Shop Talk

At Curtis, 55 Fifth avenue, they have made a clean sweep of the old “bulky furniture” traditions. With a wave of the wand they have achieved a group of masterpieces in “Classic Directoire” which they now proudly display. Into its structure has gone every provision for long wear; into its fabrics has been wrought the richest coloring; and the style combines the freshness of the modern with the elegance of softly rounded lines and quiet beauty. All Curtis furniture is custom-built and made on the theory that furniture should be styled to gladden the eye and built to wear and wear. It’s really grand stuff and surprisingly enough it is made in a price range that includes everyone from Mrs. Vanderlip to Mrs. Vanderlip’s chauffeur.

You remember the Pinaud Man with the shiny waxed moustache? He made a vivid reappearance on our horizon the other day with this story. There is a moustache wax that Pinaud has made for years and years. And, all of a sudden the sales began to soar. “What—waxed moustached men again?” they asked themselves. But no. It developed that ladies have been buying the stuff to wax their lashes with—and very good stuff it is, too.

Back in the dim years when rouge was regarded as not quite the thing to rest upon a lady’s cheek, and cosmetics were in their experimental stages, Houbigant was one of the pioneers in bringing to America the rouges and powders that French women had already recognized as a vital part of beauty. And they have kept right on pioneering. Their latest is a new rouge which they regard with justifiable pride. It has a feathery fineness which enables it to go on with much the same smoothness and flattery as a cream rouge, and the shades—six of them—are soft and becoming.

Cutex has the “deep red polish” menace pretty firmly in hand. They say it has been polish remover all along that has done so much damage to nails. You have to use such quantities of remover to get the deep shades off, and the ordinary kind is very drying. So they have a new one—Cutex Oily Polish Remover. It contains oil—you can feel it in it—and it won’t dry up the cuticle. You can buy it yourself or have your manicurist get it.

Now about ears! They’re showing more and more. Paris cables that almost every smart head seen in the evening is dressed terribly high and ears have become the focal points of interest. The newest whim decorates as much of the ear as possible. Delicately rouged lobes, which avoid a break in the rouge-line, and make the rest of the ear look whiter are daintily greeting the world.

The “tonality” of hair is a new word bruited about the city—meaning graduation instead of the uniform color that we usually strive for. It’s very intriguing. Hairdressers for example, lighten the crests of auburn hair to emphasize a burnished effect. A blonde has her hair lightened in crescendo effect—meaning very light at the ends but slightly darker at the roots. Sounds like a poor job of bleaching, but done properly, the effect is very arresting. Charles and Emil at 47 East Forty-sixth street are doing some grand things with it.