Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-02-22

~
AAk the merchants and dress
wv makers are. who always APP
pruach the beginning OF
March and September with some trepida-
ton. II is all a gamble. this question OF
exploited gowns for a vast number Oh
women with varied tastes. There are
many sources of supply for new gowns
although Paris is an inspiration for an
Of them. Every dressmaker does not Oh
fer 10 the public original French gowns
of exact copies of French models. and
the bulk of the materials that are offered
-,is week is, with few exceptions, Ameri-
Nan made
The wholesale houses which dress the
-,erage American women send buyers to
Paris well before the buyers for the re
tail houses go over 1t is necessary Tor
them to have styles that can be modified
adapted and made available for the aver
ago woman who wants something new.
from Montreal to Mexico.
These models must he ready at the time
when women are going shopping Tor re-
duced winter clothes. and they are usu-
ally founded on French ideas thar were
brought out in November. Ihey 40 not
always differ in marked manner from the
gowns that are shown to the retail BUY
ers during February. because Paris is not
as revolutionary as one would thlhN- us
ideas connected with its fashions. de-
yelop and do not reach fulfllment until
the second season with them has been
launched.
often what is tried out in November Is
as good as what is finished in February
and this is especially true since the
French dressmakers have learned the de
L. u
Frenchman for suitins the opportunity to
the American with money.
If the American trade wishes summer
gowns III November. the frenchman VIII
produce them. it is nothing 20 hm-this
question of casons and calendars. lie
makes the clothes TO suit the need OF the
hour, and he rests secure in the fact that
if he can't do this brilliantly. no one else
can do it at all.
He knows that America will not pro-
duce it's own ideas in clothes for many
reasons and that all he has to do is to
set the brain to work four times year
instead of twice. one can also trust
him for using one idea many times
in various guises. all acceptable. This
is "a trait that runs through the French
nation. They can produce more dishes
from one piece of meat than the
American can produce with basket
full of ingredients. and they make them
palatable and acceptable. These racial.
inspira tional ideas give into their
hands thea sartorial reins.
There is a great deal of talk going
to and fro over here anent the fact
that Paris is wearying Of fantastic
clothes and that it is seeking to re-
gain prestige by seriously returning
TO simpler fashions. This may be
happy philosophy worked out by the
onlookers, but not seriously with any
such intention on the part of France,
or any conviction that her fashions are
fantastic.
The many designers ove- there are
paid to follow out their own plans
world. although the American buyers
feel that the visit of Worth Poiret.
Georectte and Jouda. who is the head
of the house of Bernard. Sign1ned the
spring movement toward finding out
what American women We're producing
in modern fashions
The probability is that each OF these
famous designers came over here at
the urgent invitation of certain heads
Of American firms and each was eX-
plotted and managed in clever way
that gave US reason 10 believe that
America was at the bottom of the
whole thing and not Paris.
Those who have seen the gowns Of
Worth and Poiret since their visit
here. see that America has certainly
not given them any IDEAS. but IL may
have conventionalized their future
produce for two reasons: the first is
that they the reproductions OF
their creations on every side. which
have been produced at IS or $40 ano
worn by the wrong women at the
wrong hour: the second is. that they
discovered the quiet manner of dress
ing which the best placed American
woman adopts.
:.
Whether or not America sUbdued Poiret
one cannot tell. but the fact remains that
the new gowns which he designed for .
new play were quiet and conventional
One fact is assured. which is that thu
French are not making any promises fol
the future about their clothes; the specu
iation comes from the Americans who fin,
much 10 analyze and phlosophize over il
French clothes.
The last experiment that some vi III,
French designers made 70 have an,
artists. insurgents. We would call then
over here. so into the atelers and design
gowns. This was a failure from the be
ginning. While II is quite true that l-eor
Rakst Paul Tribe. Drian and Georges Ia
Pape are brilliant young dreamers WIT
happen to hold the fancy of Paris at thu
moment. and who know how to do ad
mirable things in color. they are not re
liable designers of clothes to be Worn by
the ordinary woman.
We have adopted many footiight clothes
Tor the street. and worn many things thai
should have been kept for the glare OF
the calcium and not exposed To the glare
"f the sun, but after all we are not ready