YOUR PROBLEMS SOLVED
Q. I am a so-called fashionable gynaecolo- gist working in central London. My wife and I have an active social life and, in the past, I always used to enjoy our round of drinks and dinner parties, since they enabled me to relax and forget about the various concerns of my professional life. In recent months, however, I have noticed that the normal moratorium on bearding a doctor outside his surgery on matters of personal health seems to have gone into abeyance as, wherever I go socially, women are all too soon spilling their beans and asking me what I think they should do about their particular condition. How should I respond without seeming aggres- sive or discourteous?
Name and address withheld.
A. Why not take a tip from another socially prominent doctor of my acquaintance, who successfully deflects medical queries in such scenarios by replying with furrowed brow, 'Yes, I really would consult your doc- tor about that if I were you', to indicate your concern.
Q. I have been invited to a dinner party at the beginning of November, and a subse- quent postcard from the hostess has informed me that there is to be no dressing
Dear Mary. . .
up and only casual clothes should be worn. I do not possess any casual clothes of the type she means, and am loath to spend £600 on a cashmere cardigan from N. Peal, loafers from Gucci etc., just for the one evening. What should I do?
S.L., London SW3 A. I have consulted Angel & Bermans, the- atrical costumiers, on your behalf. They inform me that if you telephone them a couple of days before the engagement giv- ing full details of your measurements, they will be able to offer you a range of period casual wear from the Sixties and Seventies for only £60 plus Vat for a full week's hir- ing. Might I suggest a Jason King outfit brightly coloured shirts, flared trousers and platform boots? To accompany the look, Angel & Bermans also sell a glue-on mous- tache for £7.50. Your hostess will be thrilled that you have provided her guests with such a talking-point so early on in the evening. Angel & Berman, 119 Shaftes- bury Avenue, London Wl; tel: 0171 387 0999.
Q. I think you have quite missed the point of the problem posed by B.B. of Norfolk (23 August). If I am not mistaken, she is reluctant to wear any knickers at all under her flimsy dresses. Therefore your sugges- tion of stomach-control pants worn back to front would be quite unacceptable. Normal dainty knickers have a plain panel at the back which prevents garments being caught between the buttocks, and it is only when one chooses to wear no underwear at all that the problem arises. I, along with B.B., have no solution, and it is for this reason that we turn to you, Mary, the expert problem-solver, for an answer.
P. G.H., Colchester A. You are probably quite right. The solu- tion for those who wish to be pant-free for self-ventilation and other purposes is to use a strip of Elastoplast to form a bridge between the two buttocks, adhered at mid- cleft level to prevent any intrusion of fabric into this area.
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