Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 201, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 September 1917 — BUSTLE EFFECT IN FALL STYLES [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

BUSTLE EFFECT IN FALL STYLES

New York.—lt would be odd If the edict for elimination of waste material in clothes that has gone forth from the goveruing-fn etnrs In deess onbothcontinents, would be responsible for the tncomlflg of the bustle. So far as the expert observer can see into the near future of autumn costumery which is now being planned, shown and bought, the only actual elimination of material is in the width of the skirt. There is little sense in being obstinate about the width of skirts; they’re

going to be narrow, and it is quite as well that dressmakers and women accept this fact without cavil. Once before in the history of clothes there was a tight skirt which was said to have been caused by the Civil war in America. It became the fashion after Appomattox and remained in fashion for a decade and a half afterward. It was also caused by the necessity for economy in material, as the four years’ war had nearly exhausted the commodities of this country. That skirt was called the tie-back. The front and sides were pulled across the figure so that the wearer could barely step, and rubber bands were put across the J>ack below the waistline, to draw the material up into a series of little puffs. This was as much of a bustle as was permitted. Persistence Is Amazing. The persistence of this fashion has been an amazing thing to those who study clothes. Its origin was in the fashionable way of walking called the Grecian bend, which was the absurd predecessor of the equally absurd debutante slouch. In the days of the tie-back skirt, little girls would secure safety pins by indirect means, and pull the fullness of their skirts back and up, thus having a little fluff of their own below the waist They were always caught at this by their mothers and nurses, because the safety pins tore the material and made gaping holes. » Again, in this day of elimination of waste through the necessities of war, we are to be put Into the tight skirt with its fullness arranged at the back in a series of slight flares. It is not possible to say with any degree of certainty whether this skirt will be widely accepted when the autumn comes. Reporting, and not prophecy, is the duty of those who try to give the news of dress as it comes out week after week. The American designer, as well as the French one, has gone in for this upward tilt of material at the end of the spine and it may be that the later fashions will accentuate it . Whatever may be the fullness, though, at any special spot on the skirt, those who are regarding the question of new clothes must remember that the hem will be almost -as narrow as it was in the days of the hobble skirt There is a marked tendency toward thq sheath skirt in several of the new costumes. The material slinks into the figure after it leaves the waist, and the hem provides only a stepping width. The shortness of the skirt for street wear is necessary. In the spring therewas —a decided —tendency—to lengthen skirts, and many conservative women adopted the fashion with enthusiasm, but if a skirt is to be exceedingly narrow, it cannot be long. It would be too utterly inconvenient for women who are plunged into a series of activities. Jackets of Two Kinds. It hate already been announced that two kinds of jackets will prevail In the autumn. One is hip-length and one is hem-length. The latter is called a polonaise and the former la called a jacket. The revival of the polonaise is

merely a contribution to the fashion for top coats. One can use a polonaise over any kind of skirt and blouse, .an(l_if lt ls.llnedln the colorful and interesting way that prevails among tailors today, it presents itself a* a garment of rare merit The short jacket however, as it will be worn this autumn, is a bit of costumery that is taken by the back of the neck and pulled out of the family album. Whether or not the peculiar vaudeville trick of presenting a family album In song and living pictures, which has spread over New York through the success of one of the musical revues of the season, was the predecessor of thisnahort, tlght jacket, nobody can tell. It Is a far-fetched idea, no doubt, but don’t you think it is rather interesting that the stage folk should get up a family album scene that runs through vaudeville fashions as dancing does, and thaL .. now, suddenly, that coat and skirt should be launched into costumery! One of these jackets which will undoubtedly prove a success because it has been issued by a dominant house, has a little bustle all its own. It belongs to a skirt that is quite narrow, and it has a bit of an upward pull from knees to waistline at the back—a pull so slight that it is not always noticeable. « The jacket fits the figure, curves into the waistline at the back and then flares out into a series of folds that give the bustle effect. It Is buttoned in a straight line down the front. There is a band of velvet above the hem of the coat The buttons are covered with the wine-colored velour that makes the suit. The collar is very high, soft In Its folds, rolls over backward to the neck line and is trimmed with a band of velvet. Fasten From Chin to Hem. Revers are abandoned by the tailors and dressmakers. Where one coat will have them, sixteen others will be fastened in a straight line from the chin to the lower edge. All the collars are high, but soft and enveloping the neck and dhln in the manner that was considered correct in the eighteenth century. Mind you, this style is not the only powerful note in fashion that is brought out for jackets. It is one of several other details, and a woman will have the chance to accept what she wishes. This latter situation will be the hope and the downfall of many women. Left to themselves to choose among a heterogeneous mass of material, the best minds will grow confused and go wrong. On the other hand, highly trained judgment will give to women the chance to express their Individuality and look a little unlike their neighbors. It may be said, however, that the coat that fastens in a line down the front, the buttons running straight through the high, rolling collar, will

be the most noticeable change In street costumery that will take place in the fait The narrow skirt has already been accepted here and there, and there are hundreds of women who have never given it up, so its widespread acceptance will not cause quite the same ripple of interest that will be given by this family album coat with its upward tilt at the back, its point In front, its long, slim waistline under the arms, and its row of colored. buttons on which one will be tempted to say the old nursery rhyme, “Richman, poorman, beggarman, thief.” (Copyright, 1917, New®*- *» - ’

Here is an evening go**” on early Flemish lines. The material is heavy crepe satin, with girdle of cloth of gold. “The bodice and train are embroidered in Flemish design. The lining of the train is gold-brown velvet

This modified cowboy hat Is made in America, is of black velvet, the crown shirred and dented In the midi die. ft is trimmed with a silver rose.