South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-09-17
FASHION, s MODEL
IS LARGER NOW
New Styles Have Changed Fig
ure, Standard Size Now is
Thirty-eight.

Madame takes a standard model
size. yes? Then show Madame thirty
Fights"
But I'm not a thirty-eight," pro-
tested the fair shopper seated yester-
day in the costume section of a large
department store. I'm only thirty
six and have never worn a larger
size"
"Ah, yes, but that was before the
new styles arrived" the head of the
department explained. This season
practically all our models are made
one size larger. The perfect thirty
six used 10 have 1t all her own way
until fashions and figures changed.
Now the perfect thirty eight is the
model queen"
When asked why the model stand
ard has changed one degree in the
passing from one season 10 another
the buyer explained that women's hips
were responsible for the new thirty
eight size. They are too large for the
rest of her figure, according TO this
authority. I'VE discovered that our
thirty-sixes, which used TO slip on
easily and adjust themselves almost
as though made for the wearer. never
requiring many alterations, were too
Hips Have Increased in Size.
This slight increase over the per-
feet model thirty-siX was not noticed
when skirts were fuller But with the
new fashions the tight skirts in the
old sizes are too narrow. So when
customer asks for a thirty-six we
usually end bv selling her a thirty
eight The difference in the waist
part is so slight that we seldom have
to alter it, and the extra inch or so
in the skirt breadth is actually re-
querid if the tight skirt is to fit prop
erly.
Yes know what you are going to
say. That you thought since the hip
less fashions advent women had re-
duced themselves several inches. But
that is not true. The corset worn now
gives women a straight and hipless
appearance. They have no curves left
belonging to the hour glass and
straight front periods of dress, but
cOrsets are adjusted 10 give great free
dom to every movement OF the waist
and hips. and that means cOrsets are
worn looser than they used TO be. And
what is the result? Naturally, the
hips, being less confined, have increas-
ed in size
Waists are larger, too. and. sar-
torially speaking, buSts have almost,
disappeared. They are so tightly con
fined by weighing supporters that
women look almost flat in front. That
is the fashionable silhouette.
Fashions Are Tickle.
Every woman strives to have mar
row shoulders, a rather squeezed eff
feet at the bust a generous waist
measurement and curveless hips. Is
il any wonder that models have TO be
altered considerably TO conform to the
new fashions?
"If changing the measurements up
on which models are designed did not
entail a good deal of labor wholesale
costumers might use a thirty-eight
skirt with a thirty-siX or even thirty
four waist But fashions are too
tickle for them to take the chance.
They might have TO make another
change again in six months. Instead
of rearranging the foundation figures
we simply buy thirty lights for stand
ard size and know that there will be
little alteration in skirts with possibly
a few slight changes in the waist.
Foreign models have not changed
although French dressmakers learned
some time ago to recognize the ma
tional differences in the figure of the
Partisan woman Of fashion and that OF
her American reproduction. The Am
erican is taller and broader and there
fore models made especially for this
country are designed on American
lines. Just as the Japanese, having
grasped the fact that our women are
several inches taller than their quaint
little women, now model their XII
monos and coats on more generous
lines