The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-07-08

It's amazing to stop and think how many world circumstances and events affect fashions in Women's costumes and cultures. A war sweeps the world - new sport comes into being-a clever designer wanders through gallery of paint ings-vaudeville comes back with bang-and within a few months hair-dos and hats reflect all these influences. If you are skeptical of this statement, just stop a moment to consider how all the influences named have affected coiffure fash ions.
 First, of course, there's the war influence. Because 1t has tremen- dously increased the tempo of wom- ems activities and is keeping us all busy with first aid classes, war work and committees, we have much less time to fuss with our appearance, and therefore want hair that is shorter and easier. to arrange. The war has caused gasoline rat1on1ng and tire shortages, so many of us are beginning to ride bicycles when visiting and marketing; it has also created "Victory" gardening, which exposes our hair to dust and sun.
 Women workers in defense plants are often required to wear their hair short. AS a result everyone needs to know how to have manageable, easy -to-arrange hair and how to keep it shiningly clean in spites of days spent in handling machinery, cycling or toiling among the string beans and tomatoes. The advice ot the experts is to choose shorter ef- fects such as the feather bobs," to spend more time than ever on brushing our crowning glory, to wash it often with a preparation that completely removes all dust and grime, such as the liquid soap less shampoo with hair conditioner added.
 Then take the matter of geogra- phic influences, always important, now accented by the war. Look how the good neighbor" influence is felt in styles of every type. Bril- liant colors from the Andes are sweeping the world of fashions and furniture-and the South American influence is shown in the use of bright flowers and snoods in the hair, in sleek shining cultures copied from the hair-dos of South American senoritas. Smooth black hair and wide bangs, noted on many smart heads this season, sug- gest the influence of our brave Chi nese allies, to note another geogra- phic touch.
 Next comes the matter of art in- fluences. This spring the Metro politan museum in New York ar- ranged an exhibit called "Renais- sance in Fashion 1922" at which fa- nous Renaissance paintings were shown together with modern fash- ions and hair-dos they had inspired. For example, painting of Lucrezia de Medici by Bronzino suggested a coiffure with soft curls piled high on the head and outlined by a pearl necklace similar to that used in the painting. Looped-under gold braids, neat and appropriate for modern life, were suggested by another painting.
 During leisure hours the slightly mad but delightful surrealist influ- ence makes itself felt, resulting in gay feather and flower fancies placed in the hair for gala after noon and evening occasions. Many of the charming snoods you see sprinkled with everything from sequins to seashells, remind one of the startling ladies glimpsed in Dali's paintings and in the success full ballet for which he designed
 Then there's the world of the theater and cinema. Remember the famous page-boy bob or the newer over -the-eye coiffure? Movie anc theatrical stars always have and al- ways will set hairdressing styles tc be copied by girls throughout ths
 world. Nowadays, there's an ever newer influence--that of vaudeville
 which is definitely back to stay fol
 a while. The hair-dos chosen bJ
 feminine vaudeville performers ac.
 cent the same note of manageable lity as do those of sport enthusiasts