Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-06-14

+, through the seasons if carefully put away.
This, let it be whispered, is the silk We
will shortly wear, probably not tomorrow,
but the day after. which means Sep
! TENDER
| When the slim little actress, Eva La
valliere, started the fashion to look boy
ish 1t was taken up By the civilized wom-
en- of the world. No one fashion, started
| by one person, had such instant success
and such universal following since the
| Empress Eugenia took to hoop skirts
and garden hats and Beau Brummel took
to high neckwear.
For several years we have seen the
! young and the old trying to look like
boys with loose shirt waists, cravats soft
| small hats, broad shoes, no waist line,
narrow skirts turnover cuffs, seal rings,
loose gloves. and coiored silk handker-
chief in the breast pocket of the coat.
All on account of one young woman
| Now this same actress who is dressed
by Polret has gone in for ruff1ed skirts
with slight bodices. as well as with short
coats that look like dressing sacques. Is
this action a forerunner of what is soon
to be prevailing fashion? If so. women
may look worse than they do at the
present woment if this is possible for
this is one of the ugliest and most I'M
graceful periods through which fashions
have passed, and it is to be hoped that it
is transition period of short duration.
! If women in general take hold of the
| skirt with six flounces, it will have to
| be modified to suit each figure. and even
| then there will be fewer who will appear
graceful in it, for it is a garment for
the small waist. not the waist of thirty
| and more inches.
| However, it will be interesting to see
! what develops as the summer deepens.
but let no one be astonished if we are
| wearing reeds in these ruffles by Sep
! tember No prophet or daughter of a
prophet speak with any semblance
of authority of a coming fashion. but TAX
ing all the evidences. one feels strongly
inclined to prophesy in that direction.
Another flicker of strong return to
| the fashions laid down by the living ex-
empress of the French is the cut of the
decolletage. One is no longer surprised
i at the gown which shows the point of
the shoulder. Up until few weeks ago
this line of the decolletage would have
been considered entirely out of the pic
| ture, and now We are looking upon it
with tolerance. and later will probably
accept it,
| 1t is surely not the line preferred by the
| English court. but it is SO long since any,
! one considered English fashions of i'm
| read the various views sent out from
Paris as to what effect the visit of the
| English royalties will have upon summer
styles.
| At first thought. one would say it was
| absurd to connect Queen Mary with a
| French fashion, or any fashion, for this
| estimable lady wears clothes, but one
can say no more than that in praise of
| her apparel.
That she has the courage of her con-
victions, and maintains striking individu-
| ality in these weather vane days, is to
be commended, but the pity is that she
| founded her convictions on an ugly basis.
It is not only that the style she has
chosen is not good, but it is bad on her,
| and that is a fatal mistake from the
| point of view of art and judgment.
| However, the Paris dressmakers re-
| fleet in their fashion creativeness the
| news of the hour, and there is little doubt
| that English weaves. Irish lace and pos
sibly large ostrich feathers will be strong
ly exploited for some weeks yet AS soon
as the warm weather arrived in Paris
the smart specially shops displayed white
muslin blouses trimmed with Irish lace
and If this industry is again started it
will mean much for the prosperity of
the peasantry of Ireland.
Much was made of the fact that Nine.
Poincare did not wear a paradise plume
| in her hats while the English queen was
her guest, because Mary's strong feelings
against the torture of wild birds Is well
known. But will this affect the Paris
women? Can any one imagine a people
who treat street horses as they do caring
for the slaughter of birds?
AS for the fashion for ostrich feathers
being revived, that was in full swing in
May. The American law against the i'm
portation Of the paradise did more to de-
crease its sale than all the fashions of all
the crowned heads in the world That
touched the Paris pocketbook, not its
heart
Talbot, Reboux, Georgette, Marcelle De-
| may, Lewis. began using ostrich feathers
in profusion on the first spring hats.
True, they tortured the feathers, but
| there is no law against that They
twisted them into snail shapes, into tur-
bulent tornadoes, into wheels, and burned
their hues, and dyed their tendrils, but
no bird was bothered by the performance.
No, it Is not probable that the English
royalties were responsible for the use
of ostrich, nor will they have more than
a passing influence over the Paris
| fashions. George the Fifth, and Mary
the Four-Fifths, as Irving Cobb calls
them, will not be remembered in sartorial
history
Speaking of paradise, the new feather
for hats is the plumage of the Brazilian
parrot. 1t gives a QdSllnS DIT OF color
to white or black hat and will look
immensely well at the seashore or in the
mountains.
Those suspenders of Paul Poiret are
gaining ground every week Strange
| idea to exploit in the midst of an 1870
revival isn't it? Masculinity run riot
alongside the purest expression of femi-
ninity. Ruffied skirts. Spencer coats, gar
den hats and suspenders!
| Possibly Cheruit's waistcoat suggested
| the addition of suspenders, or perhaps
| Poiret hit upon it in his usual way
| Whatever the origin. here we are wearing
bright-hued "galluses to hold up a skirt
| They provide a brilliant note of color, and
| for that reason they will be welcomed by
! the young set which goes in for sports.
| For example. a white serge suit has
a pair of Poiret red suspenders made of
| Turkey cotton with a bright blue en-
! broidery at each side. suit of deep
I mustard gaberdine with a plaid skirt has
| suspenders of dark blue embroidered in
| yellow.
| These masculine adjuncts will serve FOR
| the coatless blouse as well. They are
| made quite wide when they are to be
| worn with linen frock, or with white
| serge skirt, or one of linen, above which
| is worn a white muslin blouse.
| When one likes a bright muslin blouse
| in the color of q ripe watermelon or may
. onnaise dressing. with white skirt, the
| suspenders are also white with possibly
1y