Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-04-20

back there is. after all, very little bare
neck to show, and one has comfort and
| fashion combined
One must confess that this neglige
method of dressing does not carry with ii
the dignity OF a high stock and the WON
an who believes in this theory can add q
guimpe Of white net, which is securely
| fastened at the waist and is boned to a
| good height at the neck
| These guInpes are better made by the
| shops than they once We're. although they
| all need fitting to the individual neck, a
/ flaw which cannot be helped. The ones
| that end above the bust and are waist
! less and those that end just below the
| bust and are fastened with an elastic are
I a nuisance. The only kind that one can
wear with any degree of assurance is the
| one that has armholes and is tied around
| the waist with a tape
| Afternoon gowns are all collarless.
| Theater gowns are quite as low as dinner
| gowns when worn by the fashionable
woman a half-low one may do for the
woman who does not pretend to be fash
! ionable. There is no longer any idea OF
making an afternoon gown low in the
| back. Whatever the material, it is carried
UP to the neck line and the collar is set
on so that it stands two inches high at
! least and then rolls down to deep V in
| front
Whether the designers thought the day
| of the shirt waist was over and that II
| must be revived, or whether they Were
! merely experimenting on it because all
other garments have undergone decided
change in shape. the shirt waist of this
season presents a novelty at every turn
1t is rather odd that Paris should have
invented these beguiling features in the
|
invention and is rarely taken up by the
fashionable French woman. The Amer
lean designer seems to have let the gar
ment take care of itself after it was first
put on lis feet for period and allows
France to create all the new designs and
enforce the new STYLES and fabrics in it
Possibly that is better, for we are not a
nation of designers in clothes. and what
We have done so far does not commend
itself to any artistic eye.
One of the prominent features in the
new shirt waists is a sleeve that begins
slightly gathered into a shallow yoke
which dips deeply down into the back.
This idea is also used on some of the
new French house gowns. especially a
fetching one by Paul Poiret. which is
made of Japanese red crepe cloth and
trimmed with japanese embroidery The
original blouse which shows this sleeve is
made in red and white dotted muslin and
trimmed with collar and cuffs of white
batiste, edged with fine white lace. Twen-
ty-five dollars is asked for it. and it can
be copied at home for less than 50. even
with the pay of SeamStreSS. but this is
not the sane way to look at such gar
ments One pays for an idea in clothes;
not workmanship. The latter can be got
ten for next to nothing; The former is as
difficult to find as needle in a haystack.
BY the way, there is another red and
white blouse. and the world seems full of
them this spring. both in stripes and dots.
which has a deep shoulder yoke. back and
front which is heightened "a the side to
form sleeves This is very effective and
has many imitatorS.
Possibly the dominant feature i'm the
ma jority of shirt waists is this yoke,
which is used on every kind of garment
that covers the upper part of the body.
1. is usually deep. cut in normal lines, or
shaped in Irregular ways. 1t ends at the
arms or it runs half way to the elbow;
it is finished with a row of stitching or a
thick cording. Today the fabric is gath
cred. not pleated You will see this
method employed on all the new French
gowns. and although il is not a novelty
OF lDlS Spring, Yet II Ids not DttIl TAKEN
up until now in universal way.
One Of the best of the new white shirt
waists is of heavy, undressed linen. fas-
tened with thick crochet buttons the size
Of a silver half dollar; there is a wide,
rolling collar. high at the back. which
has points that run to the shoulders and
ia stem there with large buttons.
The sleeve has pointed turnover cuff
which fastens in two places with link but
tons, and there is a loose. black cravat
tied in a sailors knot This was brought
out for tennis, but ii has been taken up
by smart women for coat suits. Those
who do not wear a stock with it pull the
high collar up over and outside of the
coat and this method is really very at
tractive. even when the white tule stock
is added.
II is the fashion. YOU know. to cover
| the coat collar with something white, and
the stiff1y made white collar which we
used to wear is not considered as attrac-
| tive as the neglige one of white crepe de
chine or marquisette. This is made on
| the Robespierre pattern and falls we'll
! over the shoulders and fronts Of the coat.
| 1t is difficult to achieve plain skirt to-
day Everything is oVerdraped. The
fashion has already become tiresome to
the eyes, for drapng. the experts
warned the amateurs in the winter, is