Blouses And Lingerie.

In preparation for brighter days, it is well to plan, and perhaps make, the blouses which we will wear when sweaters are discarded. Perhaps we have a dark winter costume which, with suitable blouses, will carry over into early spring. A formal suit calls either for soft lace (flesh, beige, dove or oyster) with perhaps a jabot finished with satin piping; or a tailored shirt, blouse of white tucked organdie, white crepe de chine or linen, or, more in tune with the young season, plaid surah or tie silk.

A delightful blouse for wear with a dark green jacket suit is of tartan in two shades of green and pink. There is a flat band for collar, and three flat bows down the front. Look out for novel fastenings with which to refurbish your cardigan jacket-perhaps you may spy leather buckles in an unusual shade such as wine. Plan a blouse to match your buckles and your suit will appear of the newest.

If you have a light-coloured spring suit, plan for it a plaid blouse or a deep-coloured shirt in a heavy crepe material. When choosing blouse designs, pay attention to the longer waistline.

The stitching of blouses will probably turn your thoughts to new lingerie. Step ahead of fashion by choosing crepe de chines or ninons in lime green, light strawberry pink, warm orange pale tawny gold, rust or brown. If you are dubious about too much colour, lime or strawberry pink is quite conservative.

The newest chiffons are spotted, so here again one can revel in colour. Close your eyes and think of peach and blue, peach and nigger, peach and cherry, lavender and purple, turquoise and brown.

Chiffons, of course, call for feminine styles, so, for nightgowns, we ruch our dainty material for a band round the top, or for a charming Peter Pan collar, or for bands down the side fronts of the bodice; we gather huge puff sleeves into a deep frill above the elbow; where a gown has shoulder ties, we add our enchanting sleeves by means of a tiny jacket with a wide frill of ruching round it. Bought models are ruched onto las-tex yarn which gives permanency.

Vests, pantees, camiknickers, slips, are dainty wisps of chiffon and lace; or for harder wear we choose crepe de chine or the ubiquitous “locknit” which nowadays combines with lace or satin, has silk or embroidered motifs, or is woven in a decorative stitch.

I have seen the most beautiful negligé, of baby-blue satin, with huge puff sleeves composed entirely of little frills. It was the essence of youth, but will probably be bought by an older woman with a longer purse.

When considering lingerie, one can't omit the breakfast gown. For the first warm days, plan one now of gaily printed cotton, perhaps with revers, or demure collar and zipping or buttoning down the front, perhaps with a three-colour waistband, but certainly with huge puffed sleeves and a billowing skirt. One charming model I saw had its collar, cuffs and slanting hip pockets trimmed with white clipped cotton fringe. It reminded me of the “candle-wick” bedspreads, with their delightful fluffy tufts, which have conquered the bedrooms of North America, and are now appealing to the housewives of the world.

Yours,

Retta.