Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-09-03
THE AUTHORITATIVE
FASHIONS FOR FALL
Mrs. Osborn Americas Foremost Modiste,
Comments on The Relation OF Climate to
Styles-A Plea For individuality

I'm thinking of styles today as COM
pared with those of the past" says
Mrs. Osborn in The Delineator for
September, when fashions were SO
| fixed, so decided, I have come to the
conclusion that there is one para
mount advance, namely; the reason
back of changing fashions, the cause
OF innovations. That cause is the de-
mand for comfort, the demand on the
Part Of women for Clothes that shall
suit them, not somebody else"
Styles for autumn markedly confirm
this trend. The women are gradually
learning, also, that it is much more
sensible to wear thinner fabrics In the
fall and winter, regulating the warmth
by having supply of outer wraps to
put on or take off as the temperature
where both the climate and steam
heated homes make thinner gowns im-
perative even in midwinter, you will
find lighter weight dresses to prevail
1t is no longer thought necessary to
scramble to buy a heavy cloth gown
when September comes.
Thinner gowns are now made more
possible for the street on account of
the appearance of the long coat. This
Is likely to become quite the thing. In
fact it is inevitable as companion
to the lighter-w weight gowns.
49," continues Mrs. Osborn, when
say that light weight dresses should
be worn all winter, / add the plea
that women will not Immediately fly
at me with the cry Of impracticability.
Thin clothes are no more expensive
than heavy. They come in shades just
as serviceable and two long coats are
sufficient for all weather changes and
certainly are not mad extravaganza
1t is commendable that the cut Of
these coats is more suitable for gen
eral wear than In recent seasons. For
example the fitted back and the dis
tinctly normal wasting. The correct
length varies from forty-four to fifty
five inches and for hard wear may be
made Of English worstsd, covert or
broadcloth. Only one thing is de-
manded--the garment must permit a
woman to 30 On tho street. warmly
dressed without changing her thin
gown.
1t is not &lwsys possible to trace
directly the source of particular style
of dress; but in this instance there Is
no difficulty We can lay 1t largely to
the climate. Our winters are by no
means what they We're. The whole
shifted-late spring, summer in aut-
unn London rains instead of brisk
winter. 1t has become an art to cope
with the modern American climate.
This vogue for thin dresses IN winter
will, no doubt, prove more than a
vogue 1t is written, written by the
weather man, that until the seasons
swing into some dependable stability
we must dress by the day and not by
the calendar.
Even the theories of medical ad-
yisers enter into this matter Of Dress
Physicians now recommend an abunc-
ance Of fresh afr. a toninS and tough
rigors Of climate and making cold a
Women are becoming more and more
ciple; clothes must be regulated by
Of the year.
Thus we are assured upon this fact:
you will find no longer any notable DIFF
ference between the materials for
summer and winter. Many 1T first will
call this absurd, crazy perhaps but
time Will prove the assertion. Grace
full, clinging fabrics, sucn as chiffon
cloths. marquisette crepe de Chine,
the various silks, muslins even, will be
found prevalent this winter when sup
plemented by the long coat.
Common sense 1t at last becoming
operative In the matter OF woman's
dress Today's styles are bearing the
stamp of it. 1T is far from sensible"
Mrs. Osborn writes further that we
should have been governed SO long
by the calendar, since back of the cal