Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-10-26

costume suitable for drive along your beam
tiful Fifth avenue would be "freakish" il
worn for walk along country lanes. But for
freakish personally would use the expression
bad taste, outre. Any gown that is beautiful
that is harmonious with the wearer's surround
ings, is moral.
Since have been in New York, have coma
to realize that this state Of mind which has SO
long puzzled me, is undoubtedly due to the
latent hypocrisy peculiar to the American
people. AS a nation you still have the feeling
that the things you like are not good for you, =,
and the even more fallacious feeling, that the
things which you do not comprehend must
perforce, be wrong-immoral, If you please
In the future l will be better able to I'M.
derstand the seeming cowardice Of American
women. The sadness of it all is that they
are really very original in so many ways, but
they have not learned to valus this originality
nor to display it.
They are going to, however, and very soon
But first they will have to conquer their de-
sire for the ornate, for the tawdry showiness
which they sincerely believe constitutes ele
gance. They must learn the value of line
rather than trimming.
Elegance, the pastime of our ancestors, has
now become a science. 1t is the most vain Of
all sciences Is there anything more vain than
womans gown?
must be frank and admit that in her quest
for what she considers elegance, the American
woman has been misled, to my way Of think
ing. by many of our Partisan couturiers who
make them gowns Of elaborate fabrics deco
rated with furbelows, frills and with pen
wipers Lung them. The beauty of simplicity
in design and outline will appeal to her as she
becomes more educated along artistic lines.
1t is, as l have already said matter Of pres
ent ignorance.
So many times since my arrival here have
been asked to describe my methods of design
ing my costumes. l have no method. / do not
design on paper, create the woman. I
need but three things-scissors, stuffs and
woman | study the woman She comes to my
ateler, which is set in a beautiful old garden
in Paris. / study her as she walks about the
garden, as she sits in my reception room, as
she talks with her friends and with me. When
l have dissected her to her very, soul then /
create on her the gowns she should wear II
you could my workshop you would realize
just how these costumes develop under my
fingers, inspired by my emotions and my brain.
] use my materials as a painter uses his paints.
The result Is that the gown springs directly
from my consciousness to the woman. |
no go-between, as would If my costumes were
designed on paper and then handed over to a
dressmaker
In my workshop are remnants from all over
the world. There are queer and ancient vest
ments, antique shoes, belts and jeweled head
dresses. Stuffs deposited there from all ma
tons. With these things work.
l am asked if the coming modes will be more
Venetian than Oriental. l am asked if the lat
ter mode is passing. | say no to both ques-
tons. The Oriental influence is still to pre-
dominate, for the Venetians got their mode
from the Orient The Oriental modes are the
most exqusitely feminine of all. And the
women of the Orient wear trousers. And here
I will make blunt statement, which, fear
will be misunderstood. l have been misunder-
stood each time that have approached This
subject. | sure that women will wear
trousers within a short time. This is not
theory of mine. 1t is an absolute belief
Trousers not the ugly masculine garment. but
those Of the Orient, built of gorgeous stutfs
are the logical sequence of the present modes
Fashion is always logical, and the next step
will be the trouser of this | am sure.
Will trousers tend to make a woman more
masculine? No. On the contrary, they adj to
her feminity. All masculine dress, when worn
by woman but increases her femininity, the
delicacy of her features, the feminine cast of
her figure all show more distinctly in man
nish clothes.
The coming of the trousers, however, has
nothing to do with the feminist movement.
the desire for the vote which is agitating
Europe and America. 1t Is connected absolute
ly with the mode, not the vote. Fashion has
always, and ever will be governed by the fact .
that womans role in life is to be seductive, to !
give pleasure, and to enliven the life of man.
This is, after all, the base Of all fashion That
woman Graves frequent change in her clothes
is due more to her capriciousness than to any
desire to be extravagant- Capriciousness is an
absolute feminine quality. The American WON
an has no greater share of this delightful quail
ity than her sisters all over the world.