The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-02-25
FADS AND FASHIONS

past few seasons fashion has brought
many odd and freakish things, some
even of appalling ugliness. but these
caricatures were to be found almost
exclusively in French fashion papers
and in the display windows of certain
shops catering to women eager for
notoriety. Women of taste and re-
finemenc kept aloof from the most
extreme styles and in really good So
ciety freakish and outre styles are
everywhere tabooed. Aside from these
extreme vagaries, present modes offer
many picturesque and charming ele-
ments.
The fashionable figure is more sup
pie than it once was. That is some
thing to be truly thankful forr. The
stout woman, stiffly boarded up in
straight front corsets, which makes
her figure something with the resem-
blance to natures original design, is
still to be seen, but she is not in the
fashion so far as figure is concern
ed and the corset makers are gradu-
ally changing their ideals and meth
DDS and gradually force the change
upon their customers. Women are
still to be of the straight front type,
but they are not to slope backward.
The front line is really TO be
straight, and the waist is to have very
nearly, if not quite its natural size,
which decreases the emphasis of the
hip curves, and the hips-well, one
does away with their redundancy il
possible; if not, one does all one can
to diminish their apparent size. An
artist corsetiere can accomplish much
in this direction. The bust should
be rather high and not very full, and
the general impression given throug.
out the whole figure should be that
of ease and freedom, a result which
may be obtained through unboned cor
sets or elactic inserts in the corsets
and clever corset lines without going
to the extreme of eliminating the cor
set altogether. AS a matter OF fact
the modish figure is sanely natural
though some of the clothes draped ov-
er it distort it and make it seem alb
surd and the woman who can't OIL
won't reduce her hips will find the
prescribed lines trying.
The dressmakers already have in
hand quantities of One-piece trottins
frocks in silk, which will give ser
vice under coats now if needed, and
will be ready for warm spring days
Some of these are in fringed fou.ards
but the best looking so far seem to
be in the plain dark silks of the crepe
or dull satin order. A smart little
black frock of this kind. finishing al
the throat line with only little de
tachable collar of net lace or lingerie
showing above the black or made with
a Dutch or other rundown collar, and
general air of tailored simplicity
will be an exceedingly practical and
comfortable asset for spring and sum
mer, and coat to match will make
the frock still more useful. There are
many coats and skirts of black SAITH
or satin crepe in making too, with {
fair sprinkling of similar suits in Yer,
dark blues and browns.
| The black and white models multi
| ply SO that the combination bids fail
to be as popular in the spring an(
summer as it has been during the win
ter, only in most of the summer
frocks the white naturally predomi
mates, the black being the relieving
color, while in winter frocks the or
der was reversed. Some of the pref
test things of this kind are in fine
! white cotton wolfe or marquisette eff
| fectively embroidered in black, bu
| there are simple French lawn ant
linen tub frocks whose note of black
is cleveriy introduced through the use
of white and black materials as trim
mings.
Never were the inexpensive cottol
stuffs prettier and there are innumera
BILE models both charming and simple
Each year brings better values in thu
| tub frock of this type and there are
makers who specialize in well made
| by severely simple frocks of Bingham
Dimity, Lawn, Linen, etc, at yer!
reasonable prices.
The new dimities deserve specia
mention, for in color and design the,
are prettier than they ever were be
| fore. The same may be said of tn,
ginghams and even the percales usual
ly regarded as practical and service
able rather than chic, have taken OF
such daintiness of color and design
that they make most desirable sum
mer frocks for hard wear.
| White serge is as popular as ever
(, Every year, when the Southern sea
son comes around this material sooI
begins to assume An Importance which
it retains until late in the autumn
and indeed in some cases through
the entire year. The manufacturer:
have various names for the many fan
cy weaves of soft white wool, but the
general public is prone to lump then
all under the name of serge except