The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-03-05
WORDS FROM WORTH n SECOND.
A Talk of Fashions Freaks and Modes. Past
and Present.

A Talk of Fashions Freaks and Modes. Past
and Present.
There Is no such thing as fashion now. ao-
cordinH to Worth tbs Second. Formerly we
had a court. there were leaders in dress. and
what they wore other society women wanted
to wear" he said 70 the interviewer OF the Lon
don Gente,oomdn.
Now thero are no leaders. and fashions are
not set from an authoritative source. The
woman with pretensions to dress does not
follow fashion; she wears what pleases her
sell. regardless OF anybody else.
For the dressmnker the conditions are
changed. His problem now is TO dress his
customer. not after an arbitrary pattern, but
in such clothes as suit her: to study her rs a
subject. and to choose for her. with her face.
figure, and complexion rs the only criterion.
Tho great world OF women who still de-
sire to follow 4 lead. and make the term
fashion, still n reality. take their cues often
from the m crest accident. Il remember one
yenr a manufactured had a large stockton
thousand yards-of moir6 silk on hand which
he could not sell. He bought in the stock to
use for Innings and petticoats because 1t was
cheap. Just as soon as it got noised abroad
that we were using 1t people began to say.
'Moird is fashionable and by. the next sea-
son everybody from Russia to Mexico was In q
MORO gown. and we had ceased to use 1t.
nothing viii grow and grow until 1t forces It.
self upon us by mere accumulated momentum.
Some newspaper correspondent makes tho
random statement that green Ia going to be
globe. and We shall have such demands Tor
that color as oblige US to use it, and 80 1t
finally docs become fashionable.
Women. with pretensions TO dress want to
Wear what is nn,auftib o Ihs sivi consult ssrEa per9 onpv
caprice. but it must he something new. AS
soon as it is known, that an exclusive house
certain fabric. everybody else wants 1t: and as
soon as 1t has become common the exclusive
house ceases to make or use IT, and the exciu-
There are women, eager to COPY what the
original thinkers In dress wear and the origi-
nal women as eager to drop. their " crea-
rial and worn BY vulgar people. and this is
now the only distinction between fashion
leaders and the rest Of the world.
wear what everybody else wears and those
who want to wear what nobody else wears.
and the leaders are leaders against their will.
&c, what 10 going to be worn. al that
answer must be. One great ~dressinakInG
house says that ono style will prevail: another
claims a different mode; The Empire is hav-
that we made the nrst Empire 10Y We sold
four the first season. the next season we
made perhaps twenty: now they are the rage
andEEwe are not making them any more:
and round skirts Just brushing the ground in
the back and very wide at the bottom. How
wide the skirts are to be may be understood
that has sixty yards OF silk in it. AS to .crino-
lines. to the letters which every, post brings
demanding yes or no on that subject | say I
may may Vol veil tra ar nspire the enorm,ous fitness
in the skirts will demand some sort ofsupport.
something to keep it out and in place"