physically.
They have the carefully routined
day, the selected diet, the open-air
sleep, the attention of the skilled
children's physician. Few now are
the infants who are physically
neglected. So far, good.
But children are not wholly phys
ical. They have minds, and their
minds have a powerful influence
upon the health and growth of the
body. We are not doing all we can
to assure mental health, and its in
separable other side, physical health
in our children at home or in school.
Beginning with the infant, we
should do all we can to let him feel
secure with his family, in his home.
This feeling of security is basic to
his healthy growth, both sides of it.
Perhaps showing how that feeling
is cultivated would help.
Speak gently and clearly always to
the child as you turn to him while
he lies in his crib. He feels you
rather than hears you. The slightest
inflection of anger, impatience, fear
or doubt in your voice reaches him
and distresses him and robs him of
4U.4 X ——11 _X 14..
mihw ivv uiig vi a vj .
When you handle him be sure of
yourself so that your touch is firm,
sure and steady. No fumbling, no
fussing, no haste in your mind or
hands if you would convey to the
child that he is safe with you. He
feels your thought in the touch of
your hand.
Keep your appointments with him
promptly, regularly, according to
schedule. Any break in the expected
events of his day robs him of his
feeling of sureness and lets doubt
enter. A baby must feel positive
about those who care for him. sure
of their service and its quality if his
mind is to be easy and his body
at peace.
Visitors must accept the conditions
of the nursery. They must keep
their distance. When relatives come
to visit they should remove their
wraps, sit one side for a time until
the baby feels their presence and
has time to adjust himself to it. No
sudden dashes to his crib, no im
pulsive embraces, no giant squeezes,
no kisses and no loud noises. That
kind of thing frightens a baby and
costs him his feeling of security.
Remember he is lying helpless on
his back in his crib. He is happy
there because he has found safety,
peace and love. Suddenly his quiet
is broken by a rush, a sudden up
lifting, a hard squeeze. He is not
sure after that about what may hap
pen, and fear is born in his mind.
Once fear enters the nice balance
of health is tipped a bit to the wrong
side, and trouble begins.
We cannot, and would not if we
could, sterilize life for children, but
vp p.rni anH tiro chnnlr) c o fom iorH
them against shocks at the time
when shocks do the most harm, in
infancy. It is possible to make a
child happy, to play with him, teach
him to play, to meet people cheer
fully, if we remember to cultivate
healthy, emotional reactions in him.
first by saving him unnecessary
shocks, then by treating him so that
he expects to be happy.
Mr. Patri has prepared a leaflet
entitled, “Self-Measuring Chart,”
which teaches a child how to ex
amine himself and check up on
his behavior. Send for it, ad
dressing your request to Mr.
Angelo Patri, care of this paper.
Baths of Yesterday
In the days before good soaps were
manufactured many strange prep
arations were used by beauty seek
ers in the hopes of improving the
complexion. Baths filled with milk
and the juices of strange herbs
were not unusual.
According to legend, some fas
tidious Roman gentlemen used to
anoint themselves with crushed
strawberries while the yolks of 100
eggs went into the bathtub of an
early English aesthete. Now, good
soaps do the job and the beauty
doctors recommend soap-and-water
cleanliness.
k
An Intelligent Appraisal
Of Our Social Liabilities
And Assets Is Helpful
Replace Usual Resolutions
With Constructive Plans
For Self-Improvement
By KAY CALDWELL nd ALDEN HARRISON.
If you’re one of those conscientious, serious-minded soul* who cant
see * new year come around without indulging in a lot of remorseful
"swearing off,” there’s not much we can do about it. In fact, it may actu
ally do you good to go all starry-eyed with nobility as you contemplate
your past sins, and resolve to banish them forever.
But personally, we feel that the New Year could stand less swearing
off and resolving, and more thinking and planning. Good resolutions are
usually negative—you resolve not to do something. Plans are positive and
creative, and for that reason, they have a whole lot more chance of being
carried out.
So let’s forget about resolutions. Let’s devote the start of 1940 to
making plans and doing things rather than to giving up things and making
amends. It’s a lot more fun, and it will undoubtedly accomplish more
for you in the end.
For example, why don’t you plan to widen your circle of friends during
1940? January 1 is an excellent time to start, by following the old practice
of making New Year calls. If you’re a little timid about doing it by your
self, get your best friend, male or female, to go with you.
Pick out a few of your acquaintances whom you’d like to know better,
and drop in to wish them a happy New Year. You don’t have to stay long
—a few minutes are enough to make *
this gesture of eood will surDrisinelv I .
effective.
But don’t let your "more friends”
program stop there. Continue it
throughout the year. And remember
that most friendships are built on
a community of interests. If you
want to have more friends, therefore,
develop additional interests. Get
into new activities. Join a new club
at school, take up a new sport,
develop a new skill.
Another splendid way to make
1940 a red-letter year for you is to
inventory your social equipment, and
take steps to reinforce it where it is
weak. Perhaps you’ve been pursuing
popularity under the handicap of
being unable to dance. Give yourself
a break by persuading one of your
rug-cutting acquaintances to take
you in hand, or join a dancing class.
Try to Become
A Better Talker.
Or you may find it impossible to
talk easily and intelligently on a
date. Study the technique of your
more successful friends. Read more,
to increase your supply of conver
sational material. And remember to
find out the other fellow's interests
and lead the discussion to them.
After that, you merely have to be a
good listener.
No matter what your weakness is,
ferret it out and go to work on it.
An intelligent appraisal of your own
social assets and liabilities, followed
by an earnest and persistent effort
toward self-improvement, will do
wonders for you. But it takes some- [
thing more than a pious New Year
resolution!
There are no limits to the form
vour Dlannine for 1940 misht take.
You might figure out a program for
improving your wardrobe, not by
dashing out and spending all your
Christmas money in one grand shop
ping orgy, but by buying carefully
and thoughtfully throughout the
year, as your needs and your finances
dictate. You could cultivate your
out-of-town friendships by writing
one letter a week. A club to which
you belong may be suffering from
lack of ideas and enthusiasm. By
devoting some time and thought
to it, it could be made much more
pleasant and profitable for you and
all the other members.
And how about your mental equip
ment? If you're still in school,
you're probably getting just about
all the education you can take. But
if you're working, or looking for a
job, you can add immensely to your
chances for success by devoting a
few hours to study every week. So
few young people take advantage of
the spare-time educational oppor
tunities open to them that doing so
actually makes you a marked man
or girl. You're marked as ambi
tious—and as a good bet for future
responsibility.
Get More Fun
From Parties.
You can plan to give a couple of
good parties of your own during
1940, and to be an ever-welcome
guest at those given by others.
Learn some new games and be ready
to suggest them when the gang be
gins to get bored. Be alert for fresh
ideas—different places to go, dif
ferent things to do, or unusual ways
of doing the old familiar ones.
That’s what we mean by plan
ning and doing in 1940, rather than
merely swearing off or solemnly re
solving. Action is the idea, and
let’s skip the good intentions. De
cide on one thing you’d like to
aGGuiupiiou uuiuxg cue jcai auu
start doing it. Don’t wait until to
morrow. Do something definite and
constructive today.
Maybe we can help. If yours is a
popularity program, our “Pointer*
on Popularity’’ booklet is your dish.
If you want to be a better host or
hostess, try "Six Successful Parties.”
“If You Can’t Go to College” is a
leaflet describing educational op
portunities all around you. “What’*
Your Score?” is a questionnaire that
will help you inventory your per
sonality. Each of these leaflets i*
yours for a 3-cent stamp. And if
none of them covers the program
you’d like to launch, we'll be glad
to help, anyway. Drop us a line,
inclosing a 3-cent stamp and tell
us what’s on your mind.
Answering
Readers’
Queries
Not Necessary for
Guests to Return
Company Party
By EMILY POST.
Dear Mrs. Post: My husband 1*
, an cacluuvc ill a uuuipaiiy which
has 11 other men in similar posl
| tions as department heads. Ths
man who owns the company each
year gives a Christmas week bullet
supper for these men and their
wives. A few of these people have
given buffet suppers in return. We
have done nothing. I can't tell you
how unhappy I feel at not being
able to invite this group, but my
house is too small to ask every one
and I don't want to invite them in
smaller groups because I have met
these people only at these company
parties. Is there anything helpful
you could possibly tell me? You
have written that it isn't necessary
to return a party in kind, but surely
one has to make some sort of com
parable return.
Answer: My best advice is not to
worry about the limitations of your
housekeeping. If you are ever in
a situation where you can give a
cdhiparable party, then you would
give it, but until that time comes
it is not necessary—or expected—
that you do anything. In fact, if
all 12 of you gave parties this would
pany party a month! Of course, if
this advice is not going to make you
any more happy than you say you
are, then my best suggestion is that
you invite them all to come in on
New Year Day for a glass of egg
nog. Preparation for this would be
no more than a bowl of good egg
nog, a fruitcake, and a platter of
thin sandwiches of plain bread and
butter. If possible, it would be very
nice to serve hot tea as well as egg
nog for those who may find eggnog
too rich.
* * * *
Dear Mrs. Post: Is it ever per
missible to typewrite invitations to
testimonial dinners or banquets?
Answer: Such invitations are
often printed, usually in semblance
of engraving, but it is not suitable
to typewrite invitations or accept
ances or regrets.
Gay Floral Pillows
By BARONESS PIANTONI.
What would you do if you had a continual supply of fresh flowers?
You would group them about your home to make it look cheery and
festive. But since we’re not all so fortunate why not embroider them in
natural colors on different articles about the house? These lovely de
signs of flower arrangements can be embroidered on cushions, runners,
utility bags and for pictures.
The pattern envelope contains four hot-irpn transfer designs, two
measure 8 by 10 inches each, the others measure 8 by 8 inches each, com
plete, easy-to-understand, illustrated directions, with color suggestions and
illustrations of stitches used; also what materials and how much you will
need.
To obtain this pattern, send for No. 1298 and inclose IS cents In
stamps or coin to cover service and postage. Address orders to the Needle
work Editor of The Evening Star.
1 A