The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-04-03
HOW THE FRENCH DRESS.
HELEN cAMPBELL's OBSERVATIONS.
The Costumes OF French and American
Women CONFERENCE.-The Latter the
Best Costumed Even in Paris
The French Are Not

III is E0gllS0-SpedkluR people, OIIleI-
wise English and Americans, who have
for generations been reproached with hav-
ing no ingrained sense of what constitutes
a toilet For the Englishwoman, save
some notable exceptions, the reproach yet
holds good. For the American we shall
presently see how far she must be forced
to still bear such odium. Not alone these
two natiOnalities, but all that come under
the head Of civilized turn to Paris as the
source of all inspiration, where stutfs and
silks and all mysteries that go to make
woman's gown take such forms as enter
no mortal minds elsewhere, and where
every point that is good is made best, and
everybody that is less than good disap-
pears altogether, conJured out of sight as
deftlv and thoroughly as the child in the
famous Hindoo trick. Color, form, grace,
suitability-all that is involved In these
words is the inheritance of the French
woman, who from babyhoOd, as 1t were,
knows bv instinct what best harmOnizes
with complexion and figure and age, and
is never at fault.
With this conviction part also OF her
inheritance. the American woman enters
Paris and gazes with bated breath as she
makes her first entrance IN society, or II
time and opportunity for this be lacking,
into the great shops, thronged from morn
ing to night with eager buyers, convinced
that whatever bears the Paris stamp needs
no other Endorsement, and that the thing
bought in a Paris shop Is inevitably be-
coming. suitable. beautiful-in short, pre-
cisely what one has sighed for always, and
ut last crossed the wide sea TO obtain
Often this proves true, Tor it would be
quite absurd to maintain that the tradition
is simply tradition. and that Paris has for
feited her old place as leader and ex-
FOUNDER Of fashion for the civilized world.
But after some months OF close observation
certain facts have so demonstrated them
SERVES that further question OF their truth
would be impossible. 1t is these facts that
I propose to outline in this column to-day,
leaving the deductions chiefly to the
reader.
I confess to an eagerness of interest IN
expected and surprising as l studied the
toilets at one OF the first receptions at
tended after arriving in Paris. Pretty
gowns I have always held to be one OF the
inalienabe rights of women, though
pretty never necessarily meant fashiOna-
be. and usually the reverse. The dress
reformers have failed deservedly because
beauty was ignored, though one now in
the field has succeeded in uniting for the
first time comfort and beauty, and will, it
is hoped, IN time ind more con-
verts than at present range I'M
der her banner. But the blending
and harmOnizing of tints and stufs in
such fashion that the dress would seem
simply the natural and necessary express
sion OF the wearer-this was an art, hardly
known outside of France, and to be
studied quite as seriously as other phases
OF art. There had been certain inward
QuestiOnings. French art as a whole had
demonstrated itself for these later days as
so purely a matter OF surface finish, nine
times out of ten without the shadow of
soul below, that the wonder grew if
vitiated work in these directions might
not mean vitiatiOn in others also, and if
the dress of the Parisienne was necessarily
the model of all womankind who were
bent upon knowing and reproducing the
best.
What did I see? That it is no part of
nv mission 10 give in detail, since shapes
and patterns have no place in my scheme.
But setting these aside, 1t is very certain
that the beautiful rooms, whose rare SIM
plicity OF decoration still admitted all that
was necessary to fill and satisfy the eye,
were not outraged by any lack of har-
mony in the toilets of the graceful women
who came and went about the hostess
On the contrary, harmony was the pre-
vailing characteristic, and though a cos
tune might hold many shades it was a
gamut of color which the eve followed as
naturally and as we'll satisfied as the ear
In the reception of genuine melody.
This was the first phase, and covered
the question OF tints, of general compost
ton and method; but presently having
decided that finish had reached its high
est point and summed up as perfection
one turned TO the figures which displayed
these CONNECTIONS. With two exceptions
they were all of one order. Waists re-
duced to the lowest possible terms, the
average apparently eighteen inches for
the largest and far less for the smaller
members of the party; high shoulders
emphasized by the style of trimming, and
the generally scrawny and angular
effect produced by the slender type
of French women. These are in a
minority. As a rule the tendency is
toward stoutness, strictly suppressed at
waist, but exuberant at all other salient
points, and the two classes had nearly
equal representation, both leaving the
impression OF concentrated discomfort
The two exceptions were no less per-
fectly dressed Every detail was charm
ing, and dOubly so from the easy grace of
movement as well as apparent uncon-
sciousness of anything that could con-
strain. Both were brunettes; both spoke
French perfectly, and it needed more than
one observation to determine fact which
presently was made plain by the hostess.
81 don't wonder you're puzzled. Shut
your eyes and you would swear they were
Partisan. But they are American, my
dear, and like many others OF my country
women, are the best-dressed women in
the world. That gray cashmere with its
exquisite silver embroidery is one OF
Worth's, and the mothers toilet also, and
he declares that American women know
how 10 wear their clothes better than any
nationality that comes under his hands.
That beautiful girl has natural waist and
she wears an American shoe, having dis
covered, like the rest OF Us, that our coun-
trymen make a more satisfactory one than
any other people. She can breathe and
che can walk. The rest toddle. A French
wOmans walk is good deal like the high
heeled Chinese woman's-a painful wrig-
gle, as you can see for yourself Well
talk il over when they are all gone"
This was the beginning OF observations
made continuously with a determination
that no judgment should be fixed till there
had been time for seeing all sorts and con-
ditions of wearer OF toilets. But in salon,