Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 273, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 November 1916 — Evening Frocks Have Novelty [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Evening Frocks Have Novelty

Silhouette Is Made a Feature of the Latest Edict of Fashion Leaders.

“VAMPIRE” EFFECT IS SEEN

Changes In Costumes Which,Are to Bo Considered "The Thing" Have Been Many and Varled-TRuf-fles a Serious Part of the New Styles.

Whatever we may do about house and street frocks, it looks as though the new silhouette for the evening will struggle Itself into first place. It la neither medieval nor first empire, but it has enough" 3 both in it to be enitrely lovely. Anything that makes the figure bulge at any part of its length is wrong. Probably, this is a good summary of the truth to be remembered by the woman who goes shopping. The large majority of the evening gowns would make one believe that the popularity of Theda Bara In the moving pictures had revived the vam-. pire in social life. It has been quite some time since fashion allowed women to have clinging clothes that swirled around the ankles, outlined the hips, neglected to cover the upper part of

the body and were followed by obedient trains that crawled In a serpentine manner to give emphasis to the vampire effect. And in addition to this silhouette, there are sequins and glittering scales of red, yellow, blue and black that are used to cover gowns, intricate, swirling designs of metal thread, hems heavily weighted by gorgeous jewel work and girdles made of sinuous, glittering metals that have no substance and body, but only color and price. There are waving, floating draperies that reach to the fingertips instead of sleeves. There are gorgeous jewels worn with these gowns, gems that are seductive and mysterious and full of warm tones. For two years we have exposed ourselves below the knees, and this season we expose ourselves above the waist and cover the legs. It is never a question of modesty with fashion; it is a question of which part of the body shall be uncovered, and there was a brief period during last winter when the scarcity of material above and below the waistline arrived at such a proportion that one was shocked into wondering what would be eliminated further. There were gowns worn by young girls in public which reminded one of the remark made by a witty French woman, who said that If her skirts were made by Callof and her bodices by Poiret, her costume would consist of a girdle. Last Season’s Fashions Dead. If a woman is able to struggle through the next few months without buying new clothes and still remain sufficiently in fashion, she will have to place all her ruffles on her street clothes. There are few evening gowns on this continent that will be able to

do first-class duty this winter, unless one is skillful at alteration. This argument may seem to prove untrue according to the shop windows and the gowns that hang In glass cases in dressmaking places. There are skirts that are bunched at the waist and there are others that have two frills standing out from waist to hem, but these are not in iconic era, and not . direct from Caesar. Now, against all these Incoming fashions, how does a short, ruffled tulle gown, bunched on the hips, appear? If you can soften the lining, flatten the hips and add a train of velvet or satin pendant from the waistline at the back, you may be able to bring this frivolous frock into the stately silhouette ; but as the season progresses, gowns will grow longer and narrower. All the straws show that the wind blows in this direction. French Street Suit. As long ago as last July, those Who straws, rather than shop windows, insisted upon the fact that even street suits should maintain a straight silhouette. Every woman In Prance, smart and otherwise, had removed all manner of stiffening from her skirts as early as July and allowed the fullness to fall into the figure as softly as muslin, and yet the American dressmakers and tailors Insisted upon fla~ ing the tailor-made skirts out from the waistline emd hips and putting Into them an unnecessary amount of fullness. Manufacturers continued to make stiffened petticoats, and those who were interested in crinolines advanced them weekly as an aid to the new styles. Now, who wants a petticoat or a bit of crinoline? The latter is tabooed and the former is discarded or Ignored. The manufacturers in France have seen to it that the new fabrics carry out the new silhouette. They are not able to flare. They are too soft. They are woven so- that they will reveal, rather than conceal, the lines of the figure. The skirts are not narrow, but they are not unusually full, and they hang limp from the waist. The women of France Also lengthened their skirts .on the first of July and this is a sure forerunner of what

we will do by Thanksgiving. There is not any strong evidence so far that women have ripped out the hems of their skirts, but In a few weeks the skirt that we wore last winter will look absurdly short and there will be an uncomfortable feeling that will demand the addition of a band of velvet or fur, if the aem is not wide enough to be used to lengthen it The season has been seething for three weeks, and the experts are able now to divide all the new French gowns into classes. (Copyright, by the McClure Newspaper Syndicate.)

BERNARD’S BORGIA GOWN. He calls It Lucrece. IS of metal cloth in green and gold, brocaded with gold flowers. There is a train of gold lace which hangs from the waist.

BULLOZ’ IMPERATRICE JOSEPHINE. It Is made of black velvet with a band of silver lace at hem and Vshaped pieces of green velvet under the arms. There is an ornament back and front, and shoulder straps made of emeralds and rhinestones.