Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 170, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 July 1916 — FANCIES AND FADS OF FASHION [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FANCIES AND FADS OF FASHION

By Julia Bottomley

Standardizing the Street Suit A movement has recently been launched by women of affairs, whose opinions are worth while, to standardize the street suit. For smart women, gifted with a correct sense of clothes, such a movement was not needed. They may be relied upon to be quite uniformly garbed in rather plain, beautifully shaped and faultlessly made tailored suits when their affairs make it necessary for them to walk in the streets. For them the street suit has been standardized for years. But in order that our streets may make a better showing of tastefully dressed women it will be necessary to establish a standard for the woman who may be in doubt as to what she shoifld wear, and to call her attention to it. . The first consideration is that women are getting together more than ever before in clubs and oth*er organizations, in the interest of progress. If they establish the custom of wearing the tailored suit for almost any occasion no woman will stay at home because she lacks the proper dress. Such an obstacle will cease to exist. A second

consideration, of great importance, lies in the fact that the street is not the place for conspicuous clothes. An ugly inference is certain to be drawn when any woman dresses so as to attract everyone’s attention on the street. She is believed to be either coarse or a fool.

Standardizing the street suit will not reduce us to a tiresome monotony in suits, because there is endless room for variety in making. The smart suit shown in the picture is an illustration. It is a smooth-faced cloth in a dark mixture, with brown predominating. When the plain and beautifully tailored coat is off, one discovers a trim skirt with an entirely new management of the belt and actual pockets, patterned after the saddlebag pockets which have been one of the pretty fancies of fashion. But these are stitched flat to the skirt Instead of hanging free. The handsome costume blouse is of brown chiffon over lace with a vest of delicate brocade. For another occasion a plain tailored blouse might be worn. This is the sort of suit that it is proper to wear for church and for the street, the two places in which one woman should never seem to try to outshine any other.

In the Gay Career of Ribbon The most enticing fancies of fashion are surely to be found in the pretty tilings made of ribbon that spring up like perennial flowers at the ribbon counter. This particular locality is like a flower garden in the department store, and gay and lovely ribbons lure women as the honeysuckle lures the bee. Ribbons are the loveliest product of the looms, and perhaps they inspire the designers to make for them a career of endless little gayeties in apparel. They make the most appreciated gifts that cost less than anything else of equal beauty. Two breakfast caps and a negligee calculated to gladden the hearts of everyone at the morning meal are shown in the picture. They are all of pink satin ribbon, which takes dainty lace as a companion in each of the caps. At the left a cap of plain satin ribbon has a narrow frill of point d’esprit about the- face and a skeleton cap crocheted pink silk floss over it

The two are tacked tightly together. The little breakfast jacket Is made of Vide pink satin ribbon with the edges overcast together with pink silk floss. A seam extends along the shoulders and down the top of the sleeves. A ruche made of narrow satin ribbon laid In small box plaits finishes all the edges, and a frill of wider ribbon stands up about the neck. Wreaths made of tiny blossoms in pale pink, yellow, and green are fashioned of flowers made of baby ribbon. They are placed at each side of the front and on the sleeves. The jacket fastens with long ties of narrow satin ribbon. In the cap at the right strips of ribbon are joined in shirred seams-to make a circlet for the crown. This circlet is gathered along one edge, forming the center’ of the crown. A frill of lace is pulled to the other edge. Loops and ends of baby ribbon are set over the lace at the end of each shirred seam, and a rosette with many falling loops made of It Is set at the center of the crown. None of these is difficult to make.