Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1903-03-28
WAR DECLARED ON
The SHIRT WAIST
National Dressmaksrs Declare
1t Cheap, Bourgeois and
Profitless.
A BIG CONSPIRACY AFOOT
Chief Speaker Tells Modistes They
Must "Plug" Unremittinsly Against
the Simple and Popular Gar
ment, or Starve.

WAR on the shirtwaist" was the
watchword with which the second an
nual convention of the National Dress
makers association opened in the Sher-
man house, Chicago, recently.
The shirt waist is common, bourgeois,
a to the profits of the dress
maker. Therefore, down with it. Such
was the point made by Nine. Baker in
an address before 200 enthusiastic de-
voices of the art OF building gowns.
Flight against the shirt waist" she
said. Talk them down. They are a
danger to every modiste. How can we
expect to do a successful business when
shirt waists can be bought at depart
ment stores for IS to $12. Can we
spend time making shirt waists which
net a trivial profit? From a business
point of view the shirt waist is a foe
to our profession-and they aren't
pretty, anyway"
Some of the dlcta in regard to the
constructing OF gowns which the
speaker laid down were:
Trains are tabooed.
Skirts must be nc longer than barely to
touch t. ground.
Everything must be smooth about the
hips.
A skirt without a yoke has no place in
ashions
Short sleeves are bad form for street
wear, even in the hottest of dog-days.
Blouses are no longer the thing.
Waists are to have a pompadour effect.
Big sleeves are coming in again-SleeveS
with a puff at the shoulder like those in
the celebrated Marie Stuart picture.
Modiste Is Queen.
Visiting modistes were disappointed
because of the delay in getting booths
and models into position. Things are
In running order, however, and the ex-
hibits are in line for inspection.
Tho NUnlld IF thn boil orn n,Yf1innI
with gorgeously trimmed booths, where
he "you-needn't-sew-it," "see-that-
hump and all the other hooks and
eyes, the latest C~orsets, diamond
.lasped and gold-trimmed: the newest
skirt and shirt waist fasteners, ribbons,
aces embroideries and what-not, are
On exhibition.
In the center stands the double row
If elaborate gowns roped off In eXclu-
'ive fashion and covered with Hands
off" signs. The dressmakers came
armed with sketching pencils, jotting
Town ideas. In this they were helped
by the souvenir programs, which con-
ain outline gowns in which only the
trimming need be sketched.
If the world today admits that the
American woman is the best dressed,
he American dressmaker is leader in
irraying the worlds fairest woman In
tobes worthy Of her.
"Oh," exclaimed a in rich
.urs, what a beautiful gownl An i'm
oortation, Of course. The very stamp
* Paris Is on IT," and she smiled with
an air Of saying, i've bought too many
Partisan things not to know" and
teeped around confidently for the de-
Iigner's card. 1t wasn't Partisan; 1t
wasn't New York, or even Chicago-it
was Omaha, and bore the stamp of
originality In every line. 1t was an
evening dress Of liberty silk. The gown
s. hand-painted, not In flowers, but in
plain color, and lavender, pink and yell
.ow shades are blended. The combina-
ton Of color Is carried out in the foun-
iation of the gown in a unique man
ner, First Is O. foundation of yellow
silk, then one of yellow chiffon. then
one Of pale blue chiffon and owe all
ne of pink chiffon coming next to the
green o~Verdress.