Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1913-12-24
HOUPPELANDE COAT
PARIS SENSATION
Matter of Uncertainty as to
Whether the Style viii Be
Taken Up.
PERSIAN TUNlC WILL STAY
Style Became Popular Suddenly and
Is Now the Rase-Pannier Effects
Boon to the Slender Woman
-cIinsing Skirt Remains.


|
PARlS.-The revival OF the "Houp-
pelande" coat is one of the sensations
of the winter season in Paris. Wheth-
er this style will become compara-
lively permanent or prove a passing
craze remains to be seen.
On this subject the leading Paris.
Ian dress experts are divided. For
myself consider it certain that wide
hemmed coats will become more and
more popular. Everything points to
this, writes Claude Cherys in the New
York Sun.
When Poiret first launched the Per
sian tunic every one smiled. Some
smart women adopted ii Immediately:
the majority declared 1t suitable only
Tor fancy dress balls. For several
months the Persian, or stiffened, tunic
remained in the balance. 1t was worn,
certainly but 1t was not accepted ex-
cept for special occasions By really
chick women. Then quite suddenly
the Persian tunic outline became the
rage. Alarmists declared that we
were in for a season of hoped skirts,
out these good souls were as usual
wrong Hoped skirts are still in the
future, but hoped coats and TUNES
are an actual fashion.
Naturally Good Dressers.
The great couturiers of the Rue de
la Paix may find 1t an easy matter to
force their ideas and opinions upon
foreign buyers and foreign elegantes
and under the word foreign"
place all those who are not French
but when they come to deal with the
eclectic Parisiennes they can only de-
! sign and suggest and-wait! Such
aud such style may, or may not,
catch on in the great world. It seems
as though it were all a matter of
chance; in reality IL is a matter of eul-
tured taste.
| The Parisiennes are naturally good
dressers. Everything connected with
the toilette is to them almost sacred.
| They discuss their own possibilities
and their own individual tastes with
their chosen dressmakers, Just as two
painters might discuss the possibili-
ties of an embryo picture. | do not
hesitate to say that no Partisan dress
maker or tailor is ever unpleasantly
autocratic with his or her Partisan
clients. II is a case of artist meeting
artist.
This being the case, and undoubted-
| ly 1t is SO, it can be easily understood
that though a very remarkable style,
like the houppelande coat, might be
worn on certain occasions by special
women II might not easily become the
fashion from the Partisan point of
view. But there are circumstances
connected with this style which CON
vince me that 1t win become really
popular and in the right circles.
Houppelande Models.
II is the logical outcome of the Per.
sian tunic; and the Parisiennes are at
heart very logical They glide from
one fashion to another In a perfectly
| natural way. People are fond OF say
ing that French women are always
! changing their fashions, but this is
not really the case. They glide from
one outline to another in a perfectly
natural way, as in the present case.
First the Persian tunic with stiffened
hem, then the houppelande coat.
Some of the more eccentric horppe-
/. !ande models are lavishly trimmed
with frills of taffeta or velvet and with
| bands of sable. Some of these coats
are exceedingly wide at the hem, and
all Of them are so arranged that they
stand away from the figure below the
| hips.
The genuine houppelande coat OF
olden days was rather shorter than
the models now being shown in our
best ateliers. They also were eIabo-
rately trimmed with frills and ruch-
ings and finished off with wide
sleeves. It is a strangely picturesque
fashion, but one which is proving
very becoming to certain types OF
women
One Of the leading Partisan dress
makers has recently made a speciality
OF the pannier style of tunic, and when
skilfully manipulated 1t is charming.
For the Slender Woman.
The material Is fashioned into a
loose tunic in the first instance and
then the supple stuff Is caught up in |
pannier fashion, giving it a puffy ef- |
feet over the hips. To slender wom- |
en- this style is admirable. II gives |
an unexpected outline, and when com |
bined with a cIinging skirt IL Is really /
attractive Nowadays all the fullnesg /
of dresses and coats alike is concen- /
trated In the direction of the hips, or /
just below them. I
Skirts are apparently as clinging as |
ever. even though much more rnateri- /
al is put into them, and corsages are /
arranged in fat, dropping folds; but
from the hips to the knees, plaits and I
6ounces and puffs are arranged. On
some Of the latest models for evening
gowns tunics appear, which are moth
ing short of ballet dancers skirts.
These curious tunics are, as a rule,
rcade Of tulle and one plated founce
is posed over another until the whole
affair looks exactly like the old-fash-
Toned ballet skirt Here again we have
fashion specially created for ultra