Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-01-20
SERIOUS CULT
OF THE SCARF
Serious Cult of the Scarf

1HE cult Of the scarf has assumed
distinct Importance among Paris
ians, and this season for the first
Er7zfllI time American women begin to
49, take Il seriously To be sure we
have lad scarfs, beautiful ones, and Amer
lean women have bought them and have
worn them, but they have not appreciated
as the Partisan has learned to appreciate
the possibilities Of charm and coquetry in
these dress accessories.
Perhaps we should be thankful that
American women even New York's most
fashionable women, are unwilling TO spend
hours before their mirrors learning how
TO handle some new expression Of the
modes that they do not approach the
fashions in n spirit 80 devout as that which
the Partisan assumes By all means let
us give thanks IL this lack means ingenu-
business. superior mentality, absence Of
circumstances but If It merely implies
Incidence or dullness of artistic perception,
how then1
1t seems probable that a large percent
age OF American womanklnd gives as much
thought and time and worry to the mat
ter Of dress as does the average Partisan;
but the average American doesn't under
stand the art Of fashion coquetry as does
her Partisan sister, does not artistically
master the little graces Of dress.
And that brings us back to the scarf.
For three years past It has been grow
ing in favor with Parisans, has been con-
Ridered an Important detail Of the even
ing frocks, of all frocks Of empire sugges-
ton, of many a summer frock for which
no other wrap was provided.
Often the scarf was the crux of the
whole color scheme Of the toilette and the
l-ara haua do ring
successes through the medium Of such
scarf drapery. Naturally, the Partisan set
herself to work to learn how TO wear the
scarf, how to handle II so that It would
add It's utmost to her grace and charm.
There are a few women in Paris now
with whom the thing is a high art, an art
spoken of appreclatively by all French
critics. II is so easy to look dowdy in a
scarf IL 1t be dragged carelessly around
the shoulders. drawn clumsily around the
neck. allowed to trail indignantly at one
end or another.
One must manipulate 1t with the arms,
the hands, the shoulders. keep 1t In grace
full, clinging folds wear 1t low or high.
clinging round the shoulders or droopiag
TO the elbows, falling straight in front
OF each arm or with one end thrown over
the opposite shoulder. all in accordance
Will ln0 ppbblDllllleb Ol OIb lace anu
figure.
The scarf may be made to conceal bad
lines of figure, to accentuate good ones;
It may be handled as alluringly, as CO.
quettshy as a fan, and Is, like the fan,
at its best in Spanish hands; but all this is,
as we have said, matter of art, of train
ing, and the scarf cult will probably not
reach Partisan dimensions on this side of
the water.
1t seems probable that the echarpe. which
is the name under which the scarf goes In
Paris and in that highly exclusive circle
of little New York shops where imposing
young women, blond OF hair, conscien-
tiously corseted and painstakingly mani
cured, scorn English phrases and reason
able prices. will be of more Importance
than ever in the French fashion scheme
during the coming season. So the rumor
goes in thafgreat dressmaking circles and
so the manufacturers have evidently be-
lieved. for the art of the designers has been
lavishly aprlied to the scarf and the results
are unprecedentedly charming.
The house on lower Broadway where our
artist made her sketches for this page has
an advance collection of imported scarfs
we'll calculated to make any woman a con-
vert to the cult and representing many of
tho lovehest OF the new seasons echarpe
ideas. Description seems hopeless task,
for It is in tho exquisite colerings and the
texture of the materials tat most OF the
beauty Of these accessories lies, but per-
haps some conception o the echarpes may
be gal ed from some slight description in
connection with the sketches.
Spanish lace is~chosen for some Of the
handsome St;aight scarfs. and often Span
u. isil lacs designs are made into the borders
OF echarpes of plain chiffon, silk mousseline
or gauze. AS the mantilla type of scarf