Evening star., 1914-12-27
T last the French silhouette has

q T last the French silhouette has
IN won out overwhelmingly. 1t is
\ IN only another evidence of the
* fact that the world finally ac-
tepts the verdict os Paris, although it may
argue about 1t and protest against 1t
turing the first two months Of the change.
America may start out to decide the
fashions through the greatest numbers
worn of certain type Of gown, but she
nds by wearing what Paris laid down
for the rest of the world at Its openings.
The fact rests upon a far more solid
pasis than the mere desire to be dictated
to by a little group of dressmakers over
he sea or an occasion to ape whatever
ONES from Paris; 1t is sensible ac-
acknowledgement Of the fact that the entire
world is willing to shift the burden Of
establishing fashions on the shoulders of
those who have borne 1t for few GEN.
turies.
America is the chiefest Of all countries
TO recognize the economy and satisfaction
of turning over specialized work to high
paid specialists and thereby save them
selves for work in other directions The
men and women who command the dress
making trade in this country have al
ways taken that view of the situation.
. They make fortunes out of being middle
men and as long as this commercial sue
cess keeps up just so long will American
women wear the kind Of clothes that
Paris inspires.
World Accepts Paris Verdict.
To do so is not to show any obsession
for aping Paris. With the exception of
a handful of extra smart people in the
great centers of social life. the American
woman does not dress like the French
woman. May be she can't; at least, she
doesn't. The entire world accepts Paris
as the arbiter of fashion and no Ameri-
can wishes to depart from the clothes of
the rest of the world.
There is no possible way of, satisfy
InS a million women by apparel which
is local and which deviates from the
apparel of the civilized women in other
parts of the globe. No one is the gamer
by it, The situation today is success
Iul- Every man or woman who wants
to try out hand at designing can do
SO by building on the accepted ske1e-
ton which the Judgment of Paris has
selected. Why should we struggle and
strive and twist and turn through the
trade to build a house on the sands?
he who boasts loudest that he can
design all his own outpat for the win
ter is the one who usually goes to
t'aris by the next boat to see If there
IS anything new in mass Nor in detail
Tor him to absorb. The woman who
Insists that she personally designs
every costume turned out of her estab-
lishment will boast, also, of the fact
that she is in close touch with Paris
through a half dozen sources.
Facts About Marrow Skirt.
When l arrived in America from the
other side about the middle of Septem-
aer, after having been at all the war
time openings of @the great houses in
i'aris and having talked fo'aH the de-
siSners and heads of houses who were
IN the city l found over here still the
harrow skirt and the long tunic. At
The srnartest houses they would insist
ltpon this outline as the one that Amer
leans would wear those who had seen
the new French gowns acknowledged
That full skirts and tight basques were
features over there-and those who
had not been to PariS-or thought you
hadn't been-insisted that nothing new
lea would set its own style, resting 1t
upon the narrow, skirt. the straight
tunic and often the blouse with the
lowered armhole and the loose sleeve.
By the first of October the American
buyers had all the new French models
10 exhibit, but still one was met with
L vigorous protest against the full
skirt and the fat-hip yoke. America,
they said, would lay down her own
law this winter and she would not ac-
cept a change in silhouette 1t was
difficult to get the dressmakers or the
lines.
l saw women paying two and three
hundred dollars apiece for gowns and
suits which had the narrow skirt and
:. long tunic, sometimes full at the
hem, sometimes not l heard h,gn-
priced specialists in this city persuad-
ing these women into this silhoutte,