The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-02-25
Growing Fashion
for Indoor Frocks


This IS serious talk that ono hears
everywhere conc erninss tho outgoing. K
OF the suit and the Incoming of tho
trock Not that any one believes for q
moment that 1t is possible to univer- !
sally abandon the coat aud skirt for s,
spring and summer. for, although It
Is new innovation counting by de-
cades, still it Is too much part of TIN,
AnGlo-SaNon wardrobe to be gwen up
without terrific struggle.
1t is true that We are apt to tako
the coat and skirt for granted rs
world that wears clothes, but It is
really an AnGlo-Saxon costume In
dulgad in BY tho fashionable elements
OF other nations, but by no means .
considered a necessity rs it Is with
us.
Even the French arc not too partial
to 1t, although they have taken it UP (.
warm degree of enthusiasm. Even
now they refer to 1t as an American
fashion. showing that they do not
consider 1t an integral part of their
costume.
After ALL the one piece srock Is a.,
fundamental part of our clothes and
1t Is only in America that It has b aen
, almost entirely dropped for tho morel
mannish costume. Time was when no
American woman, whether OF high or
| lpN btSISe, ti!ouSHl VI CHOOSING any.
| other Kind OF Il street costume AZ.
/ cept this one. and she then left her
! blouses 'to chance. Che wore white
ones constantly for many years un-
! til the fashion changed, and although
she accepted tho edict for thu self
| colored blouse, she did not reiinquisi
the wash waist.
! When tho one-piece frock was
/ brought into fashion, made of wooden
stuns. of linen. and of silk, she was
/ not inclined to accept 1t wholehear ted e
| ~. she looked upon it as an innova-
ton, forgetting that ii was the nrigi1
nal way to clnths ones self and sha
rather resented It's attempted rivalry
| With the coat suit.
I She felt that 1t was French. that 10
was not her kind of dressing for tina
| street, that It nccessitated a top coat.
and, in othe rwords. 1t was 4 nuisance. q
! Sho turned her back upon 1t and
| went on buying Jackets and skirts.
/ But the dressmakers arc mighty. and
| the shops are mighticr. and thoy saw
a chance to sell twic. as many clothes
| by insisting upon the onc-nieca frocl1
| as substitute for the mannish suit,
! and SO they kept on making It III all
| kinds OF 70 brics, Offering It to those
who wanted IL and those who did nod
| want it Il
/ Paris had an easy tina with it. Tnd
/ European dearly lovsa oae-piece
lar, has never seen tho artistic mcrip
| Il the divided line from shoulder to-
, heel. She has worn the white shirt
waist, but she has demurred against
its fitness. 50 She has bought one
piece frocks by the hundreds and won
, dcrcd why her American sister did
not do tho same,
Steadily, ii slowly, however. the onc-
nl2ce frooli has made its way .vith the
Anglo Saxon during the last two years.
and 1t has heen more pronounced since
November this year than for n dozen
years. 1t has been made in nllurinE
ways and of all kinds of fa br!cs such
as shot tafeta, striped corduroy and
velvet. wool back satin. chcviot, camcIs
hal and plush-lkc ratinc. These were
worn under the universal top coat. tho
| popularity of which would explain in
some measure the wide acceptance OF
| the frock.
Women who have never owned II top
coat and who plunged wildly nto tho
new luxury this autumn when tho
shops Sold them at every price found
| that they wera no good over n coat
suit, ana that to wear them Tally
over skirt and blouse had two dis
advantages: first II used UP tho skirt
| OF the suit and left the coat fresh;
and when removed one did not present
! n very smart appearance.
| Therefore, the one piece frocE had tn
| be gotten for the long coat, and this
might have been what the shops reclS-ss
| oned on when they presented tho two
| garments at the same time.
While the air Is full of rumors %
| spring fashion the air IS also full oc
| tcicles and zero weather. IL is pleas
| ant TO hear about spring, but It Is
| not possible 10 wear thin clothes III
the hope of bringing 1t any nearer.
| So, many women are making UP snap
| py frocks OF smart pieces Of fnbrin
III.
| prices in short lengths at all the shops
| these days.
Another trick heard OF was to get
from the fashionable tailors odd
| lengths of a fabric that they have not
used M during the winter season.
| They do not want to carry than over
! at this time Of the year. and tnere la
not enough of the one piece to make u
coat and skirt but it Will make 4 ono-
| piece frock.
! Almost any woman is wiling 70 put
| some money into IL gown OF this sort
! and gamble on the chance OF wear!
! ms it for three months at least. ~
/ woman who acted on this chance had
Il black velvet ono piece froch mazda
/ M the other day which is so success
full that she likes IL better than hen.
other clothes.
/ She got shor. length In good
/ weave and had 81 narrow skirt cut oft
at the ankles, and fastened Zip tho mid
/ die OF the front under shallow, round
( ed acallops which were bound with
! braid and in tho centre OF which was
placed a black braid button. Tho
4 waist line was normal and girdled
I with patent leather belt.
l The bodice was cut on simple slim
lines with armholes two inches below
I the normal. and hound with a :hicie
4 cord OF silk braid. The fastening OF
4 tho waist was also up the front, ur-s
der the same kind OF scallops used ON
/. tile skirt. There was shallow "
! shaped s,iupe made OF white chiffon
/ cloth without tucl1s. which extended
/ into boncd collar and this little
| yoke also fastened mp the front witt,
| small amethyst buttons run through