Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1910-09-02
Mystery or The Fashions.

From the London Times.
Season after season, year in and year
out, THE fashions" present themselves in
an endless succession of changes. Where
do they come from and how do they come
Who invents them? 1t seems a mysterious
business, and there is, in fact, a good deal
of uncertainty and caprice about it, but
no mystery. 1t is regular process con-
Quoted on definite and ineligible princi-
pies, which are at bottom just the same
old business principles that govern other
things. The fashions are business and
only different from other business in the
fact that their essential quality is changed
they are clothes Illuminated by change.
The same quality enters into some other
things. too but not really to the same ex-
tent, for very simple. sufficient reasons.
There is more demand and at the same
time more scope for change in dress than
in other things, such as furniture, houses,
meals, or modes of shaking hands, Change
is novelty and desired mainly because it
attracts attention and confers distinction
and these objects are more Immediately
and effectively attained in proportion to
the prominence of the personal element.
Nothing is so close 70 the person as
clothes; nothing so effectually attracts at
tention to the person. At the same time
they are more perishable than furniture or
houses they need constant renewals, and
the possibilities of variation are unlimited.
Consequently dress offers field for fashion
or novelty so superior to any other that it
has annexed the word, and 1.-THE fashions"
have come to mean novelty in dress-and
especially wOmen's dress for the same
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women to attract personal attention than
for men. There are fashions in mems
dress, but they represent very trifling
changes, and the men who attach impor-
lance to them are of no account.
These observations give the clew to the
process of producing the fashions There
are three persons who have a common in
terest in the constant change of dress
they are the manufacturer, the maker, and
the wearer. The first two need no expla-
nation; they want to sell the commodities
they produce. and frequent changes of
style insure perpetually renewed demand
Without such changes people would 90 on
wearing their old things much longer, and
since there would be no inducement to buy
new ones so long as the old served their
purpose economy would suggest the use Of
the most durable materials The pur-
veyors' business would shrink accordingly.
The fashions, which compel customers to
get new things, keep ii going
How, then, about the third party con-
cerned, the wearer whose interest is not
to be always Obliged to buy new things ?
1t looks as if the fashions were devised for
the benefit of the manufacturer and the
dressmaker, who conspire against the wear
er. The answer to that is that there are
wearers and wearers, those who set the
| fashion and those who follow it, The lat
ter would really gain If there we're no
changes. but to the former novelty is es-
sential, and their interest is identical with
that of the manufacturer and the dress
maker they are partners in the business.
Who are they?
Women who for one reason or another
desire to attract attention and be conspicu-
Gus. They include ladies' occupying promi-
nent positions in the social world ladies
occupying equally or more prominent posi-
tons on the stage. beauties in society, and
beauties out of it. All these require to be
conspicuous. and an indispensable means
to most of them is novelty in dress, which
attracts attention and distinguishes them
from the crowd. They are partners with
the trade they set the fashion" Other
women follow perforce and here comes in
a curious bit of psychology. The leaders Of
fashion lead in order to be conspicuous
their example is gradually followed until
the fashion is established. when every wo-
man has to adopt it for the opposite reason
in order not to be conspicuous, and then
the process begins all over again.