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THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, JUNE 28, 1956.
WEEK-END WOMANSENSE
Anne Scott-James in Moscow
Oh! Those unseeing eyes.... I got myself dressed up for a walk in Red Square -but nobody looked at me
Twould be silly to suppose That one can get under the skin of Russia in week, but I am dead sure of one thing. This in no place to be a
woman.
Except for the fact that Russian womon have babies, and presumably go through the necessary preliminaries, there is scarcely a sign of femininity. There is none of the sheer fun of being a female-if you planted a French girl in Moscow I'm sure ahe would wither away.
Here, you carry your own luggage and open your own doors.
If you are Russian ...
You wear no pretty clothes and no make-up except lip- siłek.
You have a shapeless, wobbling Ogure and wear a print
dress Uke a Murk, with no corset and no petilconts.
You what clumping shoes and four hair langs down in a frizz.
Nobody irts, there are по
provocative glances, and
nobody us to look as you go by.
No young man walks laughing arm in arm with his girl down Gorki Street or hokla her hand in the cinema.
Boy meets girl, all right, but the approach 13 pretty
rugged.
I had been told that there is intense interest here in Everything Western, and this is possibly true of the intellectuals.
But the enwds in the streets are stolld and impassive. I went out one morning wearing a garden party dress, a lot of jewellery, and a meringue hat with a rose which would
havo looked Bond Street,
overstresse in alone Redi Square, As 1 am a head taller than the tallest Muscovite and skeleton thin by Russian sun- dards, must have looked very pecullar.
BUT NOBODY LOOKED WITH EITHER
AT ME
APPROVAL Оп
DIS-
GUST, THEY HAVE UN.
SEEING EYES.
What doca Moscow look like?
Right now, the sun is stream- ing down, and the city looks gay and exciting. Though the print dresses are hideous individually, they provide colour in a mass,
The streets are crowded, and there is quite a lot of traffic, including plenty of taxis which you can hall and hiro
as you please,
There are flower sellers la overy street, their stalla brilliant with what turns out to be a window-dressing of paper flowers. But there are real flowers 100. rather pathetic
itsle
bunchies of Illies-of-the valley from the woods, for there seem to be no gardens
There are not many cafes, but at every comer there's an ice- cream seller and a stall with izzy drinks.
STRANGE DETAIL- THERE ARE VERY FEW ANIMALS HERE. I HAVE
NOT BEEN ONE DOG OR CAT IN MOSCOW.
CX-
The shop windows are full of goods. Far moro than I pected. But the prices are very high.
Food prices are not too heavy, the food shops are
attractive,
This
is
Drawing by ROBB
NO place for a woman!
andt sales aro brisk. I have bought rolls and buns myself at the bakers, for the bread here is tfelicious.
But clothes and household things are usteless and expen- sive.
I won't quote the prices foreigner has to pay as the rate exchange is meaningless.
BUT I WOULD GUESS THAT TO A RUSSIAN WOMAN A SLEEVELESS BLOUSE WOULD COST ABOUT 25 AND A TEA- SET FROM 210 UF.
19
The one really wonderful thing to look at in Moscow the Kremlin, which 15 the original fortress city.
Wherever
you
go, you can turzt and see, between the Soviet skyscrapers. the gilded onion cupelor of the three cathedrals of the Kremlin.
These are a marvellous relie of Holy Russia,
century andi ure illed with frescoes and ikons of extra- ordinary benuty.
I looked for a long time at a twelfth century Madonna,
my guide help "That," sald fully, "is the mother of Christ. You have heurd of her, o course?"
"Yes, I have I said.
going to the ballet,
know will be supusă,
which I
There is an American Impres
In peasant clothes come in and spend £15 or £20 on supper.
•
How free does the foreigner feel in Mos
cow?
This is a hard thing to judge and I change my mind about it every minute.
Germany, Sweden, and Ply- mouth, Devon,
Just when you are beginning to feel at ease here, you find yourself bunkered. Business methods are labyrinthine.
It is a day's work getting the address or telephone number of someone you need. When you get him, he won't say Yen or No. Ho stalls until it's all too labe.
You can wander about moro от lesa where you like. You can take snapshots, take taxis, go by metro, cat in restaurants. And 'e frustrating the way
conversations Tun I have had a glass of tea in a
along well- poor
Russlan home, and I have
ofled tramlines. spent a
said day
When three people haɑ with well-to-do Russian friends in the country.
to me in identical words "We There
writer. think your
Charler no difficulty in shaking
and Dickens, la magnificent, off your interpreter; Indeed the problem is to get
ha hal-how we enjoy your ane
For there are so many
Oscar Wilde," my Interest foreigners in Moscow now sagged that there aren't enough linguists to go round.
La
There are Americans trying to hire ballets and there
ario here trying to book up Danes buying timber and ballet deals as fast as he can Pakistanis selling heaven knows 1rook and he tells me that the what. But the really chic Bolshol far surpasses his cx- thing is to be on a delegation, pectations.
I have already run into delega- tions from North Korea, Eastern
Encre is a ballerina calicd Plysetskaya," he said "who is the most wonderful thing on
I felt delighted that David Webster, of Covent Garden,
was here in February and got in first.
There are no night clubs here, but there la crude music and dancing
restauraat.
In every
heard of her," People wear the same clothes as
1 had another surprise in the State Museum, also in the Kremlin, where they show you with pride the jewelled thrones of the Czar and the robes of Catherine of Russia.
What about the night life?
by day, though some men put on les. There seems to be no form of evening dress what-
over
EVEN WHEN YOU ARE IN A PARTY, UNKNOWN RUSSIANS COME UP AND ASK
DANCE. YOU TO AND I ALWAYS ACCEPT. AS
DANCING THEIR CONSISTS OF STAMPING ROUND REGARDLESS OF TIME AND SPACE I HAVE HAD MY FEET
WELL TRODDEN ON.
By whatever rate You cal-
I have been to the theatre culote, these restaurants
aro
All three were built in the to soo an opereita abominably wildly expensive, and I haven't Byzantine style in the Afteenth sung and stagged-un I am yet got used to seeing a couple
All in all the atmosphero's a bit like London in 1942 or '43 when, the raids were over-you had got used to
tho
coupons and censorship,
you had 'a favourite restaurant where they always kept you some ment, and you were comfortably be ded down in the routine of a civilian at war.
ROLEX
She's
Enchanted
as you will be by
MORNY PERFUMED SOAP
In such delicata pružať shades
Page
LININGS IN THE LIMELIGHT
COATS Insulated
London. wholesale cont manufacturers. with It can also be bought over the counter in London in four cr are the nye different,, shades dor the
modest price of 6/11d a yard.
Another type of lining, bring used by Anglomac for a smart
aluminium latest fashion feature here.
The insulation, which keeps the wearer warmer in winter and cooler in sum- mer, is achieved by applying aluminium flakes to a lining fabric after it has been woven and dyed.
little beret which is applied at younger members
of London's no extra cost.
exclusive "Big Twelve" fashion designers.
times the
For those who prefer hoods, there are models with deep
Cut on classic raincoat rounded collars which raise and with karge 'patch pockets, open out when it rains into an washable model is made of a sitractive face-framing hood. siliconed-proof fabric with nylon new range of rainwear, İs
thermolen, which could be de- on a smart reversible jacket in
Another type of hood is seen weft and cotton warp. It comer in a whole range of attractive eribed as a 'Yoam" nylon. grey and cherzy, colour, It is
colours such as sand, lime, blue helmet shaped
be DISPELS DOWDINESS
hood, also re- and pink, and since it ca versible, which fits dosely down not only sponged to remove spots This ning combines exceed. Inside the Jacket god is ro but really washed and delig ingly light weight with perfect miniscent of an ancient coat of dried, it does not matter how
mail without 10e face piece. insulation anast temperature of between 8 and 10 degrees Fahrenheit 23 degrees Contigrade).
Five, times lighter Jackets without adding percept-tier material providing
comes
andt
The anthed product, which to us from the United States is "Milium," looks iccis Like a slightly stiffened. good quality satin It can be used for lining
coats and
winter
(around
than in
.com-
Yet another now laing. Let- tured on some of th models in this collection is oron Becce which looks exactly Bee the softest of Jamb's wod and
light, the colours 'nre.
GOLD THREADED Lurex litching in gold and alker introduces a new note on Borno of the gainwear models of
this
Ou collection.
Of printed unslin, this dress from Revilion has a draped bodice which mybaalses the high bustline, and full plented
The bat is of the same' material. - Agence France-
Fresse.
Another Relic Is Back In Favour
ibly either to the bulk or the parable warmth, thermolon lin- about the game weight but gives lined red poplin coat has two FURNITURE relegated to
20 percent more wamih."
rows of gold stitching at cibow
the attic long enough
debut.
A blue cont cut on the new level on a simped-sleeve with usually makes a second straight time has front, aloever! Winget-cult.
New York. of the comfy, but in others it goes for a high price in the ing, adds only £1/17» to
antique shop! Brand new ones weight.
the
now appear in several furniture bagle cost of the ebub while do- Yet, because it conserves body ing away with that
lines, shoither twin or double bed heavy,
size. One company in New York heat, it keeps the wearer warm-
clumsy, muffled up look which
shows both, the, all-bras hend and collar daced with orion One of the smartest com's in erin winter. In summer, it re- cornes from ordinary quilted
in The latest item to come board and brass kito combination flects back the sun's rays, keep linings and makes women tate fleece Green is combined with this conection ing out its heat-and ei keeping winter.
u lovely brige orion féroc.
La dericired from hiding in the brass with wood or wrought town coat in soth wood cloth beaten, Boatured in All ero modernic-priced, simple Cand with the wearer, cooler,
and light in "denking" Sufficiently
to allow Incidentally, this collection of There is no cleaning problem witly now
decorations healthy "breathing" this "have mintardipole for over the with these linkngs. They can be straight back broken by a deep model room settings by out the over-sized
of granditha's day, H-both ways Uning in particu dowdiness so long associated sponged with warm, mapy water yoke stressed by ruled a number of interior decora of those
of WILLK fellet. larly useful in, changeable with wat days. Smart coate
well-actors. They use it in combina Why to revivel
"well, brass nåde 'eleganco", climates. It has the advantage, cut on the latest tires, for all A wahable carrot appears com etter cost wites roll cotar, tion with almost any period too, of being able to be dry- sizes and most burece, are in the Vale Autumn Colics and farten ploevera black of furniture from modern to: wald Baumrliler spokesman oleoned in the normal way,
"Wato in entra of "olerant featured in on the most popular tion of practical, harti-wrouring: Peralan Umb-datric: Tuta Cabric | Colonial, ~ Millum ning is being fitted colours. TETAPKA
furnishings. Besides, tas nes travel coute and rainyour, many is one of a bew, range of fire; að
bverything.” United to many conte” dor, tho - autumn
The brea bed still is an item witis Many of the model, too, have of which bave been designed by, febrier which polliver, ouri by some of London's Wading a trim melching bet O cute, Michael Sherward, bpe of the Buff --Ching Map
for the fundaman in sceno parts: ProDB,
at home,
roll collar and
дос
:)
She can choose from
́FRENCH FERN (Cafḥaxime)
Pink Lilac (Pink+blaue}
Verbena (Conary)
Gardenia (Rich-Green)
· Sandalwood (Tangetide) Rose Geranium (Rose) Carnation (Ivory) Wild Rose (Soft Pink) Lavender Flowers (Periwinkle)
Lily of the Valley (Apple Green
皂香你慕
Morny
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