Evening Star Newspaper, January 24, 1942, Page 12

A—10 =» WOMEN'’S FEATURES. THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, SATURDAY, JANUARY 24, 1942. Cut It Short! Newest Coiffures Are Easy to Keep By Helen Vogt. Defense and Dame Fashion combine to bring about the shorter haircut, a sleek, easy-to- care-for style that is as good for the matron as it is for the miss. No more fussing with elaborate creations for the young set, typified by the attractive girl above. Instead, she ehooses a short coiffure which can be brushed into soft curls all over her head, and which is adaptable with clothes of all kinds. Companionship in Marriage Lack of Congeniality Is Sad Disillusionment Dear Miss Dix: I have always been a lonely woman. When I married nearly 19 years ago I thought my husband wanted a home and a companion, but his idea of a home is a place to come to when everything else shuts up, and all he wants in a wife is & housekeeper and some one to look after his laundry and send his clothes to the presser. As soon as he eats his dinner he steps out. Same way on holi- days and Sundays. I have grown 80 used to his absence that now I prefer his space to his presence. As long as my children were little I had them for company, though sitting up and watching a baby sleep is not very exciting nor is the conversation of young- sters very thrilling to an intelli- gent adult woman. But now the children have reached the point where they have their own pals and their own plans and their own amusements, and I am left more by my lonesome than ever. I realize that soon my children will go about the business of life for themselves and I am planning when this happens to leave my husband. Don't you think this would be better than for my hus- band and me to spend the balance of our lives together when we are a thousand miles apart and haven't anything to say to each other? I certainly do long for somebody to talk to of an evening, but there is no other man in the By Dorothy Dix cese. I am 39 and my husband is 40. LONESOME. Answer—Probably there is no other disillusion in marriage so great for women and none from which 50 many wives suffer as the lack of companionship they get from their husbands. What prac- tically every girl dreams of is being & pal of her husband, of sharing in his interests and hav- ing him share in hers, of doing things and going to places to- gether. And, in particular, she pictures long, happy evenings spent at their own fireside filled with pleasant and interesting talk. And the bride gets the shock of her life when she discovers that her husband apparently got all he wished of her society dur- ing the days of courtship, and that he either regards his home as a quick-lunch counter from which he gets away as soon as he is fed, or else if he stays at home he is stricken dumb and has no more conversation in him than a store dummy. Nothing was farther from her thoughts than spending her life with a man who only grunted when he was spoken to and, if she had even suspected that she was get- ting & human clam as a mate there would have been no wedding bells for her. « Of course, it may be said in extenuation of men passing into the great silence as soon as they enter their own doors that prac- tically they are talked out. They have been arguing, pleading, ca- Joling clients or employes all day until they are so exhausted they feel that they would scream if they had to say another word, All they want is to rest their own vocal cords and neither to talk nor to be talked to. But, on the other hand, talking is women's greatest diversion and one of which they never tire. ‘They never get enough of it. It comforts them to tell their trou- bles. It soothes their nerves just to chatter. And so they can't understand why their husbands don’t want to converse all eve- ning after having talked all day. You are right, of course, in thinking that vou cannot depend upon your children for com- panionship because, after all, the two generations have very little to say to each other. They have different interests, different top- ics to discuss and different points of view. Our talk is dated and only those interest us who are in our own age class to whom we can say: Don't you remember? But I doubt extremely if you will better your condition by leaving your husband. For how can you tell before you marry him what sort of a companion any man will make? All men are interesting as long as they tell a woman how beautiful and wonderful she is. Two-Piece Dickey Frock Is Useful By Barbara Bell Brighten your mid-winter wardrobe with this crisp, clean- lined two-piece jacket dress ‘which you can wear with or with- out a dickey. It is the popular new favorite since so many wom- en are finding that this outfit is very kind to the figure. Com- posed of a straight collarless jacket top which buttons down the front and is dart-fitted through the torso, a skirt box- pleated across the front for swingy fulness and a dickey which may be slipped in at the neckline, this model has_all the smartness of a suit and all the adaptability of a tailored dress. The jacket is cut straight enough to import the casual smooth lines through the torso. Barbara Bell Pattern No. 1525- B is designed for sizes 12, 14, 18, 18, 20 and 40. Corresponding bust measurements 30, 32, 34, 36, 38 and 40. Size 14 (32) jacket and ekirt. with short sleeves requires 473 yards 35-inch material, 3§ vards contrast material for die- key. Send 15 cents for the new Fashion Book of spring styles to help you in planning the new season’s sewing for yourself and the entire family. This is a brand-new issue—crammed with clever ideas! BARBARA BELL, Washington Star. Inclose 25 cents for Pattern No. 1525-B. Size .. Among the assortment of fem- inine fashions which are likely to be missing “for the duration,” there’s one for whose parting we'll shed nary a tear. That, of course, is the long, droopy hair- style, known as the glamour bob, the cocker-spaniel mane or the debutante’s delight—according to your ideas on the subject. At any rate, and we hope it's not counting our haircuts before théy're realities, it looks as though two or three forces will contribute to the decrease of the untidy hair fashion that’s been cluttering up feminine lives for much too long a spell. In the beginning, the idea was not bad, principally because it was not overdone. But we reached a point after three or four years ‘when every woman from 16 to 60 thought she could look like Hedy Lamarr or Brenda Frazier Kelly Jjust by the simple process of let- ting her locks droop over her shoulders. At this point, how= ever, what with war work keep- ing them busier than ever, it seems likely that the ladies are going to’become shear-conscious. Shorter hair, attractively done, is much smarter and more trim looking, besides being infinitely easier to keep in place. To put it bluntly, the long bob seldom looked combed, and it was a frightful job to keep an over- grown mane from reaching the straggly, “seven-ways-from-Sun=- day” stage. Don’t think for a moment that we advise the return of the old- time shingle. A comparison of the merits of that and the shaggy sheep-dog effect would be difficult to make. However, we do mean that a skillfully shaped hairstyle, short enough to give you that “career woman look” is the thing for our money. A good perma- nent and haircut will make a coiffure that can ge just “combed through” for a casual yet trim appearance. That's the 1042 formula for hairstyles. As the days go on, we're hear- ing more and more talk about a shortage of hairpins metal curlers—another fac which should contribute to the return of the condensed coiffure. Hair cut short doesn't require those pesky and precious hairpins, while the ends of easily managed tresses will take as nicely to rags or toothpicks as they do to metal curlers. S, come on shortage, we're ready for you! Seriously, though it's enough to make this old fashion editor's eyes light up to see the increas- ing number of smartly groomed women with shorter, neatly ar- ranged hair styles. Even the young set, which was by far the most enthusiastic about the Veronica Lake-ish type, has de- cided that maybe there’s some- thing to all this talk after all, and numbers of youthful glamour girls are following this latest trend. So, every cloud, as they say, has a silver lining, and if war’ activities and metal short- ages will free us from thé shoul- der-bob scourge, we can face the other sacrifices with a more hopeful attitude. We Are Civilian Soldiers By Angelo Patri We are at war; and this time Wwe mean us, you and me and the neighbors. We must do every- thing in our power and a bit be- yond it, to make our victory sure. ‘To begin with we can help by taking orders cheerfully and do- ing our best to fulfill them to the limit. People we have met every day and to whom we gave the scant attention acquaintance de- mands as we passed them in the streets, met them behind the counters or on the roads, have badges and armbands and whis- tles of authority. Overnight these neighbors and acquaintances have become people in authority over us, and we must obey their di- rections respectfully, wholeheart edly, because they are given in the name of our country. That is going to take a little self-discipline and some practice, but we will do it. When the boy behind the newsstand comes out and tells us to go into the cellar, we will just go and be glad of the chance. When an excited girl, wearing an armband, pushes us into the nearest doorway we will allow ourselves to be pushed and keep our remarks to ourselves. We are at war. ‘When we are asked to put out our lights, save gasoline, conserve food, save paper, we will do it. And we won't get all heated up because the person who tells us to do so came into authority early this morning. We will agree to obey directions. We are at war, Now and then we will be an- noyed by regulations for which we can see no reason. This is no time to be wise about things of which we know nothing. It is not possible for our Government to inform us.on every point relating to the war. We must take orders on faith. The leaders carry the responsibility and we do as we are told for once in our lives. It won't hurt us. It will do us good and help our cause. We will be asked not to talk about the war beyond the facts that are known to the world at large and be sparing even of that lest we let slip a word that will give comfort to a listening enemy. Above all we are not to discuss the things we know nothing about Jjust to appear wise and impor- tant. And we are never, never td gossip about anybody con- cerned in the conduct of the war. In days like these stories about the men and women engaged in the service float in the air. Let the stories die there as far as you are concerned. Pass salong no stories that begin, . “Somebody Y =2 was saying—I heard the other day—of course I'm not supposed to tell this—" Rumors are mean things to catch and kill once thev get a start. We have been asked not to pass them along. so let's obey orders. We are at war. We are civilian soldiers. WOMEN’S FEATURES.' The young matron and the more mature woman have found the shorter coiffure prac- tical and becoming. Women with gray hair, such as the lady above, choose soft waves rather than too many curls, placing the emphasis on a well-groomed style which is easy to comb and brush. The young matron below selects the slightly more formal version of the short cut, with a gay pompadour, pert bangs and soft waves. Whom Are You Trying to Fool? Overlavish Use of Cosmetics Poor Disguise One reference book glibly de- scribes cosmetics as “substances used to cleanse, to allay skin troubles, to cover imperfections and to beautify.” we're inclined to believe that definition has no basis in fact, particularly as far as the fourth purpose is concerned. We sup- pose the first three are followed with a modicum of serious in- tentions but the fourth is defi- nitely overworked by at least 50 per cent of the women of this country while the third purpose, “to cover imperfections,” is used synonomously with the fourth by many people. Of the many cosmetics used by women today, perhaps rouge is the most cruelly treated. In a twinkling, & product that was designed for the innocent purpose of adding to or simulating the natural glow of the skin is turned into an Indian war paint and scrubbed on with fervor. What is the good of taking infinite pains in the selection of your make-up and spending great sums of money if you just go home and slap it on as if you were prac- ticing for a barn-painting spree? ‘We're not saying that spending a lot of time in choosing your cos- metics is silly; on the contrary, giving careful attention to the products you use is very impor- tant. But finding the proper Sometimes . By Frankie Kuhn shades and textures for your complexion, and expensive ones at that, isn’t going to help one whit if they are misused. This tirade applies particularly to middle-aged women from every walk of life. We've never understood how they think that a bright red face can make them appear younger. The freshness of youth will not be obtained by pushing patches of rouge prac- tically into your eyes and blem- ishes are never hidden by a heavy coating of rouge, no mat- ter what kind of make-up base you use. So there! ‘When a woman ignores the lips she has had all her life and sets about making herself a new pair that has only a coincidental re- semblance to the natural con- tours, we break down completely. We've never understood why it should make a person more at- tractive to have her lipstick spread out onto her face or to cheat and put it only on part of her lips, leaving a silly looking pink rim between the make-up and the surrounding skin. Both practices emphasize affectation and do little or nothing to en- hance beauty. Some people seem to think that powder will change their com- plexions completely. Those who want to make themselves out to be the fragile type will coat their faces and necks with a very light Make the Most of Those Antiques Old Trunk Furniture is getting scarce, and it is amazing how good the old things seem when they are all ‘we have. Don't throw away any- thing until you have satisfied yourself that it has no possibili ties, either for you or some one else. Figure out what you might ac- compli@® with a saw and ham- mer, & can of paint and a new . Treasure thnest idea and youll, surprise even yourself with yeur accomplish- ment! The little old brown paper trunk with the back tin band- ings holds just as much as it ever did, and with a coat of paint, bright decalcomanias or hand-painted designs in each section, and a lining of calico it will be a “conversation piece” in any room in which you place it. o on sTrcs'fl} By Margaret Nowell ‘The “crazy” Victorian table, with a line drawn through the middle of it and a sharp saw to cut it in half will make two de- lightful console tables. Cut off some of the “gingerbread” and paint the rest of it either white or a bright shade that goes with your color scheme. Fasten it to the wall with a pair of screws and you will really have some- thing. ‘The value of a good solid chair . e upholstery makes a charming fireside or slipper chair that can- not be ignored. There are many old phono- graph cabinets tucked away whose interiors are no longer valuable, but which still are good pieces of furniture. In this one the “dated” base is sawed off, the machinery removed and with mirrors set on the inside of the lid and make-up accessories in the top you have a built-in pow- St anr(‘.hair is not to be sneezed at either, and with your trusty little saw in hand you can get rid of all the cheap details and end up with something you really want. Slip- per chairs are the greatest joy. Sawing the ugly base from the chair and padding the back of it removes all objectionable de- tails. The frame painted prim- rose yellow and gay red and the addition of yellow plaid gingham der room wherever you wish to pitea it. The inside should be gay with color and the outside may be painted also if that would make it more important. Call in your friends before you start throwing things away. They may want old things that you don't, or maybe you can ar- range a trade. It is getting more and more smart to be thrifty— and generous, & powder and those who have been carried away by the South Amer- ican influence will slap on sun- tan make-up with careless aban- don. The first group doesn't look fragile, they just look floury, and if their complexions don‘t agree with the sun-tan idea, the second group looks, if we may say so, just plain dirty. And, as always, only the wearers are de- ceived. Remember that cosmetics aren’t designed to give you a new face or to change the skin you were born with. They are very necessary but they can't make us appear well-groomed if they are applied with an eye to changing appearance completely. Dutch Treats May Be Made Embarrassi ng By Emily Post An article I wrote a while ago on the subject of restaurant checks evidently has reminded many of my readers of their own experiences. One of the most interesting of these comes from the wife of a business executive who went with her husband to a convention. She tells me “While we were in this city, T invited five of the ladies who had also come to the convention with their husbands, to go to a mat- inee, for which I took a box— and. of course, bought the tickets. After the play I suggested going somewhere for tea and they all thought it would be excellent. Naturally when I made this sug- gestion I meant that they were to continue being my guests. “In the tearoom I left our table for just a moment to say good-by to an elderly friend who was leav- ing that evening and whose home is far distant from my own. When I returned I found that the wait- ress had presented the check, and that one of the ladies had taken it and was just finishing collect- ing a share from each one of those present. I at once protested, but I was overruled—principally by this one who had taken the initiative—and I was not even permitted to contribute my share. “I was very upset, but I thought it embarrassing to go on insisting, and so let it go. But I minded having the party that I wanted to give taken away from me and being put in the position of check-evader. I am sure my other guests would have let me take the check had this one lady not interfered. “I would like to ask you wheth- er people are not accustomed to being entertained in the old-fash- foned way any more? In my opinion dutch treating (though it has its good points) can be ear- ried too far.” Since you had taken ‘them to the matinee and also tried with obvious aincerity to pay the check ‘when you returned to the table, 1t is hardly possible that any one could have imaginedyou a check- evader. It was disappointing that this one person spoiled the end of your party, but it wasn't serious, and you did well to let it go. If any of your guests thought that taking up a collection was shoddy they would have directed their criticism to the one who took it upon herself to interfere. I agree with you that the “dutch treat” idea can be overdone, and that being put in the position you ‘were would be resented by every hospitable hostess.