The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-10-25

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In life. lis the strongest
power in shaping society's acts today
the dictates of good taste or the COM
mandments Of morality2"
Mrs. Belle Whitney. importer of beau
tful fabrics. laughted. (Which rules
the world-good taste or morality?
Neither. my child. Convention! That
is the balance wheel of the globe.
Women as a body would blindly offend
morality. good taste. everything ir
convention happened to incorporate
these offenses in its line Of dictated
conduct.
American women are ruled much
more severely by convention in the
matter OF clothes than the Parlsiennes.
with the French woman dress Is an
art. With the American women IL ia a
convention.
Lack Courage for Expression.
Consequently the more sensitive.
more artistic American women who are
perhaps leaning toward real self-expres-
sion In dress. cannot find courage for
their convictions. They must be extray-
agant II they are not to be thought
queer.
THE more determinedly the French
woman wears what is becoming to her
the more important a parsonage she
Is. She owes the duty OF appearing
charming to herself and her family, not
the duty OF appearing fashionable to
her neighbors as is the custom here.
II American designers and buyers
would found their creations on the
fabric they use our clothes would be
better balanced, our domestic fabric
makers would flourish and be more in
spired and the bills for dresses would be
smaller. In France the fabric makers
launch their beautiful materials through
the dressmakers. The fabric is the key
note to the costume. Here II is the last
consideration. An imported frock that
appeared made OF heavy brocade of a
divine texture and gloss is happily
copied in slazy silk or cheesecloth and
the wearer goes forth radiant in a real
French gown-so she thinks. The in
congruity OF copying styles regardless OF
materials Is for the 'style-pirates' a
stun and shape 1t into style to meet the
insistent demands OF American women
who beg to be allowed to look like
somebody else Perhaps some day tex
tiles will be the basis of costuming beau
TRULY. just as marble. white stone and
durable bronze are the foundations OF
grand architecture.
I'VE have imagination in this country
and delicate sensibility. But we must
be led In the right direction. Our fash.
ionable women must be educated into
expressing their individuality.
Morality holds some souls in check
Good taste controls a few more, but
the majority of lives. my dear, are mo.
tivated by convention"
Paris the Fashion Center.
"The reason that Paris is the fash.
ion center OF the world Is not that
the best buyers and designers meet
there but that the city Is the meeting
place for the worlds fashionable WON
en-. The Parisienne makes the fash.
ion-but for herself The American
| woman blindly accepts the fashion Of
fered her for 1880 by the gentleman
straight from Paris whether that fash
ion Is becoming to her or not. That
| is something the French woman woult
| never do. She will wear only what be-
| comes her style OF beauty, altering the
prevailing modes with subtle under
standing OF her own good points anc
physical failures until she has evolved
| what Is literally called creation.
She thus appears beautifully dressed
according to French standards. wheth
err her gown Is new or old and wheth
err or not she Is wearing n frock any
thing like the shortwaisted, highly EN-
broidered vanishing skirted affair, II
which the American has been trailing
| the boulevards.
The fact that American women weai
not what is becoming but what is II
style means that the slightest fuctua
ton of modes forces them to discard
what they wore last season to take vi