The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-01-31
y ELEANOR HoYT BRAINERD.

- AARSAIS nv A'A~<H ~ ~~A~~Ds
" HE air b fun OF fashion rumors,
but merchants and manufactur-
ers are sparring for time. Their
first ventures. demanded by tho
sxigencies OF the trade. have been made.
for better or for worse. and now they
are turning watchful eyes upon Paris
and are ready for compromise II the de-
cidon reached there does not indorse
their early gucsses.
there's one Joyous thing about the
htnation." manufacturer Of high grade
ready to wear frocks said the other day.
mo one Paris dressmaker can launch
fAahion to-day and say that every one
must conform to It. Autocrats are dying
out even In the fashion world Every
body with ideas has a say. and then it's
= game Of follow the leader you particu-
larry fancy.
$50 we over here who believe In
AMERICAN made stuff. but realize that
70 be thoroughly successful from bus-
neos point Of view We mustn't be clear
~ Of hne with Paris ideas have a lot
M gueeses instead of one. It's bad
season when we can't land somewhere
within haiiing distance OF one or an
other Of the big French houses"
Every ono is interested In the Febru-
ary openings OF the French houses.
moro than usually interested. yet
where a hundred buyers would go to
pa "A hn a n IN, or7tro
season ono or two will go now. The
important American houses will all be
represented Of course, but commission
aires will be trusted with heavy share
Of the choosing and buying and the
dressmaieers' openings here In New
York win have to satisfy many Of the
dressmakers and importers in small
way who usually make two yearly trips
TO Paris.
And while we watt It isn't necessary
merely to mark time.
Ness Mary Wall. slim. quiet. brow,
eyed woman, who Is ono OF the cleverest
women In the American trade and holds
the dressmaking business of one OF the
largest importing houses in her hands.
10 very firm in regard to that point.
There's one thing we can do better
han anybody else" she said some tinio
ago" Tho plain taiiormade In Amer
can. Our tatiors make II better than
any one else can and American women
wear II better than any other women
do.
Nothing else Is 10 distinguished for
street wear. There's nothing a woman
looks so smart in. II the suit is good and
the things worn with 70 are what they
should be. AS for elegance, the woman
who wants that can crowd as much Of II
into a tailored suit and blouse and hat
as into any sort OF costume. You can
get very good looking cheap. ready
made suit, but It's easy TO tell, at a
glance, the difference between Il and
the suit made to order by an artist.
'.if could have my way. I'd make
this a taiIorTriade spring season I'd put
every woman into the best severely
tailored suit she could afford to buy and
let her spend ~ mucf. money as abe
reAeonAbly could on appropriate things
TO 90 with the suit-srnar< neciswear
and blorres and boots and gloves and
hats. No costume In the world Is as
chic az that sort oe thing when It's we'll
done.
I'VE have the tailors There's no
din3culty about getting the best wooilen
materials for tailoring. They come
from Great Britain anyway. you know,
70 the supply isn't affected rs the sup
ply OF silks and linens and cottons is.
There are plenty OF good linens and
heavy cottons for tailoring too II we
could put emphasis on our plainly
tailored wear we'd be all right, no
matter what happens in Paris. and
American women would 'nok better than
they have In years"