;|Preparing For Spring ing able inhibitions of domestic life at Windsor and Osborne.
British Colour Council's Edicts; Matching Furs With Hats LI The Government and Love Bonuses for married couples are London, Jan. 3.
Already we are thinking about Spring fashions and spring colours are to.be bright, as an antidote to war boredom, with a red sail in the sunset shade as first Gloomy shades from have lost the top low down on the The Stuff To Give The Troops 14
LIH nan ghee Ha these juvenile alliances are khaki marriages.
No Inspiration is curious that as yet the war has produced no particular literature either prose or verse. But there has been nothing on land yet of the stirring nature of the Retreat from Mons (with its famous angels) and the battle of the Marne, while the Navy's great ceaseless work is almost invisible. But the occasional thrilling performances of the Air Force, such as this week-end's descent on Heligoland, ought to inspire totally unconnected with the war. I tried the Idylls of the King last night (no, I am not being high hat: your true high hat still affects to despise Tennyson, and, as Andrew Long says, "knows not how poor a figure he cuts") and found him extraordinarily refreshing. There is no one so absolutely master of the music and imagery of words; and that anyone could choose such a subject as "The Holy Grail" and so completely rise to the mystical magnificence of it as does, seems to me little short of a miracle.
I cannot help thinking that this war will lead to a revolt against the dull grossness of the novels of recent times, In its very nature it forces us to think more deeply than the last war did. Then it was simply a question of the German foot on our neck or ours on the. German's Today there is a deep moral issue far beyond what we felt in 1914. Mr. Churchill's reference to "that evil man" Hitler crystallizes the feeling in three words. It is not, today, so much a contest between would-be conquerors as a straight fight between good and evil, a struggle -against shade known officially as a Breton red, woman will wear: Greys, very important in. the spring scheme pastel tones, including a delicate green, maize and blue; yellow, a lemonish-green shade: browns, making a come-back this spring—usually autumn shades. The only colours with a war-time influence are actually a year old but remain fashionable. They are Royal Air Force blue and Legion d'Honneur red. No new shades have war names. The war atmosphere is being avoided as much as possible in fashion, an official of the Council stated, War conditions have not prevented the Council giving its lead on colours to dyers and textile manufacturers all over the world. It works eight months ahead. This week it will send out the first of the colour ranges for next autumn to its members in the fashion trades. We are carrying Om even more actively than in peace time, because the influence of Paris fashions is not so strong.
"The Council flew a colour range to Australia a week ago. American manufacturers are looking to London for guidance on colour fashions. Last week a specially prepared colour range was sent to leading leather manufacturers in the United States.
Meantime we are going on our drab way and at the present time furs with hats to match are popular. Thus there was a long queue at 8 o'clock in the morning for the sale at Revillon Freres, the well known furriers, in Regent Street. It is with muck sadness that lovers of beautiful furs will learn that this store is closing down, hence the bargains which they are advertising, Mink coats are being sold at ridiculously cheap prices and are going rapidly in spite of the fact that income tax is to be paid this month, The sales which started this week are crowded and there are bargains of a kind although some good shops are retaining their pre-sale prices, There is no doubt, however, there will be a good hunt for bargains especially as the shops are anxious to entice customers.
Hats have definitely a bustle effect but they are not likely to last long they are not pretty—even the most. expensive models:
Tt is interesting in wandering round suen big multiple stores as Woolworths to see gaps in their shelves and counters—it certainly brings the war home to us. We shall soon get used to missing goods as they will mo doubt increase but at present it is a little annoying and bewildering not to be able to obtain what we want, or to see our favourite scent or stockings or powder becoming increasingly dearer or unobtainable. We have already got used to this so far as many articles of food are concerned and our reactions for the most part are that we could be much worse off.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.