Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 67, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 March 1918 — French Fashions Feature Economy [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

French Fashions Feature Economy

New York.—There Is some exceedingly good feature about the French gowns that are beginning to arrive in America, which will not cause disapproval over here. That is the striking similarity between afternoon and evening costumery, according to a fashion writer. It w'as once said, in a slightly contemptuous manner, that in certain sections of this country the women wore guimpes in their ball gowns for afternoon occasions and that no one was capable of such an economical combination but the American woman, or at least, no other woman who moved in fashionable circles. It has long been the opinion of the French, whenever they were sufficiently lenient to be Interested in the American type of dressing, that we never knew, the exact shade of difference that existed between an afternoon gown and all other kinds of gowns. The French women have often said, in their polite manner, that they could not understand why the American was lacking in that finer feeling which automatically governs the choice of clothes. Did Not Always Change. Now, whether or not the American lacked the finer feeling or whether she was conscious that custom produced fashions, she continued to dress at ten o’clock in the morning in the clothes that she would wear until seven o’clock in the evening. In truth, she did not always change for dinner or the theater. She went on through the entire routine of the day with its diversified interests, its business appointments, its marketing, shopping and restaurant lunching, its afternoon teas, weddings, card parties, home dinners and the play in a coat and skirt that should only be worn, as the French put it, in a public mob. The American woman has always held up to herself, and very earnestly, that she was too busy a woman to change her clothes several times during the day. Let the women of the European nations do what they would, she thought, in a social atmosphere that was fostered by generations of leisure and inactivity. Her own environment, . she said, called for a different adjustment of clothes and life. So, as a rule, she presented a somber appearance at all those social festivities that were intended to make women gay as birds of paradise. However,- this manner of dressing has changed. For several years a woman has not depended on her tailored suit to do the work for every hour of the day. This transition to better dressing has come about through the domination of the one-piece frock. As soon as the American could be divorced, or rather, wedged away from her lifelong friend, the tailored suit, she found that the one-piece frock had its attractions. She was willing to accept it in tailored style, but she began to play with it a bit and make it suitable for her leisure time. No sooner had she ac-

quired this wisdom than the top coat of fur or heavy material came in to further her manner' of dressing! She found that thin frocks were still available for winter wear in the open, if shel was securely buttoned up from chin to shoe top in a warm garment. She found that the chiffon gown which she wore at eleven o’clock in the morning was quite suitable for an afternoon dance, a cup of tea or a game of cards at five in the afternoon. This rather pleased her, so she bought coats, and more coats, just as she bought sweaters, and more sweaters In the summer. \ She also realized that the separate

blouse was an excellent garment under a coat, but not for social affairs when the coat was removed. Three years ago, she ceased to remove her jacket in all public places, and one year ago, she substituted the loose, Russian blouse for the tuckedin muslin shirt the moment she entered the house. In this connection, France strikes a vibrant, resounding note on the anvil of fashion in giving approval to the afternoon gown that will serve for the evening. This is not a whin on her part It is a fashion bo<*n through necessity. This is the best part of 1 .»

the clothes of the last three years; they are the results of demand and supply, not the creatures of caprice. France sends the narrow silhouette to help us in the conservation of wool. She sends us embroidery of wooden beads and fringes of twine in order to give work to those who need it and to substitute a cheap form of ornamentation for an expensive one. She sends us all the common, everyday fabrics such as gingham, cotton, voile, canvas and sacking. She teaches us to be economical and go to the attic, through her use of old laces of every kind. She sends us high puttees and cloth-top shoes in order that we may do with little leather. She makes fashionable American Indian embroideries so that we may go right into our own West and find pieces of material and inspiration that will build us new gowns without much cost. She sends us piece-meal gowns which are made from two, three and four odds and ends of material skillfully combined to produce a harmonious whole, but, mark you, to also provide a way to use up short pieces of fabric which we have in the house or can purchase in the shops. She sends us the thin crepe de chine petticoat and the plaid voile blouse to save laundry and soapand flour. She uses small bouquets and large, single flowers for trimming instead of expensive buckles and other costly trifles. She knows these flowers can be made at home or re-dipped in a good dye after they have seen service in other days. She shows us a multipUclty of tea gowns made of sterner stuff than we have been accustomed to accord to negligees. Those Indoor frocks are to be substituted for the serviceable cloth frock for the street and the evening frock for a gay occasion. They are intended to save clothes.

Gown for Afternoon and Evening. Now, as a crowning effort of conservation and economy, she sends us the new afternoon gown which is wrrn in the evening. It Is made of thin material, it has transparent sleeves, long or short, and it has a half-decolletage. It has indefinite variety, often it blazes with color, again it is subdued to black rtiH white combined, and it can be worn for every Indoor occasion from four in the afternoon until midnight. Such a frock saves the buying of many shoes. It Is a stroke of that illuminating Inspiration that the French have when they put their minds to economy. There is nothing drab or mournful about. French economy; they raise the sordid thing to a pedestal and make it desirable for even do not stare economy, dally in the face. (Copyright, 1918, by the McClure Newspaper Syndicate.)

Sketch from Paris shows short dolman of bordeaux gaberdine trimmed with bands of old blue. There is a deep collar of blue.

The Turkish trousered skirt for evenIng Is introduced on the Paris stage by Mlle. Vana In this gown of silver tissue with a shoulder cape of silver tulle. The hem is turned up at the bottom and clings to the ankles.