Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 79, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 April 1914 — Clever Management of New Hip Drapery [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Clever Management of New Hip Drapery

CREATORS of styles are arbiters of fashion only to limited degrees in these latter days. For women have become too wise to accept styles that are devoid of beauty in lines, and the demand for beauty in colorings is positive. Those enterprising and clever creators of new ideas whose early spring song extolled’ bouffant dra/peries have already learned that the bouffant draperies have fallen down, both figuratively and literally. The Idea remains, or, reflections of It, but the draperies are not bunchy and cumbersome at all. Here is a gown in which Mme. Paquin has demonstrated her' consummate skill by solving the problem of the new hip drapery in a satisfactory manner. The fabric used Is taffeta silk in a light leather brown. The skirt is prettily draped, falling about the figure easily, but with no unneeded fulness. It hangs from the normal waist line and the lines in It are beautiful because they are those into which the silk falls of itself. The overdrapery also falls freely from the waist line, but It is full, and corded at the edge so that it stands away from the figure. There is a wide folded girdle of the silk and a bodice of net with ends extending through and below the girdle. American wearers will demand one change in this design. There will have to be more bodice. Also, for the figure of average plumpness, the standing ruffles on- the shoulder will have

to be omitted. We shall see this beautiful design with the bodice adapted to American taste, and American taste does not run to such grapery above the waist line or too much below it. With all due respect to the wonderful Paquin, the gown will not be any less beautiful when some one of our own producers has Americanized the bodice. Among other available fabrics besides taffeta, chailies and soft cotton crepes merit attention. They are inexpensive and elegant and, the colorings are refined and beautiful. Either of them will develop a gown, patterned after the model shown here, that will be equally attractive. The design is simple, but the skirt can hardly be managed without a pattern. There need be no difficulty about this, because nearly all the standard pattern concerns have.models similar to it. The overskirt is a plaited flounce sloping up to the waist line at the front. The girdle is made of two wide bias strips, and fastens with a flat* bow at the back. A plain net waist or a lace waist might be worn, with shirred shoulder straps made of the same material as the skirt, or the model, just as it is .pictured, could be worn with a lace or net guimpe. The introduction In the bodice of a touch of the' material of the waist is preferable because it apparently lengthens the figure, which is almost another way of' saying that it makes one look more graceful.

JULIA BOTTOMLEY.