The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1903-03-27
war DECLARED ON
the shirt WAIST
National Dressmakers Declare
1t Cheap, Bourgeois and
.Profitless.
a BIG CONSPIRACY AFOOT
Chief Speaker Tells Modistes They
Must "PIue" Unremittingly 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 SHEER
mar house, Chicago, recently.
The shirt waist is common. bourgeois,
a menace to the profits of the dress
maker. Therefore, down with it. Such
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 So to S12. 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 dicta in regard to the
constructing of gowns which the
! speaker laid down were:
Trains are tabooed.
Skirts must be no longer than barely to
touch the ground.
Everything must be smooth about the
hips.
A skirt without a yoke has no place in
fashions.
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 erect.
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.
The walls of the hall are outlined
with gorgeously trimmed booths, where
the "you-needn't-sew-it," "see-that-
hump" and all the other hooks and
eyes, the latest c%orsets, diamond
clasped and gold-trimmed: the newest
skirt and shirt waist fasteners, ribbons,
laces elnbroideries and what-not, are
on exhibition.
In the center stands the double row
of elaborate gowns roped off in exclu-
sive fashion and covered with Hands
off, signs. The dressmakers came
armed with sketching pencils, jottine
by the souvenir programs. which con-
tain outline gowns in which only the
trimming need be sketched.
If the world today admits hat the
American woman is the best dressed
the American dressmaker is leader II
arraying the worlds fairest Woma ir
robes worthy Of her.
"Oh," exclaimed a woman in ricf
furs, what a beautiful gown! An i'm.
portation, of course. The very STAMP
Of Paris is on it." and she smiled will
an air of saying, '1've bought too man!
Partisan things not to know" an
peeped around confidently for the de
signer's card. 1t wasn't Parisian; /
wasn't New York, or yer Chicago
was Omaha, and bore the stamp o
originality in every line. 1t was al
evening dress Of liberty silk. The gowl
is hand-painted, not in flowers, but II
plain color, and lavender, pink and vel
low shades are blended. The combina
| ton Of color is carried out in the foun
dalton Of the gown in a unique man
ner. First is a foundation Of yelloy
silk, then one of yellow chiffon, he
one Of pale blue chiffon and over al
f one Of pink chiffon coming next to tn
green oVerdreSs.